bmw 330i v tl

I'm actually a big fan of honda and acura. but i know that there is stiff competition out there. now, with that said, i can do all the research in the world when it comes to buying a tl but i would like to hear from 330i owners to see why it's a better car, through their experience. (it's not actually for me, but a family member.....I'm posting a familiar thread in the infinity site, because their thinking about a g35 sedan, too) any input would be apreciated. thanks

Ricer.

he he he he he

Come on supervisor, lets not throw around the "r" word quite yet. Just because he knows honda better.

The TL is a good car, but it isn't quite the driver's car that the 330i is. The TL is one of the most expensive FWD cars on the road anymore. 270hp is just too much power for a FWD car, and the result is torque steer under heavy acceleration. Acura also hasn't mastered the steering feel of its sports sedan like BMW has. To me, it really felt like a more luxurious Accord LX V6, which is not a good thing when you match it up next to the 330i. Honda/Acura really has pushed FWD to the limit with the TL, and I don't think they will ever beat BMW until they make the switch to RWD, or perhaps equip the TL with SH-AWD.

The Infiniti G35 is a very good car. It is more powerful then the 3-series, is RWD, and cheaper. So on paper, it is the better car. However, once you drive it, you find pretty substantial differences between the 330i and the G35. The G35 isn't quite as refined as you would hope. The dash is a little pathetic compared to its German, Lexus, and Acura opponents. The drive isn't quite as sharp as the BMW's either. It is as close as any car gets to being or beating the 3-series, but interior quality issues and the fact that it isn't quite as fun as the 3 make it lacking in comparison.

The 330i is the measure by which all other sub $40,000 sports sedans are measured. It it proof that you don't need the most power to have the best car. My experience of the 330i is that it is by far the best handling car in the segment. It is just so smooth. Things like driver feedback, the manual transmission's quality, the throttle's precision, and the suspention's perfection make this the best luxury car in my opinion for less then even $50,000. The 330i is the car that you love to drive. BMW has been making cars like this longer then anyone now, and they have it down to a science. It is immensely fun to drive. It is also (the 3-series as a whole) the best selling luxury car in America, and the world even though it is more expensive then many of the alternatives. I'd look out on your test drive, once you drive one it hard to drive anything else.

This is a good read that compares all the major players (330i, TL, G35, A4, IS350) from Car and Driver.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=9993

The BMW 3-series is on C&D's top ten cars list, CAR magazine's top ten cars list (they call it the best all around car ever made), and is Automobile Magazine's car of the year. Virtually every magazine and journalist loves this car.

awesome link to car and driver man thanks

ok, i just read the entire article from car and driver, and this is what i got out of the bmw, infinity, and acura......

bmw; very fun to drive (which is what i've always heard), great looks, and it's the trend setter in the car world. every car company wants to build a bmw. now, it seemed to me like it just has too many reliability problems (which i've always heard, also). so bottom line, initially a great car, but with annoying concerns.

infinity; very sporty, which would mean the ride is not so luxurious (we'll have to test drive to find out). also the interior doesn't sound as appealing as the tl or is350. but sporty is fun........

acura; now i know that i'm biased, but it seemed to me that they complained the least about this car and the lexus. the torque steer for me is a definite problem, but only when you push the car to the limits. (that does take the fun factor down a notch.) two other concerns with this car are turning radius and wind noise, which they didn't mention.

i think the lexus is another car we should consider. other than size, it's sounds and looks very nice. (manual trans isn't a problem in our case)

i think comparably equiped, between price, amenities, fun factor, and overall convenience this is going to be a tough decision, but i know which one i would pick without have driven all cars. the test drives should be fun........
stay tuned

It sounds like you got alot from that article. My only concern is regarding what you got from their reliability. Honestly, from personal experience and alot of first hand accounts, the new 3-series is generally a pretty reliable car. When they do have problems, BMW's warranty plan is second to none. They offer free maintenence for as long as the warranty lasts (4yr/50,000miles) on everything from break pads to windshield wipers. Usually there are not too many problems with reliablility regarding the 3-series, and when there are, dealerships are usually pretty good about fixing them. You usually don't have to spend a whole lot of money on BMWs for a while after you buy them, and they are great to sell, because the resale value is also the best in the market.

http://www.bmwusa.com/Vehicles/3/2006330iSedan/Warranty.htm

I agree that the IS350 is worth looking up. Where as there are some concerns with reliability on the 3-series, the IS350 should live up to the Lexus name of being nearly bulletproof. It is a very good, very fast car. I personally didn't think that it was as fun to drive as the 3-series or the G35, but the interior quality is much better then the Infiniti's. My other concern is rear seat space, which is rather lacking, especially compared to the TL. I have a personal problem with the paddle shifters that Lexus uses due to the fact that they imitate a sequential transmission (like BMW and Ferrari uses), but are in fact connected to an automatic transmission. Again, on paper the Lexus is a very good car, but little things that are hard to quantify empirically are where it falls down.