Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 11:15:16 -0800 From: "pablo" <pablonopsamlyhombreNOSPAMnet> Subject: Re: recent former bmw/audi owners?
While living in Europe, I owned 3 different BMW 3-series coupes, 318i to 320i. My favorite of the bunch was the 318is coupe I drove from 93-95. The lighter 4-cyle engine in a higher state of tune resulted in a car that I felt was more fun than the nose-heavier 320i. The is also was the best that never had to go on an extra-curricular service visit. All throughout, though, I wanted to actually get a Saab, but fleet managers would not have it: I was only given BMW and Audi as choices. Since I am not a 4-door car person, the Audi was not an option. I can't say anything bad about the Beemers - they are well-built, it somewhat spartan cars. They can be somewhat harsh. To me, they are somewhat cold. And a lot of their mystique relies on a wonderful marketing job, the utterly superior driving dynamics thing has become somewhat of an urban legend: they drive well, but by no means are they in such a different league as many would want to make you believe. A friend of mine has a 330ci, he is a very good driver, and I got my 9-3 convertible at the same time he got his 330 - so we went to a very windy road we both know well from riding our motorcycles there, and drove around at a very spirited pace. We also exchanged cars a few times. We had a blast. And, due to the fact every road in California has less-than-perfect chracteristics, the Saab actually performed very well: it was far easier to brake during a turn with the 9-3, the 330 would very easily start to spin its back. Why would one want to brake into a turn...? You don't do it on track days, but on real roads you do it all the time: a bicyclist, deer, a slower car... The 330 rolled less, surpisingly potholes would upset the 9-3 more, the 330's cabin feels a bit more solidly crafted, the 9-3s cabin is far warmer, the 9-3 seats are way more comfortable, the 330's engine purrs more, the 9-3's has a slightly more agricultural charm, and is quieter when not loaded... Oh, all magazines claim the 9-3 leads with its trunk space, but it's a lie - the new 330ci covertible has a far more trunk, all in all. During our little run, the BMW did about 16mpg, the Saab around 19mpg. At no point in time did any of us feel one car could get away from the other easily - good driving will always get the upper hand in either. You just drive them somewhat differently. To me, one thing that counts for a lot: You see gazillions of Beemers in California (something my friend is very bothered by), you hardly see any Saabs. I enjoy that contrarian element, especially when the car works so damn well in the real world. Technology considerations in hand, probably the Beemer leads the Saab in pure dynamics, 9:7 or something like that. But depending how highly you rank fuel efficiency, seat comfort and the exoticism factor, that can be made up very quickly. It's merely a matter of taste. ...pablo
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