Best 3-series and best small car yet again

Introduction
I went to the dealership and test drove the new 2006 BMW 3 series. I am not in the market for a new car and test driving cars is not something I do often. One word: Amazing.

Review
I test drove the 325. I don't see the increased value for the 330, you pay about $6k more for an increase from 215 hp to 255 hp and not much else. You get some nicer wheels and some other bells and whistles, but nothing fundamental like leather seating or iDrive.

The 2006 BMW is the sixth-generation 3 Series. It is a bit larger than the previous 3 series. It looks similar to the relatively new 7 series. It looks remarkably like the 5 series, which is becoming a familiar theme in other luxury car series (i.e. the A4 is nearly an A6 and the S40 is nearly an S60).

The reason why beamers are consistently rated as top vehicles in their class is because the cars effectively communicate road conditions and the overall driving experience better than any other vehicle. The best word to describe it is athletic. Even though the handling is responsive, I thought the ride quality was very supple. I drove the regular-tuned suspension, not the optional sport-tuned version.

There are a good number of options, which you can look up without me restating them here. I'll mention a few of my favorite features. The new 3-series has an air conditioned cup holder. I thought that was the neatest thing, but I don't know how well it really works. The ipod controller comes standard now in the 3 series--you plug it into the center console. Unfortunately, the only way you can control it through the radio button is to purchase the optional system that connects through your glove box.

Both the 325 and 330 get decent gas miliage, 29 mpg on the highway. They also perform very similarly--the 330 beats the 325 in 0-60 by about 1/2 second. Is that worth 6,000? Maybe to some people it is.

I didn't care for the iDrive. Call me old fashioned but I'll stick to my regular buttons please. I wish you could get the navigation system without iDrive.

Overall I was very impressed. Good fit and finish. Since it is a new model, they don't have very good lease deals. Currently it is 2500 down and 399/month for the absolute base car (manual trans, etc.)

Side note
An interesting deal they have now is on the X3; you can get the 3.0 version with leather and automatic transmission for 329/month after 2500 down. Not bad for a 40,000 vehicle.

Specifications

Dimensions

Exterior
Length: 178.2 in. Width: 71.5 in.
Height: 55.9 in. Wheel Base: 108.7 in.
Curb Weight: 3285 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 37.4 in. Front Shoulder Room: 55.4 in.
Rear Head Room: 37.1 in. Rear Shoulder Room: 55.1 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.5 in. Rear Leg Room: 34.6 in.
Cargo capacity: 12 cu. ft.

Number of Cylinders: 6 Engine Size: 3 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 6 Horsepower: 215 hp
Torque: 185 ft-lbs

Fuel Tank Capacity: 15.9 gal.
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Manual: 20 mpg / 30 mpg Automatic: : 21 mpg / 29 mpg
Range in Miles: (City/Highway)
Automatic: 333.9 mi. / 461.1 mi. Manual: 318 mi. / 477 mi.