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      11-30-2015, 11:19 AM   #1
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Opinions of F30 for E90 owner

So I totaled my 2011 335i yesterday and moving forward am looking at moving into a 2012 335i. Was wondering peoples opinions in comparing the two. When I was shopping I did drive an F30 335 and have had several loaner F30's all 328's and a 428. Regardless of the negative opinions on e90post I do think the interior of the f30 is better and provides a little more space, which is the main reason I am looking at the F30. There is a lot of criticism of the steering feel, which I have really not evaluated. I am familiar with the N55 and basic layout and controls and is why I am leaning to get another BMW. The other car I am considering is a similar year S4, but have not been in one nor driven one.
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      11-30-2015, 12:08 PM   #2
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I have a 2011 335i with sport pkg and I've gotten so use to the steering which is a bit heavy but in a good way. It's very precise and provides a lot of driving feedback, you can literally feel the tires to the road and on the highway it stiff not loose and I can drive with 1 hand easily and feel confident.

My car was recently at the dealer for a/c work and they gave me a 2015 328i to drive for 3 days and I couldn't believe how different the steering was, I didn't feel as confident because it felt loose in fact on the highway I had to keep both hands on the wheel because any little jerk or movement I felt would move the car too easy. It was a weird feeling. When I turned in the loaner I asked the service advisor that I was thinking of getting into a 2016 340i and asked if the steering was the same on that loaner and he said yes it's basically feels like that and said my car has a totally different steering feel than the newer cars. That wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. I'll have to test drive the 2016 for myself though.
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      11-30-2015, 12:23 PM   #3
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I have both E90 328 and F30 340 and go back and forth driving both. The E90 is much heavier feeling when steering. While much lighter especially in comfort mode, the F30 steering feels heavy enough in sport mode and I have never felt like it was doing something I didn't want it to do. When parking the 340 I put it back into comfort mode because the easier steering makes it a lot faster to park the car.

As far as eco pro mode, I've never tried it so not sure if it is any lighter or not
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      11-30-2015, 12:42 PM   #4
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The F30 is about as large as the E39.
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      11-30-2015, 12:46 PM   #5
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Ive had 3 e90's, a b8.5 s4 and now an f30. f30 is by far the nicest interior. I prefer the f30 over my s4. S4 was a manual, so a little sportier than the 335, but no where near as nice inside.
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      11-30-2015, 12:54 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katchup View Post
Ive had 3 e90's, a b8.5 s4 and now an f30. f30 is by far the nicest interior. I prefer the f30 over my s4. S4 was a manual, so a little sportier than the 335, but no where near as nice inside.
That's good to hear, I'm coming out of a 99 Passat V6 manual and the first car I test drove was an S4. I liked it and wanted to order one but no soap, the factory had stopped taking custom orders a couple weeks earlier due to factory changeover to the new model. And no dealer would swap out their S4 manual to my Audi dealer.

So I went down the street, drove a 335i auto and a 2-series manual and ordered my 340i xDrive 6MT. It's currently in the South Atlantic.

So thanks for the comparo.
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      11-30-2015, 01:08 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katchup View Post
Ive had 3 e90's, a b8.5 s4 and now an f30. f30 is by far the nicest interior. I prefer the f30 over my s4. S4 was a manual, so a little sportier than the 335, but no where near as nice inside.
You have quite a bit of experience in comparing the cars--what do you think of the steering? And what do you guys think of the f30 hood? At first I was not too big on that compared, but now have gotten used to seeing them all around. In fact from a ways away it is hard to pick out an e90 or f30.
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      11-30-2015, 01:18 PM   #8
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What drove me CRAZZZZY about my s4(2014 black ops, slammed, wheels, etc) was it looked just like an a4 or jetta/Passat(whichever has the same body lol). Don't get me wrong the s4 is a nice car and it has the sickest front end of every car ive ever owned, but I could not get over the side profile or how long it looks, it just looks OLD!

Ive only had my 335 m sport a couple days so hard to compare, but the f30 is def more luxury vs the s4 sporty. But I have a fully loaded 335 and love all the nice features like HUD.

The seats were nicer in the s4, but hard to tell you about suspension as I was slammed on kw's lol. But I like to mod my cars, and the Audi aftermarket scene is a joke. So pricey, no used aftermarket scene.

I would get an s3 over the s4 if I went back to audi, a lot more enjoyable to drive(I almost bought one).
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      11-30-2015, 03:49 PM   #9
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The 2016 F30 328 non sport loaner I just got today has MUCH heavier steering than my 2013 M-Sport 328. I'm actually surprised at how much of a difference it is. Sadly the extra heft does not actually translate to improved steering communication.

For those who are used to the heaviness of the E90, then this might make transitioning a bit easier... or it may just end up leaving you even more frustrated as all the extra effort doesn't really translate into a reward.
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      11-30-2015, 06:20 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SoDiezl350 View Post
The 2016 F30 328 non sport loaner I just got today has MUCH heavier steering than my 2013 M-Sport 328. I'm actually surprised at how much of a difference it is. Sadly the extra heft does not actually translate to improved steering communication.

For those who are used to the heaviness of the E90, then this might make transitioning a bit easier... or it may just end up leaving you even more frustrated as all the extra effort doesn't really translate into a reward.
Then they must have changed the steering for 2016 because the F30 2015 328i loaner I had was super light felt like I was driving a Lexus. I didn't like it, no driver involvement at all.
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      11-30-2015, 06:22 PM   #11
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Jgoens, first sorry to hear about your E90. We bumped into each other a few times over on e90post, having the exact same car (2011 SBM E90 M-Sport 335i). We had damn nice cars, no doubt about it. I made the jump to an F31 after selling my Xterra and my 335i to get down to one car that was both sporty and somewhat functional.

The F30 335i will be a bit quicker thanks to the extra gears and faster shifting of the 8AT. In the past, I've had base F30 loaners and thought the electronic assist steering was downright awful to the heaviness and feel of the E90. With my 2015 F31 with dynamic handling I hate it a lot less. I still miss the hydraulic steering when I want to go carve up back roads, since you don't get any communication from the tires at all, but the car always goes where I tell it to, and under sport mode it tightens up nicely.

The cabin of the F30 feels much more modern. Materials, fit, and finish are about equal. On the F3x from 2014+ you get the much improve NBT iDrive. Prior to that I believe the 2012-2013 F3x's get the same CIC iDrive you had in the E90. Definitely more available creature comforts and tech toys in the F30, if you are leaning that way.

Aesthetically, the factory LED angel eyes are very nice, but BMW also cut corners by getting rid of the LED front and rear turn signals in place of standard bulbs. Easy enough to fix with aftermarket LEDs, but still something that feels "cheap" to me.

When the F30 debuted I though the front end was wretched looking, with the headlights connecting through to the grilles and the long, awkward line for the hood. But its grown on me and now I find it quite aggressive looking, but only in M-Sport trim.
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      11-30-2015, 06:44 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bad karma View Post
Jgoens, first sorry to hear about your E90. We bumped into each other a few times over on e90post, having the exact same car (2011 SBM E90 M-Sport 335i). We had damn nice cars, no doubt about it. I made the jump to an F31 after selling my Xterra and my 335i to get down to one car that was both sporty and somewhat functional.

The F30 335i will be a bit quicker thanks to the extra gears and faster shifting of the 8AT. In the past, I've had base F30 loaners and thought the electronic assist steering was downright awful to the heaviness and feel of the E90. With my 2015 F31 with dynamic handling I hate it a lot less. I still miss the hydraulic steering when I want to go carve up back roads, since you don't get any communication from the tires at all, but the car always goes where I tell it to, and under sport mode it tightens up nicely.

The cabin of the F30 feels much more modern. Materials, fit, and finish are about equal. On the F3x from 2014+ you get the much improve NBT iDrive. Prior to that I believe the 2012-2013 F3x's get the same CIC iDrive you had in the E90. Definitely more available creature comforts and tech toys in the F30, if you are leaning that way.

Aesthetically, the factory LED angel eyes are very nice, but BMW also cut corners by getting rid of the LED front and rear turn signals in place of standard bulbs. Easy enough to fix with aftermarket LEDs, but still something that feels "cheap" to me.

When the F30 debuted I though the front end was wretched looking, with the headlights connecting through to the grilles and the long, awkward line for the hood. But its grown on me and now I find it quite aggressive looking, but only in M-Sport trim.
Hey bad karma, I figured sooner or later someone I knew would see this--course I'm real bummed. You had the same car. I'm just trying to move forward and exorcise the demons--just happy to alive and my passengers as well. I haven't gotten a settlement from insurance but am hoping it's enough to put me into an f30....and then the difficulty of finding a car comes up.
It took me several months to find my car last time so I don't know how it will go this time. Thanks for you input..really makes a difference.
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      11-30-2015, 07:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgoens View Post
Hey bad karma, I figured sooner or later someone I knew would see this--course I'm real bummed. You had the same car. I'm just trying to move forward and exorcise the demons--just happy to alive and my passengers as well. I haven't gotten a settlement from insurance but am hoping it's enough to put me into an f30....and then the difficulty of finding a car comes up.
It took me several months to find my car last time so I don't know how it will go this time. Thanks for you input..really makes a difference.
Well the safety of you and yours is the important part. Cars can be replaced, lives cannot.

The search is sometimes hard but also sometimes part of the fun. Not sure what you're looking for, but I found this 2013 335i F30 in the Bay area, and I'm sure you could talk them down to just under $30k on it. Looks like it has quite a few boxes checked. It's SBM on Coral, with M-Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Tech/iDrive, Harmon/Kardon, etc. Depending on your exact options and mileage, my guess is that your insurance will pay between $23-27k on your E90.
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      11-30-2015, 07:15 PM   #14
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IMO, the regular seats in my wife's 328d xDrive are barely adequate - I much prefer the sports seats in my 335d E90. Pretty much everything else in the F30 is great, although sometimes the ASS sucks. The steering takes a bit of adjustment, but I don't hate it at all.
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      11-30-2015, 07:51 PM   #15
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I don't have much to add as I've only had my F30 for about a month.

I had an 08 335i and I can say overall I like my 15 335i much better. Now I will admit that I think the N54 had a bit more grunt, but the new 8 speed is nice, interior is a ton nicer and I really like the sport seats in the F30.

As far as the steering, I'm mixed. My E90 had the variable steering which was nice, but it was a little heavy. It definitely felt more connected, but I find the F30 easier to drive. Maybe that's just me getting older. I love the looks of the F30 especially in M-Sport trim, but I loved my E90 too. Probably a bit tougher looking.
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      11-30-2015, 08:07 PM   #16
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This is really the perfect thread for me because while I still really love my E90 it's 5 yrs old (from build date) and I'm out of warranty which scares the crap out of me. My A/C evaporator went out recently and because I've been a long time cust, the service dealer reached out to BMW NA and they offered to cover 80%, if they didn't it would have cost me close to $3000.00

I'm seriously thinking of getting into a 2016 340i sedan but I'm not sold on the electronic shifter that was on the 2015 328 loaner I had, it worked fine and was easy to use just it felt so sterile, there is something about moving the shifter and feeling it going into drive where I feel like I'm involved in the process, instead I felt like I was pushing buttons to park, reverse and drive, I just felt less connected. To make matters worse the 2015 328 loaner didn't even have any leather around the electronic shifter making it feel even more cold to me. However I like everything else about the interior and I really enjoyed the display in between the speedometer that showed you your library and what songs were coming up by using the scroll wheel on the steering wheel that was cool as my eyes were still on the road ahead, no need to look down at the navi scroll wheel anymore while driving.
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      11-30-2015, 08:26 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bad karma View Post
Well the safety of you and yours is the important part. Cars can be replaced, lives cannot.

The search is sometimes hard but also sometimes part of the fun. Not sure what you're looking for, but I found this 2013 335i F30 in the Bay area, and I'm sure you could talk them down to just under $30k on it. Looks like it has quite a few boxes checked. It's SBM on Coral, with M-Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Tech/iDrive, Harmon/Kardon, etc. Depending on your exact options and mileage, my guess is that your insurance will pay between $23-27k on your E90.
Karma, which one is that you saw? A sedan? It's funny because only a week ago I was thinking it would be cool to maybe have something like CR interior--before I was not too big on the color thing but now I would almost prefer that, although I have never seen it.

I'm hoping my car, an Msport, with nearly all options and only 30k gets over 28k. I saw a comp almost exactly as mine in Florida going for 28.9k. I still have 13k on my loan and am not real strapped on cash but I'm budgeting 34k or under for my next one. You know, trade-offs happen..but it will be hard for me to go with non-msport....the f30's have a whole different package setup.
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Last edited by jgoens; 11-30-2015 at 08:45 PM..
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      11-30-2015, 08:41 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floydarogers View Post
IMO, the regular seats in my wife's 328d xDrive are barely adequate - I much prefer the sports seats in my 335d E90. Pretty much everything else in the F30 is great, although sometimes the ASS sucks. The steering takes a bit of adjustment, but I don't hate it at all.
Good to see another veteran from the e90 world here. Yeah, when I had a couple of the f30 loaners I got used to the steering and when I got my car back felt like this was really heavy...so I guess it's about getting used to it.
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      12-01-2015, 04:28 AM   #19
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I got lucky last week in that I got to drive an '11 e90 335i (sport, friends car) and jump right back into my '14 f30 335i (m-sport). I also got stuck with a base model f30 328i for a day or two last week when my LFPF decided to quit…
The e90 definitely has a leg up on steering. The steering feel justcan't be matched by the f30; its not so much the weight but its so much more communicative and even in my short 40 minute drive the differences were very obvious. I'd recommend for sure getting an m-sport model, i feel like the base version has an almost numb-er steering somehow. Suspension-wise the e90 feels harder compared to the f30. Also I guess due to sound deadening the f30 is much more quiet on the inside, the exhaust note doesn't come into the cabin as much as the e90's does. All this being said, a lot of this you'll only notice when you jump from one car to the next back to back, and both the e90 and f30 are stellar cars. The f30 also has a bunch more gizmos to play with which is always fun. Anyways good luck, I'm sure you'll love whichever car you end up going for!
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      12-01-2015, 06:58 AM   #20
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I think C&D said something along the lines of 'the E90 steering tells you what's happening on the road. The F30 steering tells you what *just* happened.'

Going from an E90 to F30, I couldn't agree more. Otherwise, I just feel the F30 is better in every other way.
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      12-01-2015, 11:33 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgoens View Post
Karma, which one is that you saw? A sedan? It's funny because only a week ago I was thinking it would be cool to maybe have something like CR interior--before I was not too big on the color thing but now I would almost prefer that, although I have never seen it.

I'm hoping my car, an Msport, with nearly all options and only 30k gets over 28k. I saw a comp almost exactly as mine in Florida going for 28.9k. I still have 13k on my loan and am not real strapped on cash but I'm budgeting 34k or under for my next one. You know, trade-offs happen..but it will be hard for me to go with non-msport....the f30's have a whole different package setup.
I have no idea how I forgot to post the link, wow.

I couldn't do non-M-sport, the aesthetic just isn't there. Also, I have always been a black interior guy, and then one day I was given a Coral Red on Mineral Grey F31 M-Sport (fully loaded) and I fell in love. Looks much more exotic, and it is probably the number one thing people compliment me on. I liked it so much that I went back to the dealer and *bought* the loaner as a CPO.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/5297814982.html
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      12-01-2015, 11:36 AM   #22
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We went from an 2011 E90 335i Msport to a 2014 F31 328i and as some have mentioned, the steering is nice and heavy in sport/sport + so I'd say go out and test drive to see for yourself...for every day driving I can say both models have a nice steering feel.
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