[adhrp]

Hey all, joined the forum today and this is my second post. Excited to be here and learn more about my preowned 328i sedan that I picked up this past weekend. Overall, coming from a V6 SUV (which has plenty of power) I am extremely impressed by this car. Here are my positives and negatives following a loooong road trip:

Positives:

1. Now I know why people swear by BMWs. The car is absolutely fantastic in the handling department and even in 'Comfort' mode it has plenty of power. I probably won't be using sports mode too much unless I'm carving hills. Steering is precise and body roll was non-existent (remember though that I come from a SUV with plenty of body roll so the difference might be nil for me but a bit more detectable for others).

2. On two tanks of gas I got an average of 36-39 mpg doing 75 mph. This includes about 10% city driving. I tested 89 and 91 octane fuel under identical driving conditions (75-80 mph, all freeway) and I got an overall mpg of 36.5 (+/- 0.3) for both grades. I am convinced that the F30 can handle 89 octane very well. Not sure what that does to the engine in the long-term, but considering that BMW says its okay to use 89 I doubt that its going to have any significant negative effects.

3. I absolutely love the HUD and high-beam control! The latter was very precise and switched between the lights every time it detected headlights in the opposite lanes or brake lights of cars in the same direction as me. Very cool.

4. Seats were comfortable overall, but every hour or so I had to adjust a little to find a good position. My tush couldn't stay comfy in the same position for too long.

5. I was able to learn the iDrive system within about 30 min of playing around with it. Quite easy.

6. A.S.S. was wayyyyy better than I expected from seeing/reading negative reviews on it. I will keep it on.


Negatives:

1. I found myself resting my left knee against the driver's side door and the hard wood panel on the internal door handle was very uncomfortable. I wish they had some soft touch material there.

2. I felt bumps on the road more in this car than the SUV. Again a perception difference on my part and since its sort of a sports car I guess that is to be expected.

3. The material/build quality does appear to be somewhat on the cheaper side considering that this car retails at over $45k.


Overall I am very happy with this car. Below you will find some pics (quick shots from my phone). I need to put something on the front bumper to cover those license plate holes....maybe a custom plate holder for my fav sports team or something.

[montrealm240]

I love the color of the interior. Congratulations on your new car!

[ScoopsLR]

Congrats on new car. Looks good

[black_beauty]

Awesome, enjoy it, do love the way the interior is split on the door, nice!

[bri1042]

Congrats!

[adhrp]

Thanks everyone! Hoping to be active and learn more on this forum.

[newoldbeemer]

Car looks good! What "line" is it?

Yes, the tradeoff for getting less body roll is, you feel more road bumps.

[Monkey Punk]

Very nice. Classy.

[.BMW.]

Congrats!

[HFW003]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Car looks good! What "line" is it?

Judging by the wheels and the front it is a Luxury line.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Car looks good! What "line" is it?

Originally Posted by HFW003

Judging by the wheels and the front it is a Luxury line.

That's right, it is the Luxury line.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Welcome!!

[snowghost]

You need to get your car coded to unlock the full potential of High Beam Assistant.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by snowghost

You need to get your car coded to unlock the full potential of High Beam Assistant.

Hmm interesting. Who does this coding?

[dtn]

Welcome! Let the modding begin!

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Hmm interesting. Who does this coding?

There are a couple guys in the area that have meet-ups. Check the coding threads for any upcoming.

[kyouhakuteki]

Very nice~

Though doesn't BMW require 91 octane? Or is that a "recommendation"?

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by kyouhakuteki

Very nice~

Though doesn't BMW require 91 octane? Or is that a "recommendation"?

Correct, that is just a recommendation. In fact, the fuel cap says 89!

I tested it out because I was aware of discussions (or shall we say debates?) on various forums about 89 or 91 octane output and felt that the results would be of interest to readers. While performance might have been slightly hampered by 89 octane, I absolutely did not perceive any performance differences between the two octane levels. So, the conclusion for me is that it doesn't matter which one you use - but then again, with a difference of barely a couple of dollars over each full tank one need not really fret over which octane to use. This was just to satisfy my curiosity using a casual, non-scientific test.

[Ali Shiralian]

Love the luxury line, great colour btw..

[f30luxline]

Originally Posted by Ali Shiralian

Love the luxury line, great colour btw..

^^^

[KT_F31_EBII]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Hmm interesting. Who does this coding?

I have purchased the xenon light with adapative corner and auto high beam. you will definitely enjoy it on the freeway.

You watch the beam 'dancing' as you drive

most of the time it works perfectly but sometimes it triggered too soon when pass a car. Every now and then the other side will flashes you back and the car in front of you might get annoyed though...

I don't think you can code adaptive lighting as it is hardware motor and linked to the mirror camera, but could be codeable for high beam assist as long as you have the camera on the central rear mirror console.

[tturedraider]

Gorgeous car! Congrats. Check out www.bumperplugs.com