[ewanmac]

Hi all. After almost 4 years of an m140i, I'm returning to a 3 series and have ordered a 330e. Before the m140 I had an F30 330d touring and was a regular contributor on this forum so it's good to be back. Before this I had an e90 335d, an e92 335i and 3 e46s.

Unlike many on this forum, this will be a private car, not a company car. I travel 80 miles a day to and from Glasgow from Edinburgh and the 330 should allow me to 1/2 my fuel consumption as I can charge at both home and work.

I test drove the 330e last week and was blown away. Without a doubt the biggest step up model to model since the e36 to e46. The car is leagues ahead of the f30. I was worried the car would be slow compared to my m140 but far from it. The torque is so impressive that it feels almost as fast especially from standstill. Ok it feels a bit wheezy at higher speeds but given I will be stuck on the m8 at national speed limit most of the time, who cares! I will miss the noise of that i6 engine though.

The refinement and ride quality is leagues ahead of the m140 which is getting tiring on long drives. The tech is way ahead and it's good to have a bit more space.

I managed to negotiate a tremendous deal although it won't be ready until Sep/Oct. The only niggling thing for me is the forthcoming touring. I think the touring looks better than the saloon and it's obviously far more practical. My dealer said it won't be out until next year although I've read on this forum that builds start in July (although I don't know if that's rhd).

Given my car won't be built until then either, if it transpires the touring will be out this year, do you think I could amend my order before it goes into production? The touring could be all the car I need so would be kicking myself if I could have waited 3 months to buy one.

Anyone with intel would be most appreciated!