Turbosport

unfortunately the car I drove wouldn't be an ideal comparison, as it did not have a sports suspension, and it was an automatic....that aside, BMW definitely did themselves proud with that car....while i'm not as much a fan of the new 3 from a design perspective (at least over the E46...the E90 isn't terrible), BMW still knows what they're doing from a driving perspective....the interior was better than my initial impression of it at the NY car show was, although I still feel that Audi's got them beat hands down...even in the barely changed B7 interior...when it comes to general driving dynamics though, BMW improved big time over the E46...before I bought my car, I also test drove a 325xi w/ sport package in the 5spd. Although I thought the car was nice, my overall impression left me wanting....the car simply felt like a dog (it actually felt slower than the stock 1.8t, though that could be a mental thing due to the linear delivery of the inline 6 vs. the turbo 4-banger), and overall while the handling was nice I personally prefered the driving dynamics of the A4. With the new 3, BMW definitely stepped up...where the old 2.5 liter inline 6 felt like a dog, the new engine for the 325 definitely has more bite. Much like the 2.0t was a huge improvement stock for stock vs. the 1.8t, this new inline 6 feels smoother and stronger through the entire power band. Even in the automatic, I really enjoyed the acceleration I found while taking the car through the curves...which leads me to my next point....even without the sports suspension, teh Bimmer simply is a blast to drive....while this should not come as a shock (after all, BMW has for sometime touted themselves as making the Ultimate Driving Machine), the car was simply far more fun to drive than the outgoing E46. The steering feel just felt better, the car felt more stable while cornering, and overall it was simply a general blast to drive....pricewise, the car I drove was reasonably equipped (leather, heated seats, 6spd tiptronic style transmission, moonroof) and stickered for around $34,000...similar to a B7 2.0t....I find it interesting now that where there used to be several thousand dollars difference between the two competitors, now they're right in line with each other...the question then begs, which would I choose? Honestly, it'd be hard to say...whichever I chose, it would have to be the AWD version (and the new xi is not yet available and will probably be at least another couple thousand dollars more), and I'd definitely be going with a traditional manual as opposed to their manumatic or SMG gearboxes....as an initial glance and look into the E90 though, I came away very impressed and with a better overall impression than my initial glance at the NY Car Show...

CT Audi Fan

In terms of quality, feel, handling, etc. Obviously, you can't compare the 6MT to the auto, but ... any lingering doubts once you got back into your own car?

Turbosport

<center><img src="http://images9.fotki.com/v184/photos/1/118536/969162/shinydolphin-vi.jpg"></center><p>from a quality perspective, my A4 still felt like a better car inside....materials felt better, and i'd take a B7 interior over an E90 interior any day of the week...handling in my car was still superb, but I've also got the sports suspension, 18" wheels (the E90 had 16's iirc), and quattro going for me...steering feel felt lighter in general and I needed much less effort to turn the wheel....overall, I still love my car (a few days past a year old and just over 14k miles) and I expect to see many thousand more happy miles out of her :-)

MB The Body

like nothing special whatsoever... but i can't comment from a driving perspective obviously

Jack in FL

It's been a year? damn.

Vortec4800

Just curious, why do you have to have AWD?

MB The Body

but i want my next car to be RWD

Turbosport

especially in bad weather...and while I don't get TONS of snow in my area, I get enough that it's definitely worth it

Vortec4800

In Arizona, AWD just means you're slower. :P

MB The Body

while it does rain a decent amount...

i dont deal with bad conditions hardly ever that would make AWD a necessity like up north...

i just didnt want FWD...