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Just got back from my test drive. First of all it looks great. The car was AW over black leather, manual, and fitted with the black grills, M Performance stickers, and rocker panel blades.
I took it for a short drive, maybe about 20 minutes. The shifter is great. It is short throw and feels really good. Pedal position was good as I didn't have any trouble with heel and toe. Good acceleration, very similar to my 335i - it's the same engine so no surpirses there. However, even with the extra HP and torque, it didn't feel that much faster than my 335i wich was a bit disappointing.
There is no temp guage which is odd. On the idrive screen it had guages for HP and TQ levels. Fun I guess but not useful.
Steering is a bit numb just like the R&T reviews said. You don't get much if any feedback through the wheel. Steering is precise though and overall felt ok. I don't think I wouldn't buy the car because of it.
Seats are comfortable. Very similar to the 335i. The side bolsters on the 335i might be a bit more supportive.
Is the exhaust note pumped in to the cabin? My salesperson wasn't sure but said he didn't think so. If it is I couldn't tell. The car is pretty quiet but does make a good sound under hard acceleration. I didn't expect it to be super engaging (i.e. E46 M3) but it seems like it would be a good compromise as a DD and HPDE car.
Overall it's a good car. I still might lease one but I am going to wait until the LSD is available. My salesperson said he looked into it and didn't see that it was available yet. The dealership GM (who I am friends with) told me there was a bulletin on it and that he didn't remember what it said but would check on it for me.
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