AJP97

Guys, keep in mind that the review was done very well and complimented the CL-S in just about every way possible. The one thing I have a hard time understanding is how come the BMW is faster to 60. The CL is a little bit heavier, but the CL-S has a good power advantage. Overall, I believe the CL-S is the best sports coupe for the money. The BMW is a great car also, but a little to costly.

JerryL

Crazy Sellout:
I did not own a CLS before buying the Bimmer. I was so close to signing on the dotted line, but after the second test drive I realized that the car didn't really do anything for me. Don't get me wrong, it is one fantastic vehicle, but I just loved the BMW's refinement over the Acura.

Tom2

Probably because of the gearing.

Collective27

Simple, our car has terrible stock tires.

eclipse23

330 is a better car IMO

I would take one over a CLS any day.

I can't afford one, I aint gonna bullshit anyone.

Nice car though, love the interior, I'll take a stick convertible thank you.

Red Rider

Vaue should count more, that's why most of us bought the CL-S, because for the $$ it couldn't be beat. My ceiling was 30k, no BMW could touch the CL-S in that price range. We should be compared to a 325, not even a 328. But it is nice to see the car in a comparo

eclipse23

To add: Honestly, today if I had 40K? S4 for sure, too many BMW's out there around here at least.

1SICKLEX

What is value?
1. Is value making 2 products one a newbie, the other the standard so similar u can't tell the difference between the 2 but one is significantly cheaper.
OR
2. Is value making 2 products, one with obvious shortcomings therefore cheaper but similar to the standard.

Big difference to me. I like #1.

I think the CL-S is more classy cruiser while the BMW is a classy sports car.

someguy

It is RWD, has staggered tires. Also, E46 manuals only have about an 11-12% powertrain loss

The CL is helped by a Limited Slip Differential, the BMW would be even faster if it had one

EricL

1. Bimmer -- better tires (at least they offer the good tires straight from the dealer.) IMO, The Acura's MXMs suck on most surfaces and there was definitely some consideration given to "price" (some kind of "deal"), 4-season, XL load, and eco-friendly-ness...

2. RWD vs. FWD (Physics at work).


3. I'm not too sure about the gearing, the gearing on the CLS manual looks pretty good, but any RWD I run into with a close power-to-weight always pulls just off the line (due to the FWD vs RWD).

Black CL-S 4-Life

0-30 has never been the CL-S's strongpoint, but once it starts moving lookout!

DISRUPTV

what are the 1/4 mile times 4 each car? Umm, I wonder what acura could do if they put in another 5K in the CL-S....hmmmmm

AJP97

Yeah, I see everyone's point. I am not a huge fan of the stock tires on any acura/honda. My tires on my RSX are ok, but I would like to replace them soon. Regardless of the crappy tires, I believe the CL-S fairs pretty well when compared to the 330Ci.

cnatra

I think your example above just illustrated the point.

That's about the same price jump from a CL-S to a 330ci

I think Bimmers are great! I love German cars. At this point
in life I can't justify blowing that much on a car & the CL-S
was the compromise. My CL-S is a daily driver, sporty yet
comfortable. After I buy the wife a SUV or mini-van I'd like to
keep driving the CL-S to work & get a "weekend" car like a
used M roadster or C5 .

RWD is better for handling (listen up Honda! use that S2000 platform!) but I don't think the 330ci is $10k better than a 6spd CL-S.

If only the CL-S where RWD, it would almost be perfect!

amir was here

the 330 is much nicer than the cl-s.

its worth every penny too..

u guys are gettin ghetto..thats all...

its not that the bmw is OVERPRICED, its that the CLS is underpriced, cheaper than it should be for what u get...this has spoiled you guys.

8 years ago, there were not cars with as much bang for buck as the CL-S....BMW has kept its models prices pretty steady...just tryin to show u guys that the BMW is the same worthy BMW of 8 years ago..its the CL that is too cheap...

Also, last time i checked the BMW was assembled in GERMANY...our cars were put together by Bill from Ohio...

32vv1ll

ony of my buddy has a 330ci imo the 330 is definately one step above the cl ( s or regular it dosent matter ) in every espect

If the 330 was 35k it will definately be a great car, but for 43k (thats how much my friend paid for) i would take the s4

louisn

Yeh, and our trannies were built in Japan; Bill from Ohio would have done a better job. Also Mercedes are the lowest luxo cars in terms of quality in 2001-2. Don't assume products made outside the U.S. are better.

JZ

The base price on the M3 when I went and looked was 45K even. And, that included a lot of the stuff that I was already putting on the 330 (i.e 18" wheels, sports package items, sport seats etc.) So, I actually could have walked out with an M3 for about 6-8k more than the 330 I priced. That decision would be a no brainer for me.

gavriil

Value is:

Cost divided by Benefit.

The lower the number the better. The CLS will kill any car in its class if there were an objective way to measure cost and benefit on average. A survey would help but it would be a lot of work.

ssim3

Let me know where you can walk in & buy an M3 for MSRP. In Roundel the mag of bmwcca most are reporting an8,000 to 10,000 gouge by the dealers along with a 6-9 month wait.

JOE

For anyone that makes a general comment like "you know everyone would choose a 330ci over a CLS" better make sure everyone on this board is in agreement. I used to own a 328ci and I thought it was a piece of junk.. I bought it brand new and the first month I started hearing rattles and squeaks.. I bought the car because I've ownly bought Japanese cars and thought it would be nice to have something different.. I WILL NEVER buy another 3 series Bimmer again!! The thing was a rattle machine and everytime I took it in they told me that they couldn't do anything for it.. Also, I thought the car was going to be a lot quicker than my 97 CL 3.0 and again, I was disappointed..

For the money that bought the car for I personally did not think it was worth it.. Yes, it had better handling and RWD but that does not offset the cost of the damn thing.. Also, why do people think that owning a 3 series BMW has anything to do with a perception of wealth????? Unless you have an M3, 5 or 7 series I don't think an entry level car like the 3 series is anything to be gawking after..

bnavarro

the 330 ci nice car, but i think the CLS is a great car. My friend has a 330 ci and he always complements me on my car. He has hamman everything on his car (very expencive if u don't know) and i gave him a ride in my car with the coilovers in, he almost shit a pickle. he just ordered coilovers just because of me. for the money, u can't beat the acura.

cnatra

This sounds accurate. A guy at work has an M3 that's about 3months old. It took him 6 months to get the car after ordering it & he paid $55k out the door. (not SMG either)

JZ

I sat down with the salesguy and he showed me the price and that was what I could have paid right there and then.

Of course there is a wait--they have to BUILD the car for you!

Crazy Bimmer

When was this? Cuz i just went to BMWusa.com and priced out a 2002 M3, with only metllaic paint and leather.. the price is already $47,020.

I would never pay 47k on a BMW m3, and that does not even come with a sunroof, heated seats, or Xenon headlights or even Navi. How can you even call that a BMW? I mean hell sounds like half the people here just want a M3 to say they have an M3. But im sorry, my TLS spoiled me, and now on i need the good stuff like HIDs, heated seats, and a simple sunroof. So to me... THIS IS A NO BRAINER....get the 330ci and save the 9k. I like it who yuou make it sound like 6-8k is nothing. PIMP.

Lets see... my 330ci is 41k (what I paid) and with the same options as i have and put it in the M3.. then that would come out to $52,995 MSRP

Dont get me wrong I would LOVE an M3, but i cant say as of now i would want to spend an extra 10k for it and spend a shit load on insurance for it.

TypeSKid

Good luck with the new ride, I kicked the shit out of a 330ci on the way to lunch today.

BNut

What you WANT from a car determines which cars you consider when you make a purchase.

You have to ask yourself a series of questions before you purchase a car:

Do you want a car that costs less than $xx,xxx?

Do you want a car that has excellent reliability?

Do you want a car that is powerful and fun to drive?

Do you want a car that has great handling?

Do you want a car that comes with lots of standard features?

Do youw ant a FWD, AWD or RWD car?

For me, I already own a FWD car with excellent reliability and lots of standard features for the price I paid. ABS, front and side air bags, power mirrors, locks, seat, cruise control, makes 200hp with regular fuel (something other cars in its class can't do), rear fold down seats and trunk pass through armrest. If I so desired I could have gotten my car with leather seats, sunroof and automatic climate control but these were not things I desired.

For my next car I wanted something DIFFERENT than I currently own. This means FWD is out of the question. I want something that is FUN to drive, so tha eliminated AWD. That leaves me with RWD.

I basically narrowed my choices down to the IS300 and the 330Ci.

I have a BMW dealership in my city but do not have an Lexus dealership. Plus 1 for BMW.

The IS300 is about 5,000-$7,000 cheaper than 330Ci when equipped similiary. Plus 1 for Lexus.

The IS300 takes 6 months to special order. Plus 1 for BMW.

I can't stand the Dash cluster in the IS300. Plus 1 for BMW.

I hated the interior "fisher price" styling of the IS300. Plus 1 for BMW

I loved the steering/handling and ride of the IS300. Plus 1 for Lexus.

I got to ride shotgun with BMW's LeMans driver at the BMW Momentum test track in Houston, TX in a 330i 5spd. Plus 5 for BMW.

So for ME, the decision was pretty easy. In my price range $30-$40k, the 330Ci is the obvious choice out of the two.

BigPimp

I cant believe there are still haters of the 330 out there. You people are in denial and it aint a river in Egypt .

BMW interior is 80s style???????? Ok whatever you say, but its fawking beautiful and you just can't deny it.
Look at this pic below, if you think thats not nice or 'old' you are smoking crack.

I am financially challenged right now, therefore the bimmer is just isnt in the cards, but believe me, I'll put my money where my mouth is the first chance I get. Had I know what I was getting when I bought the CLS, I deffinetly would've bought a used bimmer to stay in the similar price bracket.
Also, the price difference between the two narrows when you need to modify the heck out of the CLS to bring it close enough to the stock 330.

beestea

Yeah, yeah... it looks nice.. cool two toned color scheme.

Anyhow are we supposed to take automobile advice from someone that is self proclaimed "financially challenged" yet driving around in a 30k+ sport/luxory car? Do yourself a favor, trade your CL in for a Civic and open a savings account!

BigPimp

You best be jokin'. What de hell are you talking about? Let me give you a definition of financially challenged: it means I lost my job a month ago, jackass, and thus had to end my process of replacing my CLS. If I find a job that will make me financially stable, I would continue the process of selling my cls.
Do yourself a favor, and think before you speak.

beestea

Maybe if you beg your mom she will give you a break on the rent for the basement for a few months!

Maximized

For all the people hating the 330i, I beg you to drive it! If you are still breathing, there is no way you can compare a CL-S to a 330i in terms of overall performance. The 330i will smoke a CL-S on a race track....with turns.

Also, for the people saying that the 3 series interior is 80's and that the 5 and 7 are "true" Bimmers. You are dumb!! The interior of the E46 3 is a version of the 5 an 7.

BigPimp

Thanks for the advice, i'll keep that in mind.
Fcuk face, dont turn to personal attacks, this is a thread about 330 vs CLS. If you got something to say to me, I am on AIM. Otherwise, suck it.

DJF

Have someone sit in the back seat of a 3-series on a 2 hour drive, then do the same in a CL. Then have that person give you his/her opinion on what car they would pick. (CL!) I know this has nothing to do with performance, etc., but everyone here has already covered those issues. Just thought I would throw in some meaningless tidbit.

Mike

Beestea, please refrain from personal attacks.

BigPimp

Good point, however since the overwhelming majority of the people on this board are drivers, most care very little for the back seats.

Nashua_Night_Hawk

The 330 Ci is damn small compared to the spacious CL!

JerryL

If I am going to have people in the back seat, I will drive our MDX or A6.

cakennedy

Holy crap! I start reading this post and every time I go to the next page there's two more new pages! Ibet this goes to 30 pages

Let's be realistic and straightforward on the question of CL-S vs. 330ci. We pretty much all know that the 330ci is a better drive, and it obviously has a higher price tag. Therefore the question is not simply 330ci vs. CL-S, it's is the premium for the 330ci worth it?

We've argued here many times before about the actual price difference between the two, and depending on how they're equipped, it can be anywhere from $5000 to $10000 or more. I have always been of the opinion that if you choose your options carefully on the 330ci, it's well worth the price premium.

I haven't read the C&D article yet, so I can't address any of the points in it. But to say the only reason the 330ci won the comparison is because of the magazine's bias is completely ridiculous.

cakennedy

Oh, and don't knock the back seats in a 330ci until you've tried them, they're actually quite large and comfortable.