I didn’t miss that point. I hear that point all the time. I wanted to believe in that point. I test drove the 330 back then before I got my G35. I wanted to get the 330, but I just can’t overcome the value factor. This C&D review reaffirms it. A $36k 328i without leather and power/heated seat or a similarly priced G37 have leather, powered/heated seat, navigation, backup camera, etc. The list is long. I test drove the 335 and 328 a year or two back and I like the 335 but can’t pull myself to like the price. The 328 is feel so weak, even coming from my G35. I didn’t feel anything special WRT to the handling. The manual gear box is better though, so is the clutch.
BTW, Limited Edition G37 is $41k, 10% less than a fully loaded 328i.
For you to consider the SRT8 does give me a glimpse into what kind of a driver you are and how hard you’d push your car in the turns. Maybe my previous cars have full coilovers and I was spoiled by having a real race suspension. These stock suspension really come down to preferences but they both will be equivalent once you toss on a nice KW3 coilovers.
I too test drove the X5 before buying a MDX. Again, it came down to price. Didn’t feel much of a difference in term of handling or ride. While the SH-AWD from Acura put the AWD in the X5 to shame in snow and incline.
FYI, BMW 3.0 I6 is NOT the best 6 cylinder in the world. That title is reserve for the RB26DETT in the Skyline or the Supra 2JZ-GTE. Those two engines will wipe the floor on BMW’s I6, it’s not even a close competition.
BTW, rumor is BMW is dropping the I6 in favor of a V6. So, there goes the inherent buttery smooth I6. FYI, I6 are smooth because of the inherent balance nature of a I6, not because of some BMW magic.
