C&D July 2020 - E9x Generation Lauded in 'Greatest of All Time' Issue

[G80indy]

Nice to see E9X lauded

[bimmergixxer]

Just got the issue in the mail yesterday. Looking forward to the read. Thanks for sharing.

[Law]

Thanks for sharing.

Hindsight is 20/20 and there are things people really took for granted and C&D summed it up nicely:
-Wide availability of manual transmissions
-Inline-six as 'entry-level' (in the US at least)
-Bespoke M engine
Not to mention the wagon was actually available and there was a very cool diesel 335d.

Even the most basic 3er, a base 330i/328i with a 6MT (without any other fancy packages or "M" branded redundancy), provided driving-thrills unmatched by any other in the segment at its price point.

Truly, there was a 3-series for everyone- the honest & non-gimicky 330i/328i, the street-performer/tuner 335i, the athlete with motorsport DNA M3, or the torque-monster diesel 335d and don't forget the very special 335is with available DCT.

Take your pick, NA, Turbo, high-strung NA, factory tuned turbo, turbodiesel...manual, auto, DCT.

It's no wonder the E9x generation dominated the competition.

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by Law

Thanks for sharing.

Hindsight is 20/20 and there are things people really took for granted and C&D summed it up nicely:
-Wide availability of manual transmissions
-Inline-six as 'entry-level' (in the US at least)
-Bespoke M engine
Not to mention the wagon was actually available and there was a very cool diesel 335d.

Even the most basic 3er, a base 330i/328i with a 6MT (without any other fancy packages or "M" branded redundancy), provided driving-thrills unmatched by any other in the segment at its price point.

Truly, there was a 3-series for everyone- the honest & non-gimicky 330i/328i, the street-performer/tuner 335i, the athlete with motorsport DNA M3, or the torque-monster diesel 335d and don't forget the very special 335is with available DCT.

Take your pick, NA, Turbo, high-strung NA, factory tuned turbo, turbodiesel...manual, auto, DCT.

It's no wonder the E9x generation dominated the competition.

I actually had a 335d last year as a beater. I had the emission crap all taken out and had it tuned. The thing sounded like a Cummins pick up truck and was a rocket off the line. Fun car

[6ixSpd]

Originally Posted by Law

Even the most basic 3er, a base 330i/328i with a 6MT (without any other fancy packages or "M" branded redundancy), provided driving-thrills unmatched by any other in the segment at its price point.

Amen. My little 2009 328i RWD 6MT is one of the most fun to drive cars I have ever owned. It was perfectly suited to it's daily driving tasks right from the outset with it's normal sport package bits.

It's impossible to say that about any basic modern BMW model these days...

I have had a total of six E9X models now (328i, 335xi, 335i, and all but the wagon variants), including my still owned M3. This was truly the best iteration of BMW from the 323 to the M3. Glory days indeed.



I even had another 09 328i RWD 6MT, this one factory M Sport and a stunning LeMans Blue. never should have sold it.

[BayE30]

I completely agree with C&D. My household always has multiple E9x around.

I started with a 335d Msport, wife loved that car for commuting, but sadly it was hit while parked and totalled. We also have an e91 328i 6spd at home (roomates car) which has made a great utility vehicle. Cousin has her e90 328i Msport 6spd which she will not give up ( i keep tryn to buy it from her). Then theres the e90 m3, which im currently on my second, and plan to keep around forever.

[scoale]

Congrats to the E90/E92! I loved my E92 M3

[STooK]

Just read the article and I agree with everyone, the e9x will forever hold a special place in my heart. The e9x generation had the perfect balance of modern technology and classic BMW DNA. IMO, mid/late '00 to early '10's were the golden years for BMW and I doubt we will see them again.

I've owned 3 BMW's (not counting the X3 since it's my wife's) and they were all e9x. The e92 M3 is my realistic dream car and I have no plans of selling mine anytime soon. I've had my car almost 5 years now and that is a personal record for me. The car still looks, feels, and sounds special every time I take it out and honestly for the money, I can't think of any other vehicle for sale out there that I'd want over the e92 M3. Long live the e9x!

[New2Roundel]

Playing devil's advocate, but I wonder if the e46 would have been the better choice? The e9x series may have been the last of a certain approach to building cars, but there are certainly BMW enthusiasts who feel the e46 was the high point of that traditional approach in a modern package.

Having said that, I really enjoy my e92. I ran some errands in it yesterday and it was great fun. I've never owned a car for this long (5 yrs) and not gotten completely bored with it.

[nsogiba]

When the E9X series came out in the mid/late 2000s, I had my doubts as to how well they'd be able to carry the torch passed on by the legendary E46 series, which was really the first modern chassis line of the 3-series.

The E9x's seemed loaded with new electronics, fancy turbo engines, had put on weight, etc. Once they had depreciated enough to be affordable, I dipped my toe into the E90 market and fell in love with the chassis. I like my '09 335i 6MT XDrive so much that I picked up my '09 6MT E92 M3 to go along with it for summer duty.

The E90 335 has boat loads of torque down low and really doesn't need to be revved over 3,000 rpm to get down the road, whereas the M3 begs you to spin it to the moon. On the other hand, the suspension is softer and steering much slower in the 335, where the M3 is telepathic all around. Each is really great in its own respect.






The new dynamic of BMW (2014+ cars) is much faster, but not as fun. Stepping out of an E92 M3 and into an F-series M3/M4 is like getting out of your 993 911 and into a computer laden GTR.

To quote Kanye, "Damn, they don't make 'em like this anymore"

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by nsogiba

When the E9X series came out in the mid/late 2000s, I had my doubts as to how well they'd be able to carry the torch passed on by the legendary E46 series, which was really the first modern chassis line of the 3-series.

The E9x's seemed loaded with new electronics, fancy turbo engines, had put on weight, etc. Once they had depreciated enough to be affordable, I dipped my toe into the E90 market and fell in love with the chassis. I like my '09 335i 6MT XDrive so much that I picked up my '09 6MT E92 M3 to go along with it for summer duty.

The E90 335 has boat loads of torque down low and really doesn't need to be revved over 3,000 rpm to get down the road, whereas the M3 begs you to spin it to the moon. On the other hand, the suspension is softer and steering much slower in the 335, where the M3 is telepathic all around. Each is really great in its own respect.






The new dynamic of BMW (2014+ cars) is much faster, but not as fun. Stepping out of an E92 M3 and into an F-series M3/M4 is like getting out of your 993 911 and into a computer laden GTR.

To quote Kanye, "Damn, they don't make 'em like this anymore"

Yup. So much better to enjoy the drive than to just be fast. New cars seem to have no souls. They are too bleh. Yes, they are faster, but not as fun.

The E9x was quite well done.

Cheers,

[m5savvy]

I ordered an E46 brand new and kept it for years; but, found that I rarely drove the car. I gravitated to the E39 M5 most days. Sure the E46 M3 was fun; but, I never looked back after selling it. I currently have an E90 M3 MT as a daily driver (currently listed for sale on M3 Post) and it is an absolute blast to drive. I enjoy it so much, I’m currently looking for a newer lower mileage E90 (for Extended Warranty purposes) that will replace it as my daily driver. My wife had a 2011 335d Msport from 2011 until 2016. That too was an insanely fun car to drive, with 425 ft lbs of torque. I do miss that car and would still have it but BMW basically bought us out of it for warranty purposes (airbag and carbon build up that they couldn’t timely remedy as it approached the end of the warranty). Thanks C&D for Recognition well deserved!

[jd501]

Just stumbled on this article while googling a random question I had, another feel good one for us. Figured I'd share.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2009...ound-car-2413/

[LakeSurfer]

From an E93 M3 owner I'm sure they, without saying exclude the convertible because it's not a "real" M car. Well M built it sooooo, I'm happy to own one of the GOATs.

[BimmerMan33]

I've personally had 5 e9x generation BMWs between 2009 to present!
E90 325i
E92 328i
E90 M3
E92 335iS
E92 M3

I absolutely agree that BMW had the sports feel baked into even the base version!

My 2006 325i was base RWD 6 MT, 205 width 16' tires, no sport package of course - it felt more nimble, light footed than the e92 328i with M sport package.
I have driven multiple variations of F3x generation BMWs & they just feel disconnected/numb compared to E9x cars. F3x 328i 4 cyl base no longer felt like a BMW anymore!!!
F8x M3 is fast & feels light footed when driven aggressively or on the track but does not feel special enough on daily driving compared to the E9x M3!

[CSBM5]

We special ordered an E90 330i for my wife's car back in Dec 2005 since even then no manuals were stocked by our local dealers, and she demands a manual transmission. It was Electric Red, 6MT, with prem, cold weather and sport packages, plus CA, PDC, Nav. We had that car for a little over 13 years and 155k miles. It shared the garage with a 2003 ZHP 6MT and a 2001 M5 for a long time until an E90 M3 replaced the ZHP in 2012.

So with 13+ years E90 330i and now 8 years with an E90 M3 under my belt, I do love the E9x series (we also have owned an E91 for 5 years now). These were the peak of BMW 3-series cars, no doubt. C&D was so dismayed by the F30 they had to rent time on a Kinematics and Compliance machine to put both cars on it and figure out what BMW had done to the newer design.

22 months ago now, we bought what we guessed might be the only new BMW we would enjoy for her next car to replace the 330i -- M2 Competition with slicktop and 6MT. However, and this is pretty sad to say, neither of us trusted BMW enough for us to sell the 330i beforehand, so we planned to flip the M2C right away if it wasn't up to par. With the EPS updates, the M2C steering actually works decent (I took the car to Michelin's 1/2 mile skidpad on day 4 of ownership after over 1000 miles of driving to evaluate EPS feedback neat/at/over limits of adhesion), and we love most everything about the M2C. Hence the 330i was sold to an incredible enthusiast about a year ago now, and he loves the car.

Here's what is looked like after 13+ years and 155k miles (garaged 24/7, never a daily commuter, no winter driving):

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

We special ordered an E90 330i for my wife's car back in Dec 2005. Since even then no manuals were stocked by our local dealers, and she demands a manual transmission. It was Electric Red, 6MT, with prem, cold weather and sport packages, plus CA, PDC, Nav. We had that car for a little over 13 years and 155k miles. It shared the garage with a 2003 ZHP 6MT and a 2001 M5 for a long time until an E90 M3 replaced the ZHP in 2012.

So with 13+ years E90 330i and now 8 years with an E90 M3 under my belt, I do love the E9x series (we also have owned an E91 for 5 years now). These were the peak of BMW 3-series cars, no doubt. C&D was so dismayed by the F30 they had to rent time on a Kinematics and Compliance machine to put both cars on it and figure out what BMW had done to the newer design.

22 months ago now, we bought what we guessed might be the only new BMW we would enjoy for her next car to replace the 330i -- M2 Competition with slicktop and 6MT. However, and this is pretty sad to say, neither of us trusted BMW enough to not sell the 330i beforehand, so we planned to flip the M2C right away if it wasn't up to par. With the EPS updates, the M2C steering actually works decent (I took the car to Michelin's 1/2 mile skidpad on day 4 of ownership after over 1000 miles of driving to evaluate EPS feedback neat/at/over limits of adhesion), and we love most everything about the M2C. Hence the 330i was sold to an incredible enthusiast about a year ago now, and he loves the car.

Here's what is looked like after 13+ years and 155k miles (garaged 24/7, never a daily commuter, no winter driving):

Nice looking ride. I've got the same look in my 335i. I'm passing it down to my 17 year old son.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by Scharbag

Yup. So much better to enjoy the drive than to just be fast. New cars seem to have no souls. They are too bleh. Yes, they are faster, but not as fun.

The E9x was quite well done.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Scharbag

Yup. So much better to enjoy the drive than to just be fast. New cars seem to have no souls. They are too bleh. Yes, they are faster, but not as fun.

The E9x was quite well done.

Cheers,

Love the wheels on that E90. What spec are they?

[nsogiba]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

Love the wheels on that E90. What spec are they?

Thanks. They are 18x9.5" M-Parallel replicas purchased on discount tire direct, in a "square" setup (4 rears all around). Might throw them on the M one day to see what it looks like.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by M4_GTS

I actually had a 335d last year as a beater. I had the emission crap all taken out and had it tuned. The thing sounded like a Cummins pick up truck and was a rocket off the line. Fun car

We miss our diesel, but we don't miss keeping it California smog legal.

[njdrive]

The e9x are the best looking BMWs next to the E30s and the E46 M3. I owned a 2006 E90 330i with the 6MT sports package, cold weather package no Nav. Now have a ZCP E92 6MT. I miss my 330i. Every time I see a 330i with the sport wheels I reminisce . The 330i was not as fast or handled as well as the M3 but it was fun to drive great on gas and I enjoyed the long road trips.

I think the E90s will be the next E30 in a few years especially the 330i, 335 and the M3s.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Playing devil's advocate, but I wonder if the e46 would have been the better choice? The e9x series may have been the last of a certain approach to building cars, but there are certainly BMW enthusiasts who feel the e46 was the high point of that traditional approach in a modern package.

Having said that, I really enjoy my e92. I ran some errands in it yesterday and it was great fun. I've never owned a car for this long (5 yrs) and not gotten completely bored with it.

I agree the E46 was a better all around in terms of driving dynamics, timeless looks and proportions. That is the reason the e90 did not get the love back then because it was directly compared to what it replaced. The e46 M3 the 330i ZHP. I read all the press of the time. Back to back the press lamented slightly less focus, slightly more weight and slightly more girth. Now 14 years later these differences seem minuscule compared to the current generation of numb but fast machines and people appreciate them now. So love for the e90 is overdue and deserved but the e46 peaked at what bmw defined as the ultimate driving machine from the early 80s on. This reminds me of my college days where I had all of these girl buddies that I hung out with. One had nails that were too long, one weighed half a pound more than she should've. Another didn't achieve perfect facial proportions etc etc. Now 30 years later I found a picture of me surrounded by all these amazingly, smoking hot 21 year olds that just didn't meet my high standards back then. I should write an article about all their goodness and hotness 30 years later. Sometimes you just need time to put things in perspective. : )