Team USA Experience

Finally had a chance to put some miles on a couple 3 Series cars in the BMW Team USA event. I drove a 335i/sport and a 325i/luxo


Here are few observations of the cars I drove:

- They are noisier on the freeway. Mike from Autoblog is correct about this.
- Build quality leaves a bit to be desired. The doors sound tinny and both cars felt prone to rattles.
- The outboard mirrors are small and there is a terrific blind spot on the left side.
- The 328i has a noticeably lighter, more nimble feel than the 335i.

And lastly, I was a little disappointed that my original car, a 335i was double booked!

What is the TeamUSA event and how do you get in on it?

Originally Posted by Robert A

Finally had a chance to put some miles on a couple 3 Series cars in the BMW Team USA event. I drove a 335i/sport and a 325i/luxo


Here are few observations of the cars I drove:

- They are noisier on the freeway. Mike from Autoblog is correct about this.
- Build quality leaves a bit to be desired. The doors sound tinny and both cars felt prone to rattles.
- The outboard mirrors are small and there is a terrific blind spot on the left side.
- The 328i has a noticeably lighter, more nimble feel than the 335i.

And lastly, I was a little disappointed that my original car, a 335i was double booked!

Just curious, did you have to have a salesperson go with you when you test drove the F30's? I did it last year and had a blast driving a 650i convertible alone for 20 minutes or so.

For the guy asking about the event, you can go here for more info: bmwusa.com/driveforteamusa

Had both cars to myself. These cars did not belong to the dealership.

For those who are interested, the country is divided into regions and each region gets one set of cars. I'm in California, so everyone in California, Washington, Oregon Idaho and Nevada will get the cars I saw today -- one red 335i/sport and three 328i non-sport cars (lux, modern and base). All were automatics with nav. The competitors (Audi, Mbz and Lexus) are locally sourced, so those specific vehicles may change.

Btw, the A4 sucked in terms of driving experience but it felt like a better made car than the BMW.

Originally Posted by Robert A

Had both cars to myself. These cars did not belong to the dealership.

For those who are interested, the country is divided into regions and each region gets one set of cars. I'm in California, so everyone in California, Washington, Oregon Idaho and Nevada will get the cars I saw today -- one red 335i/sport and three 328i non-sport cars (lux, modern and base). All were automatics with nav. The competitors (Audi, Mbz and Lexus) are locally sourced, so those specific vehicles may change.

Btw, the A4 sucked in terms of driving experience but it felt like a better made car than the BMW.

Can you elaborate on why you think it sucked?

Personal preference -- I didn't care for the driving experience. But to be fair, I own a BMW and I was there to drive BMWs that I was interested in. I'm certain if I was an Audi loyalist driving these cars at an Audi event, I would have viewed it differently.

Originally Posted by Robert A

Personal preference -- I didn't care for the driving experience. But to be fair, I own a BMW and I was there to drive BMWs that I was interested in. I'm certain if I was an Audi loyalist driving these cars at an Audi event, I would have viewed it differently.

Well, as someone whose owned both a B5 and B6 platform A4 I am certainly looking forward to driving the 328i and A4 2.0T back to back at this event when it shows up in Colorado in June!

Tell me more about the 1000 credit. Did you get a coupon code of some sort afterwards to use?

When you sign up you receive a confirmation email that includes this text;

You won't want to miss this competitive event. As a thank you, only registered attendees will receive the limited-time $1,000 BMW Drive for Team USA Allowance, good toward the purchase or lease of a new 2012 or 2013 BMW model.* And once you have completed your experience, BMW will also recognize your drive with a $10 donation to Team USA.

I have my "Drive for Team USA" today. It is F30 328i vs B8 A4. I drive each vehicle for 10 miles with 50/50 city & highway.

If there is one thing I discover is F30's steering has lost its feel compare to my E90. It feels light which has more resemblance to A4 than E9x. The best I can describe is like driving with a blindfold and hard to tell which side of your wheel is hitting the uneven surface.

Start/Stop is annoying. Luckily, it can be disabled.

With that being said, I find it difficult to decide between F30 328i & B8 A4 especially if I'm in the market for 4 banger. N20 feels more robust but Audi's AT feels smoother especially when downshifting during overtaking. Just my 2 cents.

On the plus side, F30's AC unit is way more efficient than E9x's. It chills down the cabin in short period of time considering 82F during noon.

Do u just drive around the streets around the dealership?

The event organizer provide a route map. As I indicated total distance driven is 10 miles including freeway & city street.

How long before you receive the $1000 off certificate?

Just signed up... I hope this offer is still in affect because I would love an additional 1k off my car!

They give you a suggested route but there's no way to verify that you followed it. I wanted to know how the car handled on the freeway so I ventured off on my own. That said, you cannot be out too long -- there are others waiting for the car.

Originally Posted by evergreen2000

Do u just drive around the streets around the dealership?

Originally Posted by evergreen2000

Tell me more about the 1000 credit. Did you get a coupon code of some sort afterwards to use?

After my test drive and filling out a quick survey this past weekend, the BMW NA rep told me I'd receive an email for the $1000 certificate. I've yet to receive anything, and since I registered at the event, I'm not even sure they have my correct email! Interestingly, from the moment I arrived to receiving my thank you gift and walking away, I had zero contact with anyone associated to the dealership. It's all managed by BMW NA.

Originally Posted by live4wknds

After my test drive and filling out a quick survey this past weekend, the BMW NA rep told me I'd receive an email for the $1000 certificate. I've yet to receive anything, and since I registered at the event, I'm not even sure they have my correct email! Interestingly, from the moment I arrived to receiving my thank you gift and walking away, I had zero contact with anyone associated to the dealership. It's all managed by BMW NA.

O well i hope you get it, keep us posted

Originally Posted by live4wknds

After my test drive and filling out a quick survey this past weekend, the BMW NA rep told me I'd receive an email for the $1000 certificate. I've yet to receive anything, and since I registered at the event, I'm not even sure they have my correct email! Interestingly, from the moment I arrived to receiving my thank you gift and walking away, I had zero contact with anyone associated to the dealership. It's all managed by BMW NA.

I haven't received my $1k off coupon as well. Did the test drive on 04/19. However, I did receive the sales email from the center where i did the test drives... Something like

"You will receive your $1000 off shortly in email, please reach out to us...."

Same thing, did my drive on 4/17, no email with code yet. Last year it took about a week, so I'm not worried.

Yet...

Were any of you able to drive more cars that you hadn't signed up for? Back when they did the Susan Komen drives you could drive whatever you wanted if it wasn't real busy.

I'm signed up for the 335i, but I'd like to drive the 328i, the A4, and the C250.

You can drive them all. In fact, they pay no attention to what you signed up for. As I mentioned in my OP, another guy was also booked for my car at the same time.

Did they have a 6MT 328i to drive?

No 6 MT. My 1st preference is 6MT 328i, but I am told that has to be arranged with individual CA as a test drive. You can drive any vehicle that is listed on the following chart as long as you have the time to kill:

Thought the F30 mirrors looked big in person. They seriously smaller than E90 mirrors? I didn't like the plastic they put on the inside of the door frame. Opening the door with the window open, grab it with your hand, it feels loose and chintzy like a rattle waiting to happen. Seems like they're trying to cover up too much stuff like that which doesn't need covering.

Looking forward to driving the 328 vs the A4 2.0, though I wouldn't buy an Audi -- no wagon available for 2013, just the allroad, and no m/t.

I received an email this morning confirms $1k incentive is on its way: