2009 BMW 3 Series Sedan User Reviews

Pros

Delightful handling. Powerful braking. Upgraded exterior. Parking Assist is helpful. Hi-Def Radio...

Cons

Poor Reliability. Rough ride w/ spt pkg. Drinks gas at alarming rate. Gets very expensive with opts

I just came back from my local dealer for a repair and felt the urge to write a review about my 1 month old BMW 335i. The repair in question is the climate control unit which malfunctioned and refuses to turn on the heat. Instead it blows cold air, on and off. Two days ago I noticed a problem with the navigation screen which was very dark for about 30 minutes and then went blank. Today they are repairing both.

Mine is a loaded to the max 335i, with premium-sport-cold weather-comfort access pkg, HD radio, active cruise control, park distance control and an iPod wire. I am a bit surprised that real leather is NOT standard on a $50k car. You have to pay $2,300 for the premium pkg just to get real leather. The iPod adaptor is another example of a rip-off. Just to get a simple built-in wire it will cost you $400. Nevertheless, well worth it since I use my iPod everywhere.

The differences to the body are small to the untrained eye. Take a closer look and the body looks much sleeker. New front bumper, new lights front and rear and upgraded interior. The large navigation screen is wonderful to the eyes but difficult to manage through the iDrive while driving. I like the park assist, which helps when parking but still not as useful as my wife's Escalade park assist which is much better. I took the 6 speed automatic Steptronic over the manual simply because I do alot of city driving and a manual in bumper-to-bumper is tiresome.

I have used the adaptive cruise control a few times and find that it sets off my radar detector which is very annoying. I am anxious to see it really work automatically.

Another item of question is gas consumption. First, I can not understand why it requires premium gas when 99% of all other cars can use regular gas. That being said, I also find that gas goes very quick, eventhough it is city. I asked the dealer today if 14mpg is normal, and he replied that it depends on how you drive. True, but I do drive easy compared to my wife and still can not break above 14mpg. He said, many people are complaining. Nothing I can do.

One of the best things I like about my new car is the handling. That being said, for the $54,802 that I paid, I have many options available to me....read morehide

Pros

Quality, performance, agile, traction

Cons

fuel economy

I got the 335i coupe with x-drive (they no longer call it 335xi, note the x-drive badging on the front fenders under the marker lights). I got the premium, sport, and cold weather package and navigation. This car is worth every penny. It is very comfortable and tight. I love the heated steering wheel, who knew?

This past friday we had a very bad ice storm and I had to drive about 30 miles on the highway. This car gripped the road and I felt very safe.

The I-Drive system is fantastic and very easy to learn. My I-Phone pairs very well both through blue tooth and when i connect to the I-Pod adapter.

I love this car...read morehide

Pros

good fit and finish, good fuel economy,superior performance,fun to drive

Cons

limited rear seat legroom and headroom

After owning a seven series for five years which was constantly undergoing repairs or maintenance, the reliability of this car is a very pleasant change. I drive sixy miles per day to and from work, and with over 19,000 miles I have had absolutely no problems aside from a faulty I-pod connector cable which was promptly replaced....read morehide

Pros

great handling, excellent seats, good standard sound system

Cons

car of this value should have standard alarm system

The best handling car I have ever owned. Highly reccomend sports package for the seats. So far I have had no problems with the run flats(only have 1000 miles on car), replacement conti's are not more expensive than tires I replaced every 10,000 miles on MB 230. great handling, good fit and finish, sos botton, 4 year maint, 0.9% financing, good mpg, what else would one want?...read morehide

Pros

Stunning look outside and inside; Excellent brakes and overall handling/ride tradeoff

Cons

Counterintuitive controls; Strange steering feel w/ elctro opt; 15.7 MPG; questionable reliability

Some people say the BMW ride is a bit rough for them. I have to say for myself, it is the best tradeoff between handling and comfort I have seen on any car including other BMW's, although I admit it can be a bit rough with the optional sport package and run-flat tires, both of which I have. If you want smoothly soft handling, go for the Merc C class or Lexus ES350. Both are less sporty but smoother.

The look of the '09 is upgraded yet subtle. Only those who owned '07- '08 models would know the differences. I leased an '07 in '06 and enjoyed driving it. Now, I can say the reliability was quite poor but I over look those things because I am a 100% loyal BMW fan. Truth be told, most BMW's are very problematic after only a few years and all of mine were no exception. I hope this 2009 is better and the bugs are worked out.

Caution is needed though. If you plan on keeping this car buy the opt extended warranty- the repair costs for BMW after the factory warranty are over are astronomical! I spent $1700 for a new steering servo in my other BMW 528i and a ton of money on other items. The car ended up costing me more to keep it. My other BMW, an 05 X3 which was leased, was in the repair shop every two weeks no joking.

Also, don't expect gas to last. These beasts are thirsty. The read out says now 15.7 MPG and I have been doing some higway traveling. My 528i was even worse the whole 5 years I had it. Doubt I ever saw 16 MPG and they require premium gas.

The good points you know already- great brakes, handling and engine transmission, looks, etc. I throughly enjoy the entertainment package which is far better than '07 DVD based navi. Now you can store music in the built in hard drive instead of via the iPod connection. The navi screen is much brighter IMO and easier to use. So far I loaded about 600 songs but it still is a slow and tedious process.

The steering will take some time to get used to. Called 'Active Steering' it automatically changes direction by itself to fix your errors. Ask a dealer and test drive one with it first for few hundred miles. You may hate it as I do now after only two weeks.

Good Luck....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy. tight as a drum, fun to drive, great warranty and scheduled maintenance.

Cons

Not cheap

On my fourth BMW. this is a very satisfying car to own, loads of fun to drive. The new iDrive is smashing, a marked improvement from the original. BMW's of late are very reliable and safe, very confidence inspiring.

Pros

Good looks, tight handling, good MPG, solid build quality, free maintenance

Cons

Arrogant dealership, expensive options, run flat tires

This is an amazing car that drives like no other. I had to make a decision between this car and the Mercedes C class, and after I test drove the 3 Series I knew right away that it was the better of the two. Its faster than the C class and also gives better MPG. I also like that BMW allows you to add on many more options a la carte, unlike Mercedes that force you to buy expensive options that you don't want in order to get the ones that you do want. The quality of the leather and the interior overall is also better than it is in the Mercedes.

However, there a two things that I don't like about this car. The first thing that I REALLY don't like is the run flat tires. BMW should offer this as an option instead of forcing it on the buyer. These tires make the ride a lot rougher than it could be. Like the Cadillac CTS, they also do not include a spare tire; but, unlike the CTS, they do not offer a spare tire as an option. People who buy this car should be aware that (according to BMW, the run flat tires cannot be repaired and must be replaced if they are punctured). After doing more research, I have learned that these tires are not as easy to get as regular tires and that you may have to replace two of them at the same time to maintain the alignment of the car. Run flats wear much faster than regular tires and they are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive to replace. BMW loves to tout the 'safety' of these tires, but they do not tell consumers about the downside---the very high costs of replacing them and their serious lack of reliability. Buyer beware that BMW's free maintenance on their cars does NOT include tires. So, please research this carefully before you buy.

The other thing I don't like are the cup holders. The cup holders are flimsy and the driver's cup holder is placed in front of the front passenger's seat, which is a very silly design. In this age of ergonomics one would imagine that a company like BMW should have done much better than this.

The cup holder thing I can live with because I bought an adaptive cup holder and placed it nearer to the driver's seat. I've gotten rid of the run flats and replaced them with regular tires (and a spare in the trunk) and the car now rides much smoother.

I didn't get the iDrive/nav because I didn't care for its functionality and find it to be a bit clumsy. This is perhaps the one area where Mercedes beats the BMW.

The other cool thing is that BMW's 0.9% financing offer is much better than the 3.9% that Mercedes is offering, so if you have very good credit and you're looking for a hot new ride, the Bimmer is definitely the way to go....read morehide

Pros

The perfect car

Cons

None

I am a long term BMW driver. I am on my 8th beamer. My current vehicle is a 2008 335XI. This is by far the best BMW ever. I use 87 Octane gas (the book recommends 91 or above). The power can keep up with most sport cars. The comfort and handling are unmatched. Blue tooth is part of the premium package which is a must. Sport package will give the best seats money can buy. Cold weather package will provide you with fold down back seat which I find very helpful.
The current deals are a steal, go and treat yourself with the best....read morehide

Pros

sporty drive for a sedan, 300hp matched to a MT, NAV works well

Cons

not sure if auto climate is working porperly, not crazy about signal and wiper controls

This is an early assessment of the 335xi since I have owned it for only 2 weeks. I chose this car/model because I wanted AWD matched with a manual transmission. There are several options out there but, I enjoyed the way the 3 series drove. Almost bought the 535xi because of the larger rear seats but the 3 series drove sportier and I seldom have my kids in my car. The car is incredibly fun to drive. Very minor complaints so far. As mentioned above, not crazy about the turn signal controls, feels a bit sticky. Also, the climate control needs a bit fine tuning. No matter what temperature I set it, my feet are always very warm and the fan is at least on 3/5 when on 'auto' setting. From reading reviews about it, I thought I would dread the I-Drive, but overall I found it to be very user friendly. Also, the blue tooth for the phone was the easiest to pair. In my opinion, a bit overpriced compared to some of its competitors, but overall, very satisfied with the car....read morehide

Pros

Superb handling, stylish looks, and comfort features

Cons

Steering wheel button functionality, minor vehicle glitches

I traded in my '06 BMW 325i for the new '09 328i and noticed a few minor differences. The most striking visual difference of the '09 3 series is found on the hood and along the sides of the vehicle. Bold new "V" shaped styling lines accentuate the hood while more subtle styling cues make the new model appear slimmer and sportier. Dual brushed chrome exhausts came standard on the model I chose with the sports package.
At first glance, the interior looks unchanged but after fumbling with the buttons (especially on the steering wheel) and noticing different functions, I was a bit let down. The steering wheel buttons no longer allow customized functionality like the 06 model did. I suppose this is a minor trade off for the newly standard heated steering wheel on the cold weather package.
The new iDrive system on the 09 3 series became a bit easier to use but I was one of the few who praised the previous version anyway. The menus are now side scrolling and makes finding what you need a touch easier. What initially sold me on making the upgrade to the new model was the hard drive based navigation system. The navigation display far surpasses the '06 model in terms of resolution and detail of the maps but lacks in precision and refinement. I've noticed less than optimized routing instructions and the ability to turn down the navigation voice separate from the audio which is something missing from my previous BMW. I was also disappointed that the load time of the navigation system when starting the vehicle and after route selection wasn't any faster than the previous DVD based system. One new plus is the system now allows you to view DVD movies while the car is stationary.
The entertainment package of the '09 328 is on par with the previous models but now offers a unique new feature in the form of an onboard hard drive to store your mp3 collection. After the navigation maps have been loaded, I had 20GB of storage space for my music collection (about 2000 songs). Initially I was thrilled at the prospect of not having to plug in an iPod but the iDrive interface for managing your music collection is woefully lacking. Hopefully they get it right in future software updates. I was not aware of the usb input option when I ordered my vehicle so I've had to transfer my song collection via DVDs which is painfully slow. You are able to browse by song, title, and artist but little features like shuffling and playing a random song require you to make several iDrive menu selections and require you to do so each time the car is turned on.
I've had the vehicle in the shop once for a tire pressure issue on the run flats and once for a sunroof malfunction (both were 15 minute fixes). Overall, the '09 BMW 328i is still an elegant, finely balanced, and awesome car to drive....read morehide