The test drive was complicated by his experience with his last car, and just about every car we looked at was better in handling, braking, and comfort, although most lacked in straight-line performance. He marvelled at disk brakes all around, traction control, and electric seats.

To be honest, I was also considering a new car, since the 540i has been a handful, as many of you know. I complicated things by coming from the other extreme, that of amazing performance, great handling and total comfort. Each car was a pale shadow of the 540i, sometimes copying BMW styling cues and other times missing the point completely.

We went to the VW dealer first, since I considered the Passat to be the baseline in this test. It was about $30,000, with a V6 and adequate everything. It handled fine, accelerated fine, braked fine, had a conservative interior and was generally pleasant. He was impressed, but walked away missing that raw performance of his muscle car. He wanted something that invoked the neck snapping performance he was used to.

I was happy with the Passat, but found the brakes to be a bit mushy. We laughed when we noticed our test car had a burnt out taillight. The sales guy was a bit hung-over and didn't appreciate the ribbing about German electrical systems.

Then we went to the Nissan dealer, to see a Maxima SE. The first thing we noticed was the tacky plastic used in the interior. It looked really cheap. The car had great acceleration, with a minimum of torque steer and very good handling. The biggest complaint was the rough ride, likely a result of the SE sport handling. Anyway, the garrish interior and poor rear-end styling turned us both off on the car. The price tag of $32,000 put it in the ballpark with the Passat, but the car lacked refinement. The performance, however, was very good and now we were looking for a car with the refinement of the Passat and the performance of the Maxima.

We visited the Volvo dealership next and drove the S60 T5. This was looks great on paper, a BMW killer if there ever was one. The S60 T5 lurches forward with good acceleration and minimal turbo lag. The torque steer was disconcerting, however, especially since it wasn't transmitted back to the steering. The car simply lurched to the right under hard acceleration, a little scary and definitely not what you expect in an expensive luxery car. The handling was vague and soft and the steering was way over assisted. At a price of $37,000, we wondered why anyone would buy one. My friend was happy with the touchy brakes and spongy suspension, but was hoping for more with such a lofty price tag. Every option on a Volvo is insanely expensive as well.

Next was the BMW dealer. Our first dealer was a wash, since the sales folks were too busy (Sonnen in San Rafael). One salesman suggested making an appointment. We blew that dealership and went to Weatherford in Berkeley (the folks who have all my money). They were busy as well, but instead of blowing us off, they photocopied our licenses, handed us the keys to the car and told us to have fun!

The dealership didn't have a 330i with the sport package AND stick, which was what I was interested in possibly purchasing, so we drove two different cars. The first car was the 330i coupe with the standard tranny. Oh my god! I've never had more fun driving a car! There was no end to the power available in this car, and the handling was superb. The ride was a bit stiff, and it reminded me a bit of the go-cart feel I got from driving a Lexus IS300. Never mind though, because this was the most fun I had ever had driving a car, and my friend agreed. There was power in every gear and shifting was a joy. Finally a car that put a smile on your face!

The 333i Sport with automatic transmission was tame by comparison, and kind of ho-hum on performance. Again, we were more interested in testing the sport package, so we checked out the handling. I found the car handled much better with the sport package, transmitting the road feel without too much transmission of the bumps and potholes. The seats were also excellent, much better than the standard seats. My friend decided he wanted the sport seats, but not the sport suspension, which left him with the question of whether to order it with the sport package and downgrade the suspension or to not order the sport package and replace the seats. At a price of about $37,000 ($33,000 equipped exactly how he wanted it), the BMW was the clear winner for him.

Interestingly, I came away from the 330i Sport convinced that I wanted to keep my 540i. It didn't have the excitement of a 330i and the high-revving adrenalin rush, but the 540i had grace and poise. It was a grown-up 330i, without the need to show-off, but with the same performance. It might be a bit bigger and not as nimble, but it made up for it's shortcomings with comfort and class.
As much as I long for the rack & pinion steering and mind-blowing suspension, I don't spend most of my driving time on the track or zipping through corners.

My friend is hoping to put in an order for his 330i this week. While another friend's father is now convinced that he wants a 530i. I should get comission, no?

--gary