F30, my first 3: Ignorance is bliss I guess...

F30 Sport Line: Test drove it, fell in love, bought it. Never owned a 3 before. Drove a few over the years, but never enough to really know them.

Therefore I'm not burdened with:

"The steering isn't responsive enough. Corners like a 73 Lincoln Town Car."

"Car is HUGE now!!! Why did they make it so big?! Handles like a wounded cow."

"Now it's a big fat luxury car for fat naive Americans. It's completely ruined."

"I can't believe they put a 4-cylinder turbo in it!!!!... ARRRRRRGH!!!!"... chick-clack... BLAM!!!... thud

"BMW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

...

...

...


I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.



(This is all in good fun folks. Much respect to the inline 6 and its loyal fans)

Originally Posted by otonimus

Ignorance is bliss I guess.

Yes it is......

mozart?

Originally Posted by otonimus

mozart?

It's a violin, maybe Vivaldi?

great emoticon. but it needs sound.

Originally Posted by otonimus

F30 Sport Line: Test drove it, fell in love, bought it. Never owned a 3 before. Drove a few over the years, but never enough to really know them.

Therefore I'm not burdened with:

"The steering isn't responsive enough. Corners like a 73 Lincoln Town Car."

"Car is HUGE now!!! Why did they make it so big?! Handles like a wounded cow."

"Now it's a big fat luxury car for fat naive Americans. It's completely ruined."

"I can't believe they put a 4-cylinder turbo in it!!!!... ARRRRRRGH!!!!"... chick-clack... BLAM!!!... thud

"BMW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

...

...

...


I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

So, what were your initial thoughts about it having a four cylinder? About spending $45k on a car with a four banger? Were you surprised? Did it give you any pause? Did you even ask or know or were informed by the sales person? Did you have an expectation of a six cylinder? Were you the least bit aware of BMW's reputation for using inline six motors? Or did you assume BMW's have V6s like everyone else? Were you aware that BMWs are RWD and that they don't make any FWD cars?

Originally Posted by tturedraider

So, what were your initial thoughts about it having a four cylinder? About spending $45k on a car with a four banger? Were you surprised? Did it give you any pause? Did you even ask or know or were informed by the sales person? Did you have an expectation of a six cylinder? Were you the least bit aware of BMW's reputation for using inline six motors? Or did you assume BMW's have V6s like everyone else? Were you aware that BMWs are RWD and that they don't make any FWD cars?

Yes of course I know how amazing the inline 6 is. I've wanted one for many years, and I've driven a few of them, including my brother in laws 2002 325 which I've driven quite a bit. I also had a 99 A4 2.8 quattro, and a Mazda 6s. So I know the joys of a 6 cylinder. And yes I fully understand the implications of FWD/AWD/RWD, and which cars are which.

And yes I completely understand how the new 3 going to a four cylinder is a tectonic shift in the car world. I get it. Up until the F30, I really didn't like the feel of turbos... and it certainly raised an eyebrow until I test drove it. I was very pleasantly surprised.

This is all just for a laugh. Did my absurdly overblown quotes in the original post not give it away?

Originally Posted by otonimus

Yes of course I know how amazing the inline 6 is. I've wanted one for many years, and I've driven a few of them, including my brother in laws 2002 325 which I've driven quite a bit. I also had a 99 A4 2.8 quattro, and a Mazda 6s. So I know the joys of a 6 cylinder. And yes I fully understand the implications of FWD/AWD/RWD, and which cars are which.

And yes I completely understand how the new 3 going to a four cylinder is a tectonic shift in the car world. I get it. Up until the F30, I really didn't like the feel of turbos... and it certainly raised an eyebrow until I test drove it. I was very pleasantly surprised.

This is all just for a laugh. Did my absurdly overblown quotes in the original post not give it away?

I asked those questions, because I wanted to hear your thoughts. It turns out the reality is most new 3er buyers have no idea what an inline six motor is. They assume BMW uses V6s like all the others. A recent survey done by BMW of new 1er owners revealed that 80% of them assumed their car was fwd.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

I asked those questions, because I wanted to hear your thoughts. It turns out the reality is most new 3er buyers have no idea what an inline six motor is. They assume BMW uses V6s like all the others. A recent survey done by BMW of new 1er owners revealed that 80% of them assumed their car was fwd.

Gotcha

I'm just poking a little fun (with a big pinch of respect) at 3 enthusiasts who lament the changing of the 3.

An era in automotive history is over. It's big. I get it. I was very tempted to get a 2011 to squeak in and get an inline 6. But I was so happy with the test drive of my '13, and love the fuel economy.

Originally Posted by otonimus

I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

No, this place is just full of trolls and crybabies.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

About spending $45k on a car with a four banger?

Agreed, I don't think anyone swallowed that pill without an extra sip of water.

The more I drive it the more I think the $45k is reflected in just how good the N20 really is. It's that good.

Originally Posted by otonimus

Gotcha

I'm just poking a little fun (with a big pinch of respect) at 3 enthusiasts who lament the changing of the 3.

An era in automotive history is over. It's big. I get it. I was very tempted to get a 2011 to squeak in and get an inline 6. But I was so happy with the test drive of my '13, and love the fuel economy.

You can still get a 335 and get an inline 6. WTF are you talking about?

Originally Posted by sean10mm

No, this place is just full of trolls and crybabies.

True though that may be, I'm really not trying to call anyone out here, and apologies in advance if this thread goes that way. Not my intent

Just having a laugh, particularly in response to the half-drunk guy in the bar the other night who (harmlessly) got a bit riled up over the death of the inline six 3... it was all a bit overblown and inspired the further overblown quotes above...

All in good fun

Originally Posted by NightFreight

You can still get a 335 and get an inline 6. WTF are you talking about?

Sorry, meant the 328. Yes of course the 335 still has it, but it's in a higher price bracket. My bad.

Originally Posted by NightFreight

You can still get a 335 and get an inline 6. WTF are you talking about?

But not for the lower price tag.

Originally Posted by otonimus

F30 Sport Line: ...
I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

I love that you love it. Nuff said.

Originally Posted by otonimus

True though that may be, I'm really not trying to call anyone out here, and apologies in advance if this thread goes that way. Not my intent

Just having a laugh, particularly in response to the half-drunk guy in the bar the other night who (harmlessly) got a bit riled up over the death of the inline six 3... it was all a bit overblown and inspired the further overblown quotes above...

All in good fun

You are correct, you just should add normally aspirated six - those are now gone since the F30.

Originally Posted by otonimus

F30 Sport Line: Test drove it, fell in love, bought it. Never owned a 3 before. Drove a few over the years, but never enough to really know them.

Therefore I'm not burdened with:

"The steering isn't responsive enough. Corners like a 73 Lincoln Town Car."

"Car is HUGE now!!! Why did they make it so big?! Handles like a wounded cow."

"Now it's a big fat luxury car for fat naive Americans. It's completely ruined."

"I can't believe they put a 4-cylinder turbo in it!!!!... ARRRRRRGH!!!!"... chick-clack... BLAM!!!... thud

"BMW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

...

...

...


I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.



(This is all in good fun folks. Much respect to the inline 6 and its loyal fans)

This is sort of how I feel. Even though I've had other BMW's which did feel different, this car is amazing and yeah, I might have missed some options, but never having had them, the car is still a blast to drive.

Originally Posted by otonimus

I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

(This is all in good fun folks. Much respect to the inline 6 and its loyal fans)

No, no respect to the inline 6 and their loyal followers.

The NA 6 might have been a good engine but the transmission in the E90 was awful, very laggy, you couldn't feel the torque if it was there at all.

The E46 is an ugly used car, doesn't matter what the engine is.

This is the F30 forum where you shouldn't need to feel like you have something to apologize for.

Welcome aboard.

BJ

Originally Posted by otonimus

F30 Sport Line: Test drove it, fell in love, bought it. Never owned a 3 before. Drove a few over the years, but never enough to really know them.

Therefore I'm not burdened with:

"The steering isn't responsive enough. Corners like a 73 Lincoln Town Car."

"Car is HUGE now!!! Why did they make it so big?! Handles like a wounded cow."

"Now it's a big fat luxury car for fat naive Americans. It's completely ruined."

"I can't believe they put a 4-cylinder turbo in it!!!!... ARRRRRRGH!!!!"... chick-clack... BLAM!!!... thud

"BMW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

...

...

...


I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.



(This is all in good fun folks. Much respect to the inline 6 and its loyal fans)

This was so funny! Congrats in your car man! Enjoy it! It truly is just a great BMW. Whatever others may say.


I had the F30 BMW 328i sport for a few days (about 300 or 350 miles) as part of an extended test drive, and believe me. I test drove the heck out of that thing. Comfort mode, Sport/+ mode, manual shifting, auto, Sport auto. Hard accelerations, hard stops, overtaking slow traffic, uphill, downhills, around corners ... HUD, navigation, phone compatibility, ... The car is just SOLID. And it is FAST! Fast off the line, and still fast and torquey in lower revs. I really enjoyed it, and could not think of anything I would change (including the 4 cylinder turbo N20) except for perhaps bigger more grabby brakes. That's about it. I loved it. Not a week passed before I went and signed the papers.


There is absolutely no comparison with the outgoing e90 328i. The F30 is a very well earned badge in BMW's line-up of 3'ers. History will tell.


My comparisons by the way are:

My current e90 330i (inline 6, naturally aspirated)
My previous e46 330xi (inline 6, naturally aspirated)


Again, congrats, and welcome to the family. Please ignore the naysayers and the trolls.

My personal story is similar.
This is our (my wife and I) first BMW. It's great for what it is. (That being, a comfortable and practical yet still fun-to-drive work-commute/road-trip/passenger-hauling car.)
I find it superior to the 2011 328i I test drove. (Used, non-sport.) I also find it superior to the other cars we test drove. A4, S60, TL, IS...
Even the engine is superior, compared to the E90. An inline six, on its own, has no significance for me. (I did like the V6 engine in the IS350, but other aspects of the car were a disappointment.)

To answer some of tturedraider's questions:
Yep, we knew about the four-cylinder N20. In fact, that and the ZF 8spd are the primary reasons we test drove the F30 after the disappointment of the E90. Prior to the E90, I had never driven a BMW before. I liked the A4 engine and transmission when I drove it, but didn't care for the steering and overall "feel" of the Audi.
We had no concerns about the number of cylinders per dollar of vehicle cost.
We were quite aware of BMW's propensity for inline sixes. A number of friends and autocross acquaintances have or still own BMWs, and I recall the controversy when BMW introduced a V8 E46 M3 for racing when no street-going, available-for-public-sale M3 had such an engine. I've never heard an M3 I liked the exhaust sound of, FWIW. Very raspy.
RWD was a definite selling point for us. I test drove a VW GTI which was actually quite fun except for the FWD-ness. I don't think I can ever own a FWD car again.

We are probably not "average" BMW customers, however.

Should have driven 328 and 335 on same day before deciding on 328.
To be honest 4cyl with turbo is a great machine and better than any other 4cly in market but if you want to compare it with BMW inline 6, yes there is a big difference.
car is slightly big than E92, almost equal to A4 but weighs less.
xdrive handles and corners very well, it not as bad as you think.
I had 328xi and now new335xi sport line and let me tell you it is a blast not at all big fat luxury car.

Originally Posted by otonimus

F30 Sport Line: Test drove it, fell in love, bought it. Never owned a 3 before. Drove a few over the years, but never enough to really know them.

Therefore I'm not burdened with:

"The steering isn't responsive enough. Corners like a 73 Lincoln Town Car."

"Car is HUGE now!!! Why did they make it so big?! Handles like a wounded cow."

"Now it's a big fat luxury car for fat naive Americans. It's completely ruined."

"I can't believe they put a 4-cylinder turbo in it!!!!... ARRRRRRGH!!!!"... chick-clack... BLAM!!!... thud

"BMW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

...

...

...


I love this fricking car. Wouldn't change a thing. Ignorance is bliss I guess.



(This is all in good fun folks. Much respect to the inline 6 and its loyal fans)

Originally Posted by shicobico

this was so funny! Congrats in your car man! Enjoy it! It truly is just a great bmw. Whatever others may say.


I had the f30 bmw 328i sport for a few days (about 300 or 350 miles) as part of an extended test drive, and believe me. I test drove the heck out of that thing. Comfort mode, sport/+ mode, manual shifting, auto, sport auto. Hard accelerations, hard stops, overtaking slow traffic, uphill, downhills, around corners ... Hud, navigation, phone compatibility, ... The car is just solid. And it is fast! Fast off the line, and still fast and torquey in lower revs. I really enjoyed it, and could not think of anything i would change (including the 4 cylinder turbo n20) except for perhaps bigger more grabby brakes. That's about it. I loved it. Not a week passed before i went and signed the papers.


There is absolutely no comparison with the outgoing e90 328i. The f30 is a very well earned badge in bmw's line-up of 3'ers. History will tell.


My comparisons by the way are:

My current e90 330i (inline 6, naturally aspirated)
my previous e46 330xi (inline 6, naturally aspirated)


again, congrats, and welcome to the family. Please ignore the naysayers and the trolls.

++1

Originally Posted by tturedraider

I asked those questions, because I wanted to hear your thoughts. It turns out the reality is most new 3er buyers have no idea what an inline six motor is. They assume BMW uses V6s like all the others. A recent survey done by BMW of new 1er owners revealed that 80% of them assumed their car was fwd.

What does it matter how many cylinders it has? Engine noise? You guys crack me up. The N20 engine is faster, more powerful, more torque and much better fuel economy than the outgoing I6 engine.

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

What does it matter how many cylinders it has? Engine noise? You guys crack me up. The N20 engine is faster, more powerful, more torque and much better fuel economy than the outgoing I6 engine.

Definitely the engine sound, although the E90 was so quiet I'm not sure why those owners are complaining.

I don't think it's the E90 328i's engine we miss, it's just the fact that BMW won't make any more engines like the S54, or the 3.6L six from the E34 M5. Driving that car is like an aural symphony. The F30 sounds more like a Mitsubishi (which I guess it is).

And for those of us who like to keep cars we love, I wonder how reliable the turbos are gonna be 10 years down the line. But I personally worry more about the oodles of electronics more than the engine.