E90 325i sluggish start?

[anxious]

I drove a friend's brand new E90 325i today and the car was just fabulous! However I was a bit disturbed with a slight lag or sluggishness from start. When the car is on the move the changes are instantaneous. However as you press the accelarator from a stop at a junction or the traffic lights,the car takes more than a second or so before responding and this lag is quite noticable. I did a search on the net and came across this forum... http://www.bmwauto.net/forums/bmw/p/36567/why_the_acceleration_lags_in_e90_with_step/1 Torque and Motoring magazines earlier this year also ran the same article on a shootout b/w A4 1.8T, 325i & IS250 and said this about the E90 325i:- "Unlike the sprightly IS250, move offs from standstill tend to be sluggish." Care to share your experiences.

 

[anaksarawak]

I read it somewhere that is caused by the traction control of the gearbox.. turn it off and it will come back to life..

I did asked the same questions during the previous Sapura Auto Car Clinic and confirmed that it is the safety features that prevent tyres spin. Guess many of us feel the same for our ride too..

 

[anxious]

Thanks Geoffrey.

I didnt get a chance to drive it without the traction control. Neither did the article mention anything about it. It however went on to say:-

"But once it is up to speed, the car really flies".

So what do you guys think...is it the Traction Control?

Care to share your experiences for everyone?

Thanks.

 

[LCP]

I test drove the E90 325i too during the Sapura Auto open day, yes, the lag is there, it's like it's built in to the transmission programming, I think many automatic gearboxes especially from continental makes are programmed like that when in normal Drive mode. Didn't try switching modes or turning off the traction control. The lag is even more noticeable on the E90 320i. I also drove a friend's wife's Mini Cooper (non-S), there's also a bit of lag there... it's like some sort of signature to the way the cars take off...

If you want a no-lag-0-to-20-km/h-beat-all-the-cub-bikes kind of response, get the Kelisa auto, it has a super short first gear ratio, as if the gearbox is meant for a heavier load. And it will make you go... "wah!"

 

[anxious]

It's just that a RM300k should have such imperfections. I test drove the Golf GTi last week and it was perky all the way.

Even my E36 seems very eager off the trafic lights.

 

[E46Fanatic]

It's just that a RM300k should have such imperfections. I test drove the Golf GTi last week and it was perky all the way.

Even my E36 seems very eager off the trafic lights.

This contradicts my experience. The E90's auto box and low end torque is the most bitey among its E36, and E46 bretherns I've tested, and least lethargic off the line among the 3 of them. However, an auto is still an auto and the bite will never match the DSG gearbox of the GTi .

The GTI is a great car in my books, and I really enjoyed it. However, I'll definitely not trade my E90 for it heheh.

 

[affan66]

so, whose E90 325i want to race with my Kelisa auto? only the first 10 meters. Losers need to give me their E90.

 

[E46Fanatic]

so, who's E90 325i want to race with my Kelisa auto? only the first 10 meters. Losers need to give me their E90.

Heheh... you are a smart man.. LOL. I still remember the joint Honda and BMW club Sepang track day, where the tarmac was damp from the rain and we had drags.. The auto trannied BMWs had better traction off the line even with the ASC+T flickering away vs. manual trannied FWD Hondas spinning their front wheels on the wet track during launch. In the dry, different story la...

 

[David Yong]

so, whose E90 325i want to race with my Kelisa auto? only the first 10 meters. Losers need to give me their E90.

Hehehe... that is a good catch!

 

[anaksarawak]

David,

Since you drive a E90 auto, can you share your experience with us?

 

[David Yong]

David,

Since you drive a E90 auto, can you share your experience with us?

Honestly, I have to agree to E46Fanatic. Personally I dun feel any slight lag or sluggishness from start. However, I have tested it with DTC off and I can feel that the pick up is slightly better.

 

[meetoo]

I drove a friend's E90 325i and the low end torque is definitely better than E46 and E36. Much better response through all the gear in fact. I think the E90 is the best 3 series so far!

Maybe the cars you guys drove are not run-in yet or the Sapura demo car is a dud? Anyway shouldn't compare take-off feeling of a heavy Conti against a Jap or a small Kelisa. In those you may feel better when taking off, but see if you still feel better in them at 160-200kmh.

 

[KL2DC]

Its the adaptive auto box, its adopted a granny algorithm, I suggest doing the auto box reset trick to clear the box and then punch it...I forgot the sequences right now but a simple search should bring it up.

The N52 E90 is no drag car but its no slouch either. It definitely delivers more on the top end though, just the characteristic of the car.

If you want down-low torque, go test drive the N54 335i....

 

[meetoo]

Right! So in the new car and the Sapura demo car, the adaptive auto gearbox is still in the slowest shift mode. No wonder it's not the case in run-in car. Hahahaha!

 

[Traveler]

I did notice the sluggishness when my E90 was freshly delivered, I was surprised by it, considering that my previous E36 318i did not have that. I did think that the feeling of "sluggishness" may have been emphasized more given the pickup of the car as it accelerates past the sluggish part; as opposed to the E36 318 which while it didnt have the sluggishness, it also had less overall pickup when measured to say.. 80 or 100 km/h.

Now that I've racked up about 5k plus km on the car, I don't notice it much anymore, so I guess the auto box has worked through the "sluggish" patch.

 

[KL2DC]

correct...for those who do a lot of city driving, its good to clear the autobox every now and then. I will post the sequences in a following post....

 

[LCP]

Quite possible that the adaptive autobox is preset to have a lag in light throttle half-hearted take-off, which people in this country do 99.7% of the time... (maybe that's why it needs some prodding to learn the immediate take off method). I did stomp hard on the Sapura auto 325i upon take off, the lag is lesser although still there, but once the torque converter "catched" on, it's strong all the way...

 

[Rimsukan]

correct...for those who do a lot of city driving, its good to clear the autobox every now and then. I will post the sequences in a following post....

It will be much appreciated. :top:

BTW, sorry I couldn't make it to meeting you while you were in town..Next time maybe?

 

[affan66]

so.. anyone up to my offer?

as zog would say, "COME LA, SCARED AHHHH??"

these conditions apply though:
1. Gearbox must not be reset
2. Traction control must be on.
3. Only brand new, out of showroom E90 325i apply.

 

[anxious]

I spoke to anor friend of mine who recently got a 325i for himself.

He shared the same experience that I had related to in my post above....sluggishnes from start.

He thinks either its the traction control or that the car needs to be run in.

What do you guys think.