[track_warrior]

Well guys she is finally here our 2014 328d M-Sport in Alpine White. Took two months since it was a custom order but it was well worth it. The point of this thread is to share my thoughts so far on the car plus compare it to a 328i, 328d x drive wagon, 328d sport, and cars that we were cross shopping. The car is intended for my wife but since she left to see her family in the Golf and she’s not back yet I got the keys and permission from the wife to drive her 328d.


We started cross shopping between a Q5 tdi, glk 250 bluetec, 328d, and 328d xdrive wagon to replace her Boxster-S with a more spacious and fuel efficient car or small CUV. My wife first discarded the wagon because she hates wagons sadly and I kind of also helped discard it because it was only available in xdrive and I will share my thoughts later on why Im not a fan of xdrive. Then came the time to discard the glk the main reason being it was basically a jacked up wagon that drove wobbly (steering was very light and un communicative, brake feel was also horrible and rear seat space was no better than the 328d) and even with the recent face lift it feels very dated. Then came the Q5 TDI, we loved the torque on the engine but hated the fuel efficiency and also the fact that the model is probably due for an upgrade soon. The q5 felt no different than the B8 A4 my wife used to own before the Porsche and that interior is starting to look dated.

So here we are left with our only choice a 2014 328d sedan, she was not sure about getting the m-sport since she said it looked more masculine but we decided anyways to test drive a basic 328d since the dealer had no sport or m-sports in the diesel and we also asked to drive a 328i sport model and a 328i M-Sport. My dealer said that both the Sport and M-sport share suspensions so we thought they would drive the same. Well to our surprise the sport drove softer than the M-sport and the steering also felt lighter, my wife agreed and said the M-Sport was the right choice especially after she was coming from a sporty car. Engine wise the power delivery is very different from the turbo 4 to the diesel turbo 4. It seems you need to mash the gas a bit harder in the gasoline version to get it to move where as in the diesel a little push gives you a ton of torque. Under WOT the 328i does feel a bit quicker than the 328d though and keeps pulling harder the closer you are to redline where as in the diesel the best power is lower in the rev band.

The order took 2 months but while we had the diesel on order my M3 had Ac issues and I was offered a 328i loaner with 300 miles on the dash in basic trim and leatherette. I had that car for a full week and all I have to say is how important the M-sport and leather options felt in my opinion. The 328i was extremely soft, after hitting a bump the suspension would keep bouncing like if it were a grand marquis. The steering also felt soft and uncommunicative and the leatherette was so hard and uncomfortable, the interior also felt cheap the wood on the trim looked so fake that even my old ram 1500 had a better quality wood trim and the steering wheel felt cheap and hard.

Now I will explain why I dislike xdrive, first of all I live in Texas where we rarely see rain and never see snow. The second reason is that I had a chance to attend a bmw experience test drive at a track here in Texas and got to drive a 650i M-Sport and 650i M-Sport xdrive around a track. The xdrive model felt sluggish, heavy, and uncommunicative compared to the rwd model. You are talking about to equally equipped cars but one rwd and the other awd and I could not believe the amount of understeer coming from the xdrive car, you could rotate a bit the rwd model and get it to exit faster. I just wish BMW offered the wagon with rwd instead of xdrive only, its stupid because if the xdrive passes emissions the rwd should pass them easier.

Last but not least our 328d M-Sport experience so far, the car currently has around 230 miles but I will share as much as I can how I feel about the car. My first impressions are wow, bmw has built a very solid car. The suspension is balanced and the steering is sharp and communicative. Fuel economy is mind blowing as well, the first test I conducted was a 12-mile highway loop at 70-75 mph that I had tested my golf tdi about a month ago. The golf managed a respectable 45.1 mpg. Well I did the same test yesterday around the same hour at night time with the 328d and the result was impressive. The car averaged 48.8 Mpg in eco pro mode (Tests reflect results based on the lieo mpg meter) im sure this car is capable of a 550+ mile range on a tank if you are careful with the accelerator pedal.

The leather feels great compared to the leatherette on the standard car and so does the M-sport steering wheel and seats which are more comfortable and supportive than the standard cars seats. My only complaint on the car so far is the small storage cubby on the center console. Another thing that surprises me is how massive the car is, even compared to my e92 m3 and that car is wide because of the flared fenders and wide track but still the f30 feels huge compared to it and takes some time getting used to the size. If you were to ask me to close my eyes and sit my self on the car the moment you shut the door and I opened my eyes I would not be able to tell if I was sitting in a 5 series or 3 Series. I cant really talk about power on this car yet since im still in the break in stage and have been babying the car but I can feel there it feels torquey, you don’t need to step on the gas a lot to get it to move. It also feels less turbo laggy than a Audi A4 2.0Tdi wagon I rented in Europe this summer. I will keep updating the thread regarding driving experience with the 328d but so far both my wife and I love the diesel bimmer.

Side note: I thought fog lights did not come on the M-sport package but mine did come with them?

We went from this:


To this and it makes my e92 m3 look tiny. M3 is MW and F30 is AW







Full 328D pictures:



















My only complaint is the tiny centre console storage cubby:


Gauge showing 222 miles on odometer since last fill up and 375 in range remanning:

[izzyM2]

Cool review and nice set of rides.

[PrinceBarin]

Nice write-up, thanks.

I keep looking at that M3 in your garage though - gorgeous.

[PopsnBurbles]

The M3 was too much of a show stealer here. I'm sorry but you should've left the photos of the two next to each other last. DAMN! Your M3 is very close to my dream setup on an M3!!!

On a side note, the M-Sport did wonders compared to the non-MSport. Nice ride!

[glangford]

I took delivery of a 328d two days ago! Mine is in Saphire Black Mettalic. Pretty much a basic model, with nav, drivers assist package, moonroof, and heated seats. It was a dealer specced car on the lot, I choose not to order as the compliment of options was enough. HK would have been nice, but the stock audio isn't terrible.

I can second the mileage. A short interstate run coming home from the dealer with a full tank and the mpg counter reset yielded about 44 mpg including a few stop lights and back streets after the interstate. My driving since has been pretty much short run stop and go for now and its dropped down to about 37, which is still fantastic.

I can second thoughts about the car seeming big! Of course I'm coming from a mini cooper R56, so at first it seemed like a Seville! Parked next to our Honda Accord in the garage, the accord is noticeably larger though.

I had driven other diesels, noteably the VW TDIs in Golf, Jetta, and Jetta Sportswagen. At the BMW dealer I was originally considering a X1 and was trading the merits of X1 vs a TDI. The VW diesels were nice, but when I drove the 328d I was hooked. I think the zf 8 speed pairs nice with 2.0 diesel.

One interesting thing I found out looking over the manuals yesterday. The diesel has a conventional dipstick! I don't think the salesman even knew that. We had talked about how the X1 didn't have one and he showed me how to check it via idrive when going through that on delivery. (The new 5 series 6 cylinder diesel also has a dipstick).

If the X1 is ever brought out as a diesel model, that will be our next car. That would seem to be the perfect car to have the 2.0 diesel in.

[twmark]

Congratulations and thanks for the review. I am eagerly awaiting my 328d m-sport wagon. It's been 5 weeks and only just went into production yesterday. I wonder if all the 328d M-Sports will have fog lights.

[Falafel Combo]

Congrats! Nice little garage you have there. I take it you like the color ... white?


Also if I understood correctly, you are saying the 328d may have close to a 600 mile range? If so, that would be impressive.

[glangford]

Originally Posted by twmark

Congratulations and thanks for the review. I am eagerly awaiting my 328d m-sport wagon. It's been 5 weeks and only just went into production yesterday. I wonder if all the 328d M-Sports will have fog lights.

My plain jane 328d has fog lights. I'm guessing they all do.

[Fille]

Only ~500 miles on a tank? Do you have smaller tanks in the US or just drive like a jackass? The 320d in Europe has a 57 liter tank.

I have a 320d with MPPK (200 hp/420 NM tq) and usually get 700 to ~750 miles (even got close to 800 miles but that was stretching it). I don't drive like a grandma though but it's mostly highway.

[glangford]

Originally Posted by Fille

Only ~500 miles on a tank? Do you have smaller tanks in the US or just drive like a jackass? The 320d in Europe has a 57 liter tank.

I have a 320d with MPPK (200 hp/420 NM tq) and usually get 700 to ~750 miles (even got close to 800 miles but that was stretching it). I don't drive like a grandma though but it's mostly highway.

US tank capacity is 15 gal, 56.77 liters, so the same. at the stated city mpg that would be a range of 480 miles, for highway mpg of 45 mpg that would be 675 miles. I can see based on my own limited experience that 45 will be easy to beat on the road so 700 is not out of the question.

[metrathon]

I LOVE the single exhaust muffle. It looks mean. Much better than the 328i double-tip.

[track_warrior]

Originally Posted by izzyM3

Cool review and nice set of rides.

Thanks man

Originally Posted by 328pride

The M3 was too much of a show stealer here. I'm sorry but you should've left the photos of the two next to each other last. DAMN! Your M3 is very close to my dream setup on an M3!!!

On a side note, the M-Sport did wonders compared to the non-MSport. Nice ride!

I have to agree with you with them side by side the M3 just stands out a bit more. But i have to say i love both of them, they are very different but they both handle extremely well. And i agree on the M-Sport package, it looks stunning and even more in person. I have seen regular F30 drivers just stare at the car.

Originally Posted by twmark

Congratulations and thanks for the review. I am eagerly awaiting my 328d m-sport wagon. It's been 5 weeks and only just went into production yesterday. I wonder if all the 328d M-Sports will have fog lights.

I think they should, maybe they changed something for the 2014's the 2013 328i M-sport we test drove had no fogs and even our client advisor said our car would not come with fog lights because of the M-sport package. It was quite a surprise when it arrived that it had them.

Originally Posted by ///M235i

Congrats! Nice little garage you have there. I take it you like the color ... white?


Also if I understood correctly, you are saying the 328d may have close to a 600 mile range? If so, that would be impressive.

Yep we love white, only color i would trade white for would be santori blue . The tank should last us over 600 miles and that is combined city and highway driving.

Originally Posted by Fille

Only ~500 miles on a tank? Do you have smaller tanks in the US or just drive like a jackass? The 320d in Europe has a 57 liter tank.

I have a 320d with MPPK (200 hp/420 NM tq) and usually get 700 to ~750 miles (even got close to 800 miles but that was stretching it). I don't drive like a grandma though but it's mostly highway.

Makes sense that the first tank will be 600 miles since i dont know if the dealer fully fuelled the tank or they just stop when the needle gets to full, plus we have been driving mostly city with a bit highway. Car should have a range from 600-700 depending on driving habits and type of road you are on. One thing i have noticed with the start and stop is that it works when it wants to i could be saving more fuel there as well. It only works 50% of the time.

[zamboni]

Nice addition & a very clean garage.

[AdiSinghV12]

Firstly, Big congrats on the ride! Would you mind comparing the 'fun-to-drive' quotient of the 328d against the 328i since you have driven both of em ?

[F32]

Did you really have to prop up your Amex Platinum out of your wallet to show it off?

[snowghost]

Nice review and ride. My only beef is AT.

[rayg]

Who shows off an Amex platinum card? It's not a big deal, I highly doubt he was trying to show it off.

[track_warrior]

Originally Posted by F32

Did you really have to prop up your Amex Platinum out of your wallet to show it off?

I opened the centre console and took a picture i did not move anything in there that card happened to be at the top and the wallet opened up a bit (pictures were not all taken the same day or place). Didn't even notice it until you mentioned it. If i wanted to show off i would have flipped my phone over so you would see the awesome M case.

Originally Posted by rayg

Who shows off an Amex platinum card? It's not a big deal, I highly doubt he was trying to show it off.

This, if it was a black card though....

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Firstly, Big congrats on the ride! Would you mind comparing the 'fun-to-drive' quotient of the 328d against the 328i since you have driven both of em ?

Well i now that i have driven both the 328d M-Sport and 328i i can tell you this:

-Both cars handle exactly the same, cant feel more weight from the diesel compared to the 328i. So in this sense both are equally fun to throw around turns.

-Engine wise, the power delivery is very different, the 328i keeps pulling towards redline and the diesel has more power down low and slowly looses it going towards redline. For track or spirited driving i would prefer the gasser because of the higher revs and top end power. For city and highway driving i prefer the diesel, its more economical and has more torque which is great for stop and go and highway cruising. Not saying the gasser is not torquey, its a great engine but our main concern was fuel economy and the diesel is awesome. If you are after pure fun and dont mind sacrificing a little fuel economy a gasser may be better for you.

-Brakes feel different for some reason i felt them softer on the gasser vs the diesel but this could just be air in the system or something.

-Noise, the bmw 4 cylinder diesel is not one of the most quiet engines out in the market, my golf tdi's chatter is more silenced and mercedes wins hands down when it comes to 4 cylinder diesel engine noise. The car is not excessively loud but you can definitely tell its a diesel if your windows are down and your stereo is off. The gasser is not so quiet either, it sounds a bit rough when on the gas and the idle is loud because of the direct injection. You can hear the turbo spool up more on the diesel vs the gasser as well.

-Overall both cars are great cant go wrong with either one, for us fuel efficiency was our main concern as well as value for our money. The diesel was only around 1100 more than the gasser equally specd but we figured out the resale value was going to be higher and we were going to save money compared to the gasser since diesel is only 5 cents more expensive than premium in my area. We plan to keep the car for at least 3-4 years so the diesel premium tag should pay off since my wife's commute is around 35 miles daily.

Originally Posted by snowghost

Nice review and ride. My only beef is AT.

I hear you on this, my wife can drive stick but she prefers an automatic so it was not really a problem here. If i were picking it up for me i would have wanted a stick but the ZF 8 speed is great so i could live with it.

[glangford]

Originally Posted by track_warrior

One thing i have noticed with the start and stop is that it works when it wants to i could be saving more fuel there as well. It only works 50% of the time.

When I test drove my diesel with the salesman I also noted that at times it didn't start/stop. He said the car is measuring several things and deciding if a stop is appropriate. One thing I've noted is that if it's real hot out and the AC has not fully cooled off the car won't shut off, of course as well as the engine not being fully up to temp. What else in the algorithm that says to stop or not, who knows...

[glangford]

Originally Posted by track_warrior

]

-Noise, the bmw 4 cylinder diesel is not one of the most quiet engines out in the market, my golf tdi's chatter is more silenced and mercedes wins hands down when it comes to 4 cylinder diesel engine noise. The car is not excessively loud but you can definitely tell its a diesel if your windows are down and your stereo is off. ]

I wonder if that is a function of engine break in? I thought new the VW was alittle louder. I test drove a golf, and jetta sportwagen and thought they were both louder than the BMW 328d.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by F32

Did you really have to prop up your Amex Platinum out of your wallet to show it off?

Originally Posted by rayg

Who shows off an Amex platinum card? It's not a big deal, I highly doubt he was trying to show it off.

The OP is probably like me: free AMEX Platinum card from Costco: 2% cashback from AMEX. Too bad Costco doesn't sell diesel...

[track_warrior]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

The OP is probably like me: free AMEX Platinum card from Costco: 2% cashback from AMEX. Too bad Costco doesn't sell diesel...

The card is a charge card, but its awesome. Its great for travel it has free access to business lounges at the airport, Free 1st class companion ticket on international flights, travel protection, no foreign transaction fees and lost or damaged items insurance. I agree it would be great if Costco sold diesel though . The rewards are great, i use this card for absolutely everything.