[Drew335]

Took part in a drive day today for the F30 LCI and the new X1. My current car is a 2013 F30 335i so am not sure how many of the changes between mine and the car I drove today were incremental or are new for the LCI? There were two 330i on offer, one SBM and one Estoril Blue. No 340i available which was disappointing, given that's the car I wanted to drive!!!

The main changes I noticed were the suspension, the iDrive and the transmission. I think the first two have less to do with the LCI, as mine doesn't have adaptive (standard on 330i now) and the iDrive and Connected Drive has moved on a lot over recent models (a mate's F30 from 6 months ago has a ton of features that I don't). As for the transmission, it was noticeably smoother and quicker to shift than mine - maybe newer software or mine is just getting on a bit? A few other trim changes and the new heads and tails, but they're less noticeable than the E90/2 LCI changes were.

Both cars were well spec'd but I gather the 330i is pretty good now with a lot of kit standard. One whinge - I am not a fan of the active sound - far prefer the six cylinder sound from my 335i with an M performance exhaust, which seems to get throatier with age

Some pics below ... note the grey F30 in a few pics is pre LCI. Also spared you the X1 pics although TBH it actually drives better than I expected

[Spikey]

Nice pics. A lot of the equipment from your 335i should now be present in the 330i as standard. The LCI F30 models received quite a bit of an equipment bump. Also, I do like that the indicators in the LCI models are on the 'brows' instead of in the main headlight cluster. Subtle changes like the rear/head lights being LED too but yea it's quite hard to pick the LCI from the pre-LCI just from exterior i think

Drove both the 330i and the 340i and must say that the 340i was awesome. The 330i transmission felt smoother than the 328i it's replacing, although I still found the auto start/stop feature to be a tad jerky... all in all, I think the LCI models have a tonne more gear than the models they replaced

Are you planning to change the 335i anytime soon?

[Drew335]

Originally Posted by Spikey

Nice pics. A lot of the equipment from your 335i should now be present in the 330i as standard. The LCI F30 models received quite a bit of an equipment bump. Also, I do like that the indicators in the LCI models are on the 'brows' instead of in the main headlight cluster. Subtle changes like the rear/head lights being LED too but yea it's quite hard to pick the LCI from the pre-LCI just from exterior i think

Drove both the 330i and the 340i and must say that the 340i was awesome. The 330i transmission felt smoother than the 328i it's replacing, although I still found the auto start/stop feature to be a tad jerky... all in all, I think the LCI models have a tonne more gear than the models they replaced

Are you planning to change the 335i anytime soon?

No plans to change the 335i yet - it's only got 35k on it and the LCI is not a compelling upgrade. And I can't afford an M3

The 435i or 428i GC is tempting, but not sure it's worth the extra cash. The LCI on the 4xx is 6-12 months away (dealer not sure) so I might wait until then and see what's on offer? A decent M3 with low km might be an option by then

[4 Cats]

What audio system is standard on the 330i LCI sedan? Previously the Hi Fi system was standard on the F30 330i in Australia. The BMW Genius at the dealership stated that the Hi Fi system is still standard on the 330i LCI sedan whereas the BMW specification sheet dated September 2015 states only the Basic Audio system (6 speakers, 100W) not the Hi Fi (9 speakers, 205W) is standard on the 330i LCI sedan. Who is correct?

[RogueAI]

Originally Posted by 4 Cats

What audio system is standard on the 330i LCI sedan? Previously the Hi Fi system was standard on the F30 330i in Australia. The BMW Genius at the dealership stated that the Hi Fi system is still standard on the 330i LCI sedan whereas the BMW specification sheet dated September 2015 states only the Basic Audio system (6 speakers, 100W) not the Hi Fi (9 speakers, 205W) is standard on the 330i LCI sedan. Who is correct?

328 didn't always have Hi Fi as standard. I have a 328i M Sport which is Jan 2015 build and it had the basic stereo only.

[Spikey]

wow, I thought the 328 had Hi-Fi as standard.. at least it did when I got mine back in 2012. Definitely didn't upgrade the Audio system back then and had the 9 speakers...

When I test drove the 330i and 340i the SA said that the 330i came with Hi-Fi (9 speakers) as standard and the 340i came with the HK system (16 speakers) as standard.

[bcoz]

Originally Posted by 4 Cats

The BMW Genius at the dealership stated that the Hi Fi system is still standard on the 330i LCI sedan whereas the BMW specification sheet dated September 2015 states only the Basic Audio system (6 speakers, 100W) not the Hi Fi (9 speakers, 205W) is standard on the 330i LCI sedan. Who is correct?

I'd say the Specification Guide is correct as that is an official BMW Australia document.

If sales staff insist that the HiFi system is standard for the 330i, then you should insist that they explicitly include it in any Sales Contract.

[adge7]

I was toying with the idea of upgrading my 328i to the 330i (have since decided not to) and was surprised to see a couple of things fall off the standard inclusions. Whilst noting that there is a whole lot of tech that is now included as standard that was previously optional, I was surprised to see that lumbar adjustment is now an option, as well the hifi stereo. A couple of seemingly basic things.

Will likely wait to see what the next year or so brings in terms of better deals. I note that as the models get to run out stage, more packages tend to be included and there's better value to be had overall. Either that or a Jag ?

[4 Cats]

You are correct adge7, according to the latest Australian Specification Guide, dated December 15, 2015 both lumbar support and HiFi stereo are now optional extras on the 330i Sedan LCI. It would appear that BMW Australia has included a lot of extras into their 340i sedan, for example adaptive LED lights, lumbar support, Harmon Kardon stereo, roller blinds, enhanced connectivity, Parking assistant, Active Cruise Control, front seat heating, Connected Drive Freedom. Oh well, the base price for the 340i is AUS $20,000 greater than for the 330i Sedan.

[JohnSuave16]

Should i get a pre lci f30 335 or a lci f30 330 or 328 i sadly can’t afford the 340