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328i test drive

9K views 53 replies 23 participants last post by  FCBayernFTW 
#1 ·
Just flogged a 328i loaner car. Random thoughts from an E90 owner (shields up!!!):

- Are polarized sunglasses banned in Germany? This car had the Tech Package and the HUD was completely invisible.

- I'm sold on the N20/N26. It pulled plenty hard, the turbo lag was comparable to that of my N54-powered 335i and the long-term MPG average in the computer was 24; pretty darned good considering it was a loaner car that probably has the s*** beaten out of it on a regular basis. My guess is this car would score a solid 5+mpg higher all around compared to my 335i in similar driving conditions.

- The auto-stop/start didn't bug me at all. I reserve the right to change my mind if I were to live with the car longer.

- It leaned over like my 4Runner in turns but I suspect that's because this was a base model and not Sport Line. Definitely needs Sport Line (and optional summer rubber and not the weak sauce Pirelli all-season junk).

- The interior was ho-hum. The quality is NOT higher than that of the E90. All you have to do is knock your fingers against the center console below the shifter and listen to the tinny, hollow sound characteristic of flimsy plastic. The materials are cheaper and there's no question in my mind about this. This particular unit had the "metallic" trim and I'm sure if it had wood trim it would have felt nicer.

- I would totally skip the Technology Package, not only because of the aforementioned polarized sunglasses problem with the HUD but because the placement of the LCD screen on the dashboard made for the perfect resting location for my Android smartphone. The rubberized case on my phone "sticks" to the LCD screen easily, and Android's voice-activated, turn-by-turn Navigation blows away any auto manufacturer's system in terms of ease of use and quality of directions. I suppose that's one good aspect of the mandatory dashboard LCD in the F30.

That is all.
 
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#5 ·
This is a great, eye-opening post. If HUD doesn't work with polarized sunglasses thats a big issue. I wear polarized sunglasses all year round and one of the main reasons I was considering tech package is for HUD.
 
#8 ·


HUD works with Polarized lenses, just crank the brightness to MAX in settings.

Also, because the HUD hovers right over the edge of the hood that also means that it's hovering underneath your sunglasses. If I want full visibility, I merely tilt my head upwards 1 or 2 degrees and the HUD sits right under my lenses.

Just letting you know that it was going to be a dealbreaker for me too, but I tested it extensively in my test drives and it's actually a non-issue.

BJ
 
#6 ·
I wear polarized sunglasses in my car and while the HUD is dimmer it's still useable. My glasses are tinted brown, but I don't know if that makes any difference. Different angles produce different results though, so maybe if you're taller (I'm not very tall) it becomes very difficult to see.
 
#10 ·
For the older E90 orange LCD radio display that was a good option.

In the new F30, the large LCD display has no issues whatsoever with Polarized lenses. The only concern would be the HUD and, as just explained, you just need to crank the brightness to MAX and the problem is solved.

BJ
 
#11 · (Edited)
The technology package is great. I have no problem seeing the HUD, even if it is dimmed with my Maui Jim polarized sunglasses. When you get used to seeing your speed, navigation turn, iTunes tracks, etc, displayed on the windscreen it seems completely barbaric to go back to looking down at the instruments or over at the LCD for these things.

Tech package also makes it so that you can stream audio from your BT phone wirelessly, as well as get album art, Pandora, etc, on the center screen when the phone is plugged in.

Got a text message on your commute? Simply read it right on the large display.

Why even enter directions on the BMW Nav? You can use their app on your iPhone to look up an address with google and then beam it to the car where it shows up in the nav system a minute or so later. It's awesome.

All of this is a helluva lot safer than jacking around with a smart phone with an itty bitty display while you are supposed to be driving.

The tech package is the best option next to adaptive m suspension as far as I am concerned.

I don't agree on the "cheapness" interior comments either. The interior on the F30 is just a mild notch below that on the F10, which is itself at least two-three notches above even a well appointed E90. I don't know about you but I don't spend time in my ride tapping on the plastics to see how solid they feel. I do observe how the textured materials feel to the hand, how the interior itself looks, how airy it feels, etc.

Maybe you drove a car with base no-lines interior. Those look noticeably cheaper than the sport, luxury or modern line interiors.
 
#12 ·
The technology package is great.
One of the un-sung features of the Technology Package is BMW Assist which lets you:

  • Contact BMW service if you have a flat or need a tow or battery jump.
  • Automatically contact authorities and report an accident if your airbags deploy.
  • Have BMW track your car in case its stolen.
  • Unlock your doors by merely calling BMW or using the iPhone app.
  • Locate where you parked your car by calling BMW or using the iPhone app.
  • Send an address to your car by using Google Maps on a PC or in the iPhone app.
  • Have Teleservices monitor your car and call you when its time for service.

We talk a lot about the HUD, larger LCD screen, enhanced USB & Bluetooth streaming, text messaging, iPhone/iPod integration, and the other goodies in the Technology Package, but BMW Assist is pretty cool too, really makes the package worth the money.

BJ
 
#22 ·
Absolutely NOTHING dates a modern car like an in-dash NAV system. It's like a technology time capsule.

I'll probably go through three or four smartphones and even more Apps during the lifetime of my car. I can't see myself using the same system the entire lifespan. Plus, that polarized issue would drive me bonkers.
 
#23 ·
Absolutely NOTHING dates a modern car like an in-dash NAV system. It's like a technology time capsule.

I'll probably go through three or four smartphones and even more Apps during the lifetime of my car. I can't see myself using the same system the entire lifespan. Plus, that polarized issue would drive me bonkers.
I agree. If you look at the nav on a MB form 3yrs ago it's such a depressing sight. I've said for the longest BMW should go android... customers will be thrilled. Give the people free updates to a system that has professionals working on it round the clock. It's not so much the hardware, its the software. In about 5 yrs, maybe even less the idrive in the F30 will look like crap... the navigation currently isn't even that great as far as presentation. That being said, I still wouldn't get my F30 w/o it personally. At the end of the day the nav gets ou from point A to B. If ou opt for no nav, the idrive will still be dated regardless and someone on the market for an F30 yrs from now will still probably prefer nav over non nav on the same dated idrive. Not that i'm ordering a car for its future driver, but it wont be as detremential in the future as you might think. i also prefer to have my phone free when i'm driving while playing music and having the nav lower the volume to give turn by turns. this system works exactly how I want.

I'm an apple user but I believe android would be perfect to replace idrive.
 
#26 ·
Just got back from the dealer after a 328xi test drive. Few thoughts related to the original post here:

1) The turbo 4L engine pulls nicely and the turbo lab was virtually unnoticeable. However coming from my 325i E90, I wasn't blown away by the power and acceleration. Was expecting a bit more from a 60 Torque and 25 HP boost (from my car). That being said, it IS powerful.

2) The F30 feels considerable bigger coming from my E90. I felt like I was peering "over" the hood - even with my seat jacked up and I'm 6'0".

3) Tons of body lean when cornering quickly. The dealer didn't have a an xi with DHP so that probably had alot to do with it. I'll overlook this for now. But I definitely feel more "in control" in my current E90 (no sport package but no Xdrive either in my current car)

4) HUD - I purposely asked to drive a car with tech package so I could test the HUD display. I wear polarized Oakleys - without sunglasses, the display is bright and clear. With the glasses on however, even when the HUD is cranked up the max setting, it's pretty dim. I can see it, but it's not bright and not that easy to see. I was slightly disappointed.

5) Interior is nice. All the finishes and trims IMO are a slight step above my E90. Creature comforts galore with the integrated bluetooth, driver coded controls, etc - big improvement in luxury over E90.

6) All-season run flats are 180 degree difference from my E90 factory installed (noisy, rough, borderline unbearable). Smooth, quiet - worlds better on the F30.

I didn't have time to test drive the 335, will do that next time. I'm on the fence about the tech package. The HUD with polarized SGs is an issue and I know it gives you Itunes, Nav and Speed info on the display which is nice, but not sure it's worth the $$. I've never had NAV in any car (just buy the $100 portable ones) and I've gotten by. I can order BMW apps as a $250 option - so really not sure at this point. Overall, I was slightly disappointed by my 328xi test drive but I will go back and drive one with the DHP just to be sure. It's a nice car, but was looking for a little more. I am looking forward to the 335 test drive. Either way, I am BMW for life at this point, so I'm sure I'll be ordering something.
 
#32 ·
Just got back from the dealer after a 328xi test drive. Few thoughts related to the original post here:

1) The turbo 4L engine pulls nicely and the turbo lab was virtually unnoticeable. However coming from my 325i E90, I wasn't blown away by the power and acceleration. Was expecting a bit more from a 60 Torque and 25 HP boost (from my car). That being said, it IS powerful.

2) The F30 feels considerable bigger coming from my E90. I felt like I was peering "over" the hood - even with my seat jacked up and I'm 6'0".

3) Tons of body lean when cornering quickly. The dealer didn't have a an xi with DHP so that probably had alot to do with it. I'll overlook this for now. But I definitely feel more "in control" in my current E90 (no sport package but no Xdrive either in my current car)

4) HUD - I purposely asked to drive a car with tech package so I could test the HUD display. I wear polarized Oakleys - without sunglasses, the display is bright and clear. With the glasses on however, even when the HUD is cranked up the max setting, it's pretty dim. I can see it, but it's not bright and not that easy to see. I was slightly disappointed.

5) Interior is nice. All the finishes and trims IMO are a slight step above my E90. Creature comforts galore with the integrated bluetooth, driver coded controls, etc - big improvement in luxury over E90.

6) All-season run flats are 180 degree difference from my E90 factory installed (noisy, rough, borderline unbearable). Smooth, quiet - worlds better on the F30.

I didn't have time to test drive the 335, will do that next time. I'm on the fence about the tech package. The HUD with polarized SGs is an issue and I know it gives you Itunes, Nav and Speed info on the display which is nice, but not sure it's worth the $$. I've never had NAV in any car (just buy the $100 portable ones) and I've gotten by. I can order BMW apps as a $250 option - so really not sure at this point. Overall, I was slightly disappointed by my 328xi test drive but I will go back and drive one with the DHP just to be sure. It's a nice car, but was looking for a little more. I am looking forward to the 335 test drive. Either way, I am BMW for life at this point, so I'm sure I'll be ordering something.
Just FYI, I too wore Polarized Oakleys and found I could simply swap out the Lenses I had with a non-polarized version, and now the HUD works fantastic, and to be honest the difference between the two lenses is negligible for glare and flares. And I was able to get the exact same lenses other than the polarization. I keep the bag in my car with the other lenses if I ever feel I need to change them and it isnt exactly a hard or long process to do so.

You have it lucky with Oakley. I feel bad for the Maui Jim and Ray-ban guys that dont have the easy swap technology :)
 
#28 ·
Good point about VA. In the close to 7 years I've had the car, we've probably endured about one big snow storm per year. Every time that happens, I curse myself for not getting xdrive - so while it happens relatively infrequently (aside from the 2010 snowpacalyspe year); I do want the assurance that I'm not going to fishtail making a right turn at 5 mph in 1/2" snow. The RWD is 100% useless in snow.... and yes, I could also solve this by getting snow tires.

BTW - isn't DHP the same as sport suspension? Or are you referring to the default sport suspension in the Sportline? Aside from that, every other sport suspension is part of the DHP, right?
 
#29 ·
I attended "Preview" night at the LA Auto Show yesterday. I spent some time touching and feeling various models:

My original opinion that the F30's interior is a step down from the E90 stands. The materials are cheaper in spots, most notably on the center console. I also find the design of the dash to be less...elegant. There was an M-Sport 535i sitting right next to the F30s at the BMW display and what I can say is that the F10 interior is MAGNIFICENT. The gap in interior quality between an E60 and an E90 wasn't all that great but the difference between F10 and F30 is enormous.

I completely agree with the statement "nothing dates a car like a navigation system". The graphics get old, the map databases go obsolete unless you pay for pricey updates, they're slower and more difficult to use... I realize car companies like BMW are using these systems as profit centers and it appears that there are plenty of sheeple out there willing to pay $2K or more to have this functionality built into their cars but the reality is that a modern Android smartphone with a large screen (Galaxy S3, HTC OneX, whatever) simply kills any in-dash navigation system in terms of its ease of use (and low cost!). When I ordered my 335i in the fall of '06, in-dash navigation was the way to go but today, it simply isn't worth it. I *might* be willing to pay, say, $500 to have navigation in my car but definitely not $2K.
 
#35 ·
I attended "Preview" night at the LA Auto Show yesterday. I spent some time touching and feeling various models:

My original opinion that the F30's interior is a step down from the E90 stands. The materials are cheaper in spots, most notably on the center console. I also find the design of the dash to be less...elegant. There was an M-Sport 535i sitting right next to the F30s at the BMW display and what I can say is that the F10 interior is MAGNIFICENT. The gap in interior quality between an E60 and an E90 wasn't all that great but the difference between F10 and F30 is enormous.
Prefer the F30 interior ergonomics to the E90 any day. Can't really comment on the materials. E90 materials got pretty bad during the de-contenting phase, but your car is from before that started happening.

Agree on the comment with regard to the F10. The F30 interior is near-identical to the F20.
 
#30 ·
BTW, to be clear, I'm not a complete luddite. I do appreciate some technology: USB ports so I can play music files on the stereo and Bluetooth for hands-free phone use. This technology is simple, effective and ubiquitous. But I couldn't give a rats a$$ about displaying which Pandora station and song I'm listening to on my HUD display that I can't really see anyway because I'm wearing polarized Ray-Bans. Will Pandora even be in business 5 years from now? How about 2 years from now to the majority of us who lease? who knows...
 
#37 ·
The #1 feature of the Nav for me is the free FM traffic that can be displayed on the nav mini map in split view.

On my morning commute I used to check traffic on my iPhone before getting into the car, and then as I got into more congested areas I would be fiddling around with the phone re-checking it.

With the BMW I have a bird's eye view of the traffic situation during my entire commute and it is relatively accurate. It has even saved my ass a few times when I saw a huge traffic jam up ahead (solid block of red going for over a mile is a dead giveaway) and was able to detour.

In a lease the tech package costs something like $35 a month. For me personally it's money well spent for all of the tech toys I get at that price. Perhaps if I was planning on keeping the car long term I would have a different opinion.
 
#42 ·
On my morning commute I used to check traffic on my iPhone before getting into the car, and then as I got into more congested areas I would be fiddling around with the phone re-checking it.

With the BMW I have a bird's eye view of the traffic situation during my entire commute and it is relatively accurate. It has even saved my ass a few times when I saw a huge traffic jam up ahead (solid block of red going for over a mile is a dead giveaway) and was able to detour.
+1 Recently I've started using the map display at 0.5m zoom and I get a very accurate display of traffic for my commute. HUD gives detailed info for turns. I don't really detour based on this but I find traffic much less aggravating if I know the conditions beforehand.

Also it sometimes notifies me of an accident ahead with a special warning in NAV and HUD which is also very handy.

It's an expensive option but I don't think phones work very well for in-car navigation and portable units are a pain as well.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I'm still surprised that they didn't go to a google platform (like audi) for the NAV system. I do like how the nav switches to night mode automatically.

In a phrase, better than my E90 in many ways. The pickup on that 8 speed auto is quite impressive. I am also a tech gadget guy, so without question I will have to get everything, The roads here suck, so sport package of any type is out of the question.

I had a F30 328 for 4 days on loaner (damn rodents). I'm pretty sure I will consider borrowing (lease) one of these in the next year or so. Although my wife keeps bugging about a X-vehicle.
 
#43 · (Edited)
In Canada, the nav system comes only as a package costing an extra $3500. On top of that it doesn't even monitor traffic. The HUD is an additional $1500.
As far as the HUD / polarized glasses issue, it's light projected on to the windshield. Thats what polarized sunglasses are designed to get rid so it figures.
I'm glad I didn't test drive a f30 with the HUD because I probably would have been suckered into an extra 5k and still using my Android phone :p
The interior seems so ridiculously well made but I'm coming from an 06 RSX, so take that with a grain of salt..
Oh and BTW I like to perch my Galaxy s3 in front of the lcd screen as well. The only problem with that is when you punch the gas hard enough, that S3 launches off.. I'm going to look into some way/place to mount it that hopefully doesn't look like crap or get in the way..

Chiba
 
#48 ·
For some reason, I was expecting more from HUD. It just looked sparse - speed info and nav instructions. I guess if you have the Driver Assistance package, it also shows those features. But for $3100 - an overpriced NAV and an underwhelming HUD just doesn't seem worth it.
 
#49 · (Edited)
Incoming Phone Caller-ID Notifications
Radio Station Presets
iPod Track Listings
Warning Notifications
Cruise Control Data

The HUD does a lot more than just speed and navigation. And as already pointed out, you get the full-sized LCD which is the centerpiece of the dash, enhanced Bluetooth and enhanced USB which is critical for advanced telephony, streaming, and texting, and BMW Assist For emergencies, remote door unlocking, location finder, and emailing addresses straight into the navigation system.

I'd argue that it's a steal for the money.

BJ
 
#53 ·
To be fair, in-dash Nav has a few advantages over current generation of smart phones:
1. in-dash Nav has stronger antenna that smart phones, and hence it works indoor and underground(e.g. tunnels) to some extent
2. in-dash Nav usually has better/bigger interfaces than smart phones, and can be more convenient for some(e.g. Tesla Model S 17-inch screen with Nav is impressive and easy to use).
 
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