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Comments
But yeah, 40 comments after this much time is nothing to write home about. I miss the ol I.L....
You are entitled to your own opinion, but NOT to your own facts!
BMW gets better mileage, is more fuel efficient than the Caddy, contrary to your statement.
What's very hard to convey in an evaluation like this, is the feeling a car imparts when driven. As an "overall" package, the BMW is simply a better car. The reason is the fact that BMW sweats the details; I felt like I was driving a $55k car. The Cadillac just couldn't compare when it came to otherwise insignificant details like their gauges and switchgear, the former appearing as if they were borrowed from a 1999 Impala. Don't even get me started on things like steering column stalks, etc.
These are the reasons that Cadillac can't truly "catch up" in comparisons like these, they think my aforementioned details are unimportant and mean nothing to consumers.
Options don't define cars, it's the overall package that matters more than anything else. My car will never see a racetrack and will never be on a skidpad or for that matter run through a slalom. I would have still gladly paid $55k if my car could only manage 7 seconds to 60 mph, and only produced 225hp; facts such as these are incomprehensible to Cadillac.
It's amazing to me how many of these posts equate speed to "better", or the fact that you can buy a faster car for less money.
There's a reason BMW sells 10's of thousands of 316's, 318's, and 320i's every year.
Although the BMW was fastest in this comparison, it's an irrelevant fact, as it was far more importantly the better car.
Right there are lots of buyers like you who are going for the "je ne sais quoi" that some luxury brand brings. That said this is a motor website and many of us while we like the luxury feel also wants the reach down your pants feel when
Where I think the car falls short is the powertrain and driver interfaces. The 2.0T engine is a let-down and CUE's processing delays are annoying. It can be a frustrating system, although the voice activation is surprisingly good. But things like the gauges, seats and other interior bits don't all measure up to the class standards of a low flash, well-constructed premium interior.
BMW will continue to dominate these comparo(s) until its competetors offer ---*more powerful engines(LEXUS IS: 205hp --really? and fix the rear end--looks like you guys got lazy in the L-finess language/a drooping "anything" is not sexy/sleek/sporty). Better guages(Cadillac ATS: whhhhho in the heLL green-lighted the IP???! and whats with the dated front end --the caddy needs a deeper fascia and more character a la 2014cts) don't reserve character for the ats-v you're forfeiting sells ....and now BMW 3(which i am a fan of and especially the "bangle" design era--i miss you chris) fix your front-end tooo -unless you get the m-sport trim the front-end sucks and the rear lower diffuser needs more character(toooo grey and lifeless).
Face it, these "editors" are probably single guys who relish the BMW image for its help with the ladies. I have owned 3 BMW's and they're great cars, but I despise these fixed "comparisons". A
And why the insistence on ranking them? How about just describe and rate the attributes and let us decide? Why is one car's larger trunk less important than another's stereo? Geez, this was terrible.
As an enthusiast who travels and rents different cars over long distances twice a month or more, I have enjoyed testing everything from Ford C Max Hybrid to BMW X3 to soft-top Camaro SS; and well you get the idea.
I am blessed that I have a professional life that has enabled me to spend several hours behind the wheel of a wide variety of cars and live out my own auto tester fantasies.
Before I spent much time driving BMW products I agreed with our friend realitycheck3. I believed that Edmunds, as well as other motor journalists, were very much biased in favor of the BMW 3 Series.
Over time what I learned is that you simply cannot understand the true value and character of a great car from simply reading an Edmunds comparison, reviewing what car has how many horsepower, its options and how much cars cost.
To know and understand a car you have to spend a good bit of time and drive each car in such a way as to be able to objectively compare one car to another. A test drive at your local dealer simply cannot achieve this objective.
My very first drive in a BMW 328i began in Key West, overnighted in New Orleans, and ended in Dallas, TX. I found that BMW 328i had the longest legs of any sedan I had ever driven. I drove slightly more than 1,000 miles in the first leg and found that those highly regarded BMW sport seats were every bit as good as I had read that they were.
When I got out of that BMW in New Orleans at the end of that first day’s drive my 54 year old back was fine and I was not nearly as tired as I should have been. And early the next day I was looking forward to another long day’s drive to Dallas, TX. I could not wait to get going again.
A month later I drove a 328i from Plano, TX to Carmel, CA. On the way, in a safe location on a remote, controlled desert road I experienced the 328i in a sustained 145 m.p.h. cruise.
Just prior to reaching the end of that drive I hustled that bug- covered 328i down one of California’s most spectacular driving roads, Carmel Valley Road.
As I look back on the journey I now regard it as one of the most enjoyable cross country trips I have ever experienced because of the amazing depth and breadth of the BMW 328i abilities.
Yes there are cheaper, fancier, and better equipped sport sedans out there. But if you want a car that can comfortably and safely cross the United States at high speed, is eager to chase any sports cars up and down most any curvy mountain or coastal road, is a hoot to drive even in traffic, but can settle down and smoothly, quietly ferry clients back and forth to lunch, or your wife and children off to grandmother’s house for Christmas, there is nothing in the world quite like a BMW 3 Series.
In conclusion, I still love Cadillac and I think that the ATS is a huge leap forward for GM. And I sincerely hope that Cadillac continues to develop and grow the ATS until it is a true world beater.
After having driven and compared the BMW 3 Series to its competition, to include Cadillac and Mercedes, over long distances under a wide variety of conditions, I learned first-hand that the writers at Edmunds are not biased in any way. I am able to personally declare that the BMW 328i is every bit as good as Edmunds reports it too be.
Also, the 3-series is the Camry of sport sedans---base 3's are everywhere!!! Here in SoCal if u drive a 3 series its like a driving a Corrolla or Camry, every clueless moron has one, they are not special in anyway, and they are hideous on top of that. The Caddy is clearly the best as many other publications have pointed out, and the Lexus is slightly less ugly than the BMW.
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Beats me; my wife bought a CPO E90 a few months ago and I much prefer it to the F30s I have driven. My son's E85 has more steering feel than an F30, and my E36 track rat(dead stock) is so much more engaging that it defies comparison. In fact, I find the new 3er to be even less entertaining to drive than my Mazdaspeed 3 work beater- if that's possible...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
But Lexus has only itself to blame for its poor showing in the lower-priced versions of the autos. (Doesn't it seem like only a few years ago that almost all serious BMW enthusiasts bought the high-end model with the serious power, leaving the low-end model to losers who just want to be seen driving any BMW? The price of the 335 just soared.) It's ridiculous that Lexus would leave the puny 200 hp engine in that car. What that says, I think, is that they know the IS 250 is really bought by grandparents who just want to be seen driving (the cheapest) Lexus.
Also, how could the conservative Asians have dreamed up that hideous front grille? In a couple of years Lexus will put in a new engine and "tweak" that nose and they may have a car competitive with the 328, especially if price is considered.
I was given as loaners a 335, a 328, and even a new 535. The 335 was a fine automobile, but 95% of my driving involves commuting to work in stop and go traffic and running errands to the local pharmacy. I never got that "fun" feeling.
For my needs, buying a 335 at its inflated price over other sports sedans that cost eight to ten less and equal the BMW for the driving I do would not make any sense unless I wanted to impress people.