[scubafish]

Hi guys,

I am a new member to the F30 forum - so a big hello.

I just took delivery on Saturday of my F31 335d X-drive M Sport Touring with a few options on it -

Tanzanite Blue
Black leather (standard)
M-Sport Plus pack (changed the stock wheels to the alternate option)
Head-up display
Piano Black interior trim
Icon Adaptive LED headlights
Interior comfort package
Adaptive suspension
Sunroof
Extended storage

I thought I would take a moment to offer some comparisons to my previous E91 330D SE Auto Touring, and also my other driver - an E46 M3 SMG2 convertible.

First off this F31 is refined - I mean seriously refined. Its so smooth and quiet. It wafts down the road in Eco Pro and simply absorbs the bumps like they are not there. My E91 would regularly feel a bit bouncy in the back end and crash over bumps - not this new one. When it comes to bumps in the E46 M3 I think the approach is to simply drive quicker to get over them faster - you have to accept you will have a compressed spine and bleeding ears after an extended period of driving :-)

I love the colour - the metallic fleck in it is ace. I deliberately chose the wheels (the alternate option in the M Sport Plus pack) on this as I prefer a sleeper look and found the current M-Sport wheels with the polished faces a bit too bling. Its de-badged too on the rear and sides. I am a diver so my car is loaded with dirty smelly gear - i needed a dirt friendly interior. As such the interior specified in black standard leather as the Nappa stuff scratches up way too easily (I have the kappa on the e46 M3). It would be nice to have had a contrast interior but day-to-day use would make it look shabby way too quickly.

I have had Xenons on both previous motors, with adaptive Xenons on the E91 Touring. I thought they were very good lights making regular lights appear like candles. These LED lights take it to a whole new level - so crisp and clear. When you switch on the automatic mode all i can say is WOW! Its spooky watching them map the light pattern accurately around other cars in front of you on the road. Its quite mesmerising at first and i found myself drifting a little as I was watching the lights do their thing and not paying as much attention as i should have been to the road - consider yourselves warned if you spec this option!

With regards to how accurate do the Icon Adaptive LED lights detect the traffic around you, i would say 99.999% of the time they get it spot on. I have noticed that they seem to struggle with traffic approaching coming down a hill on the opposite side of a valley for example, but only if they enter at a higher angle (i.e.: slightly above you). In this scenario the car simply seems to ignore the oncoming car as i suppose thats not a normal angle of approach, but would be for a plane coming into land! Bizarrely once that oncoming car gets into a normal position it continues to be ignored meaning you have to manually dip the lights - so the car is I suspect tracking but simply ignoring the car that entered from an unusual angle. On other occasions is it thrown by bright white lights on the verges - petrol stations or car parks where the lights appear level with the road you are on (imagine the petrol station is down an off ramp). Other than these rare scenarios I must say they have been amazing - well worth the extra cash over and above the M Sport Plus pack. I drove back from Bristol to Kent in full auto the other night and never got flashed once. In summary, these lights are nothing short of witchcraft!

I find the adaptive suspension lovely. It’s so nice being able to move from ‘soft and comfy’ to ‘taught and responsive’ at the flick of a button. Its no M3 mind you as even in Sport Plus there’s no hiding this Tourer is a bit porky - but it is mighty damn impressive. In a straight line and for 99% of normal driving this car is a pure weapon, and the update M Sport brakes do a tidy job of reining in the ponies too. Again however its no M3… I have heard that AC Schnitzer make some different springs to fit to these models that lower the ride height by 15mm and sort out the overall laziness and yaw/roll when pushing on. Anyone tried these?

Eco Pro mode - hmmm. At first i disliked this mode as it appears to totally detach the steering wheel from the chassis and makes the whole vehicle behave like its made of jelly. I was however missing the point… Eco Pro is there to encourage you to drive smoothly and efficiently in order to maximise fuel economy and minimise killing trees and fluffy bunnies. When you approach it as such its is actually quite rewarding and sublimely refined. It is also nice to watch the extra miles per gallon your careful driving is saving slowly accrue from the tank of fuel. Also wafting down the road actually gives me a moment or two to enjoy the beautiful Kent (UK) countryside too.

Going back momentarily to the point of steering feedback. I must have forgotten to tick that options box. Its not very good when you compare it to the lithe feedback the E46 M3 gives you and you don’t have that connected “seat of the pants” feel either. It is however easy to place on the road and it does weight up nicely in the Sport and Sport+ modes (not really played much in the Sport+ space yet). The car is lacking in the tactile feedback through the chassis about the road surfaces etc - but on the flip side it isn’t tram-lining either and rides the bumps without snatching at the wheel. I suppose you can’t have it both ways and for most driving its just fine. When I want to play at being “Lewis Hamilton” I have the E46 M3 for that…

The engine stop/start thing is rather annoying in general (yes I know you can turn to off but the car doesn’t remember the setting when you turn off the ignition), however I find I have modified my driving style to overcome this frustration. I now see a red light or a give way sign as a challenge and attempt to not have to draw to a complete stop in order for the engine to not have the opportunity to cut out. Oh what fun there is to be had!!! Its worth noting that with the wheels dead straight ahead there’s a slight pull on the wheel when the autostop/start restarts the engine - nothing too tragic however.

The sports auto gearbox (8-speed ZF) is very good. Very fast changes up and down with a myriad of cogs to ensure you can stay “on it” if the driving conditions require swift progress to be made. Compared to the SMG in the E46 M3 it is much more refined - but i quite like the rough edges on the E46 as its part of the experience. The automatic box on my old 330D SE used to drive me potty with its slow upshifts (it shifted down just fine). I really like the way that on the ZF gearbox you can override the sports auto by pulling a paddle and then about 10-15 seconds later it will drop back to full auto (unlike the SMG), and that you can pop it into Sport if you want it to hold the gears. Initial pickup in first can be a bit lumpy especially when the start/stop has just restarted the engine - but its still new and I shall see if it stays that way, as it may change as it all beds in.

The Harmon Kardon Stereo is simply amazing. I had the Logic7 in the E91 however i think this is slightly better. I have the Harmon Kardon in the E46 M3 and it sounds pants in comparison. Whats a difference 12 years of automobile audio system manufacturing makes at BMW!!!

iDrive - I have never had this before and I am still getting used to it. Its OK and very clever with all the voice activated Nav etc. It would be nice to be able to set a few things and have them remembered when the ignition is switched off. For example I would actually like the car to come on in Eco Pro mode (in order to save some trees) and yet despite this initial setting turn off the pesky start/stop engine thing unless I choose to turn it back on again. Most of the time I am not hooning it around and would appreciate the extra MPG it gives - it’s just 2-clicks of the driving mode button to turn it into a hooligan after all…

Paintwork - I didn’t pay for the paint protection as from previous experience its not worth the paper its written on. I have yet to be able to actually wash/clay/seal/wax the car but will do so in due course. Paint finish appears standard BMW orange peel which seems to be just a part of the process they use. Mercedes Benz seem have got the knack of the water based paint finish much better based on the cars i saw in their showrooms.

The new car is currently averaging 43mpg currently on a real-world mix of motorway/town and open A-roads driving. I just filled it with premium diesel (no idea what the dealership supplied it with) at the 460 miles mark. As such its already more economical than the old 330D as that “only” averaged 42mpg combined.

Overall this is lovely motor and one thats going to be a nice place to spend some time in. Currently its now done just 650 miles. In another 550 I believe I can give it the beans and see how fast it really goes (its already damn quick whilst limited to 3500RPM). Brown pants time :-)

[.BMW.]

Congrats on your Touring!

Need photos of your car. Very nice spec, F31, M Sport, 335d and Tanzanite Blue!

[cc3]

Great car very similar to mine. I have the opal white individual interior. Put 400 miles on mine and agree very smooth drive and plenty of torque. Fantastic car loving it.

[floydarogers]

Sigh, you have exactly what I would like as my next car. But not 335d xDrive Touring in the USA.

[DerekS]

Thanks for posting your initial report on your new 335dxT.
Those of us driving 328dxT (equivalent to 320dxT in UK) might be just a little envious of your powerful 3.0L engine, of which we are unfortunately denied here in North America.

No doubt many members would enjoys seeing photos of your new F31 Touring !

[scubafish]

Odd as I originally attached photos - not sure where they went!!!

[brissim]

Thanks for your time in writing the review.

Particularly interested in your comments about the adaptive LED headlights. Planning that our next BMW (currently deciding between another F25 X3, a F31 or 3GT) will have adaptive LED headlights because of the amount of open road nighttime driving we do so it was interesting to read of their limitations. The message seems to be that while todays adaptive LED headlights have come a long way since the early versions (which were badly letdown by the sensitivity of the auto-dipping function), you still have to be ready to manually take control.

Tony

[scubafish]

Yes that pretty much sums it up - very good but not perfect.

[.BMW.]

Looks amazing!

Very close to the spec I would get for a perfect F31 for myself.

[DerekS]

Tanzinite is certainly a lovely shade of blue !

I really enjoyed re-reading your in depth impressions of your new Touring Like you, I am very impressed with the Touring ride, when equipped with 19" wheels and adaptive suspension.

Have fun breaking in your fabulous new Touring !

[zamboni]

Great write up.

[Trickylad]

Nice - i just got my first F31 (320d X Drive M Sport - tricked up to the 9's) and i love it. great cars. Bet yours has a fair bit more poke..

[scubafish]

Originally Posted by Trickylad

Nice - i just got my first F31 (320d X Drive M Sport - tricked up to the 9's) and i love it. great cars. Bet yours has a fair bit more poke..

It would appear appear to go rather like poop off a stick, and the net result of the x-drive is that it appears to stick like poop to a blanket too.

Win win.

[Beek]

Thanks for your review and the pics, I just love the Touring's and you've got a great one!

[piokor06]

Car looks great, thanks for the write up. I wish the BMW USA offered the M-Sport with blues other than the Estoril.

[cc3]

Tempted by the Schnitzer upgrade to 360 bhp.

http://shop.ac-schnitzer.co.uk/perfo...rom-4092-p.asp

[scubafish]

Originally Posted by piokor06

Car looks great, thanks for the write up. I wish the BMW USA offered the M-Sport with blues other than the Estoril.

The Tanzenite Blue is a BMW Individual option - in the UK you can only get it normally in Estoril Blue too. Very annoying as my wallet got raped to have that color. Still won't be too many of them in the car park!

[scubafish]

Originally Posted by cc3

Tempted by the Schnitzer upgrade to 360 bhp.

http://shop.ac-schnitzer.co.uk/perfo...rom-4092-p.asp

Ha ha ha - I won't be plumping for that at that price! Wow. If you go for it I would be interested to hear what you think.

[teaston]

Lovely car, and great engine choice!

And you're lucky to get the Goodyear tyres instead of the crappy Bridgestones most people seem to get!

Don't forget to come and check in to the UK forum, it where most of us UK guys post: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=412

[....,,,,..,,..]

Great write up and lovely colour.

Nice to see another hearse.

As mentioned, pop over to the UK, quiet side of the forum...

Oh and check out ACS for the RS setup...

Possibly some black grills as well.

[CazuaLLUK]

Very nice, enjoy!

[Kabrich]

Originally Posted by scubafish

Hi guys,

I am a new member to the F30 forum - so a big hello.

I just took delivery on Saturday of my F31 335d X-drive M Sport Touring with a few options on it -

Tanzanite Blue
Black leather (standard)
M-Sport Plus pack (changed the stock wheels to the alternate option)
Head-up display
Piano Black interior trim
Icon Adaptive LED headlights
Interior comfort package
Adaptive suspension
Sunroof
Extended storage

I thought I would take a moment to offer some comparisons to my previous E91 330D SE Auto Touring, and also my other driver - an E46 M3 SMG2 convertible.

First off this F31 is refined - I mean seriously refined. Its so smooth and quiet. It wafts down the road in Eco Pro and simply absorbs the bumps like they are not there. My E91 would regularly feel a bit bouncy in the back end and crash over bumps - not this new one. When it comes to bumps in the E46 M3 I think the approach is to simply drive quicker to get over them faster - you have to accept you will have a compressed spine and bleeding ears after an extended period of driving :-)

I love the colour - the metallic fleck in it is ace. I deliberately chose the wheels (the alternate option in the M Sport Plus pack) on this as I prefer a sleeper look and found the current M-Sport wheels with the polished faces a bit too bling. Its de-badged too on the rear and sides. I am a diver so my car is loaded with dirty smelly gear - i needed a dirt friendly interior. As such the interior specified in black standard leather as the Nappa stuff scratches up way too easily (I have the kappa on the e46 M3). It would be nice to have had a contrast interior but day-to-day use would make it look shabby way too quickly.

I have had Xenons on both previous motors, with adaptive Xenons on the E91 Touring. I thought they were very good lights making regular lights appear like candles. These LED lights take it to a whole new level - so crisp and clear. When you switch on the automatic mode all i can say is WOW! Its spooky watching them map the light pattern accurately around other cars in front of you on the road. Its quite mesmerising at first and i found myself drifting a little as I was watching the lights do their thing and not paying as much attention as i should have been to the road - consider yourselves warned if you spec this option!

With regards to how accurate do the Icon Adaptive LED lights detect the traffic around you, i would say 99.999% of the time they get it spot on. I have noticed that they seem to struggle with traffic approaching coming down a hill on the opposite side of a valley for example, but only if they enter at a higher angle (i.e.: slightly above you). In this scenario the car simply seems to ignore the oncoming car as i suppose thats not a normal angle of approach, but would be for a plane coming into land! Bizarrely once that oncoming car gets into a normal position it continues to be ignored meaning you have to manually dip the lights - so the car is I suspect tracking but simply ignoring the car that entered from an unusual angle. On other occasions is it thrown by bright white lights on the verges - petrol stations or car parks where the lights appear level with the road you are on (imagine the petrol station is down an off ramp). Other than these rare scenarios I must say they have been amazing - well worth the extra cash over and above the M Sport Plus pack. I drove back from Bristol to Kent in full auto the other night and never got flashed once. In summary, these lights are nothing short of witchcraft!

I find the adaptive suspension lovely. It’s so nice being able to move from ‘soft and comfy’ to ‘taught and responsive’ at the flick of a button. Its no M3 mind you as even in Sport Plus there’s no hiding this Tourer is a bit porky - but it is mighty damn impressive. In a straight line and for 99% of normal driving this car is a pure weapon, and the update M Sport brakes do a tidy job of reining in the ponies too. Again however its no M3… I have heard that AC Schnitzer make some different springs to fit to these models that lower the ride height by 15mm and sort out the overall laziness and yaw/roll when pushing on. Anyone tried these?

Eco Pro mode - hmmm. At first i disliked this mode as it appears to totally detach the steering wheel from the chassis and makes the whole vehicle behave like its made of jelly. I was however missing the point… Eco Pro is there to encourage you to drive smoothly and efficiently in order to maximise fuel economy and minimise killing trees and fluffy bunnies. When you approach it as such its is actually quite rewarding and sublimely refined. It is also nice to watch the extra miles per gallon your careful driving is saving slowly accrue from the tank of fuel. Also wafting down the road actually gives me a moment or two to enjoy the beautiful Kent (UK) countryside too.

Going back momentarily to the point of steering feedback. I must have forgotten to tick that options box. Its not very good when you compare it to the lithe feedback the E46 M3 gives you and you don’t have that connected “seat of the pants” feel either. It is however easy to place on the road and it does weight up nicely in the Sport and Sport+ modes (not really played much in the Sport+ space yet). The car is lacking in the tactile feedback through the chassis about the road surfaces etc - but on the flip side it isn’t tram-lining either and rides the bumps without snatching at the wheel. I suppose you can’t have it both ways and for most driving its just fine. When I want to play at being “Lewis Hamilton” I have the E46 M3 for that…

The engine stop/start thing is rather annoying in general (yes I know you can turn to off but the car doesn’t remember the setting when you turn off the ignition), however I find I have modified my driving style to overcome this frustration. I now see a red light or a give way sign as a challenge and attempt to not have to draw to a complete stop in order for the engine to not have the opportunity to cut out. Oh what fun there is to be had!!! Its worth noting that with the wheels dead straight ahead there’s a slight pull on the wheel when the autostop/start restarts the engine - nothing too tragic however.

The sports auto gearbox (8-speed ZF) is very good. Very fast changes up and down with a myriad of cogs to ensure you can stay “on it” if the driving conditions require swift progress to be made. Compared to the SMG in the E46 M3 it is much more refined - but i quite like the rough edges on the E46 as its part of the experience. The automatic box on my old 330D SE used to drive me potty with its slow upshifts (it shifted down just fine). I really like the way that on the ZF gearbox you can override the sports auto by pulling a paddle and then about 10-15 seconds later it will drop back to full auto (unlike the SMG), and that you can pop it into Sport if you want it to hold the gears. Initial pickup in first can be a bit lumpy especially when the start/stop has just restarted the engine - but its still new and I shall see if it stays that way, as it may change as it all beds in.

The Harmon Kardon Stereo is simply amazing. I had the Logic7 in the E91 however i think this is slightly better. I have the Harmon Kardon in the E46 M3 and it sounds pants in comparison. Whats a difference 12 years of automobile audio system manufacturing makes at BMW!!!

iDrive - I have never had this before and I am still getting used to it. Its OK and very clever with all the voice activated Nav etc. It would be nice to be able to set a few things and have them remembered when the ignition is switched off. For example I would actually like the car to come on in Eco Pro mode (in order to save some trees) and yet despite this initial setting turn off the pesky start/stop engine thing unless I choose to turn it back on again. Most of the time I am not hooning it around and would appreciate the extra MPG it gives - it’s just 2-clicks of the driving mode button to turn it into a hooligan after all…

Paintwork - I didn’t pay for the paint protection as from previous experience its not worth the paper its written on. I have yet to be able to actually wash/clay/seal/wax the car but will do so in due course. Paint finish appears standard BMW orange peel which seems to be just a part of the process they use. Mercedes Benz seem have got the knack of the water based paint finish much better based on the cars i saw in their showrooms.

The new car is currently averaging 43mpg currently on a real-world mix of motorway/town and open A-roads driving. I just filled it with premium diesel (no idea what the dealership supplied it with) at the 460 miles mark. As such its already more economical than the old 330D as that “only” averaged 42mpg combined.

Overall this is lovely motor and one thats going to be a nice place to spend some time in. Currently its now done just 650 miles. In another 550 I believe I can give it the beans and see how fast it really goes (its already damn quick whilst limited to 3500RPM). Brown pants time :-)

What was the price of the car so we Americans can drool over the unattainable.