[JB14]

So, after a few months of research and many hours spent on here I have recently ordered my 320D Tourer and coming from a Mondeo company car I literally cannot wait :-D.

M Sport
Estoril Blue
M Sport Plus pack
Adaptive Suspension
Interior Comfort Pack
Full black panel display
Black leather with high gloss and brushed aluminium.

Currently have business media option ticked but those gadgets are tempting me to get the Business Pro instead.....still time to change as not in production yet.

This forum has been great so far so I'm looking forward to contributing more once the car arrives.

Cheers...

JB

[matk]

Congratulations on your order mate, im sure the guys will pipe up and say it but have you thought about adding the visibility pack. Not much extra for an excellent system if you drive on country roads. I have pro and as far as im aware now it just give a bigger screen over business nav but again im sure the others will help.

Regards Matt

[Spoonhead]

Delete adaptive and add visibility pack. Business media would also be good.

[Apl440i or 335d?]

Sounds great.

I would also advise to ditch the adaptive suspension.
The normal S drive setup is pretty perfect from what i udnerstand.

Have you gone manual or auto?

The new 2.0d engine sounds like a cracker!

[NISFAN]

Welcome, great choice of colour

Get rid of Acraptive suspension, and go Pro-media instead (comes with Black panel display).

And +1 for adaptive headlights.

[magic77]

Congrats on choice
Few points to consider as going through similar process now.

Skip the suspension, the 19" on normal M sport suspension still drives better than a E90 on 18" and non RFT tyres.

Also If you dont need Split Folding Rear Seats I would skip the Comfort package.
IMO money better spent for the BMW Pro Audio

M PlusPack and Pro Media(you get the blakc panel display with it) are the key IMO. Visibility pack is good if you want adaptive lights as high beam assistnat more of a gimmick still then great. Xenons come in the Plus pack.

THe M sport is great trim as lots of things are standard. I would seriously consider the auto as the new boxes are sublmie and allow far better use of the engine than manuals.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by magic77

Congrats on choice
Few points to consider as going through similar process now.

Skip the suspension, the 19" on normal M sport suspension still drives better than a E90 on 18" and non RFT tyres.

Also If you dont need Split Folding Rear Seats I would skip the Comfort package.
IMO money better spent for the BMW Pro Audio

M PlusPack and Pro Media(you get the blakc panel display with it) are the key IMO. Visibility pack is good if you want adaptive lights as high beam assistnat more of a gimmick still then great. Xenons come in the Plus pack.

THe M sport is great trim as lots of things are standard. I would seriously consider the auto as the new boxes are sublmie and allow far better use of the engine than manuals.

Comfort package is a must in my view. Gives greater rear visibility (folding rear headrests), a very handy storage net in the boot, an extra cubby hole in the dash (F30 doesn't have enough interior storage) and most importantly a more practical car. I fold down the seats loads of times.

Vis pack is NO GIMMICK.....trust me on this.....as Kylie would have said it, it is simply WOW,WOW,WOW

[JB14]

Cheers for comments so far guys.

Originally Posted by matk

Congratulations on your order mate, im sure the guys will pipe up and say it but have you thought about adding the visibility pack. Not much extra for an excellent system if you drive on country roads. I have pro and as far as im aware now it just give a bigger screen over business nav but again im sure the others will help.

Regards Matt

Cheers Matt - Pro appeals more than vis pack to be honest. Main driver was to get the zenons really and they are included in the plus pack.

Originally Posted by Spoonhead

Delete adaptive and add visibility pack. Business media would also be good.

Have business media at the moment but have asked to change that to pro at the moment. Vis pack doesn't really appeal if I'm honest

Originally Posted by magic77

Congrats on choice
Few points to consider as going through similar process now.

Skip the suspension, the 19" on normal M sport suspension still drives better than a E90 on 18" and non RFT tyres.

Also If you dont need Split Folding Rear Seats I would skip the Comfort package.
IMO money better spent for the BMW Pro Audio

M PlusPack and Pro Media(you get the blakc panel display with it) are the key IMO. Visibility pack is good if you want adaptive lights as high beam assistnat more of a gimmick still then great. Xenons come in the Plus pack.

THe M sport is great trim as lots of things are standard. I would seriously consider the auto as the new boxes are sublmie and allow far better use of the engine than manuals.

Can't stretch to the auto box unfortunately. Do want the split folding seats hence the comfort pack. Plus pack comes with Harman Kardon - i know there are plenty of conflicting views as to whether this is actually betterment
I found the standard M Sport sus a little crashy to be honest (but maybe that's cause I currently drive a mondeo) and much preferred the option with the adaptive.

[matt_320d]

You'll get all sorts of different advice.

Respect for choosing the adaptive suspension..you're a guy who cares about how the car drives....HOWEVER, as others have said, it's really only a "Must have" on X-drive cars, if you're going S-drive then it's more of a fun extra.

Given that you're not going crazy on the options spec, I would suggest you could spend £500 better elsewhere.

Do NOT ditch the comfort pack. One huge advantage is folding rear head rests. Trust me..you want this, the fixed ones are irritating as hell for rear vision. And the extra storage and folding seats are just good sound every-day practicality options....a very sensible £400 to spend I'd say..especially if you have a family using the car.

I would think really hard about going for Pro Media. I think it's a STUPID amount of money, BUT it is the system that I think BMW always really intended that this car should have. If you don't go pro-media, I'd delete the business nav and just buy a decent Tom Tom...but business spec nav is, in my opinion, the worst of all worlds...overpriced, but without the cool toys and widescreen.

Flat panel display: A good option to have but BE AWARE this refers to the DASHBOARD panel, it doesn't mean you get the widescreen Sat nav display (which is what I originally thought)

Visibility pack...check the options list carefully!! IF you have already specced M-sport plus, then you already have xenons..getting the visibility pack is only a couple of hundred more and universally considered to be just about the best thing since sliced bread...

Other than that, I'd say its a good list you've got there that makes a lot of sense.

Just one extra you *might* want to consider..heated seats: £325. I didn't add these at first, but if you're coming from a car with cloth interior, you've got to remember that leather gets COLD in winter. It's quite a lot of extra luxury comfort for not a vast amount of cash.

Also..smokers pack: £25. Virtually nothing. You may not smoke, but the person you sell the car to might...and not having a lighter might be a deal-breaker for them, so it's worth considering for that reason alone. (I THINK you also get an extra power socket if you choose this pack..)

People could suggest all sorts of extra bits and bobs..

[JB14]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Welcome, great choice of colour

Get rid of Acraptive suspension, and go Pro-media instead (comes with Black panel display).

And +1 for adaptive headlights.

Thanks Nisfan - the only colour that may have tempted me away was the mineral white which i cannot believe is an option on the MSport.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by JB14

Cheers for comments so far guys.



Cheers Matt - Pro appeals more than vis pack to be honest. Main driver was to get the zenons really and they are included in the plus pack.



Have business media at the moment but have asked to change that to pro at the moment. Vis pack doesn't really appeal if I'm honest



Can't stretch to the auto box unfortunately. Do want the split folding seats hence the comfort pack. Plus pack comes with Harman Kardon - i know there are plenty of conflicting views as to whether this is actually betterment
I found the standard M Sport sus a little crashy to be honest (but maybe that's cause I currently drive a mondeo) and much preferred the option with the adaptive.

You do know the VIZ pack is only a little less than £300 as an add on to the Sport+ pack? Just saying as it isn't very clear on the BMW site.

[JB14]

Originally Posted by matt_320d

You'll get all sorts of different advice.

Respect for choosing the adaptive suspension..you're a guy who cares about how the car drives....HOWEVER, as others have said, it's really only a "Must have" on X-drive cars, if you're going S-drive then it's more of a fun extra.

Given that you're not going crazy on the options spec, I would suggest you could spend £500 better elsewhere.

Do NOT ditch the comfort pack. One huge advantage is folding rear head rests. Trust me..you want this, the fixed ones are irritating as hell for rear vision. And the extra storage and folding seats are just good sound every-day practicality options....a very sensible £400 to spend I'd say..especially if you have a family using the car.

I would think really hard about going for Pro Media. I think it's a STUPID amount of money, BUT it is the system that I think BMW always really intended that this car should have. If you don't go pro-media, I'd delete the business nav and just buy a decent Tom Tom...but business spec nav is, in my opinion, the worst of all worlds...overpriced, but without the cool toys and widescreen.

Visibility pack...check the options list carefully!! IF you have already specced M-sport plus, then you already have xenons..getting the visibility pack is only a couple of hundred more and universally considered to be just about the best thing since sliced bread...

Other than that, I'd say its a good list you've got there that makes a lot of sense.

Just one extra you *might* want to consider..heated seats: £325. I didn't add these at first, but if you're coming from a car with cloth interior, you've got to remember that leather gets COLD in winter. It's quite a lot of extra luxury comfort for not a vast amount of cash.

People could suggest all sorts of extra bits and bobs..

I'm safe on the heated seats....I was pretty tempted by this but thought I could spend the money eslewhere so I asked the bride and she said she wasn't bothered by it. I explained the fact they would be cold and she still said no......I recorded the conversation for future use in said winter months so I can remind her that there was an option.

Interior comfort pack is only £180 so that is definitely staying on the list.

Vis pack could be considered I suppose - it may be a conversation I have when I get the call back about adding pro media.

[magic77]

Far point if coming from mondeo its a huge change on the suspension. Definilety agree on the nav the pro is the only option. Visibility pack is a nice extra as really xenons are the only one. And from what I can gather only worth if going to europe a lot so you can use the auto adjust on the beam to avoid stickers on headlight.

I havent personally considered folding seats as have B-class as the main family bus. Do they really make a lot of difference in regards to rear vis. Or is it just the headrests which I have to remove anyway due to car seats being in the back. Plus the middle one folds down anyway so not end of the world.

Either enjoy the car I swapped from ford to BMW 2 cars ago e46 and E90 and now soon F30 best thing I ever did re cars

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by magic77

Far point if coming from mondeo its a huge change on the suspension. Definilety agree on the nav the pro is the only option. Visibility pack is a nice extra as really xenons are the only one. And from what I can gather only worth if going to europe a lot so you can use the auto adjust on the beam to avoid stickers on headlight.

I havent personally considered folding seats as have B-class as the main family bus. Do they really make a lot of difference in regards to rear vis. Or is it just the headrests which I have to remove anyway due to car seats being in the back. Plus the middle one folds down anyway so not end of the world.

Either enjoy the car I swapped from ford to BMW 2 cars ago e46 and E90 and now soon F30 best thing I ever did re cars

No the VIZ pack does not help when going to europe, there is no switch to turn the Xenons into RHD lights.....you just don't switch on any of the adaptive features. You will see....as the Xenon beams a pretty flat on the top edge of the beam, so can't blind anyone from any direction.

I still wouldn't go with Adaptive suspension, it is ever so slightly softer than the passive M Sport suspension in COMFORT mode, after a few weeks driving you would become accustomed to either just as easily. Suspension also 'goes soft' with use. Something to bear in mind.
In SPORT mode it gets old really quick. Good for billiard smooth tarmac, not for standard roads.

[magic77]

Can you clarity re the lights NISFAN.

From other posts and forums I worked out there is no switch like on mercs but from what I read I cant get definite answer as to do you need adaptive to achivee this. All posts refer to when you have adaptive lights when you switch to manual ON for the lights it levels off the beam pattern removing the left throw you get in uk for the side of the road. I get similar in E90 but have adaptive lights. They are a nice touch and in country lanes no street lgihts are great. But if not needed to achieve the lets call it "eurobeam " I rather spend £300 on another option or save it for the bumper wrap.

This is something I need to work out before I order mine. Emailed the dealer and waiting to hear back

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by magic77

Can you clarity re the lights NISFAN.

From other posts and forums I worked out there is no switch like on mercs but from what I read I cant get definite answer as to do you need adaptive to achivee this. All posts refer to when you have adaptive lights when you switch to manual ON for the lights it levels off the beam pattern removing the left throw you get in uk for the side of the road. I get similar in E90 but have adaptive lights. They are a nice touch and in country lanes no street lgihts are great. But if not needed to achieve the lets call it "eurobeam " I rather spend £300 on another option or save it for the bumper wrap.

This is something I need to work out before I order mine. Emailed the dealer and waiting to hear back

As far as I am aware.....You turn the Xenons on manually when going to Europe. This cuts out the 'Adaptive' and 'Auto High beam' functions, giving you a constant 'flat beam'. You don't need adaptive to achieve this. I believe it also cancels 'cornering' function.

If you have normal reflector lenses (Halogen lights option), then I suspect you would need the beam deflectors.

Trust me, you want Adaptive lights.....they are the single most impressive option on an F30.

[magic77]

Thing is you can have xenons with no adaptive. The cornering / adaptive lights are great but I do hop on the F30 the high beam assistant is better that on E90. Call me old fashioned but I like manual high beam.Find myself over ridding it half the time. But you cant have adaptive without highbeam. If I knew that you can have the eurobeam on xenons with no adaptive its going to be a tough call as highbeam assistant just does my head in on e90.

Adaptive lights the way they turn as you go round corners is great. Xenons IMO a must on all cars so much more light than halogen. I think in grand scheme of things specing a sub 50k car whats 300 on an extra option. To be safe i probably will tick it.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by magic77

Thing is you can have xenons with no adaptive. The cornering / adaptive lights are great but I do hop on the F30 the high beam assistant is better that on E90. As I just found it way to slow to turn on and off when activated. Find myself overridding it half the time.

Adaptive lights the way they turn as you go round corners is great. Xenons IMO a must on all cars so much more light than halogen. I think in grand scheme of things specing a sub 50k car whats 300 on an extra option

The adaptive on the E90 is utter shite. F30 is nothing like that, search youtube for examples.....and even the examples don't actually show just how brilliant they are (Brightness just not picked up by a camera like your eyes do).

With adaptive, your high beams surround the car you are following, with a very clear 'black box' where the car in front is....even when it goes round bends the black box follows. No other lights do this......BMW sold their soul to the Devil for this.

[magic77]

I've seen the demos of the LED adaptive and thats just amazing, thanks will do some searches on the xenon ones. You would think being next geneeration should be better.

IF the improvement over the standard suspension on e90 to f30 is similar on the highbeam/adaptive I agree some black magic is involved

[Rich9600]

I have both the Visibility Pack and Adaptive Suspension on my sDrive.

I personally think the Adaptive Suspension it is brilliant! However, I generally drive around on rough rural roads, often in the comfort setting and only use the sports setting for when I can play. Comfort is exactly that, comfortable with decent handling. The Sport setting is very stiff, it offers up oodles of grip but compromises the ride comfort some what. It's not great for a protracted period, for the passengers... So, I use it when I'm on my own, making unhindered progress and enjoying myself... Jekyll and Hyde car...

The visibility pack is amazing on my un-light rural roads, fantastic on a deserted northern late night motorway and and amazing piece of kit in general. If you drive on anything other than urban streets it's great.

[dazzapb]

I have only used the Vis pack a few times and its a stunner, (living in London and having the car for BST only so far and if I recall correctly the car was cheaper (few quid) with it! due to higher GFV or something.

[MRPoisson]

Originally Posted by Apl335d

Sounds great.

I would also advise to ditch the adaptive suspension.

+1. Standard M Sport is spot on, leaps ahead on the E90's.

Definitely add the bum warmers, essential on those cold commutes in winter