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      11-12-2015, 08:16 PM   #1
Azra
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330xi mini review

Just received my 330i xdrive a couple of weeks ago and wanted to write about some features that I wondered about prior to purchase. The car is almost full spec so if you have questions about something I will do my best to answer.

Engine: did about 3000Km so far (1800 miles). The engine seems great! Pulls nicely and it is really responsive. It sounds like a bad diesel engine until it warms up but after that it is virtually silent until you pass 4000rpm (when it starts developing a nice roar). Tried different modes, even played with Eco mode. Eco mode is great for fuel consumption and long boring highway trips: average consumption with autopilot set to 130 Km/h (80 mph) was 7.0l/100km (33.6 mpg) on trip computer. The test was on a 500km trip when the engine was new. Still, not bad at all for a 250hp engine.

Transmission: have the 8 speed auto sport and this is my first automatic. I have still not fully gotten used to it yet. It is nice for relaxing and city driving but I still find it a bit weird for spirited driving. There is always a delay of 0.5s or more between when you fully press the acceleration until it actually starts going (even in sport mode). This is because it jumps 1-2 gears down. To me, that makes it a bit unpredictable especially on mountain roads or fast overtakes. As I mentioned before, it probably seems like that because I only drove manuals until now so i will probably get used to it. Setting it to Manual mode fixes the issue, but only partially. Works really well except when you overpress the pedal and activate kickdown boost then it switches to auto again and puts the delay right back it. If anybody knows how I can prevent this switching to auto part I would greatly appreciate it since it really annoys me

Adaptive suspension: no idea my dealer did not yet remove the shipping blocks (the white suspension blocks). I noticed a very hard ride and a tall suspension. They told me it was because of xdrive and I believed them. But then notice knocking sounds on bigger bumps and I knew something was off. When i checked, the shipping blocks were clearly visible. Went to the dealer yesterday, they removed the back one only and insisted I have no blocks on the front, but on my tests the suspension on the front was still off... so I looked under the protection rubber and the shipping blocks are in the fron too, they are just hidden from direct view. I am so disappointed with BMW regarding this a premium company should be able to afford better mechanics! (and this is in a big Germany city too, not some small dealer). Tomorrow i will remove those blocks and then I can finally try the suspension. Guys/girls, if you have xdrive check your car for those blocks! I attacked 2 images so you know how they look: front and back suspension.
View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com


Steering: The electric steering seems good and precise to me. I did not get the VSS option so i have the standard one. No complaints so far. There is a bit of less road info transmitted but that can still be attributed to my front suspension being on blocks. Will update when I get to drive it as it was meant to be driven.

Heads up display: this is one of the best features I have seen so far! With it you do not need to take your eyes off the road at all. Shows road signs, speed, autopilot info and limit, navigation, info about entertainment/phone etc. It is just excellent and totally worth it in my opinion!

360 degrees camera view (top 360 view): initially I thought this would be a waste of money but it is actually useful, especially for squeezing through really tight places. The view from it is impressive and accurate.

Adaptive LED lights: bright and with a nice cool color. The automatic mode works but it is best used on light traffic streets or highways. Otherwise it will constantly change positions and it can get distracting fast. But in light traffic conditions they work well and offer a much better visibility.

Adaptive autopilot (radar based): if you commute a lot, this is a must have feature. it is just so damn comfortable and easy to use. You almost do not have to touch any pedals at all!


If you have questions about something let me know and will do my best to answer.
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      11-13-2015, 09:47 AM   #2
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The B48 Engine

Thanks for the writeup.

How did you decide on the B48 engine vs the B58 engine in the 340i?

if you had the chance to drive the 340i, what was the difference between the two engines.

we are all interested in how much better (if at all) the B48 is from the N20 it replaces...sounds like the B48 in your car still has some diesel clatter when cold...
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      11-13-2015, 12:53 PM   #3
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When i ordered the car they did not have the new engines for test drive but I test driven the old N variants: 328i and 335i. For me the, the power difference was indeed significant in a way (you can definitely feel it) but it was really not that major. Up to 160 Km/h the felt difference in acceleration is small. Above that the 335i started to pull ahead more and more (hit the 250 km/h limit on both). The sound is also way more impressive on the 6 cylinder As to why i chose the B48, for me it is not all about power, I am looking for a balanced solution:
- I would hardly need the extra power from the B58. I do regularly go over 200 Km/h but mostly in cruising mode where acceleration is not a factor. And while getting there I am generally stuck behind another car anyway The car will be tracked only maybe 2 times per year and last time I went to the track I had a blast with a little Toyota GT86 .
- the fuel consumption: this has nothing to do with saving money since it is insignificant anyway (after you pay 60k eur for the car, the gas price is irrelevant), but I do care about trying to do my best to limit my pollution impact. B48 has enough power for me and an impressive fuel consumption. If the torque of the B48 would have been too low to care my motorcycles with me then B58 would have been the winner, however the torque of B48 is more than enough for that too.

Differences I noticed between B48 and N20:
- B48 pulls better in the lower range so it is very nice in city driving. It also has less of a lag, but not sure how much of that comes from the engine or the gearbox changes.
- With N20 I always disabled Start-Stop system when I got in the car. It was annoying me. B48 has a much faster and smoother start and I do not feel the need to disable Start/Stop any longer, most of the time I forget about it.

And yeah, B48 still has that tractor clatter when cold It really sounds kinda embarrassing if I am honest, especially when you apply light acceleration.
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      11-13-2015, 07:32 PM   #4
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Good review, thanks for the additional info on the B48.

Like many have said on this forum, there is no substitute for a test drive comparing the different versions of these cars...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Azra View Post
When i ordered the car they did not have the new engines for test drive but I test driven the old N variants: 328i and 335i. For me the, the power difference was indeed significant in a way (you can definitely feel it) but it was really not that major. Up to 160 Km/h the felt difference in acceleration is small. Above that the 335i started to pull ahead more and more (hit the 250 km/h limit on both). The sound is also way more impressive on the 6 cylinder As to why i chose the B48, for me it is not all about power, I am looking for a balanced solution:
- I would hardly need the extra power from the B58. I do regularly go over 200 Km/h but mostly in cruising mode where acceleration is not a factor. And while getting there I am generally stuck behind another car anyway The car will be tracked only maybe 2 times per year and last time I went to the track I had a blast with a little Toyota GT86 .
- the fuel consumption: this has nothing to do with saving money since it is insignificant anyway (after you pay 60k eur for the car, the gas price is irrelevant), but I do care about trying to do my best to limit my pollution impact. B48 has enough power for me and an impressive fuel consumption. If the torque of the B48 would have been too low to care my motorcycles with me then B58 would have been the winner, however the torque of B48 is more than enough for that too.

Differences I noticed between B48 and N20:
- B48 pulls better in the lower range so it is very nice in city driving. It also has less of a lag, but not sure how much of that comes from the engine or the gearbox changes.
- With N20 I always disabled Start-Stop system when I got in the car. It was annoying me. B48 has a much faster and smoother start and I do not feel the need to disable Start/Stop any longer, most of the time I forget about it.

And yeah, B48 still has that tractor clatter when cold It really sounds kinda embarrassing if I am honest, especially when you apply light acceleration.
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      11-13-2015, 10:50 PM   #5
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This is like the forth time I read about the shipping blocks in the past 2 month.... Unacceptable.... Seems like it only happen on xdrive models? What's the deal ....
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      11-13-2015, 11:05 PM   #6
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Appreciate the review which - for us - is very timely. We are seriously looking at a 330i Touring to replace our 4-year old F25 X3 which had been a first BMW and a great success. We are looking at the RWD 330i because (unfortunately) we don't get any XDrive 3 Series in Australia, but still your review had been helpful.

Absolutely stunned about the shipping blocks. Surely they follow a check list when preparing a car? And then to miss the front shipping blocks when asked to look at the problem is - IMO - almost a sacking offence. We had a short test drive of a 330i a week or so ago and came away very impressed. Aussie-spec 330i's get the adaptive suspension as standard and haven just come out of a test drive of a new F48 X1 25i the ride comfort in the 330i was immediately noticeable even on 19" wheels.

If we get the 330i we won't be ticking the box for the variable steering either. Haven't read one kind word about it with several reviews specifically advising to stick with the standard steering.

Like your additional comments about the B48 vs the superseded N20 engine.

Tony
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      11-14-2015, 11:21 AM   #7
Azra
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The front shipping blocks are hidden from direct view on xdrive, I assume that is why they miss it. They take a quick look at the front and do not see them so they assume they removed them. What was disturbing was the fact that I told them the front suspension still feels off after they removed the back blocks but they insisted the front does not have shipping blocks. I had to go online, research, take a picture and only then they believed me. At this point I am writing a long complaint to BMW Munich because it is totally unacceptable behavior.

Regarding the engine, it is a great one. Virtually silent until 3500 rpm and the sound is nice at 4500 rpm+. And start-stop is barely noticeable now: fast start, no cabin shake/vibration at all. I kept the 17" for both summer and winter wheels mostly because of the added comfort (I tend to do long drives, 500+ miles in one go). For the track was looking at a set of 19" also.

I also tested the VSS and did not like it one bit. Some people say you will get used to it, but even if you do you will still have issues when you jump into another car. That testdrive combined with the bad reviews made me want to 100% skip it. It caused some issues because that almost guaranteed the fact that I cannot take the packages I want and have to manually select the options (they really try to push VSS here and it is included in almost every package).

The adaptive suspension is really nice and you can feel the difference at lower speeds. I think at higher speed it tightens the suspension no matter on what setting you are. Tried to switch between comfort and sport mode at 230 Km/h (140 mph) and there was no noticeable difference. At normal highway speed though you can feel the change.
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