Well my dealer sent me an email yesterday claiming that the E90 was here and ready for test driving. So today on my lunch break i stopped at my local bimmer dealer and there they were. One was Ti Silver 325 and the other was dark gray 330. My first impression was that they look better in person no doubt. Second impression its definitely a bimmer from every angle except the back. I sat in the 330 for a few minutes and toyed around with the interior. I was in a hurry so i had no time for a test drive but i'll drive it on Saturday.

Now for the Ups:
The car looks good from every angle except the back which in my opinion makes the car look small, kinda like a volkswagen Jetta small. The exterior is very handsome but still looks bloated from far away. Besides the front kidney grills and the lights the cars does not look aggressive, its kinda "Soft" which is a big let down. The exhaust looks badass! The pipes are very big and shiny, they also stick out far enough to let you know its got some go. The fronts lights look very cool when turned on, they have the angel eyes and signal BMW even from a far distance. Now for the inside of the car, which i think is were BMW really excelled. The interior of the 3 is well executed, a bimmer no doubt. It has craftmanship written all over. The materials which look like the same ones in the E46(not sure though) are better executed than the E46. Theres more leather and wood on the doors as well as the console and dash. The hvac controls and speedos are 100% bmw i love them! For a second i thought it was the same interior as in the E60 which means it very well done. Its very luxurious the doors have nice padding as well as a long wood strip running length wise and close with a nice thunk but not as good as the E46. The seats are comfy and supportive and feel very very nice. The steering wheel was alright but i prefer the one in the sport package better. Also the rearview mirror has the compass and the universal garage door opener in it standard.

Now for the downs:
The interior is too luxurious and i miss the driver oriented dash. Also the window controls are now on the doors instead of the console which too me seem less driver oriented . Also the E90 must be purchased with big rims nothing smaller than 18s if not the car looks really funny. Now back to the taillights which look too small and are all red, not to bimmerish to me. Also backseat legroom is still tight like the E46 and headroom sucks if the car has the moonroof(i'm 5'9 BTW). The inside doorhandles to me look funny they tend to stick out too far instead of being flush like the ones in the E46.

The Verdict:

All and all the ups outnumber the downs by a large margin which means the new 3 is going too sell like hotcakes no doubt. Even though i havent driven it yet i'm sure the car will outdrive the E46. I personally think the 3 series has been soften up a bit in all areas which means its not living up to "the Ultimate Driving Machine". But then again all bimmers are headed in that direction, a salesguy asked me what i thought of the new 3 and the first words to come out my mouth were."its a neat nimble luxury car". After i said that i thought to myself is that what a bimmer is supposed to be? Would i use those same words to describe my E46? Well i'll reserve my final opinion til i drive it but based on looks and the interior i'm not really excited about the new 3 and dont plan on trading in anytime soon. Now if BMW drops a ZHP-like model with a more aggressive stance and better wheels i wouldnt rule myself out of buying one. We'll see and only time will tell.