If BMW thinks they will move us Mini drivers up into to BMW's they had better build a better car. That or they should have made a crappier Mini.

Viggo is in for some work and I got a 325i as a loaner. The car only had 300 miles on it and compared to my Mini is a dog. You have to stomp on the pedal and.... wait... for it to go -- then it goes OK, but it's not exactly responsive; granted it does have an automatic. As for handling it's kind of a pig to drive -- a lot of understeer and it feels heavy and overly large.

Perhaps my Mini has skewed my sense of how a car should drive? Nonetheless, I have no desire to ever get a BMW.

One nice thing is it confirmed my decision not to get the automatic AC in my Mini. I almost punched the dashboard because I couldn't get it to stop blowing cold air on me. It has a mind of its own and it willfull. Eventually I got it turned off--nothing about it was easy.

emerika

 

I agree totally. I just got back from visiting my folks where I drove their 2001 325i. The thing drove like it was a boat. It was nice to cruise in and make your way leisurely around town, but step on the gas and try to have some fun and the thing just lagged. The funny thing is that the 3 series is thought of as one of the best compact sport cars in the world. I guess the MINI is that good.

 

we have the 318 ti and it is allot of fun to drive. with the back end shorter than the other 3 series cars it is nimble. we have the stick and that helps to make the car more responsive. but the mini is so much more fun to drive and as a second car what else could ask for for those short trips around town. mcs brg

 

the M3 i borrowed from a friend wasn't bad.

 

I'm in the same boat, got a 325i as a loaner, the more I drive it, the more I hate it. No chance I'd ever buy one of these beasts. No get up and go, doesn't make me smile. I don't understand how anyone could buy one of these

 

I got a 330 ix or xi recently.
I liked it alot.

_________________

Got Faith?

 

Pssh. Try driving a Saturn L-series as a loaner, or an Impala or some of the other boats people have been getting, THEN complain about your 3-series. Basically any car is going to feel sluggish and smooshy compared to the MINI.

 

I don't know much about the 3 series, but the wife bought a 528I in 1998 and it's proven to be a very nice ride indeed. You can drive this car for 500 miles at a setting and not feel tired. Nice, quiet, and very smooth.

Plus, the car is still on the same windscreen, no rattles, the paint is still very good, the interior is showing some wear, but you would expect that after 76,000 mi

 

It's nice to get a BMW as a loaner.

The only BMW I would consider at this point is the upcoming M5 due out in Dec.

 

Twice I've had loaners while my MCS was in for overnight warranty work. Once was a BMW 3-series ( 325 with 5-spd) once was a MC (5-spd). I liked both. The MC impressed me with it's about town character, quick off the line, maybe more so than an MCS; while the 325 was a smooth riding coupe, not nearly as maneuverable as the MINIs but definately more luxurious and quieter. For the Corporate tool, a BMW is as much a requirement as a necktie, the MC was much more of the free spirit, which is one of the more endearing characteristics I've found in most MINI drivers.

 

emerika, since the loaner is so new, perhaps you got one with the bad GM transmission!?

BMW switched the auto-transmission supplier for the 3 series from ZF back to GM, and GM supplied BMW with a batch of bad transmissions. If the car had one of the bad transmissions, when you first step on the gas, it would take a couple of seconds or more before it would accelerate. If the transmission is operating properly, an automatic 325i should be able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph within a half a second of a MCS. According to Car and Driver magazine's test results, a stick 325i should accelerate to 60 faster than a MCS. I don't think it would feel that slow unless it had one of the bad transmissions.

 

The 320i that my dealer gave me was ok,maybe when I grow up (born 55)

 

My wife has a 325iT with the sport package and 5-speed. When we took it in for service, we got a loaner with an automatic and no sport package -- it drove like a Buick.

Bleah!

On the other hand, my wife says there's nothing like dusting an Expedition with some unsuspecting soccer mom and visions of grandeur in what looks like a plain white stationwagon.

I suspect she really shouldn't enjoy that as much as she does.