05TLTony

Just went on a test drive with a budy of mine today. He is looking for an all-wheel-drive car because of the wonderful New England weather that we usually have. We went to BMW today to test the 330XI. All I've got to say about the 2006 330XI auto is, "I'm so glad I bought the TL!"
First off, the car with all the options was $8k (minus the $3k for AWD) more than the TL!
Secondly, the BMW is not as responsive as the TL. My friend floored it and it took about 1 to 2 second for the gear to kick in. With 255hp compared to the TL, I didn't think there would be a difference in acceleration, but I guess I was wrong. The upside is that the exhaust is not as loud as last year's.
Finally, to all the people whom complained about the TL's hard suspension, the 330 is even worse. I felt more bumps and road imperfections in the BMW than I did driving back in my friend's TL.
The one thing I will give the BMW over the TL is that it does handle a bit better, but not as well as the RL.
Overall, the test drive made me realize that I did in fact make a great choice with the TL. Sorry about the rambling.

BTW the BMW does rattle contrary to popular belief. The test vehicle only had 31 miles on it!

Boardman

IMHO you are 100% correct sir. I drove the Canadian model myself last week and came to pretty much the same conclusions. FWIW, the price difference between them here in Canada is MORE than $8K. That said, I'm glad I went with the TL .

ed99

I totally agree. Our TL feels faster. I thought the power will be very similiar when I test drove the 330i. But I did not feel the G-force like our TL. The only thing I liked about the BMW 330 over our TL is the driving experience. The cars feels like it is part of you. I guess that is why BMW always wins in the handling catagory.

CL Platano

<~~waiting for all the BMW guys to come say the BMW is awesome and Acura is ok..I will never waste money on a non M series BMW..

CL Platano

With a little suspension upgrade you can handle just as well as an BMW and save 8k..I put eibach sportlines on my old CL and was able to take turns at the same speed as my boy in his 330ci, he was very shocked.

mclarenf3387

And then all he has to do is put a suspension in his car (and there are many very good suspensions for BMWs out there) and he'll regain that edge. He could also not be that great of a driver.

BMW will always have that slight edge in handling due to RWD (AWD BMWs are stupid). They also use slightly better materials. If its worth 5-8k more depends on the person. That and being a badge whore like many BMW owners are.

Sclass88

frank69m

I have both the 06 TL and a 330i....

I can actually disagree with you...

330i feels a little faster to me because it is smaller and more agile. You can throw it around a bit more than the TL which feels heavier. Handling is better on the 330i....

Keep in mind, you are comparing an AWD with a FWD...try comparing the RWD 330i with the TL....you'll notice a difference.

:-)

Subhuman

Being 6'2"(long legs) I can safely say that I appreciate the TL much more than the BMW 3 series.That tiny bit of edge in handling the BMW has does not impress me enough to give up the comfort and roominess the TL has over them.
Once I have my A-Spec suspension and CT RSW installed I'll compare handling and ride again with my coworkers 325i she bought the sameday I bought my TL.
My pre-suspicions are that they'll be on par in the handling dept. then,but I'll have the edge on comfort and the added roominess wich is especially nice on longer hauls.Not to mention the edge the TL has over the 3 series in bad weather conditions with any suspension set up,being FWD vs RWD.
For the price,the TL definitely has the Beemer beat hands down,unless of course you are a "badge whore" as someone put it

datmrman

Since we are on the topic, can someone confirm that the BMW navigation IS NOT touch screen? A friend just bought a 330i and she opted out of the navi because the salesman told her its not touch screen. I thought that was a bit weird!

I did a search online and all I could find was a mention of an iDrive dial button that controls the navi. Can someone confirm or correct me?

05TLTony

You are correct, it is controlled by the iDrive dial.

05TLTony

Frank, I'm not sure what type tranny you have, but I was comparing the auto TL to the auto 330XI. I know that the 330XI is roughly 100lbs heavier b/c of the AWD system. However, it did not impress myself or my friend when he floored it. The lag was very noticable. Believe me, my friend is a very aggressive driver. Even the salesman commented on it. The other advantage of the 330xi that I forgot to mention was their rear brakes are much bigger, thus better stopping power than the auto TL. I wish the Tl had bigger brakes.

mickey3c

Another aspect is an AWD setup will most likely take a hit in the power at the wheels...

ilitig8

You had me until this statement, surely you jest.

mkaresh

Yeah, that one had me scratching my head.

AWD adds $1900 to the BMW, not $3000. If you want quick, accurate price comparisons, try my site ( www.truedelta.com ).

I love the looks of the TL, but people who think it can be made to handle as well as a car with a balanced weight distribution...I just don't get it. A bunch of weight on the nose is something you just cannot get around with stiffer springs.

I generally don't care for Audis for this reason. Driven in a sane manner (i.e. no tire-smoking four-wheel-drifts allowed) they plow.

One partial fix is to put wider tires on the front wheels, like Pontiac did with the GP GXP. But I never read of people doing this.

05TLTony

Sorry, I didn't look up the price of AWD to be precise. I think I said around 3K. Maybe because they charge extra for the auto tranny, which I did not take into account. So with the AWD and auto tranny, it is around $3k. Sorry about the confusion.

05TLTony

My friend is leasing the RL, which is in the shop, but he says the cornering on the RL was better than the AWD 330. When he took a corner which he usually takes with the RL, the 330XI didn't hugh as well.

Riu

I did not read all the responses but with only 31 miles that could have been why it took time to respond. Im not a BMW fan in any way but that could be a reason.

ilitig8

Think you might want to compare them yourself, having driven both relatively hard, it really isn't much of a contest. Weight and poor weight distribution kill the RL. It is in the upper range for its class but on a road course a 330 (even a XI) would run away and hide from an RL. In the end his statement may indeed be accurate since the AWD 330 might well have had a significant disadvantage in the tire area, most of them are shod very conservatively.

maluskills

RL isn't meant to be a sporty racing cornering type car
It does its job as a high-end luxury power sedan, and does it damn well I might add!

nikko

I have both 2006 TL(wife) and 2005 BMW 545i.
545i is a complete different league and I am not going to comment on it.
However my best friend has a 2006 330i and believe me it feels a lot faster than TL, mostly because of low end torque, altough I have to admit that TL (MT) and 2006 330i have almost exact numbers.
330xi is another ballgame. If TL would be AWD I am sure a lot of TL fans will be very disappointed with the way the handling and pick up would be affected.
I don't even know why BMW bother with AWD. They should stick with RWD only!

Riu

the 5 series sucks lol

I sat in it and it is so plain. Just a wheel gauges and shifter

special-ed

The 545 with the larger engine is good, but I have no idea why people would even consider the new 525 or 530's???????

SergeyM

Because they are the best handling cars in the class, maybe?

Ken1997TL

Unless its an M, I dont want it.

nikko

Drive one don't just sit in it and you'll get it!

nikko

Sergey, you're right! I was impressed how smooth 530i drives...second to none. Even Lexus pales in comparison!And the overall quality is simply amazing!

special-ed

What's handling when you have no engine to make the 525/530 go? Probably the slowest cars in their class as well! I'd rather slap an $800 dollar suspension upgrade (if that) on a G35/TL, have approx if not more interior room than the bmw, and put that extra 10k towards my kid's college fund.

....and I have driven both. M series / 545 different story....

nikko

530 is no slow at all! A 2006 530i (255 hp) is almost as fast as automatic TL (6.5 sec 0-60mph). G35/TL are not roomier than 5 series as a matter of fact my wife's TL feels a bit smaller than my 545.

special-ed

"almost" as fast........with probably more than a 10k price difference - case closed.

G35 interior room - smaller than 5 series, but G35 will run circles around the 525/530

TL interior room - according to the car mags, TL has more room than the NEW 5 series

You already said you weren't going to compare the 545.......

nikko

Well man..I couldn't help it.

nikko

Who cares which car is faster...most of the people will not buy a BMW, TL or G35 for racing..

special-ed

haha! Like I said earlier, 545/m class different story especially if we're talking about performance.

special-ed

In that case, who cares for handling? So as a result of voiding any performance or handling characteristics of these cars, why spend 10k more on a 525/530?

Will Y.

https://acurazine.com/forums/misc.ph...g=0&forumid=1#

nikko

Because build quality is so much better and ride is so smooth and composed!

special-ed

"smooth and composed" -------- aka as handling. So in conclusion, 525/530 owners would pay an extra 10k (and that's being very conservative....probably more like 15k) because build quality is "so much better."

I have better uses for my extra $10-15k.

nikko

handling = description of the way the car performs, particularly during cornering.

SergeyM

You can save even more by getting an Accord and even more if you get a Corolla.
What does TL have over Accord? Good looks and a better badge. Accord is bigger, better built, as fast as TL, so why get a TL?

special-ed

Can you say tangent!? You obviously can't debate....

So it's settled then, why get an acura or a beemer, when we all can just get a corolla or accord!

Matter of fact, since we're no longer dealing or deciding the better value in the 35k and/or mid-size sedan segment which is basically what we started with comparing the TL to the 330ix, why aren't we all riding 2 or 3 wheeled bikes? Hell, if a country as large as China can get away with it, why can't we?

BTW, I have a corolla, and an accord, as well as my TL. Have a bike also.

SergeyM, if you're gonna come, you need to bring something stronger than that played out statement.