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328i feels like an undwhelming boat :(

67K views 955 replies 108 participants last post by  dtc100 
#1 ·
After 13 weeks of waiting for my 328i.
And after having driven it for a week.
It hurts me to say that the 328i feels like an undwhelming boat.
I'm not terribly disappointed because its a beautiful luxury car.
But I don't think it's the ultimate driving machine.
Maybe the 335i is, but I've not driven it so I can't say for sure.
Already planning to get a Z4 or the new Boxster for thrillfull driving.
Hate me for saying all this.
But I simply had to say it.
And I gave it a week.
Maybe I'll feel differently in a month.
But maybe that will be cuz I might have got used to this 328i by then.
:(
 
#870 ·
It's fun debating cars - look we're all here talking about stuff that most of the general public glazes over at. This is why we are here.

But still, I only made it a dozen pages in and had to give up for at least now. I need to post:

What part of test drive doesn't the OP understand? It's crazy to me to feel so 180 degrees on any new car purchase. I get buying something to get by with in a jam. But if you're looking at any new car you're spending enough money that you have SOME choice - even if its CPO etc.

That choice is - maybe you have learned this - a big one and only yours. If the post was "I test drove this car and can't understand who buys it", fine. But you bought the car of your own free will after, I assume, um, DRIVING IT!

This blows me away. Please point out exactly how you were tricked. Did they tell you the engine would grow if fed properly?
 
#872 ·
Close... it was a Mini....
 
#883 ·
Read the link I posted before. BMW M Performance is working on a performance upgrade for the 2.0L T petrol engine that can bump the HP/Trq a bit. Probably going to be a re-flash on the ECU or a piggyback chip or some engine internal parts. They currently announced the upgrade for the 2.0L T Diesel versions for Europe.
 
#887 ·
Didn't read the entire thread, but I put 60K miles on an RL in 2 years and I am in pure joy in the 328i. Prior to the RL I owned an 07 335i sport.

Go and drive 60K miles in an RL and the 328 will feel like a go cart. I'm not saying anything bad about the RL, it was comfortable and didn't give me one problem but I'm glad to be back in a bimmer.
 
#893 ·
Dealers nowadays seem to be willing to deal on 335i, which is $3.5k-4k in addition(if priced at invoice) to a comparably equipped 328i, that sounds like a good deal! On the 328i performance kit, is it only for N20 but not N26? I wonder if BMW has something for N26 without voiding the CA PZEV designation.
 
#902 ·
Shame on me for posting again in this ridiculous thread but wrt the two current F30-s the dominant constraint in normal driving for those with turns and curved roads is handling not acceleration. Which is why reported track times are so similar.
 
#908 ·
The title and the popularity of the this thread has not gone unoticed in other forums. :yikes:
 
#910 ·
I know, i am the first one to be mad at myself every time i get drawn back to this thread. This is my last post. Hopefully we can all put it in our past...
 
#916 · (Edited)
If you filter the whining and banter from this thread we've actually changed the OP's mind with useful posts.

Such as proper settings to enhance the driving modes- sport.

Then expectations with the F30 chassis. No it's not a mini and it's definitely not the same as the older E46 or E9x chassis.

We've also provided links to BMW M performance upgrades. These upgrades (brakes, suspension, engine, exhaust) do get you closer to the older chassis.
 
#917 ·
If you filter the whining and banter from this thread we've actually changed the OP's mind with useful posts.

Such as proper settings to enhance the driving modes- sport.

Then expectations with the F30 chassis. No it's not a mini and it's definitely not the same as the older E46 or E9x chassis.

We've also provided links to BMW M performance upgrades. These upgrades (brakes, suspension, engine, exhaust) do get you closer to the older chassis.
 
#925 ·
BJ btw I thought of you every time I saw a $200K 7-series on vacation in New Delhi. Thinkin they coulda been smart like you and just bought 3-series instead. Save $$$ and probably easier to drive on those super crowded roads.
 
#931 · (Edited)
Good one!

My bad, too much to eat and drink in the last two days.

For some reason I thought he said he went to Dubai (also average net worth, not median income) for vacation, and when he said every time he saw a $200k 7 series, I did not even pay attention to the city name, just assumed he was referring to the taxis there:)

Now I really don't know what BJ should drive over there.
 
#933 ·
I think we have to ask for it's deletion. It's fine to have an off-topic thread (they can be fun) but this one has a subject line that's inaccurate and IMHO inappropriate for the F30 forum.

Change the subject line to "Upstate New York Kid Buys The Wrong Car" and I'm good with it.

BJ
 
#937 ·
I've never seen a thread pointlessly go on and on like this. The answer was on the first page:

You went from a Mini to a 3, and now you're disappointed at the lack of go-cart handling. Imagine that.

Trade it in and get something smaller and more nimble... like... oh I dunno... a Mini?
 
#938 · (Edited)
The reason he's getting responses is that he continues to assert that the 328i is 'underpowered' when it blows the Mini S out of the water.

He also stated that the 335i was a 'blast, and what the 328i should have been' even though there's only about 35 horsepower difference between the two and the 335i is 120 lbs heavier at the nose.

In other words, he doesn't know jack **** about cars... so most of the responses are pointing out that fact.
 
#944 ·
I'm currently driving a 328i Sport Model loaner while my 335d is in the shop. I didn't read all of the posts, but I have to agree with the OP. The car just doesn't feel that nimble. It's fast enough and seems to handle ok in sport mode, but I just feel too insulated from the road compared to my 335d.

The shifter seems gimmicky and it took a couple of tries to figure out how to get it in gear. When I left the dealer, the car was in Eco-mode. and the motor shut off when I stopped at the first light (a little unsettling, but you can turn that mode off). It also looks like they just tacked the NAV on the dash vs. the built in contour look of my 2011 335d.

The loaner I have some options that give it the boy racer look. It has carbon fiber mirrors and the dash has a red metal trim on it that matches the key fob. I'm not overweight (6' 2" 190 lbs), but I'm finding that I wouldn't be happy living with the sport seats.
 
#946 ·
I'm currently driving a 328i Sport Model loaner while my 335d is in the shop. I didn't read all of the posts, but I have to agree with the OP. The car just doesn't feel that nimble. It's fast enough and seems to handle ok in sport mode, but I just feel too insulated from the road compared to my 335d.

The shifter seems gimmicky and it took a couple of tries to figure out how to get it in gear. When I left the dealer, the car was in Eco-mode. and the motor shut off when I stopped at the first light (a little unsettling, but you can turn that mode off). It also looks like they just tacked the NAV on the dash vs. the built in contour look of my 2011 335d.

The loaner I have some options that give it the boy racer look. It has carbon fiber mirrors and the dash has a red metal trim on it that matches the key fob. I'm not overweight (6' 2" 190 lbs), but I'm finding that I wouldn't be happy living with the sport seats.
I can think of no uglier integrated nav screen then the E90/E92s. So glad they fixed it with a much better design in the F30.
 
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