[StraightSix-d]

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.
Arthur C. Clarke.

How else can you explain how BMW's managed to create a 3.0L diesel engine matched to an astonishing 8 speed automatic gearbox offering a truly magical driving experience? I tried to read up on ZF's 8 speed gear box, planetary gears and other arcane details and gave up. It has to be magic.



This forum's been an invaluable source of pre-purchase information, when I started out wanting a 430d, but ended up with a 330d. http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1155715

So, I hope that you'll find my review of the F30 330d S-drive 'Luxury' version useful; in particular the options I chose and how they justify themselves in daily use.

Delivery
Christmas came early on 15th December when I took delivery of the 330d. BMW Ocean Plymouth, the supplying dealer, arranged for me to be flown by private jet from Farnborough to Plymouth. I arrived at the dealership in a chauffeur-driven i8 to be serenaded by the dealership's most attractive staff who fed me canapés and caviar after which they presented the vehicle through a haze of dry ice and laser lights.

Ok, what really happened was this: the car was trailer delivered to our house on a miserably wet day. After a perfunctory signing of papers, I finally had the 330d parked outside.


Purchase factors
Why a 330d and not a 320d?
My first ever BMW was an E90 325d which cured me of my anti-diesel prejudice, albeit as long as it was a 3L, 6 cylinder diesel. So I had to have the same engine again. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1164898

Comparing the E90 325d to F30 330d – note the ugly shut line of the F30, compared to the E90's lovely dual bonnet creases meeting at the front roundel..



Why “Luxury” and not the M-Sport?
The Boss didn't want another black car and didn’t like Estoril Blue colour of M-Sport. Since this is a lease vehicle, I wasn't going to pay extra for special colours and didn't want a white car. And given the state of our crappy roads, I was prepared to sacrifice M-Sport handling for comfort. Finally, Imperial Blue Metallic (a standard, no cost colour) was the colour I really wanted –*and preserving domestic peace was important : ) An added bonus was how Imperial Blue better obscured the hideous, horizontal bonnet cut line.



I have to also admit to liking the chrome bits and bobs which come with the 'Luxury' model. I deleted “Luxury” badge on the sides to increase its' anonymity. I really wanted 17” wheels, but as this model only comes with 18” wheels, there was no choice.




The Saddle Brown interior
After having driven too many cars with dark, funereal interiors, I wanted a lighter interior (but not red). I'd seen pictures of the Imperial Blue/Saddle Brown combination here on F30 Post and they seem to be complementary colours. Having lived with the combination for a month, it's a very visually pleasing combination. Some of the pictures are a tad on the light side. In reality, it's a warmer, darker colour, as shown below.




The picture below is is a computer generated Saddle Brown interior – horizontally flipped to show right-hand drive layout. The saddle brown is a little lighter and far less red than the picture shows.



Real interior pictures




Steering
This is my first electric steering car. And it's odd. Just odd. I miss the direct feedback of the E90's hydraulic steering. This feels light and vaguely floaty. Perhaps it's early days, but the LCI was meant to have improved on this area. Having only driven a pre-LCI 430d on a test drive, I can't tell if this is an improvement.

18” Multi-Spoke Standard Alloys, style 416. These wheel look just right and are very classy. I didn't want to pay extra for another pattern, although cleaning them will be a pain.





The Driving Experience
With only three weeks driving experience, this is the most astonishingly capable and powerful car I've owned. The test drive I had in an i8 doesn't count From pootling along at 20-30mph in city environments to instant, on-demand power for motorway and overtaking, this engine does it all. This is most evident when on long, complex roundabouts, where the car grips the road without any slippage.

My only comparisons are with my previous vehicles, which tended to be reasonably powerful, well-balanced cars. VW GTi MK2, VW GTi MK3, Alfa 156, Alfa GTV and E90 325d. None of them were super cars, but (as I have family in Germany), a key requirement was that the cars had to be able to hack it on the autobahn.

Options and Justifications

• Harman/Kardon logic 7 Surround sound system
Having endured a truly terrible car stereo (BMW Professional – a bad joke), on my previous E90 325d, I was determined to get a decent sound system and the HK system delivers in spades.

This thread lists various settings to get the best out of the HK system. http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=954719

• Electric heated, folding and auto dimming door mirrors with memory
Tight on-road parking meant this is a necessary option.

• Model designation deletion
The 'Luxury' badge just looked tacky. Having the 330d badge on the boot is enough.




• BMW Individual Merino Leather steering wheel
This steering wheel was fitted to the 430d test drive car and I really liked its feel and weight.




• Driver + passenger electric lumbar support
Front sports seats with electric side bolster adjustment
Electric front seats with 2 position memory on drivers + drivers mirror memory + auto dip park function on passenger mirror + heated door mirrors

The seats are outstanding and configurable in every way, and you certainly pay for them. Lumbar support really helps on long journeys and side bolster adjustment helps to er... adjust the side bolsters to keep you firmly held in place. The seats are so comfortable, I could live in this car

The passenger mirror auto dip on reverse is vital to prevent or reduce kerbing the alloys.

• Heated front seats
Even in our relatively mild winter, this makes for lovely and toasty seats. Definitely worth it.

• Media pack - Professional - 3 Series.
This gives all the sat nav and app support you need.

BMW Remote App – tracking your car's position. So, I was in Hamburg last week and decided to check on my car's parked position near LHR.

The first screenshot shows the vehicle's position, exactly where I expected it to be – at an off-airport car park.




The next two screenshot shows a zoomed in Google maps view of its location and the exact address and post code.




iDrive
This is my fist iDrive equipped car. The praise that's been heaped on iDrive as the gold standard is justified. It's excellent.

Sat Nav: incredibly detailed – almost too detailed. I find the colour choices difficult to distinguish due to a slight red/green colour blindness. So, I still use Waze (the old version, v 3.9.6.1) as its' clear mapping and colour schemes provide instant notification of traffic jams. Sound is set to play through iPhone speakers and NOT bluetooth, since if it's set to play through Bluetooth, alert sounds from the (now discontinued) Tom Speed Cameras app v1.4 are muted.

Xirallic - Imperial blue
A beautiful colour and a change from black and silver. And best of all it hides the hideous bonnet shut line.



Adaptive M Sports suspension
This was an option ordered due to reading this forum! I know it's been installed, but how do I know I have it? Not having driven a F30 without it, should I have bothered ordering it and instead spent my money on a sunroof? This car comes with Sports+ setting. Is that a standard or only present due to the Adaptive M Sports suspension?

Fineline anthracite wood interior trim with pearl chrome finish.
This was a no cost option and nicely complements the saddle brown interior .



Instrument panel is great – just beautiful. The amber lighting is perfect for not ruining your night vision. You only appreciate it when you drive other cars which have instruments panels glowing like a rave lightshow.

Knobs and Buttons
To have real button, switches and knobs to turn things on and off is great. A simple thing like varying the volume using, you know, a rotating knob. I've driven cars with touch screens and flat + and – signed switches replacing proper knobs. All too often you have to look at the switch, take your eyes off the road make these changes. Touchscreen have their place on an iPhone, but not in a car.


Automatic Transmission
This is my first ever auto box, only ever having driven autos on holiday in the US which put me off ever wanting to drive automatic. First impressions? It's just plain weird not being in charge of gear changes. Because I don't 'know' the system, I'm taking it very, very easy. But the gear changes are smooth and imperceptible. I'm still learning how to approach corners and roundabout in automatic mode. In a manual, I know which gear I should be in as I approach an incline or a hill. I haven't taken it on my favourite twisty roads to see how it copes with predictable gear changes. So I haven't figured out how to really get the best out of the 8AT transmission.

Major Annoyances
Halogen Lights. Nowhere on the specification brochures was it mentioned that the Luxury version only came with bog standard halogens. I foolishly assumed that Xenons would be a standard on supposed 'prestige' vehicle. BMW make a huge fuss about how the LCI has all LED rear lights, but I care more about seeing what's in front of me. A real disgrace.

Road Noise...
There's absolutely no improvement in road noise suppression from the E90 to the F30. I measured noise using an iPhone app and for both models the noise ranges for 74-84dB. For example, on the M25, between Junction 9 & 10, there's a stretch of truly horrendous surface, creating unbearable road noise. All BMW had to do was to send a few test models to the UK, before final production. Solution? Turn up the music. But for and allegedly 'premium' sector car, the road noise is a real let down.

Medium Annoyances
'Next Track' button on steering wheel – gone and moved to the head unit, where you can't tell by touch alone, which button you're pressing. Quite Annoying.

Oil dipstick. Where did it go? Why? Although it's nice to see that the oil temperature gauge has been re-instated in the instrument panel.

Door Mirror Turn Signal – the light leakage from the door mirror turn signal really irritates me at night. I know I've used the indicator stalk, I can hear and see a flashing indicator icon in the instrument panel, so why the overkill? I've blanked it with some black gaffer tape, which blends in nicely with the black mirror surround.. This is possibly the cheapest mod on the forum.








Minor Annoyances or First World Problems

Missing storage cubby hole under light control switches; On my previous E90 325d, it had an extremely useful 'hidden' storage cubby hole (with a small door) in the space below the light controls. It was very useful for keeping small items like petrol cards, coins etc. In this model, there's nothing.

Cruise Control on steering wheel – small, fiddly and annoying in use. It was implemented much better on the E90, which had its own, separate cruise control stalk.

Leasing and feelings of ownership
Despite knowing that this vehicle will be returned in 36 months, I treat is as my own car. i.e. I don’t' trash it and continue to watch the revs during its running in period. Before I got it, I thought I'd treat it like disposable Bic biro. In fact the opposite happened.

Should you get the Luxury 330d?
Absolutely, yes, without any qualifications or caveats. Its annoyances are more than made up for by the entire package. I feel it's almost a privilege to drive this car. As emissions regulations and Google's mania for self driving cars continue to gather momentum, drive this while you still can.


… and finally... there's only one song for this car.

Live:

Official video:
https://youtu.be/oaEM4JYFPfw

[ukbeemerboy]

Nice car, love the colour combo.

There is a good reason for the rear indicator part of the door mirror. It's so as people next to you on a dual lane road can see your signal. With tape, they now can't.

[Randolph13]

lovely car and colour, I have the pre LCI 335D luxury in Imperial Blue, have the colour for a similar reason as you. Love the colour which has resulted in my cleaning the car rather a lot as it looks so good when clean.

[Hooter]

Nice one mate!

[goodbyalfa]

the storage bin under the lights is an option. part of the extended storage pack I think. I keep my sunglasses in mine and is perfect for that.
The pack also gives you behind the seats nets etc..

[Mike200]

BMW Remote App – tracking your car's position. So, I was in Hamburg last week and decided to check on my car's parked position near LHR.

The first screenshot shows the vehicle's position, exactly where I expected it to be – at an off-airport car park. .


Attachment 1345250

Is the "Remote App" in the iTunes app store? I looked the evening and could not see it. There was an app that has videos of BMW Connect features, which got slated.

Am I missing something?

[AlfaM]

Next Track' button on steering wheel – gone and moved to the head unit, where you can't tell by touch alone, which button you're pressing. Quite Annoying.

The uppie/downie toggle button between the steering wheel volume buttons selects the next/previous tracks.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy

Nice car, love the colour combo.

There is a good reason for the rear indicator part of the door mirror. It's so as people next to you on a dual lane road can see your signal. With tape, they now can't.

I agree with this, the mirror indicators replaced the side repeaters on the front wings, which should be visible to cars approaching in your blind spot.

[JustChris]

Congrats on the car and one of the best reviews I've seen on Bimmerpost, should be sticky'd as a template, well done!

Re the frustration over next track selection button I know what you mean, you can use the huge I drive controller though if you are in the media playback screen and have it selected over 'next'.

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by Moonie

The uppie/downie toggle button between the steering wheel volume buttons selects the next/previous tracks.

Oh yes, this too! Lol forgot that, and it's better as it brings up the track list to scroll through too.

[Spacer]

Great review, and thanks. I have 330D (M-Sport), but it would have been great to read this before I bought it for any similarities. Great work :-)

[Apl440i or 335d?]

Stunner

[Tengocity]

Very thorough write up, and some interesting things in there. Sorry to read you missed out on the headlights... I'd be absolutely gutted to be without at least xenons.

As mentioned, the next track is now a toggle which can be used to go through lists- tracks, numbers, radio stations etc (or at least it can on the HUD)

There is a dipstick, though took me 18 months to find it!

Good to see more non MSport contributors.

[pdk42]

Nice write up - thanks for taking the time to do it. I must admit, I do like saddle brown.

Just one quick question (for anyone really) - when I've tried to use the vehicle locate function, it won't work of I'm >1.5km away. How did you manage to make this work with the car in London and you in Hamburg?

[Spacer]

Originally Posted by pdk42

Nice write up - thanks for taking the time to do it. I must admit, I do like saddle brown.

Just one quick question (for anyone really) - when I've tried to use the vehicle locate function, it won't work of ok >1.5km away. How did you manage to make this work with the car in London and you in Hamburg?

If you have a suitably recent version of iDrive software, you can select GPS tracking (I think at the bottom of the options menu). This allows for tracking of the car outside 1.5km...... if you don't, you could always think of a good reason to have the dealer refresh the car, and then you would get the latest software version ;-)

[dubdemand]

That looks stunning! I also have saddle brown but with the full black dash as mines an m sport. I'm not sure if I'm jealous of your saddle lower dash or not - it certainly looks very classy and fits the luxury line well!

The 3.0d is outstanding and much faster than I will ever 'need'. I prefer the stiffer set up of the m sport though and like you wanted a blue as I feel it goes rather well with SB. Estoril is also too light for my liking and I didn't want to pay the extra for individual so went with MG - a colour that has really grown on me since collection, so much so my wife and sons cars are now also dark grey

I also like how the leather colour comes alive at night with the amber ambient lighting

[Scottiedog]

At first I found the cruise control fiddly coming from an E91 but after a while I got used to it and I have grown to prefer it as its at your finger tips.

[rapid64k]

Excellent review I enjoyed reading it.
Major kudos for rocking the saddle Brown.

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

Good precise write up.

As mentioned yes there is a dipstick.

To get the best out of the 330d and its gearbox, use sports + and paddles with stick to the left.

Changes if from being an excellent auto to just sublime.

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by dubdemand

That looks stunning! I also have saddle brown but with the full black dash as mines an m sport. I'm not sure if I'm jealous of your saddle lower dash or not - it certainly looks very classy and fits the luxury line well!

The 3.0d is outstanding and much faster than I will ever 'need'. I prefer the stiffer set up of the m sport though and like you wanted a blue as I feel it goes rather well with SB. Estoril is also too light for my liking and I didn't want to pay the extra for individual so went with MG - a colour that has really grown on me since collection, so much so my wife and sons cars are now also dark grey

I also like how the leather colour comes alive at night with the amber ambient lighting

That looks great. I find it really disappointing how the black interior almost completely fails to show the ambient lighting. A real shame.

[StraightSix-d]

Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy

Nice car, love the colour combo.

There is a good reason for the rear indicator part of the door mirror. It's so as people next to you on a dual lane road can see your signal. With tape, they now can't.

I did wonder about this when I did my mod. So far, it seems to be OK. I always leave plenty of time between indicating and moving position. And at night, I presume that drivers behind me will see the rear light and the flash of the wing mirror light.

[larven]

Nice motor and great to see an F30 in luxury spec too. Both seem to be in the minority on this forum.