 I just came from a BMW Z4M roadster and a BMW 330Ci and I am seriously impressed by this car.  You will be hard pressed to find a more luxurious, smooth, and refined car for under $30,000.  The car is not fast in the way that a 5-series BMW is, but it is no slouch either.  The 2.0 L turbo is a gem of an engine, and the car is as smooth as butter.  It does have a fair amount of body roll but then again this car is more Mercedes than it is BMW.  The interior is first rate and has near Audi levels of style inside.  With the 6-speed manual this car is actually quite fun to drive.  There is quite a bit of understeer though, for obvious reasons.  The exterior on this car is its piece de resistance!