driftmonkey

Need to know if it's possible to turn off the passenger airbag so I can take my 2 year old in his child seat - is it possible? (UK car, 2007 313 model)

Well, test drove a 2008 309Bhp Zed on Sat, - and it was mostly great! The first impression when you sit in the car is that it feels quite wide and everything is very driver focused. The secondary guages are all angled towards the driver, and the way the whole main instrument pod moves up and down with the height adjustable wheel is a nice touch. Some of the interior is really showing its age now (- I mean who needs a tape player!), but overall, although the quality of the plastics isn't that great, it felt solidly put together. Twist the key and you're treated to a lovely warbly flare of revs from the V6 before it settles to a steady idle. The clutch is quite stiffly sprung, but I'd say it's not that different to the 130i. The gearshift though is a little agricultural and doesn't ping between ratios as slickly as the 130i. It's not an easy car to drive smoothly straight from the off and it takes a little bit of sympathy to move away smoothly and slot the next gear. Steering felt pin sharp and not as heavy as the 130i at low speeds. It felt easier and more direct than the 130i and weighted up beatifully as speed increased. There's virtually no dead zone around the straight ahead. Give it some throttle and the car gathers pace like an express train. The engine isn't as honey smooth as the 130i's and sounds gritty, but provides linear power throughout the rev-range. All the while, the exhaust continues to emit a lovely warble and it feels like a mini-exotic. If you really give it the beans it definitely feels faster than the 130i and seems to pull more strongly from low revs. It definitely "feels" that little bit more special than the 130i. It feels like a proper sportscar. The brakes also felt great (at least for the road) and were powerful and feelsome. The major downsides were 1. ROADNOISE!!! on rough surfaces the noise level in the cabin was bordering on Lotus Elise levels of rawness 2. The stereo - most of the sound seemed to come from behind me rather than the "surround sound" of my current BMW Professional Hi-fi. Other than that - I was seriously impressed. It doesn't feel like a "step down" from the 130i - more a move to something rawer and sportier. I'd liken it to a Japanese TVR. It's rough around the edges (but that's part of its charm), and can give you a real thrill, but is reliable and relatively cheap to run. It's a real contender - I've just got to think a little more about whether or not I'd get tired quickly of the road noise on my regular 40 miles per day commute to work up the M4......

Thanks all for the warm welcome and the informative replies! Superb!

Right,. getting itchy feet having owned my BMW 130i M-Sport for 5.5 years. Don't need 4 seats and the 350Z is a possible replacement. I wondered if anyone on the forum has made this change? What are your thoughts? has anyone on here made that change? Things I'm a little concerned about are: 1. Is tyre roar on the motorway obtrusive and annoying? (I do 40 miles of motorway driving every day for work) 2. Is the clutch weight too heavy in stop-start traffic? 3. Is the Bose Stereo any good? 4. Are servicing costs reasonable? 5. Apart from tyres, what components regularly need replacing and what's the usual cost? 6. Is build quality good? (no rattles/squeaks?) I'd be looking at post 06 facelift cars if I go for a 350. Thanks guys!