There's a similar lack of precision in the brakes--not under a full-stop hammering, where the pedal is ultrareassuring, but in gentle modulation, where it's overlight and grabby. Is BMW losing its touch?
In general, no. The ride is firm but controlled. The rear suspension switches from four links to five, and up front the strut system goes to an aluminum-intensive design. The body shell--all steel, rather than the aluminum front structure used for the 5 and 6--feels rock-strong. The DSC system doesn't just interact with the active steering. In the wet, it kisses pads to discs every few seconds to keep the rotors dry; it talks to the cruise control and gently brakes to the chosen speed for going down a grade. There aren't the active roll stabilization or adaptive damping systems featured on bigger BMWs, because, says chassis man Auer, it's a smaller, more stiffly sprung and naturally dynamic car than they are, so there's less call for such add-ons.
Inside, the seats embrace you, and one can't help but want to grip that chunky steering wheel. Everything else is just where your eyes and limbs can get to it. The interior styling might be different these days, but that perfect interface between body and automobile means you could only be in a Bimmer. Rear room is better, with wheelbase and track up over an inch compared with the old 3 Series.
This E90 sedan is the first in a lengthy rollout of new 3 Series variants. The E91 3 Series wagon is a year away, with the coupe (code-named E92) not scheduled to make its debut until the 2006 Paris auto show, and the convertible (E93) being held until the Detroit show in January 2007. A new M3 is also in the pipeline, powered by a 400-horse V-8 (basically the M5's V-10 minus two cylinders).
The 3 Series represents more than 40 percent of all BMW sales; clearly Munich is not about to mess with success. The design is less confronting than, say, the 7 Series or Z4, and everything measurable is better, with the exception of that artificial-feeling active steering. It's only an option, but BMWs should be about forging an intuitive link from driver to road. Still, if BMW keeps writing history, history may well prove us wrong.
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