330Ci

mldavis · 08-13-2005, 07:53 AM

My next door neighbor bought a new 2006 BMW 330Ci. But he isn't interested in a friendly run. I found out why.

255HP @ 6,600RPM
0-60 in 6.3
155 top end

Only cost him $45K. He'll be making payments on that thing and enjoying his navigational system for years after my tail lights have disappeared into the dusk.

Rock on!

usafagoat · 08-13-2005, 08:40 AM

I hope he was after something other that speed. The top end is alright, but the acceleration matches a crewcab duramax diesel I use to own...no fun just barely beating, or get beat by something that wieghs 7K+ lbs :unsure:

Does he get lost alot? You would have to get lost A LOT to justify the cost of one of those nav systems...the makers seems to think that is one special upgrade. Well...to each his own...I haven't had as much fun driving for a long time before the GTO...now it's hard to get me out of the car :zippy:

SCgto · 08-13-2005, 08:56 AM

My girlfriend has an 05 330ci, it only has 225 hp. The 06's use an aluminum/magnesium alloy for the block to save weight. A GTO would have no problem with either of them in a straight line, but on a curvy, twisty road they would give you a run for your money, especially with a manual.

mldavis · 08-13-2005, 06:26 PM

Both have independent suspension but the 330 is about 500 lbs. lighter so it would probably have an edge on cornering but lose on the power.

04bostonsound · 08-14-2005, 02:53 AM

i took out my friend in his moms 01 330. it was up a windy windy windy mountain road. he had advantage because my rear tires are so bald they are pretty much slicks. i ended up pulling away slowly on all of the corners, but on the straightaway i destroyed his butt. i was doing a buck 10 up the straight away and waited for him at the top and did the windy thing again. i ended up getting stuck behind some cars and saw a cop almost immediately afterwords. fun time though. we talked for a while after we got to the destination. it was the first time he got to see my goat up close. oh boy did i show off.

mldavis · 08-14-2005, 07:44 AM

The new 330 is a nice car. Fans always refer to how "the whole is better than the sum of the parts" and how a knowledgable automobile fan can feel the difference in quality. So I went to the local Bimmer dealer for a test drive (drove in with the wife's GTP, by the way).

Only difference I can see in quality is the badge on the front. The 330 has a nice, solid feel to it and is quite stable at speed (didn't get over 70), but the interior is no nicer than the Goat, and the seats aren't as good on my buns. I drove a 6-speed manual and the shifter is typical BMW -- short, crisp throws that experience tells me will get sloppier and softer with time as the detent springs wear in. The car doesn't feel any lighter than the Goat in cornering. I didn't get a chance to throw it around much, however. Clutch is nice but less low end torque than the LS2 calls for a bit more RPM to launch. Power comes up nicely, but you really have to spin it to feel more than 200HP. I didn't get to play with the navigation system, but a Garmin would do as well at thousands less.

So, for me, the import superiority is still a myth from the transition days in the U.S. from carburetors through throttle bodies to FI. It's a matter of balance between both power and handling. We built some real dogs in the early 80's, and we lost many driving enthusiasts to BMW, Audi, even Volvo and Saab. Then the Japanese took over when they began to fill the economy market while Detroit was mired in the old days of big chrome and huge, soft handling gas guzzlers. Now GM and Ford have released new SUV models at a time when fuel costs are reaching prohibitive heights, and they aren't competing with the likes of the Audi A-series, BMW 5's and M's, and the Mercs for the performance dollars (with rare exception). Once the performance fans leave, it's hard to get them back (witness the grudging acceptance of our beloved Goat that is just now, slowly, making inroads, further hampered by its limited production numbers).

Consider the innovations that either began outside the U.S. or were popularized overseas that have slowly become standard here: Disc brakes, radial tires, fuel injection, independent suspension. We build cars like the Buick LeSabre because people think they like big, soft cars. No one had the guts to try a car like the GTO or the CTS-V until now.

But with the exception of the Goat, we're talking over $50K for comparable performance. Yes, some smaller, lighter cars will out corner it, a few in the $75K range will slightly out run it, but there isn't much around with the overall balance of the Goat, and nothing anywhere close to $32K with the combination of quality, power and handling, BMW included.

1964GTO · 08-14-2005, 11:13 AM

All i can say is i met an M5 on the road a few days ago, the last body style which i believe had 400hp, and i left him in the dust. The first time i had the opertunity to beat a BMW M car and im very proud of my goat.

SCgto · 08-14-2005, 01:24 PM

Please don't mistake this for trolling, I have an 05 GTO and I love it. It's a great package of power, handling, interior comfort, etc. 90% of the time my girlfriend and I go somewhere, we take the GTO. We usually only take her BMW when I know the traffic will be very heavy, because it's an auto. I think the GTO is a very good handling car, but I would still give the edge in handling to a 3-series, they just feel more secure, for instance, going into a 35mph curve at 70mph. Another reason, with the GTO having 400hp on tap, going WOT halfway through a curve probably wouldn't be recomended, especially with TC turned off. I just feel the BMW is more stable to drive at its limits. Once again, I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I like my car more than any BMW, but BMW built their reputation on cars that handle well and it's a reputation well deserved. 14 years straight on Car and Drivers 10Best List says so.

Nocturn · 08-15-2005, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SCgto@Aug 14 2005, 12:24 PM
Please don't mistake this for trolling, I have an 05 GTO and I love it. It's a great package of power, handling, interior comfort, etc. 90% of the time my girlfriend and I go somewhere, we take the GTO. We usually only take her BMW when I know the traffic will be very heavy, because it's an auto. I think the GTO is a very good handling car, but I would still give the edge in handling to a 3-series, they just feel more secure, for instance, going into a 35mph curve at 70mph. Another reason, with the GTO having 400hp on tap, going WOT halfway through a curve probably wouldn't be recomended, especially with TC turned off. I just feel the BMW is more stable to drive at its limits. Once again, I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I like my car more than any BMW, but BMW built their reputation on cars that handle well and it's a reputation well deserved. 14 years straight on Car and Drivers 10Best List says so.

Almost let it slide, but the car and driver comment made my throw in my .02

Car and Driver wouldn't know a decent car unless it had an import badge on it, the magazine is so anti GM biased that it't not even funny. When the GTO looses because of a subjective "gotta have it factor", since when was conformity an advantage.

Anyways, I'll agree that the 300ci problem seems easier to drive at its limits ont he principal that its limits are much lower than the GTOs because of the GTOs much greater power. For the power the 330 has a killer suspension, but it you were to make a 400HP 330 it would need a much improved suspenion to be able to perform the same as the GTO.

On that subject my girlfriend might beggint a 330CI when the lease is up on her current 325I. From what I'v seen the BMWs havn't got much aside from a name over the GTO or some of Caddilac, but the rest of GM still needs some work.

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turbota · 08-15-2005, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SCgto@Aug 14 2005, 01:24 PM
Car and Drivers 10Best List says so.

That's where you lost me!

mldavis · 08-15-2005, 06:31 PM

You gotta be very careful when you describe how a car handles better at it's limits. Some suspensions will stick to the very last second, then break away uncontrollably. Others will begin sliding progressively until they lose control. The former may seem to handle better, but until you take one out on a skidpad and play around with it, you really don't know for sure.

Most heavier cars will begin shearing in turns. Lighter cars will resist shearing and then break away more quickly (very generalized statement).

The Goat suffers a bit from weight, but it also hold the road beautifully compared to lighter cars. The Mustang loses here because of it's dogged adherence to "retro" styling. I will have a chance to drive an 05 Stang in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know what I think if I get to throw it around.

04bostonsound · 08-18-2005, 01:20 AM

my dirt poor tenant test drove an 05 stang GT. we drove up to the dealership in my GTO and we had money written all over us. he hopped in, drove the car, burned out and squeeled the tires around corners. honestly i wasnt impressed. I think that they are a decent car, but its the mid life crises car of the dimwitted middle age man. interior was dis satisfying and the back seat was really cramped. BUT!!! on a positive note, after the test drive, i was giving a sales pitch about my GTO to the ford salesman. i gotta say, that guy loved the car!

MajorMajor · 08-18-2005, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 04bostonsound@Aug 18 2005, 01:20 AM
BUT!!! on a positive note, after the test drive, i was giving a sales pitch about my GTO to the ford salesman. i gotta say, that guy loved the car!

There ya go We must convert the Heathens!!!!