Topic: Facelifted 3-Series sedan and wagon

[Mitlov]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/11/2009-bmw-3-series-unveiled/

BMW has unveiled photos and details pertaining to the facelifted, Euro-spec 2009 3 Series sedan and wagon. We touched on the visual updates yesterday, but to recap, the car sports a revised front fascia, a new hood, restyled mirrors, and reshaped taillamps. The changes are subtle, but good. Inside, the new iDrive trickles down to the 3, which also gets BMW ConnectedDrive in-car internet, as well as an 80-gig hard drive. The 3 Series sedans and wagons are available with 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions. The 7-speed DCT doesn't make it into the four- and five-doors at this time, but it becomes available on the 335i coupe and convertible.

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-bmw-3-series/

I think that the E90 and E91 look better than before, but they still kind of look like they got punched in the nose.

[Mitlov]

Heapload more high-res images here:

http://www.netcarshow.com/bmw/2009-3-series/
http://www.netcarshow.com/bmw/2009-3-series_touring/

[ovr50]

Based on the pix here and another BMW site, I would say the "tweaking" improves the looks of the 3 Series. Wasn't bad as it was, but these minor changes just add to it overall. Looks good to me. 

[Dante]

I don't like the taillights - something along the same line as the coupe's taillights would’ve been nicer IMO. At least the top of the 2 pieces should've been aligned.
The front looks nice by me.
Just my 2 cents...

[JSCC]

Any 323xi for Canada? 

[von_khan]

Looks a little better. The lights on the e90 sedans dont do much for me.

The e92 coupes and e93 cabs.. on the other hand... 

[vdk]

  nice taillights too...

[ghost]

The bulging hood adds masculinity to this Egyptian mascaraed car. Always a fan of the Touring. Best model in the 3-series stable. Too bad only comes with base engine.

[tpl]

The bulging hood adds masculinity to this Egyptian mascaraed car. Always a fan of the Touring. Best model in the 3-series stable. Too bad only comes with base engine.

yes  the 335d wagon would be a very fast car  mega torque... I wonder how long the rear tires last.

[Greg B.]

Agree that the tailights look like someone installed a different year's trunklid on the car -- they should match up evenly. Rest of it is not bad.

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

[ovr50]

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

As one who actually drives an iDrive equipped car, I can tell you it does not affect the driving of the car one bit.

Why does everyone rat on iDrive? I suspect mostly because the auto journalists who are too slow or don't take the proper time to understand it, all carp about it. IDrive is really quite functional and I seldom use it, once it was set up on delivery.

 

[Snowman]

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

As one who actually drives an iDrive equipped car, I can tell you it does not affect the driving of the car one bit.

Why does everyone rat on iDrive? I suspect mostly because the auto journalists who are too slow or don't take the proper time to understand it, all carp about it. IDrive is really quite functional and I seldom use it, once it was set up on delivery.

 

BMW's are not for stupid people 

[von_khan]

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

As one who actually drives an iDrive equipped car, I can tell you it does not affect the driving of the car one bit.

Why does everyone rat on iDrive? I suspect mostly because the auto journalists who are too slow or don't take the proper time to understand it, all carp about it. IDrive is really quite functional and I seldom use it, once it was set up on delivery.

 

I've been playing around with i-drive for a bit on friend's cars. I find it easier to use than Lexus' touch screen. While driving especially. My new car's going to come with it, so Im kind of looking forward to it. Ovr did you get your i-drive software upgraded with the late 2007 upgrade? (Assuming yours is an 07).

Also the 09 bimmers get the updated i-drive, which looks a lot more intuitive:



More info here:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154314

If only they could have thought of these features before..

[speed12sil]

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

As one who actually drives an iDrive equipped car, I can tell you it does not affect the driving of the car one bit.

Why does everyone rat on iDrive? I suspect mostly because the auto journalists who are too slow or don't take the proper time to understand it, all carp about it. IDrive is really quite functional and I seldom use it, once it was set up on delivery.

 

I can only speak about the pre-updated I-drive, but my friend who drives a E90 328 (who's pretty tech-savvy) said the I-drive lacks certain(or all? I can't remember) shortcuts and somethings aren't intuitive so you end up spending more time navigating the various menus than you really need to do. Now I did fiddled with I-drive for quite a bit of time why I was riding along and I felt the same way.

[ovr50]

Too bad it has been afflicted with I-Drive though.

As one who actually drives an iDrive equipped car, I can tell you it does not affect the driving of the car one bit.

Why does everyone rat on iDrive? I suspect mostly because the auto journalists who are too slow or don't take the proper time to understand it, all carp about it. IDrive is really quite functional and I seldom use it, once it was set up on delivery.

 

I've been playing around with i-drive for a bit on friend's cars. I find it easier to use than Lexus' touch screen. While driving especially. My new car's going to come with it, so Im kind of looking forward to it. Ovr did you get your i-drive software upgraded with the late 2007 upgrade? (Assuming yours is an 07).

Also the 09 bimmers get the updated i-drive, which looks a lot more intuitive:



More info here:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154314

If only they could have thought of these features before..

Mine is 2008 MY so I have the updated iDrive which is better than the original one.

However, I have a buddy who has a 2003 745i which has the very first iDrive system. He claims it is not a problem for him (however he is a very tech-oriented and methodical guy).

The best thing you can do with any car equipped with iDrive, is spend a hour with the Manual when you first get the car. After that, and a bit of experimenting, you should be fine. Many with iDrive prefer it to the other interface systems in other cars like Benz, Lexus, etc.

Many ppl today never look at the car's Manual, which is a mistake - not only for iDrive purposes.

[Mitlov]

I guess I just don't see the need for an iDrive-like system (or COMAND, or MMI, or anything like that) for everyday functions.  I've got dedicated knobs and buttons that let me do anything I'd ever want with the sound system and climate controls.  I understand why it's needed for navigation, but why should I use a fancy menu-based system for adjusting the AC or switching CDs?  What's the advantage over normal buttons and knobs on a center console?

This isn't a flame, but a genuine question.  I feel like I'm missing the benefit of these systems.

[Greg B.]

This isn't a flame, but a genuine question.  I feel like I'm missing the benefit of these systems.

You're assuming there IS a benefit. I would suggest that in many cases, there is none, as is the case with a lot of digital techniology.

[DriverJeff]

I guess I just don't see the need for an iDrive-like system (or COMAND, or MMI, or anything like that) for everyday functions.  I've got dedicated knobs and buttons that let me do anything I'd ever want with the sound system and climate controls.  I understand why it's needed for navigation, but why should I use a fancy menu-based system for adjusting the AC or switching CDs?  What's the advantage over normal buttons and knobs on a center console?

This isn't a flame, but a genuine question.  I feel like I'm missing the benefit of these systems.

The AC is automated anyway, so what's the big deal?  Set it and forget it.   

For those with experience with the system, it helps keep the dashboard from rows and columns of small, unreadable buttons all over the dash.  With more and more functionality being added to these cars, the interior designers are running out of dashboard space.  iDrive does a good job of incorporating a lot of functionality into one place. 

I've had minimal experience with iDrive and feel very comfortable that within very short order, I'd be able to comfortably navigate through the system with ease.  It's surprisingly logical in its functionality.

Oh... and did I miss it in the article somewhere that iDrive is now on every 3-series?  It's currently optional -- and one that'd I'd happily forego if purchasing a 3-er.

[ovr50]

I guess I just don't see the need for an iDrive-like system (or COMAND, or MMI, or anything like that) for everyday functions.  I've got dedicated knobs and buttons that let me do anything I'd ever want with the sound system and climate controls.  I understand why it's needed for navigation, but why should I use a fancy menu-based system for adjusting the AC or switching CDs?  What's the advantage over normal buttons and knobs on a center console?

This isn't a flame, but a genuine question.  I feel like I'm missing the benefit of these systems.

The AC is automated anyway, so what's the big deal?  Set it and forget it.   

For those with experience with the system, it helps keep the dashboard from rows and columns of small, unreadable buttons all over the dash.  With more and more functionality being added to these cars, the interior designers are running out of dashboard space.  iDrive does a good job of incorporating a lot of functionality into one place. 

I've had minimal experience with iDrive and feel very comfortable that within very short order, I'd be able to comfortably navigate through the system with ease.  It's surprisingly logical in its functionality.

Oh... and did I miss it in the article somewhere that iDrive is now on every 3-series?  It's currently optional -- and one that'd I'd happily forego if purchasing a 3-er.

Exactly, once the iDrive functions are set, there is no need to use them daily. Just drive the car. There ARE dedicated buttons as per the normal way for audio functions and heating/cooling so iDrive is not needed daily for these. I go into iDrive about once every couple weeks to check that all systems are working properly but, other than that, I leave it alone. It is NOT the big deal that many seem to think it is.

I heard a rumor that the updated 09 3er will have a simple iDrive system but don't know if that is a fact or not. No biggie if it does.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Also a diesel 335D
New diesel engine
The big news for 2009 is unquestionably the addition of a diesel-powered variant called 335d. Under its hood is a 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder engine mated to a pair of turbochargers -- and winner of two World Engine of the Year awards. When running on diesel fuel, it produces 265 horsepower and a whopping 425 pounds-feet of torque. In Canada, the 335d will initially be available as a sedan only
http://www.auto123.com/en/news/car-news/bmws-2009-3-series-gets-a-diesel?artid=99309