tachyon

I've been toolin' around for 2 days testing out a 2002 330xi and it's been fun ... but it's no 550. Not even close.

The 330 belongs to my mother-in-law and she just ordered a new 330. So I'm thinking about buying it from her and adding to the fleet. It's in very good shape and has just 13,200 miles on it.

The 3 series is such a great car - fun power, great handling, tight steering, firm ride ... all the attributes that make it the best car in its class.

But what amazes me is how far advanced the E60 drving experience is compared to the E46 3 series. There is no comparison. Besides being so much more powerful, the 550 is so smooth and library quiet compared to the 330, yet the 5er is just as sure-footed.

In the 330 you feel everything - in sort of a good way, but also in sort of a bad way. It's good to get such tactile feedback, but it can get annoying to feel every little imperfection on the road.

Even without active steering, the 550 is effortless to pilot, while the 330 takes more effort to throw around.

And you don't realize how fantastic the brakes are in the 550 until you drive something else. Even in the 330 I feel like I need to plan ahead more to stop than I do in the 550.

Sure, you carve the 3er a bit more sharply than the E60 ... and that's a lot of fun ... but as great as the 330 is, it makes me appreciate the 550 all the more.

0700700

well now you know that the true drivers bmw is dead