I enjoyed the thread regarding the TL vs the 5 Series. It was very civil and some great points were made on both sides. So, I am very curious to hear opinions on the TL vs the BMW E90 3 Series, 2006 325i and 2006 330i.

As you folks may know, I love the TL. But, after watching the police chase video last night of the 330i, I am in awe of its performance. There are not too many cars that could have done what that 330i did. It outran the police cars, news helicopters, went over spikes in the road and kept on zooming, until the driver hit another car and an embankment. Then, the driver got out of the car without a scratch. Talk about a car built like a Tank! The 330i was banking turns, twisting and turning at speeds WELL over 100 mph. It was pretty impressive in terms of the driving dynamics of the 330i.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND: I do not condone what the driver did. In fact, I hope they throw the book at him. Also, I hope the people in the car he hit are okay. It was an unfortunate incident.

Now, back to the TL vs the 3 Series. Opinions, comments, I would love to read them all.

 

Link to this chase video, please

 

^^ yes

 

I started a thread about it when it happend. Link is in there.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=329553

Performance? You mean handling. Someone's work truck with ladder and shit on it was keeping up/passing/accelerating past everyone and stuff. The speed and acceleration was nothing.

It was handling very well though. He dodged, ducked, dove, dip, wove, and uhh, dogdged.

/Anyone catch the movie reference?

 

BMW puts the SPORT in sport sedan. The E90 is an amazing machine and truly fun to drive. It's downfall to me was the difference in price. An E90 equipped the same as a TL would run about $10k more. The TL has it beat hands down in value and from what I can tell about Acura, dependability. For me the TL is the smart choice. If an extra $10k is no big deal, definitely test drive the 330i.

 

The new 3-series was not out when I picked up my TL. However, I have not gone to look at a 330 because of 1) the additional money involved 2) and the reliability issues which have not been resolved (remember the Car & Driver comparison where 330 won, despite several electronic malfunctions??!). My wife likes the look of the new 330, which I find OK, but I don't like putting a lot of money down on what for me would be primary transportation with questionable reliability.
If the reliability issues disappear in the next couple of years, then the additional money might not be an issue.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...ston+bmw+chase

bah, that wasn't that impressive. An Altima/Camry/Accord V6 could have done that.

 

While the handling of that BMW was pretty good, you have to realize that the cops were not allowed to take him out. Trust me, they could have easily caught him, its not like a stock 330 is faster than a cop car.

 

You can see how well a BMW 3 Series (albeit a CSL) handles in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/?v=XXM_P9sO3Gs

It doesn't win the race, but it's up against some pretty stiff competition.

 

My friend has an '03 325i, my dad has an '05 TL, and I have an '04 TSX. The handling of the 325i is excellent but so is the handling of the TSX. The handling of the TL can't compare to the 3 series because it is a larger car with more weight to haul around.

In terms of speed, the 325i feels slower than my 4 cylinder TSX and can't even touch the TL in the speed department. I don't know about the 330i as that is more geared towards the TL but I assume that it isn't as fast, either. You know because you own one, the TL is quick!

Refinement, Acura is the clear winner here. The 325i feels cramped and the egronomics did not feel as nicely appointed as they do in the TSX or TL.

Value again goes to Acura. His 325i cost $31K and doesn't have Xenon's, doesn't have a sport package... I don't really understand why he would want a car with nothing in it but thats just me. When it all boils down to it, I see people who buy BMW 3 series as those who are basically saying"Look at me.. I drive a BMW... I must have money" which is not always the case. BMW, while a beautiful car with unmatched handling, is definetly not worth the money just because of the emblem that sits on the hood.

I would much rather drive an Acura, know that the electronics in it are sound and aren't going to break, and have top of the line luxury for A LOT less money. Yes, I may be baised towards Acura but I just see no justification in buying a BMW 3 series for that kind of money. So feel good in your TL!

 

Ahhhh another Dodgeball fan.

I think the TL could have done as well in that chase. That is, as long as it wasn't mine that was stolen.

 

The CSL is actually faster than the NSX-R, the Modena, and the Gallardo around the Nurburgring.
Although were talking about a car not available in the U.S.

As for a 3 compared to a TL, it all depends on what you want. The 3 will handle a little better and has slightly better materials. Feels put together a little better. It also has a number of issues with the electronics and is quite a bit more expensive.

 

I think the E90 kills the TL in handling. I dont think its fair to compare the TL to the E90 but more fair to compare it to the 5 series E60 becuase they are pretty much have the same dimensions. But of course the TL is a FWD so that makes big difference to BMWs

If the TL was made with RWD, and if acura spent more time and money(acura seem to cut a lot of corners on this TL) developing and testing the TL, it will definately beat the 3 series in all performance aspects

 

I am not an expert but i think purely based on power the TL is faster than any of the 3 series (excluding M3). Although i think the bimmer's have quicker acceleration.

 

But, they are different sized cars thats why i thought the TL V 5 series was a good thread. THe acura is a midsize, the 3 series a compact (im pretty sure) but you can compare just about anything in the car world!

 

I don't think that the E90 did anything special in this video. Nothing that a typical 1999 TL won't do.

I own a 325i 2005, and I find the TL quite appealing and a wholeworthy competitor. Better styling than the E90.

I would be torn between a TL Dynamic or a 325i Sport Pack w/sunroof; they are at the same price, even if there are equipment differences.

 

Nothing special, he just drove fast and didnt excercise the full potential of the bimmer but of course that guy was a idiot!!! Whats a guy with nice bimmer doing that for? Give the bimmer to me!!!! what a waste. Glad the the lady and the baby is ok

 

You obviously dont know what you're talking about.


The general cop car is slow as HELL. VERY SLOW. VERY VERY SLOW.

 

Not if the cop car is a "pursuit" special that most highway patrols use. Plus they are trained to drive in these situations keeping in mind the safety of the people in the other vehicles on the highway. They'll let the idiot be if they think that is a safer bet, and catch him when he runs out of gas or crashes eventually. They just have to be patient.

 

If I could, I would plug myself into "the Matrix" (read: FAKE WORLD), steal a Ferrari 430 Modena, get the cops to chase me, and toy with them at speeds of 150+ mph! I would just have to hope that my car doesn't break down during the chase!

 

I was actually going to purchase a 330I. I test drove a manual and auto, both with performance package.

The only reason I did not purchase the day I went was because they did not have white/ebony on the lot.

I told my wife to stop by the Acura dealership on the way home, test drove the TL and immediately changed my mine. You could not beat the combination of performance, luxury, styling and price.

 

Most people who buy BMW's buy the name, not the performance. The other day, I saw a middle age woman driving a black M-3 BMW. She looked like she just got back from the hairdresser and couldn't care less about the performance of her M-3. She looked more concerned with her appearance than driving a sport sedan. Now...if I only had that car???...I wouldn't be looking in the mirror to see my hair...I'd be looking for the police chasing me.

 

Including an ABS electronics failure that caused the car to spin out of control at 70 mph. Fortunately it was on a test track.

A potentially FATAL malfunction and they blew it off as if the wipers had come on accidently.

You should have seen the C&D forums after that fiasco.

 

Stock for stock, my car murdered my friend's 330Ci even when I gave him a head start . However, on the twisties.... I suffered the fate of all FWD heavy cars If I had the money tho, I'd get the M5. I like 4-door sport-luxuries.

 

Ive heard in Cali , the highway patrol is able to use 95 octane gas anyone else know anything about this?

 

I don't think 330i can outrun cop cars, the cops can catch up with a mustang SVT easliy on a hwy,
the 330i should be just a piece of cake.
Cops got some rules for chasing speeding vehicles for public safety, maybe that is the
reason why the 330i seems like much faster than the cops... who knows...

 

Lots more buck, for no more bang. I guess if your heart was set on the three initials, it would be worth it to you. But, it seems as though, at least in here you'll get a strong argument for the TL, better acceleration, and looks.

 

im not sure if anyone brought it up. That girls car in the video looks like a 2003 tl. It looked pretty good for a head on crash , that she got up out of .

 

I just test drove a 330i yesterday. I am not so sure a TL is the faster car. I hit the pedal on the 330i and I was cruising at a 100, it felt so smooth, like I was going 50. Then, on a turn, I banked it at 60 and the 330i just hugged the road, it was really wild. On the TL, it seems to take a little more effort to get to 100, and on the same turn, I had to take it at 45 with the TL. Maybe, it was a bad day for the TL, or maybe I need to work more on my driving skills. But, that is how it went.

 

If your taking about the one with the BMW, the other car is a Dodge Stratus. And while it looked like it did ok, the driver side doors not opening is pretty bad.

 

wow.. what a chase..
you guys are saying cop cars cant out run the bmw.. thats so wrong.. you gotta remember that cop cars has no governers or restrictions built into the car but all public cars do.. just that will give the cop an advantage..

 

i doubt that.. gas is already expensive enough.. and cop cars dont even need the boost in gas because the car itself has no restrictions or governors build in.

 

You can't compare the handling of there 2 cars...TL focuses on both worlds: luxury and performance while BMW focuses more on performance and quality than luxury hence the amazing driving experience.

 

I HIGHLY doubt the Crown Vic Police Interceptor can top out at much beyond 140mph, whereas a stock Terminator tops out at a governed 155mph (175mph ungoverned). That's not even taking into account how quickly the SVT reaches that governed top speed. (Incidentally, the E90 330i also tops out at a governed 155mph.)

 

I've driven both (AT) and felt likewise.

 

The 330 is 149 with sport package. The cops tranny is prepard for high speed. SO the cops can easy reach 120mph without a breeze and stay at a 100-120mph for a long time. Never outrun a cop, unless is night time, have a 0-60 <5sec and you know the neiborhood.

 

They had an Impala SS cop car in Doraville for the longest, and shortly after they got a Mustang GT ('02 I think).

I was in that area a couple of weeks ago and saw that they now have an '05/06 Stang GT! I guess that area has a problem with speeders.

 

The standard-issue Crown Vic with the Police Interceptor package is slow... that's why they're getting Dodge Chargers (w/5.7-liter Hemi) for use here in NYC.

As per the site below, a Crown Vic w/Police Interceptor package does 0-60 in 8.7 sec, and has a top speed of 129 mph... matches my experience with these cars (brother has one)

http://www.modernracer.com/features/...ctoriacop.html

As for trying to outrun a cop, one should never attempt it.

 

Cops have these newfangled things called radios, and tend to cheat by calling their buddies. It's very hard to outrun a radio.

They don't need fast cars. They do, however, like to feel confident that their car won't catch on fire when rear-ended. Many police departments have been suing Ford over a possible issue with the Crown Vic. The cop car market is pretty much wide open for Dodge.

On the 325 and 330, amazing handling. Too much weight in the nose of a TL, which handles like a boat in comparison. A 5 is also much better balanced. In either BMW you feel like you're going much slower than you are, so the cars don't feel as quick as they are.

The current 325 appears to be under-rated. Peak torque of 185 out of a 3.0 seems very, very low for a BMW-engineered engine. And C&D got one to sixty in 6.9 or so. I suspect BMW under-rates the 325 to make the 330 look more worth the extra money. I'd drive the 325 before buying the 330.

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