[Jaynez]

I sold my 09 Civic and bought a 06 BMW E90 325i, still trying to get use to it, steering is heavier, the car is noticeably heavier as well, brakes act a little differently..
Any one switches from japanese cars to E90, might want to hear your opinions about both cars.

[cuiter23]

Nice upgrade and hope that you are liking your new car! Although this is my first car, I have driven my mom's Toyota Sienna quite a few times before getting my own car. Now when I go back to driving the Sienna, its like a nightmare. I have no confidence under the wheel of that car, steering is vague, power is non-existent, and brakes are very loose.

When I go back to driving my dads X5 and my own car, it is night and day. I personally do not think you can compare them in terms of overall performance and comfort. The Japanese definitely cannot beat the Germans in terms of refinement. The civic may be more reliable (not necessarily) and more fuel efficient, lower running costs etc, but trust me, you will have a much more enjoyable time with your e90.

[Kolyan2k]

I switched from e92 to Honda

I would also pick SI coupe over e90 325

[fravel]

I came from an '00 Accord to my '06 330i, no regrets.

[sammk]

Actually Honda makes some very sporty cars.. I like to call Honda the BMW of Japan. Difference is, Honda has a way of injecting the sportiness into something pedestrian like a family sedan or a minivan, but BMW makes it its ethos to stand by RWD and tech.. Just drive an Accord or an Odyssey and youll see.. I also think both BMW are exceptional in the powertrain department.

[DUI Elite]

Originally Posted by Jaynez

I sold my 09 Civic and bought a 06 BMW E90 325i, still trying to get use to it, steering is heavier, the car is noticeably heavier as well, brakes act a little differently..
Any one switches from japanese cars to E90, might want to hear your opinions about both cars.

lol I did the exact switch you did.

You'll get used to it with time. I don't regret it even a single bit. Only thing I could possibly ask for is the 30+ mpg we used to get rain or shine, hauling ass or grandma driving. But then I realize how bad the 335i guys get, and realize we still have the civic of this demographic.

[MattMD]

Originally Posted by sammk

Actually Honda makes some very sporty cars.. I like to call Honda the BMW of Japan. Difference is, Honda has a way of injecting the sportiness into something pedestrian like a family sedan or a minivan, but BMW makes it its ethos to stand by RWD and tech.. Just drive an Accord or an Odyssey and youll see.. I also think both BMW are exceptional in the powertrain department.

I drove my mom's Odyssey before the E90...you think it's sporty? I haven't driven other vans to compare to, but still.

[Efthreeoh]

So, having known several people who've switched to a BMW from a Japanese car and been highly frustrated, just be aware the BMW is going to break and need to be repaired. Also, iIt will have problems that will appear once and then rarely, if ever, appear again. Just make sure that you undertand that because the BMW is $10K-$15K more expensive than a Honda DOESN'T make it a better-built and more reliable car.

[StevenY.]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

Nice upgrade and hope that you are liking your new car! Although this is my first car, I have driven my mom's Toyota Sienna quite a few times before getting my own car. Now when I go back to driving the Sienna, its like a nightmare. I have no confidence under the wheel of that car, steering is vague, power is non-existent, and brakes are very loose.

When I go back to driving my dads X5 and my own car, it is night and day. I personally do not think you can compare them in terms of overall performance and comfort. The Japanese definitely cannot beat the Germans in terms of refinement. The civic may be more reliable (not necessarily) and more fuel efficient, lower running costs etc, but trust me, you will have a much more enjoyable time with your e90.

I agree with you, I drove an 08 maxima for some time and then one day I test drove my uncle's e46 m3 and a few 335i and the handling is like night and day. Now I'm in search of a 335i, don't really think I can go back to a Japanese car, I love that heavy steering.

[Sara]

I came from Honda to BMW in 2008.. Love it.

[Kolyan2k]

Comparing family JP sedans to Germans is not really fair. All German cars are built with "sport" in mind, mostly due to RWD layout. Of course its gonna be night and day difference between M3 and Maxima.....lol (I came from Maxima to M3)

[DiscoMike]

I had a 2007 Civic EX new and then went to BMW 2009 335i X-Drive. Loved the Civic, but there is simply no comparison. The Civic had good response, but the 335i is like a rocket. I drove an Accord too. The Accord was a rocket over the Civic, and also felt sturdier especially during turns. The cornering is way better in the BMW over the Civic. In the Civic, I could do up to 10MPH over the speed limit on sign posting its turn speed. Anything more, and I could be off the road. In the BMW, you can turn over 100MPH over the signs turn speed limit without issue.

In the Civic though, stopping at gas stations was like a teenager going to grandmas house. (Rarely happened.)

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by DiscoMike

In the Civic, I could do up to 10MPH over the speed limit on sign posting its turn speed. Anything more, and I could be off the road.

I usually do double the speed limit in my wives Civic....maybe its your tires. I put performance all-seasons and increased pressure on mine.

[flip4335]

First Honda was 1982 Accord hatchback...12 years and 213,000 miles later... via Acura Legend...1999 Accord sedan...then I was turned...

...then I turned my son, who drove a 1993 Civic SI until he drove my e90 335i...performance and handling is like they say...night and day.

Big difference is...TORQUE!!!!

I also installed a Quaife diff and relished the return to RWD!!!

200MPH over the posted speed limit on ramps and turns...hahaha, j/k...but it feels and seems that fast!

[dhanni848]

Sold my 00 gts celica last summer to save up for an e90 or e92. Ended up with my e90 330i and love my e90 so much more. For the money I put into my celica to make it a little faster and nicer, doesn't compare to the BMW

[Jaynez]

The hardest thing to get used is the Brake and space, the Civic interior has more room and taller than the 325i, and i am just 5.7 fts, weight 150bls..

I through the car ha some sort of problem, because the steering is heavy, and acceleration
is not as responsive as i expect from a 3.0cc 215hp car, cause the Civic has 1.8cc 140hp, felt more responsive.

When i go faster than 100mph, i can feel the steering wheel shaking

Dunno if it's my problem or the car.

[AndreyT]

Originally Posted by Jaynez

Any one switches from japanese cars to E90, might want to hear your opinions about both cars.

How do you compare such broad categories as "japanese cars" and "e90"?

I switched from 5th gen Honda Prelude (SH) to '11 335i sedan. Both M/T.

I'd say straight away that engines with constantly ascending torque curves, like my former Honda, are just more fun to drive than engines with the early onset of max torque, like the 335i. Also, I liked the lower riding position in the Prelude better - it feels much more "planted" on the road. It is quite possible that major portion of that feel comes from a significantly better suspension: Prelude has double-wishbone suspension, while e90 relies on Civic/Corrola-grade McPherson struts.

Basically, after 2 years of driving of 335i I can say that it feels like a slightly overpowered family car/grocery getter.

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by Jaynez

The hardest thing to get used is the Brake and space, the Civic interior has more room and taller than the 325i, and i am just 5.7 fts, weight 150bls..

I through the car ha some sort of problem, because the steering is heavy, and acceleration
is not as responsive as i expect from a 3.0cc 215hp car, cause the Civic has 1.8cc 140hp, felt more responsive.

When i go faster than 100mph, i can feel the steering wheel shaking

Dunno if it's my problem or the car.

The steering on e90s all use hydraulic assisted steering rather than electrically assisted as you will find on almost every other car manufacturer, including Honda.

I test drove the 325i prior to my 328i and it does feel similar. Your 325i has a 0-60 speed of just under 7s while a 1.8L civic does it closer to 10s. Have you ever tried dropping your car into sports mode? It makes a huge difference. I have never had any issues with the steering wheel shaking it feels firmly planted at any speed. The only violent shaking I ever experienced was in a 2010 Nissan Versa, one of the worst cars I have driven in my life.

[Jaynez]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

The steering on e90s all use hydraulic assisted steering rather than electrically assisted as you will find on almost every other car manufacturer, including Honda.

I test drove the 325i prior to my 328i and it does feel similar. Your 325i has a 0-60 speed of just under 7s while a 1.8L civic does it closer to 10s. Have you ever tried dropping your car into sports mode? It makes a huge difference. I have never had any issues with the steering wheel shaking it feels firmly planted at any speed. The only violent shaking I ever experienced was in a 2010 Nissan Versa, one of the worst cars I have driven in my life.

The steering is okay, just not as light as the Civic, gear shift is pretty smooth, but the brake is not.

When i brake, shift to Neautral, and then shift to Drive, take off brake, in that moment, i feel like the brake is not totally off, like 1 sec delay to let to car drive forward without acceleration, is this normal ?

Does the 325i have sport mode ?

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by Jaynez

The steering is okay, just not as light as the Civic, gear shift is pretty smooth, but the brake is not.

When i brake, shift to Neautral, and then shift to Drive, take off brake, in that moment, i feel like the brake is not totally off, like 1 sec delay to let to car drive forward without acceleration, is this normal ?

Does the 325i have sport mode ?

Yes, that is normal, it takes time for the gear to change from N to D. I wouldn't shift from N to D on a regular basis as that just strains the transmission.

All e90s have sport mode except for MT. Just put your gear into drive and slap it to the left for DS mode, shifting it up while in DS mode will put you into steptronic (auto-manual).

[mlifxs]

went from '02 v6 accord coupe to a new '07 328i. The bmw feels more planted and is much more fun to drive.both cars are thoughtfully designed.

As pointed out though, reliability with bmw may be an issue. I subscribe to this forum, in part, because repairs and maintenance can be very expensive and thus DIY is my hope of mitigating it. So far, at 100k, I've been spared a major repair. Not real confident about my steptronic transmission however. It's well mannered in D but doesn't downshift well at low speeds in DS.

My wife bought an Acura a couple months after I bought my bmw. After more than 5 years, she's had zero problems and there are more independents who can perform maintenance. I plan to keep my bmw as long as possible but suspect my next car will be Japanese.

[AndreyT]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

The steering on e90s all use hydraulic assisted steering rather than electrically assisted as you will find on almost every other car manufacturer, including Honda.

Firstly, you probably got it backwards. "Almost every other car manufacturer" actually uses hydraulic steering assist.

Secondly, the actual "steering boost" in e90 cars is still provided by a traditional hydraulic system. The electric part of e90 steering would be the Active Steering system (that's probably what you were thinking about). Active Steering is an option, not present in all e90 cars. And Active Steering is not a "boost" system, it is a ratio-control system (as well as "lemme take over and steer it for you" system).

The first generation of 3-series with an electric motor providing steering boost is F30.