# E90 vs competitors



## gojira-san (Mar 1, 2004)

None of them make me that excited I'm sad to say.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

The A4 still has more buttons then an F-16 All it needs now is a HUD and eject handle


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

latest guess on the 2006 Lexus IS will be two engine choices:

2.5L V6 w/ 205 hp, ~185 lb ft torque

3.0L V6 w/ 245 hp

There are rumors of a 3.5L V6 w/ close to 300 hp, but that's likely a later model called the IS350 GT, if at all. 

I guess Lexus will retain the prize of lowest HP among the competition.


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## Fzara2000 (Jan 22, 2004)

Dawg90 said:


> latest guess on the 2006 Lexus IS will be two engine choices:
> 
> 2.5L V6 w/ 205 hp, ~185 lb ft torque
> 
> ...


the 2.5L V6 and the 3.0L will also be offered with AWD from what i've read.


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## Mr. Bimmer (Apr 8, 2003)

Why, is that FLAME SURFACING I see on the MB? 

Interesting.............................. :eeps:


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

OMG, the infamous i-Drive :thumbdwn:


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

I like the E90 so far. I can't wait to see what the E90 M3 looks like. It seems to me that BMW is going for a "modern" look to the interior rather then the warm, living room like interiors that we're use to. I haven't decided how I feel about that yet.


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## JetBlack330i (Feb 8, 2002)

Desertnate said:


> I'll take the E90 with the A4 interior please.... :eeps:


:stupid:


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## Bimmer4life (Aug 14, 2004)

I like the E90 out of those, even though I'm not crazy about the interior, it looks nicer to me than the others, I'm just not drooling over it like I did moments before I ordered my E46. 

Can someone post a high resolution thumbnail pic of the interior standard E90 & the other interior w the I-Drive E90. I mean those really large high res pics, I tried to go to that site but I got a virus detection & don't want to go there again. 

Thanks


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## Chendol (Jul 15, 2003)

What the heck are those 2 slots on the passenger side in the E90 interior?


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

Chendol said:


> What the heck are those 2 slots on the passenger side in the E90 interior?


Cup holders (same as E60)


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

I'm not too crazy about the butt end of the car but after reading the features on BMWUSA.com I'm excited to drive the car. It's roomier, stronger, safer, and faster.
More of why we like BMWs. I hope it's all true.


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## armaq (Apr 18, 2003)

Elwood said:


> The A4 still has more buttons then an F-16 All it needs now is a HUD and eject handle


Speaking of uttons. Apparently they think they are still making planes










THis however, is a great design. I've sat in one, it was interior design perfection


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

Kaz said:


> The last couple of Cs I drove (it's been a few years) had the half-round speedo with the big screen in the middle.


That is a couple of years old I believe.

The '04 C's that I drove had the same guages you saw on Alex's pics is what is in the current generation. The rest of the interior looks different (not for the better, it's pretty good as is), but the guages are the same.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Nate is right, the interior has changed in the newest models.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

Elwood said:


> The A4 still has more buttons then an F-16 All it needs now is a HUD and eject handle


Give me buttons...lots of buttons that light up at night...not the silly Atari joystick. 

I really like the look of the SAAB and Volvo cocpits in the pictures above. They are just that, a cockpit! All actions are quickly and easily at your fingertips are require minimal if any attention to be taken off the task of driving.


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## Fifty_Cent (Sep 17, 2003)

armaq said:


> THis however, is a great design. I've sat in one, it was interior design perfection


\

Wow..thats what i am talking about.


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## bavarian19 (May 11, 2003)

Fifty_Cent said:


> \
> 
> Wow..thats what i am talking about.


The center dash just looks so boring. Like they almost gave up on it  . Make it look somewhat attractice please....


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## mng (Oct 15, 2003)

bavarian19 said:


> The center dash just looks so boring. Like they almost gave up on it  . Make it look somewhat attractice please....


Swedish cars. Saabs (at least pre-GM ones) are that way too.


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## RSPDiver (Jul 14, 2004)

bavarian19 said:


> The center dash just looks so boring. Like they almost gave up on it  . Make it look somewhat attractice please....


Second biggest complaint I had about the S60R, right behind the battleship-like turning radius. Fun car to drive, though!


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## philippek (Jul 31, 2003)

bavarian19 said:


> The center dash just looks so boring. Like they almost gave up on it  . Make it look somewhat attractice please....


Agreed. And I would delete or conceal the phone keypad. But the gauges are really nice...looks like an expensive dive watch.


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## wheel-man (Sep 28, 2004)

I'll take the E90 please... even like the interior better than either Audi or MB. And the bimmer has the nicer but of the 3 in my opinion. Really excited about the E90... now for the M3/4 versions...

The IS looks good, but... again, all show and no go.

My .34 cents.


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## jgrgnt (Apr 27, 2002)

Much better.


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## mng (Oct 15, 2003)

jgrgnt said:


> Much better.


that's a damn shame :bawling:


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

Seriously, the 2005 variants of the current entry level offerings are aesthetically speaking so much nicer than the upcoming replacements.

I can almost guarantee you I'll feel the same way 5 years from now.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

I don't see what everyone's liking about the Audi interior. The steering wheel is unattractively chunky and the center dash is overbuttoned and has too much crap in the hard-to-reach in-front-of-stick area - not to mention that a lot of that stuff would be partially hidden by the flares out from the sides of the console.

The E90 interior wins, hands down. Nice three-spoke wheel, nice simple controls with easy-to-feel-out buttons on the radio.


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

Moderato said:


> I like the E90 so far. I can't wait to see what the E90 M3 looks like. It seems to me that BMW is going for a "modern" look to the interior rather then the warm, living room like interiors that we're use to. I haven't decided how I feel about that yet.


My living room is cluttered enough. I'd rather my car not be that way, so I'd pick the E90 interior over any of the other cars.


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## armaq (Apr 18, 2003)

bavarian19 said:


> The center dash just looks so boring. Like they almost gave up on it  . Make it look somewhat attractice please....


Have you sat in one of those before? Every button/switch is big, clear, easy to push, and most important of all, everything is located right. Even if you aren't familiar with the car at all, you can just look down and spot the button/switch you need right away. After some seat time, you can reach everything correctly and comfortablely, literally without looking down. I've never been able to do that in my E36 or my cousin's E46. The Swedish's ergonomics is close to perfection. The whole layout is form following function, everything is at where it needs to be, unlike the Germans who arrange those buttons/switches in order to make the dash look tidy and neat

The Swedes' theory is (and I agree with that), the center dash should not attract your attention, but should be easy to read and use. It might look boring in a picture, but from the driving position it all starts to make sense. How do you make a dash attractive? Put shinny aluminum on, re-arrange/resize the buttons/switchs so they all look the same, and put them in rows?(that's what Audi does) I think I prefer ergonomics over looks. People here emphasize on "driver-oriented", but they tend to forget it doesn't just mean an angled dash.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

The new A4 front is hideous.


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## gojira-san (Mar 1, 2004)

philippek said:


> Agreed. And I would delete or conceal the phone keypad. But the gauges are really nice...looks like an expensive dive watch.


I had a '01 Cross Country and although the keypad thing was shown in the book, the US models were blank there, and I don't think it was an option here. It was pretty easy in that car to adjust things (heat, radio etc) without taking your eyes off the road. Now only if I had few less problems with the car and it didn't drive like a bus...


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

cantona7 said:


> My living room is cluttered enough. I'd rather my car not be that way, so I'd pick the E90 interior over any of the other cars.


So you like the E90 interior better then your E46?


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## ALEX325i (Dec 19, 2001)

E90 all the way... Especially after we factor in driving dynamics...


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## Justindo (Nov 23, 2002)

Although I'm not in love with it, I must admit that among those three the BMW has the best looking interior and exterior in my opinion. The front of the Benz isn't bad, but the Audi is hideous, and the rear of both are not attractive to my eyes. That said, as jgrgnt pointed out, all three look horrible, both inside and out, compared to their 2005 counterparts.


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## Warot (Aug 3, 2004)

I think that the E90 wins, hands down. If that's how the C Class is going to look in the future, than hell yes I'm happy... happy that BMW is going to have less comptetition :bigpimp: 
THe rear of the C, is just wow, so inelegant, old fashion....
A4, the grill is ridiculous... the rear is growing on me though.
So yes, BMW definitely. I've only seen the new pics a few days ago (not counting the brochures, which didn't make the car look that good) and I have to say tha tI'm already used to the E90, even the rear lights. I actually have to go further and say I'm in love with that car :eeps:


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## Clarke (Oct 21, 2002)

Are you sure this isn't the Infiniti G35?


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## Warot (Aug 3, 2004)

Clarke said:


> Are you sure this isn't the Infiniti G35?


Either way, don't mean to be negative but taht car looks ridiculous


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## Sean (Dec 22, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> Don't forget the upcoming IS250 and IS300 (or IS350, who knows). Being rear drive and sporty, it'll be the closest competition.


According to a friend who was a BMW Tech for 5 years and now is at Lexus the next IS will be a serious competitor with Lexus reliability.


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## wheel-man (Sep 28, 2004)

Sean said:


> According to a friend who was a BMW Tech for 5 years and now is at Lexus the next IS will be a serious competitor with Lexus reliability.


not to be a nay-sayer, but with most things from lexus, the reliability and fit-and-finish are second to none, but the performance and handling of the cars never wind-up as promised. especially in the handling department... and not merely numbers but the feel of the car and the input from the chasis and steering.


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

wheel-man said:


> not to be a nay-sayer, but with most things from lexus, the reliability and fit-and-finish are second to none, but the performance and handling of the cars never wind-up as promised. especially in the handling department... and not merely numbers but the feel of the car and the input from the chasis and steering.


Well, supposedly the current IS300 is very similar in feel to the E36. If the next gen Lexus is similar in feel to the E46, I'd probably take that over the E90...


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## wheel-man (Sep 28, 2004)

swchang said:


> Well, supposedly the current IS300 is very similar in feel to the E36. If the next gen Lexus is similar in feel to the E46, I'd probably take that over the E90...


i still thought the e36 was better after driving both back-to-back. although, turbo xs has a killer turbo kit for the is300...


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

wheel-man said:


> i still thought the e36 was better after driving both back-to-back. although, turbo xs has a killer turbo kit for the is300...


I prefer the E36 and the E46 to the IS300, because while the IS does some things very well (steering, tranny, brakes, engine), other things are not good - touchy ABS, mediocre seats, understeer mixed with snap oversteer. Also a bit slow and fuel guzzling for a 21st Century car. But it was close enough that Lexus may hit a home run with the next model.

The 2006 IS will get direct injection V6s, so hopefully that'll solve the gas mileage problem, and unlike the E90, they're probably going to be affordable.


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## jgrgnt (Apr 27, 2002)

Dawg90 said:


> ...while the IS does some things very well (steering, tranny, brakes, engine), other things are not good...
> 
> But it was close enough that Lexus may hit a home run with the next model.


:stupid:

When I drove the IS back in '02, I was impressed, though not enough to deter me from the 325i.

I can't wait to see the new IS.


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## Jayhox (Jan 16, 2002)

From the photos on the first page of this thread --- Score another one for Bangle! :thumbup:


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## Warot (Aug 3, 2004)

I don't know about Lexus being affordable... even though we don't have much on the Lexus right now, I still think that out of the 3 cars we are compairing, the e90 wins


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## TD330ci (Dec 29, 2001)

Jayhox said:


> From the photos on the first page of this thread --- Score another one for Bangle! :thumbup:


Not to hijak, but did you get your Raid wheel for you car yet Jayhox? :thumbup:


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## Rob325_in_AZ (Oct 22, 2004)

e90 for sure of these three choices.

BTW... what's the leather combo on the e90 in the pic? It looks like a two tone scheme like natural brown, but the color appears more like sand?


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## Jayhox (Jan 16, 2002)

TD330ci said:


> Not to hijak, but did you get your Raid wheel for you car yet Jayhox? :thumbup:


We are still working on the Group Buy over on Bimmerforums.com on the Group Buy page. Are you in???? We need a few more!


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

It seems Lexus has confirmed the 2006 IS will be an IS250 and IS350, no IS300. 

HP is expected to be around 205 for the 2.5L and 280-300 hp for the 3.5L. 

Direct injection is confirmed for the 2.5L, but not sure about the 3.5L. 

Size is almost identical to the E90, though the height is a bit lower.


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## solsurfr (Oct 19, 2003)

Out of these 3, Give me the E90!


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## mustang (Dec 28, 2004)

BMW wins again. I like the styling of both BM and MB from the outside, the only thing I dont like (need to get accustomed to) is the BM's rear lights. Dont like the rear lights of the Audi. Interior: Wow.. BM just looks soo advanced next to it's rivals which just look plain and progressive. I dont rate Audis as much because they've got their marketing a bit screwed up. Why would I buy an Audi when VW (ok, not bad) and Skoda (parleeze!) will share the same underpinnings. BTW I hear the new Lexus IS is out next year as well.


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