[Oompah]

Hi all,

I guess i just wanted to share my thoughts after doing first 3k miles on my 335d. Not a write up but I have few things I hate about it that I wanted to share and see if someone address these before.
I am coming directly from a mapped f11 530d, which was simply amazing.

Love: engine and size.

Hate: see below.

Noise. Noise is everywhere and at any speed. Ok, I am still on run flat Goodyears that came with the car from BMW. I think they are sh** but at least they handle a bit better than the rft potenza's they used to fit in.
But it's not only about the road feedback, it's about the noise everywhere.
I guess it's down to the fact that f11 is sound proofed properly. Even going to a car wash is an experience, sounds like everything is about to fall apart.
I am annoyed with this so much that i am actually thinking of doing an aftermarket sound deadening. Wind noise is very pronounced as well. I cannot imagine having a conversation in the car doing over 100mph (in Germany obv.)
Next - trim squeaks. Passenger door trim makes weird noises when cornering. Really BMW? 6 months old car?

Quality of interior.
Going from 5 series I guess I should expect a little drop but sweet Christ, it's like going from Merc to VW. Poor quality plastic galore. It doesn't feel like one step drop from f11 - more like 2 or 3. Soooo disappointing.

I have a red coral leather with piano black trim - No, I didn't spec it this way;-)
The more I drive it, the cheaper it feels. Was thinking of going MPreformance trim route but I don't think it will solve the problem.

I think if not 20 months of pcp left, I would consider changing the car.

Anyone of you people had similar experience and if so, how did you address these?
Many thanks.

A.

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by thelowkick

Hi all,

I guess i just wanted to share my thoughts after doing first 3k miles on my 335d. Not a write up but I have few things I hate about it that I wanted to share and see if someone address these before.
I am coming directly from a mapped f11 530d, which was simply amazing.

Love: engine and size.

Hate: see below.

Noise. Noise is everywhere and at any speed. Ok, I am still on run flat Goodyears that came with the came from BMW. I think they are sh** but at least they handle a bit better than the rft potenza's they used to fit in.
But it's not only about the road feedback, it's about the noise everywhere.
I guess it's down to the fact that f11 is sound proofed properly. Even going to a car wash is an experience, sounds like everything is about to fall apart.
I am annoyed with this so much that i am actually thinking of doing an aftermarket sound deadening. Wind noise is very pronounced as well. I cannot imagine having a conversation in the car doing over 100mph (in Germany obv.)
Next - trim squeaks. Passenger door trim makes weird noises when cornering. Really BMW? 6 months old car?

Quality of interior.
Going from 5 series I guess I should expect a little drop but sweet Christ, it's like going from Merc to VW. Poor quality plastic galore. It doesn't feel like one step drop from f11 - more like 2 or 3. Soooo disappointing.

I have a red coral leather with piano black trim - No, I didn't spec it this way;-)
The more I drive it, the cheaper it feels. Was thinking of going MPreformance trim route but I don't think it will solve the problem.

I think if not 20 months of pcp left, I would consider changing the car.

Anyone of you peopl had similar experience and if so, how did you address these?
Many thanks.

A.

I have been banging on about how much better the F10 is compared to the F30 in regard to refinement and interior quality for ages and not many people either believe it or want to agree.

I tested them both back to back and the difference was huge. I don't think you realise until you live with the F10

I have an F10 remapped to 340ish BHP and its an amazing car and one that would be very hard to beat.

Not wanting to put the F30 down but its definitely time for an update.

[JustChris]

Sky is blue.

Titanic sank

I assume a test drive was not possible, or sitting in an F30 and someone lese spec'd the car as I think you sad. Yes the F10/11 is better on many counts, mainly interior and refinement!

Sorry OP slight rant over. There were some threads here, maybe Tengocity did the sound proofing on his?

[Oompah]

Originally Posted by JLR1969

I have been banging on about how much better the F10 is compared to the F30 in regard to refinement and interior quality for ages and not many people either believe it or want to agree.

I tested them both back to back and the difference was huge. I don't think you realise until you live with the F10

I have an F10 remapped to 340ish BHP and its an amazing car and one that would be very hard to beat.

Not wanting to put the F30 down but its definitely time for an update.

Couldn't agree more. F10/F11 is in a completely different league. Don't get me wrong, I think f30 handles a little bit better (at least after going from xdrive springs to h&r) , it's smaller so easier to park etc, but after owning both I would go f10/f11 every time.

[Sasquartch]

I've been fairly disappointed with the refinement of my F30 and too came from a 5-series

However mine was a E39 530i so a very old car now. However it was quieter, much more solidly built, much less road noise (although to be fair the E39 didnt have runflats) and the seats more comfortable

But it struggled to do 30mpg even with gentle use, I can easily get 40+ in my F30 so that's in the new car's favour

The F30 obviously has great tech eg idrive and cameras which old cars never had. And much better performance.

Note had any door squeaks but thing that shows how flimsy the interior is if you lean your left knee on the centre console you can feel it flex and creak

Next time aiming to be back in a 5-er, probably luxury spec as I like a softer ride than M-Sport

[Drek]

Tend to agree, interior is pretty drab and not the nicest place to sit. Noise can be an issue although I've noticed on motorways overseas the racket is significantly less. If I could find a C63 with all the toys I have I suspect I'd jump ship. The new 3er seriously needs to up its interior game.

[ahmedb]

I've gone to the dark side now because of this. I enjoyed my F3x cars when that was the only way I knew and I got used to it but moving to an A6 bitdi, wow it's leagues ahead. Interior refinement is on another level, I can barely hear a bus driving past and motorway cruising is exactly that. Plus it has the power and although it feels sluggish off the line (because who uses launch control at every take off bar the crazy guy in he GT3RS), the top end performance is insane.

I know its not comparing like for like and all of the above was obvious and known whilst owning the F3x but until you change/experience it for yourself, you don't fully appreciate the difference. It's a bit like man maths, you can persuade yourself to make anything justifiable if your heart is in it.

[JD6]

I went in the same direction F10 to F30. A lot of the road noise issue comes down to usage. As a motorway barge, the F3x is completely outclassed by the F1x. I traded in my F10 and returned an hour or so later over the same stretch of motorway in the F30. Initially I thought that the westbound side of the motorway must have been a lot smoother than the eastbound, but having driven them since, I can see they are the same.

My miles are approx 10% motorway, 85% country roads, 5% urban. so for me the F30 is the better car. It is much less boat-like. If I had to spend a lot of time on the motorway, I would have gone for a 5 or 7 Series instead.

In terms of general interior quality, there is a pretty big gap in the feel of the interior. In terms of squeaks and rattles though, oddly the F3x seems better to me. I got rid of the F10 at 49k miles, which coincidentally is what my F30 has done and the F10 was really annoying me. I drove a friend's 80k mile F11 and that was an absolute nightmare for squeaks. Both of these were early models - 2010/11.

I hope that the new G2x model has improved the interior significantly. The F3x does feel like the run out model which it is, particularly the higher models where the discrepancy between price and quality is widest. Don't get me started on the M3/M4...

[Mottok]

I would have preferred a 5 series n'all but wanted xdrive and the *35d engine which I couldn't get on a 5 series at sub £20k.

[ak335dxdrive]

If the 5 and the 3 had the same engine same gear box same service etc and the only difference was size then the price would be pretty well the same.
So I would naturally expect some drop in quality somewhere for the price difference.

[Bibbles]

I've gone the other way from an F31 to a G31 and the 5 series is so much more refined and quieter. Although if the 3 series was as nice to travel in and as quiet as the 5 then BMW would probably sell a lot less 5's.

[Drek]

Thing for me is I just don't need a 5 Series, it's just too big and I don't have any bin lids either. the 3er is pretty uninspiring place to sit which is a shame because the car is so capable.

[JD6]

Originally Posted by Bibbles

I've gone the other way from an F31 to a G31 and the 5 series is so much more refined and quieter. Although if the 3 series was as nice to travel in and as quiet as the 5 then BMW would probably sell a lot less 5's.

OT but how do you find the MPPSK - is it more S than P?

[NotGotABimmer23]

Ive just gone from a g31 530d to an f31 340i (both courtesy cars) and the f31 is far better for me. The 5 tourer is a barge, the 3 feels so much tighter, far more enjoyable to drive. Yeah the insulation isnt as good, but that just means i can hear the straight 6 more clearly.

Interior wise the 5 is better, but no doubt the 5 will still be better than the new 3 when that comes. The main difference is it feels more modern. Quality wise its the same plastics and the same shitty dakota leather. Id take a well specced merino f30 interior over the standard g30 interior all day long.

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by Drek

Thing for me is I just don't need a 5 Series, it's just too big and I don't have any bin lids either. the 3er is pretty uninspiring place to sit which is a shame because the car is so capable.

I tend to agree the 5 Series is a big car but even on the country roads of Somerset its not a problem, sometimes you have to stop and let traffic pass to be safe whereas in the Golf I would just keep going.

Trouble is I had a 5 series for 2 years before this one so going back to a 3/4 was a backward step, well for me anyway.

I do most of my driving on motorways which really matters in terms of refinement

[Bibbles]

Originally Posted by JD6

OT but how do you find the MPPSK - is it more S than P?

The sound is fantastic, loud enough but a little more grown up than the 340i MPPSK with less pops and bangs. For the small BHP gain it's actually very impressive as it gives more torque in all the right places and the car now pulls much harder and is more akin to the remapped 335d I had previously.

Originally Posted by kylemacca01

Ive just gone from a g31 530d to an f31 340i (both courtesy cars) and the f31 is far better for me. The 5 tourer is a barge, the 3 feels so much tighter, far more enjoyable to drive.

You need to try a 5 series with the Adaptive Drive option. The electronic damping and anti roll system means my G31 feels much more planted and nimble than my F31 did.

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by kylemacca01

Ive just gone from a g31 530d to an f31 340i (both courtesy cars) and the f31 is far better for me. The 5 tourer is a barge, the 3 feels so much tighter, far more enjoyable to drive. Yeah the insulation isnt as good, but that just means i can hear the straight 6 more clearly.

Interior wise the 5 is better, but no doubt the 5 will still be better than the new 3 when that comes. The main difference is it feels more modern. Quality wise its the same plastics and the same shitty dakota leather. Id take a well specced merino f30 interior over the standard g30 interior all day long.

I drove a 5 Series Touring once and hated it, felt like it was a mile long and very un-inspirational. I hate all estate/touring's though

I don't think the actual price difference on a 5 series is a million miles away from a 3 series after discounts, a lot more kit as standard on a 5.

If I was specking merino leather on a 3 I would do the same on a 5

I don't think its as black and white as either a poverty spec 5 v fully loaded 3

[Junebug85]

I went from an F10 to an F30.. Initially I kept thinking what have I done and it felt like I went backwards but having had it now since November I love it.

I feel the F10 was a better car overall but the F30 has that bit more fun factor for me then the F10. That's prob down to the fact its got the bigger engine. I had the F10 for 5 years and still made me smile everytime I drove it. So far i'm still smiling with the F30

[mikeoz]

Any positives in your review?

[HighlandPete]

3-series will never compare to a 5-series for refinement, never have.

Do we really expect a 3-series to be as refined? Designed for a different market segment where lack of noise is not such an issue.

I had an E91 after an E39 5-series, was easily temped back to a 5-series at change time. As my wife says, "a 3-series is an adolescent, the 5-series, grown up".

Then there are difference's in 5-series as well, they need speccing up correctly to make them better driver's cars. Adaptive Drive shrinks a 5-series and makes it feel much more agile to drive.

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by Junebug85

I went from an F10 to an F30.. Initially I kept thinking what have I done and it felt like I went backwards but having had it now since November I love it.

I feel the F10 was a better car overall but the F30 has that bit more fun factor for me then the F10. That's prob down to the fact its got the bigger engine. I had the F10 for 5 years and still made me smile everytime I drove it. So far i'm still smiling with the F30

I can imagine going from a 20D to a 35D would make a huge difference in enjoyment in any car.

6 cylinder v 4 cylinder makes a huge difference to refinement

[VR 46 Fan]

Quite agree with the comments regarding refinement of the F3x , road noise on 19" withRFTs is horrendous. Great to drive, but not a comfortable car to travel in. Should have been more perseptive on the road test when purchasing, my fault entirely. If I had been thinking straight I would have tested a 5, but was suffering from brain fade.
Used silent cote insulation on entire boot floor, rear arches and under rear seat. Didn't appear to make any difference to noise levels at all.
Regards