Following my recent post comparing the F30 with the Merc C-Class I have now got my 318d. Pics and details below.
The car
Alpine White 318d Sport manual
18" two-tone wheels (397 style I think - really improve the look of the car)
Sun protection glass
Servotronic steering
Otherwise it is stock, the car was a showroom model that I did a deal on as I liked the look of it and the price was right.
The deal
I got a decent discount - £1500 when the part-ex given for my Mini is taken into account - plus 3.9% APR, finance charges waived and free servicing for 5 years. Not bad for a new model that is still relatively scarce. As always Danny at Wood BMW in Hook was brilliant. This is now the 4th 3 series I've bought from him and the 5th car from the dealership including my Mini.
First impressions
Amazing drive once you get used to the offset pedals again, and remember you have to manhandle the gearbox a bit - I had a few graunchy gearchanges before I did this!
As always with a BMW, it handles like it is on rails and is very fluid and rewarding to drive. What is very different to the E9x is that the ride is superb, even on standard suspension with 18" runflats. The car is supple and comfortable, and whilst the wife still grumbles that she feels car-sick, to me it is a revelation. I cannot imagine what the adaptive suspension is like, but let me put it this way, in the dealer I drove a 320d with absolutely barking mad 20" wheels that on an E90 would be a guaranteed back-breaker, and the car was really quite comfortable.
The controls are all very familiar and just work as expected, very intuitive coming from an E9x or my Mini. The new idrive controls are fairly simple and very smooth, though there are still a few options that took some finding.
The audio isn't the best, but not bad compared to what I thought it might be like.
With hindsight I may miss some of the storage and comfort options, as it is slightly lacking in pockets and nets etc, plus it doesn't have the split fold seats you'd expect in a car costing nearly £30k. I also would've liked nav and auto, but the extra £3k didn't seem worth it.
My only niggle so far is that the gearstick rattles, which you can feel more than hear, but there is a very quiet rattle that stops when you put pressure on the gear lever. If this doesn't go away soon I'll get it looked at.
The pics
The bit you've been waiting for! They were taken on my Blackberry so not brilliant but you get the gist.
Spot my Mini being driven away in the background (goodbye Mini, you'll be missed)
