The Ole
3.0

My mother-in-law had a medical event in the summer of 2017. Her 2001 3.0 E53 was not getting a lot of road time. We filled it up for the first time in months and I thought we should take it on a drive. Not very far — just around 250 miles round trip. What followed was a reminder of exactly why the E53 3.0 is such a good car.

I recalled the relaxation and ease with which I settled into the 3.0 motor. Still peppy. Maybe even a winner in the first 100 feet. Still eager to motivate all that chassis. And happy — ever so happy — to run up the speed in near perfect harmony with the sound of that motor in the early gears. I found myself thinking of that six-cylinder, all balanced in a pretty line.

Why doesn't the E46 make me feel this way?

I do not particularly like the color. The non-premium package manual HVAC controls remind me of the E24s my mother drove. The non-sport, non-premium, standard seats look great — except the passenger front, which is where every old lady puts their dog. And yet.

The sport suspension is still taut even if the 18s she last chose are a little squishy. And it is quiet. Just so quiet. Firm. The chassis is sure of just about anything it was designed to do. A mere 114,000 miles at the time betrayed paint that loved the care and feeding of 24/7 enclosed storage. I noticed a few X5s on the road that day. They all looked well cared for. I would have flashed my lights — but no one knows what that means anymore.

The pictures attached to the original post were from the day it was driven home from the out-of-town dealer all those years earlier. 16 years in service. The car was bought new and stayed in the family. That says something about the platform. And about the people who kept it.