[dude987]

Finally got past the break in mode and got 4,000 km (2,500 mi) on bimmer. It came with the 18” Bridgestone Potenza S001 on the 400M mixed wheels. Recently swapped out the summer tires for a A/S non-RFT 18” Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position on 18x8 Enkei Racing PF01 on all four wheels. The A/S wheel/tire combo appears to be about 6 lbs lighter per wheel for a total of 24 lbs less then the OEM wheels.

So, I finally took the bimmer out to the Black Forrest and stretched its legs on parts of the autobahn without speed limits and somewhat pushed the limits of performance. Some initial thoughts.

It was difficult to detect any noticeable difference between comfort and sport suspension during casual city driving in traffic. However when pushed beyond 120 mph on the autobahn, there was definitely some floating and wallowing in comfort mode. There was a clear sense of the chassis stiffening up in sport mode during high speeds. I could also feel the electronic steering tighten up during high speed driving. It felt planted, stable, and beefy.

The sport suspension handled like it was on rails when hitting it hard in the twisties of the Black Forrest. The chassis remained flat without any noticeable plowing and took the curves like it was on rails.

After a day of hard aggressive driving, the mileage was a decent 22.9 mpg. Not bad for unleashing its potential in both the twisties and the autobahn. I was averaging a little over 24 mph during the break-in period in city driving. I’m hoping it will only improve as the bimmer continues to break in and get more efficient.

I went with the 18” wheels for two reasons. The previous 330i had RFT’s and the suspension was a bit on the harsh side. The combination of this experience and knowing that 19” was more susceptible to roadside hazards, I decided to go with the 18’s. However in all honesty, the suspension on the 18’s with adaptive suspension is a bit on the soft side relative to my preference. Had I know this ahead of time, I probably would have opted for the 19’s. The 330i was too harsh and the 335i is a bit too soft. The 19’s may have been better for my personal preference.

The 330i had leatherette and the 335i has Dakota leather. In all honesty, the leatherette was mildly discomforting with clammy moisture build up between skin and seat. The Dakota is much softer, comfortable, and dry. It was well worth the additional cost. Very satisfied with leather and will never go back to leatherette.

The linear power delivery and acceleration from the xDrive is phenomenal. It hunkers down, grips the road, and catapults down the road like there’s no tomorrow. Given the same tires, my gut instinct says that it will out perform a Audi S4 hands down.

The combination of extreme sport handling mixed genuine luxury touring capability is what really sets this car apart from so many others. It works great as a daily driver to and from work while thoroughly delivering on sport performance for the weekend sporting enthusiast.