2006 BMW 3-Series
As a follow-up to my 'New 3 in the Wild' post below, I decided to explore the MotorWerks lot as I typically do as part of my usual weekly Sunday drive. Sure enough, the silver 3 I saw yesterday was on the back lot. I saw about two or three other new 3-series, but this one was nicest as it was equipped with the sport package (as well as the Premium package). In the additional photos I took (visit ChicagoCarNews on flickr ), there's a not-so-clear shot of the interior that shows this specific model without iDrive (BMW's approach on simplifying the cockpit by abstracting many of the typical controls into a computerized interface). The other models I saw on the lot also didn't have iDrive either. On the 3, the iDrive is optional - you get it when you opt for navigation. I don't know if this is an indication of MotorWerks' read on customer preferences for the nav package in the 3-class, or whether it's a response to the general poor reception iDrive has ...