Faults:

Synchronizer for 3rd gear appears to be failing - redline shifts from 2nd to 3rd need careful, deliberate execution, otherwise it's easy to grind the gear.

Speedometer always seems to read quicker than the car is actually moving - anything over 110 clicks seems to be off by 8 or so km/h.

General Comments:

This was my first car for a couple years after owning a 2007 Tacoma (and a Matrix before that which I had totalled). The first things I noticed, which made me a convert to BMW for life, was the smoothness and metallic wail of the straight six engine, the perfect weight distribution, exceptional power delivery, quick gearing, minimalistic luxury, and the comparatively heavy controls (I later bought an E36 M3 which has even stiffer controls).

This car is very smooth, very quiet, and the 6 speed manual, coupled with more than adequate torque, which happens to peak at less than 3000 rpm, means the car is very quick around town without needing to be pushed hard AT ALL! Throttle response, however, is a little disappointing with the electronic gizmos dialing in some serious lag.

Steering is very heavy and weighted, but this is a welcome touch compared to my experience with Japanese cars, where the controls and steering feel un-necessarily light and "detached".

Highway cruising is exceptional - balance is flawless, wind noise is drastically reduced compared to my Tacoma, and cruising at 140 clicks can only be described as feeling natural (which has gotten me a couple of expensive tickets I might add). The funny thing is that the faster I cruised, the better my fuel economy seemed to get! I could easily get 730 clicks on a 60L tank of gas while cruising at 120 km/h. According to the OBD, I could get up to 40 mpg on any given run. Now, to think that this car outperforms most traffic, packs 230 HP, is plenty quick, and still gets this kind of mileage, is miraculous and a dream come true. The folks over at BMW sure know what they are doing!

Interior is reserved with typical minimalistic BMW luxury. My car was equipped with a lot of generous features such as triple-level seat warmers, MP3 player, automatic climate control, residual heat function (VERY handy in the winter months), dimming rear-view mirrors, etc. Fit and finish is top-grade with tasteful use of high-quality plastics and aluminium accents. The only thing I didn't like was the leatherette upholstery - while supple and durable enough, it simply did not "breathe", and consequently long trips on hot days meant sweat build-up on the seats.

This car made me a convert to BMWs, and I can't imagine being satisfied driving any other type of car as a daily driver. This car is the total package of luxury, sportiness, practicality, reliability and fuel economy. Why oh why are there not more cars like this? :-)

Faults:

Went through 2 high pressure fuel pumps.

General Comments:

Amazing car for the price.

Amazing road feel and handling.

Super fast (not too many vehicles can out gun you at a light).

Faults:

Nothing serious so far.

USB MP3 stick fails to initialize from time to time - either have to replug it or next driving it works again.

Gearshift reminder indicator on dashboard disappeared - need to figure out if controlled via iDrive or visit the dealer.

General Comments:

The car is fun to drive with good performance and fuel economy. I am really impressed by the diesel engine, which puts out 177hp and serious torque from 2 liters, while keeping consumption on average 6 l/100 km. Even urban driving hardly goes over 6.5 l/100. On German autobahns 200 km/h is easily maintainable and ride comfort is not degraded.

I'm really fond of adaptive xenon high beams - the car switches high beams on automatically when you drive outside cities and when there's no other drivers around to bother. The precision this system works is amazing.

On the other end are the automatic windscreen wipers. Their behaviour could be described as random, unpredictable and funny. Sometimes they wait till I cannot see any more in the rain, other times they continue scratching over dry glass for 1-2 minutes.

Run flats have their pros and cons. The car by design has no space in the trunk to put the spare tire. I recently drove about 1500 km through Europe, and the tire pressure monitor warned me for losing pressure. I stopped at a gas station and checked the tires, one of them was just below, so I pumped it, and in the next few days drove another 250 km until the next warning. Then after a bit more serious investigation I found there was a nail stuck. Replacing both rear tires 225/45/17 is painful for your pocket, but at least you have some confidence you won't have a serious accident if it happens on the motorway.

The trunk space is not the greatest that you would expect, but considering the rear wheel arches reside almost fully in the trunk it is good enough. Also the front wheels are on the very front of the car and this gives great stability curving.