A Visit to BMW for a Test Drive

Last weekend, I suddenly got a call from the new representative at the BMW dealer saying, “Would you like to come test drive the new 3 Series tomorrow?” So, my family and I decided to go.

We wondered, “What should we take? The Panamera? …But since we’re going to BMW, should we take the 320i? But if we go in the 320i, will they push us to trade in?” After some back and forth, we concluded, “Going in our own 320i (F30) and then test driving the new 3 Series will make the differences clearer,” so I drove us there.

Unfortunately, it was raining that day (typical… lol), but when we arrived, the new BMW was beautifully displayed, instantly lifting my spirits. Still, why do cars at dealerships always look so shiny and pristine? (Well, they’re brand new after all)

While the kids played in the kids’ area, we took our seats and waited. Soon, the new representative came over and said,

You came in a manual car today. And your wife is the one driving it.

Right from the start, I’m sure he thought, “What an unusual couple” (laughs). We talked about how my husband used to own an E36 and still loves it, and about the new 3 Series. Then the conversation turned again to the fact that “I usually drive a 320i with a manual transmission,” and my husband said,

A few years ago, when the manual Boxster was delivered, I told her, ‘You should get your automatic license restriction removed,’ so she went to driving school to do that. She couldn’t drive manual for a while, but since the 320i arrived, she’s been driving it every day and recently started saying, ‘I don’t want to drive anything but a manual anymore,’ lol.

The dealer staff said, “Usually, the husband wants a manual but the wife can’t drive one, so they buy an automatic. The reverse is unheard of… I’ve been at this dealership for over 10 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen this case.”

Is it really that rare…? (ﾟдﾟ)！

Then the dealer suggested, “How about the M2? It’s fun and comes with a manual option too.” I was embarrassed to admit I didn’t even know there was an “M2” model (I only knew about the M3, M4, and M5), and my husband said,

Yeah, the recent M3s have gotten bigger, so more people prefer the M2 with its compact body and big engine. Mina might actually like it.

Following that, the dealer offered, “There’s an M2 Competition with an automatic at a nearby store. Would you like to test drive it while you’re here?” So, amazingly, we got to test drive both the M2 and the new 320i that day.

So, in today’s article, I’ll briefly share my impressions of the M2 Competition test drive, and later I’ll write about the new 320i.