BMW has a road show touring the country you should try and catch if you can. They take over a parking lot of the local stadium and set up an autocross course with cones. It's a bit like a kart track in that there are lots of turns, and speeds under 70mph. (We were told if they go over 70, you have to have helmets.) After a short commercial presentation for the 330, we were let loose on the cars.
There were about 8 new 330's with Bridgestone tires, as well as 2 Infiniti G35's and 2 Audi A4's with the 3.2 litre. We did 2 "warm up" laps in the BMW, then 2 "hot laps" - fast as you can go. You are with two other people in the car as well as a race driver. He or she gives instructions about how to go fast around the course. After the hot laps, you get in the other cars and go as fast as you can for 2 laps in each. Finally, the pro does a couple laps in the 330 to show how it's done.
While I am not a huge BMW fan, how could you pass up the opportunity to go a fast as you possibly can in someone's else's sports sedan, burning up their tires?! And the best part is - it's FREE! You have to sign a waiver of course, and I am sure I will get all kinds of email and snail mail, but I did get a cheap Bridgestone cap, and all the bagels and muffins I could eat, and soda I could drink. It took about 2 hours total.
Definitely check it out at:
http://www.bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/eventsandprograms/ude/default
Driving Impression: Of the three, the 330 was definitely the best handling, and would probably get around a race track the fastest. The quality and fit and finish left a little to be desired. The G35 was the best in that area, and WAY bigger inside, but didn't handle nearly as well as the BMW. And since speeds are kept down, there was no chance to let the cars run. The Audi, even with AWD was the worst of the bunch, but I think the tires on our tester were toast. (They said they only get about 50 miles from a set of tires!) The "active steering" on the BMW was very light - too light for me. I prefer a little more road feel like my C32. Overall - I would not have picked any of these three over my slightly used C32, which cost quite a bit less.
Mike