F30 335i: One week review

It's been exactly one week since picking up my new F30, so I figured I'd do a quick review, like others have done. So far I've driven a little over 400 miles, mostly to and from work...in rush hour traffic. But it's ok since I'm breaking it in, so I wouldn't be pushing it anyway.

Sport Line: Beautiful. I won't lie, unlike many, I thought the E90 was very good looking. But this F30 is just gorgeous. Alpine white looks so nice and clean. Absolutely love the interior too. I have black seats, aluminum, the red trim line, and red stitching everywhere. Everything works very well together. Even ignoring the badge and performance, just visually, this is a car I am fully proud of owning.

Overall Driving Impressions: Definitely the fastest car I've ever had. Just a dream to drive. I haven't noticed the handling to be any worse than the E90 328i. It does feel a bit heavier and there is less feedback from the steering wheel, but the car still does exactly what you expect and goes exactly where you want. I have to say, I feel like I could use more grip from the tires. I got the all seasons, and maybe I should have gone with the performance. But I had all seasons on the E90 as well, so it's a fair comparison. But boy, the difference in power in mind boggling. The N55 has to be the smoothest and best sounding engine I've ever had...by far. The transmission is also perfect. For me, it's the ultimate driving machine. The E90 328i was close, but just didn't have quite enough power for my tastes. Now I have the car that I've always dreamed of.

Driving modes with DHP: This is one of the coolest features I've ever seen in any car. It sounded great on paper when I placed the order and has lived up to all my expectations. The huge difference in the driving dynamics is amazing. So far I've been driving mostly in Comfort, again, because when you're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, you might as well be comfortable Eco Pro surprised me in that it's really not that bad. It's obviously not the same as the other modes, but it doesn't make the car undriveable or anything. If you push the pedal in, you get pretty good acceleration. I feel that a responsive car is a safe car, and I was worried that Eco Pro would be too unresponsive. It's not as bad as I expected. I won't say too much about Sport, since it's been talked about a lot. Yes, it's incredible.

Sport Seats: Is it just me, or do the side bolsters not get remembered by the seat memory? My wife's sitting position is extremely different from mine, and she has the bolsters "closed" all the way, while I need them all the way "open". And when switching between the two seat memories, the side bolsters don't move and need to be adjusted manually. That's the only problem. Other than that, the seats feel great and very supportive.

A.S.S.: First day I thought it was pretty cool. A week later, I am turning it off as soon as I start the engine With me, it's not the engine shudder, but just feeling that it's putting completely unnecessary strain on the engine....200 times a day. For what? The car uses very little gas while just idling. I plan to have it recoded for sure.

Misc: Love the minor things, like the extra glove compartment on the left side, how the hood has no latch, the cargo nets in the trunk, the look of the symmetrical black exhaust pipes, how fast and smooth the shifts are when shifting the gears in manual mode, and a lot of other stuff I can't think of right now. Wait, why am I writing all this when I could be driving my car?

Congratulations. Great choice in terms of color combinations.

Yeah, I finally caught up with everyone else when it comes to ASS. First month, I didn't mind it at all. Then I started to get sort of tired of it. Now I hate it. I shut it off all the time. Now I want to re-code it.

In terms of handling, I really don't notice much of a difference either between my E90 335 and F30 335. Of course, I don't drive on a track...Steering is not as good on my F30 as it was on E90, but all things considered, I definitely prefer the F30.

I wish I had gotten the DHP. I have the 19 in staggered set of tires on my 335i and the ride is a little rougher than I would like. Not horrible, but I certainly wish I could have it softer in comfort while keeping it the same as now in sport.

Definitely on the short list of features I will get next time

Would you say the ride quality of your F30 335i feels firmer/softer than your E90 328i when you take into account the Eco Pro/Comfort/Sport?

Congrats! Thanks for the write-up.

Regarding your comment about the weight of the car . . . here is some interesting information:

E90 328i - 3362 (Manual) / 3428 (Automatic)

F30 335i - 3571 (Manual) / 3594 (Automatic)

Originally Posted by bimmerfan3

Would you say the ride quality of your F30 335i feels firmer/softer than your E90 328i when you take into account the Eco Pro/Comfort/Sport?

I'd say all the modes are firmer than the E90. But Sport is very firm - it just absorbs more bumps than the E90's suspension. Comfort and Eco Pro are very noticeably more soft.

Update to my review: Today we went on a 3 hour ride through some mountains in the area, and I can say that the handling is magnificent. The way the car pulls out of turns is a joy to experience.

I have to say that the braking is not as....confident...as the E90. With the E90, I was really amazed with how effortless the braking felt. Felt like the car could stop on a dime. I know the F30 has great brakes, but stopping doesn't feel effortless. It feels like the brakes are really working hard to stop the car. Not a problem, just an observation.

Originally Posted by Supermax

I'd say all the modes are firmer than the E90. But Sport is very firm - it just absorbs more bumps than the E90's suspension. Comfort and Eco Pro are very noticeably more soft.

Update to my review: Today we went on a 3 hour ride through some mountains in the area, and I can say that the handling is magnificent. The way the car pulls out of turns is a joy to experience.

I have to say that the braking is not as....confident...as the E90. With the E90, I was really amazed with how effortless the braking felt. Felt like the car could stop on a dime. I know the F30 has great brakes, but stopping doesn't feel effortless. It feels like the brakes are really working hard to stop the car. Not a problem, just an observation.

Great review ! It only gets better the more you drive your Bimmer .
Another fun drive Is taking your BMW over 8 to El Cento & on to Yuma. We made it to
Yuma in 2 and a Half hours . Some nice curves & beautiful views .
Another fun drive for your 335i is the Palms to Pines highway 79 to Palm Desert . Great
Vistas , some super places along the roads to take pictures of your new Baby
Wait till its broken in , & you will be in Heaven . One caveat , if you travel 15 freeway north or south going to or from Rancho California , lots of CHP with Radar , from Escondido to Menifee .

Thx man, you just gave me an idea. Need to take my wife to Yuma. Actually we still need to go to Julian too. So many places to go...so few weekends

Congrats on the new ride and nice write up. I agree with your observations.
I wish my blue trim came with blue stitching.

I'm in SD also. Have had my 335i EBII for a couple weeks or so. I'm being patient not going over 100MPH or revving over 5k. I set my speed limit warning thing at 92MPH and had it ding at me on the first day. I only drive fast on open freeway (I-15 HOV primarily), and the guys in my car had no clue we were going that fast.

The trip to Julian (on 78 or 79) can be problematic - so many beautiful turns but so many other drivers.

I have 2 issues that I'm sure I'll get used to: coming to a complete stop, just as I get to 0 MPH I sometimes get a strong back and forth jerk. It's like the brakes are grabby or the suspension loosens up at low speeds. #2 the suspension is definitely softer than E90 was. It has a rolling action even in Sports mode and with DHP. The ride is very nice, but diving into corners it seems to be softer than expected.

The power doesn't seem to be all there yet (especially compared to my broken-in E90), but I'm sure it will warm up as it breaks in, and I get over 5k revs.

I love DHP. A passenger asked, "it changes the feel that fast?" I drive mostly in comfort, more than I thought I would in ECO, and some in Sport when I feel the urge. Maybe after break-in, I'll be in ECO less, but it helps control me.

I have a fully loaded car because I am leasing and I took one off a lot and got some features I wouldn't necessarily have wanted, but I do enjoy the Driver Assistance Package more than I thought i would. The side view cameras make parking (backward or forward) so easy, I can do it without mirrors. Active Blindspot Detection is also cooler than I thought. But I've turned off the Lane Departure Stuff. And the Comfort access is sweet. Last car had none of these features. HK sound is great. Last night, daughter and I watched half hour of Lion,Witch, Wardrobe on DVD in car in home garage just to be different - she's 8 and thought it was the coolest thing ever being with daddy and having a car that can show movies in the front - although the screen does face driver more than passenger seat.

Okay, maybe I should do a big write up as well.

Originally Posted by Supermax

It's been exactly one week since picking up my new F30, so I figured I'd do a quick review, like others have done. So far I've driven a little over 400 miles, mostly to and from work...in rush hour traffic. But it's ok since I'm breaking it in, so I wouldn't be pushing it anyway.

Sport Line: Beautiful. I won't lie, unlike many, I thought the E90 was very good looking. But this F30 is just gorgeous. Alpine white looks so nice and clean. Absolutely love the interior too. I have black seats, aluminum, the red trim line, and red stitching everywhere. Everything works very well together. Even ignoring the badge and performance, just visually, this is a car I am fully proud of owning.

Overall Driving Impressions: Definitely the fastest car I've ever had. Just a dream to drive. I haven't noticed the handling to be any worse than the E90 328i. It does feel a bit heavier and there is less feedback from the steering wheel, but the car still does exactly what you expect and goes exactly where you want. I have to say, I feel like I could use more grip from the tires. I got the all seasons, and maybe I should have gone with the performance. But I had all seasons on the E90 as well, so it's a fair comparison. But boy, the difference in power in mind boggling. The N55 has to be the smoothest and best sounding engine I've ever had...by far. The transmission is also perfect. For me, it's the ultimate driving machine. The E90 328i was close, but just didn't have quite enough power for my tastes. Now I have the car that I've always dreamed of.

Driving modes with DHP: This is one of the coolest features I've ever seen in any car. It sounded great on paper when I placed the order and has lived up to all my expectations. The huge difference in the driving dynamics is amazing. So far I've been driving mostly in Comfort, again, because when you're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, you might as well be comfortable Eco Pro surprised me in that it's really not that bad. It's obviously not the same as the other modes, but it doesn't make the car undriveable or anything. If you push the pedal in, you get pretty good acceleration. I feel that a responsive car is a safe car, and I was worried that Eco Pro would be too unresponsive. It's not as bad as I expected. I won't say too much about Sport, since it's been talked about a lot. Yes, it's incredible.

Sport Seats: Is it just me, or do the side bolsters not get remembered by the seat memory? My wife's sitting position is extremely different from mine, and she has the bolsters "closed" all the way, while I need them all the way "open". And when switching between the two seat memories, the side bolsters don't move and need to be adjusted manually. That's the only problem. Other than that, the seats feel great and very supportive.

A.S.S.: First day I thought it was pretty cool. A week later, I am turning it off as soon as I start the engine With me, it's not the engine shudder, but just feeling that it's putting completely unnecessary strain on the engine....200 times a day. For what? The car uses very little gas while just idling. I plan to have it recoded for sure.

Misc: Love the minor things, like the extra glove compartment on the left side, how the hood has no latch, the cargo nets in the trunk, the look of the symmetrical black exhaust pipes, how fast and smooth the shifts are when shifting the gears in manual mode, and a lot of other stuff I can't think of right now. Wait, why am I writing all this when I could be driving my car?

Congrats on the new ride.

How would you rate your tires? Their ability to absorb shock? Too hard? Just right? What kind of tires do you have?

Congrats! I'll be in Los Angeles this week if you guys want to have your car coded.

Originally Posted by octopump

Congrats! I'll be in Los Angeles this week if you guys want to have your car coded.

What do I get from coding?

A few examples: remove legal disclaimers, (un)fold mirrors automatically when (un)locking the car, TPMS data (pressure and temp) on screen, DRL with taillights on, doors unlock automatically when the engine is turned off, add weather band to radio, make the car remember last setting for air recirculate, A/C, heated seats, Auto Start/ Stop etc.

Originally Posted by SD330i

Great review ! One caveat , if you travel 15 freeway north or south going to or from Rancho California , lots of CHP with Radar , from Escondido to Menifee .

This is sooo true! I live in Oceanside, my mom is in menifee, so I do that drive fairly often. The funny part is, the speed limit on the freeway for most of that trip is 70, I usually cruise at 80, and that is BARELY the speed of traffic ( as in, more people pass me than I am passing).

I had a maxima before, and used to drive it a little faster, but for some reason I feel like I stick out more in the BMW, even though every 6th car seems to be a BMW, LOL.

Originally Posted by Nick9597

Congrats on the new ride.

How would you rate your tires? Their ability to absorb shock? Too hard? Just right? What kind of tires do you have?

To be honest, I don't really know enough about tires to comment. I know they're all seasons, the same Conti's I had on the E90 (I think). The F30 definitely rides a lot softer, but I don't know much of it is due to the tires.