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      04-12-2014, 10:06 AM   #1
jonkarn
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'14 F31 M-Sport finally taken home! My 70 mile review.

So I finally took delivery of my 2014 F31 M-Sport. Even though it only took 6 weeks, it felt like forever.

Love this car! This is my first BMW, even though I've driven one many times, as my brother is a loyal BMW person. Owning one and driving for extended period, you get to understand why people stick with this brand. I know there are complaints about the F3x, but so far, this is a joy to drive, fun and exciting.

I will surely have follow up posts, but since I just took delivery last night, and drove to work this am, I have about 70 miles on it, so not ready for extensive reviews. I do have some initial thoughts about some of the topics that I have read about over the last 3 months of browsing here.

HUD-love this, very cool. Amazing to have the GPS directions right in the windshield, as well as the music tracks, with satellite station channel listings as well. My sunglasses are polarized, which dims the display a little, but I turned up the brightness to 100% so it's just a little dim. I'm glad it still shows up. Wish the paddle shifting gear was displayed as well, instead of just in the main instrument panel in a small square, that u sometimes hunt to find.

Seats- sport seats are pretty comfortable, and the adjustable side bolsters are great, especially bc I'm a thinner guy. However, the seat cushion is narrow as well, without available bolster adjustment, and I find it to be a bit too narrow, since I have long legs and tend to flare my left leg out to the left a bit, the narrow seat bottom bolster gets in the way of that a bit.

DHP- still trying to figure out the best way to set it. I think it's a waste of adjustability to just leave it in drivetrain and chassis all the time. I think setting Sport mode to chassis only, gives me the best variety of options:

Comfort- has smooth ride and less aggressive acceleration for cruising( or when my wife drives the car) and maximizing MPG without suffering in Eco mode

Sport(chassis only)- stiffer ride, better handling, and firmer steering, slightly more aggressive acceleration

Sport+ - Sport plus can be activated with a simple left bump of the shifter, turning on Drivetrain and Chassis and activating paddle shifters

This seems to give me 3 quick options. 1. Comfort setting upon starting car. 2. Switch toggle up once to Sport if I want better handling but not totally killing MPG. 3. Left shifter bump to Sport+ for handling and most aggressive driving.

Btw the switch to Sport+ With the way I have it set really wakes the car up in power and sound with a bump of the shifter, like 2 different cars, which is cool bc you can really change it to fit your mood and passengers.

Does this sound correct? Otherwise, I'm not sure what having Dynamic Control would do for you if you have it set to C and D in Sport all the time which is just like Sport+.

Anyone else have any better ideas for this?

Sport Paddle Shifters- lightening fast gear changing and fun. I always wonder how you are supposed to gear shift when in a huge turn, as your arms are twisted, but otherwise a cool change of pace for the twisties. One negative - I drove a '14 CTS loaner with the paddles, and I must say, the quality was higher in the Cadillacs. They felt like titanium or something, and they were also much longer top to bottom. This made it so that I had multiple hand position in which I could reach the paddles. I could slide my hands lower on the wheel for a more relaxed position, while still being able to reach the lower end of the paddles. They were shaped like a wing or double dagger, with the lower "wing" extending much longer than BMWs. BMW paddles are stockier and shorter top to bottom. Not a huge deal but it could make a difference.

HK stereo- can't compare it to standard HIFI system, but I can tell you it is crystal clear. I'm coming from my last 3 cars having Bose(Infiniti, Cadillac, Madza). While the Bose is boomy and muddy(although loud rap music can make the ground vibrate), the HK is a much higher quality sound, and having the separate mid range speakers higher up on the door makes everything so much tighter and clearer. I'm sure you can do better building your own, but for $900 and a clean install that looks like it belongs, you can't beat the price.

M-Sport steering wheel-totally changes the feeling of the cockpit. This changes the car into a higher end ride by feel alone. All cars should have this option. It is the main connection bw you and the car.

F31 M-Sport looks-Glad I changed from Sport Line to M-Sport last minute. Well worth the up charge of $1500. Changes it from a grocery getter to a sports car-ish. I always like things that in one way may seem conservative and practical, but in others is not. Kinda like wearing Pumas with a sport coat. Or something.

iDrive- at this point still going thru the settings and playing around with things. Got the apps working, able to display weather widget on the split screen, etc. The controller is ergonomic and perfectly placed, I like not having to ever reach to dashboard for most functions. Cadillac touch screens, while cool, forced me to reach to touch the screen, and when you are in a moving vehicle, especially a very fast moving one, it's not so easy to reach for a specific area on a screen to change something. Never mind that I like to sit all the way back bc of long legs, the reach can sometimes be difficult. This is more relaxed way of controlling car. I can imagine once you get familiar with it , it would be easy to control. Haven't tried the touch pad yet when setting GPS. I am looking forward to being able to set GPS from my phone b4 entering the car. I used this option on Cad onstar system a lot.

Sound- in comfort everything is nice and quiet. I don't mind the cold startup sound that people tend to complain about. Coming from a Cadillac with direct injection engine which ticks and rattles nonstop, this engine is pretty smooth. The switch to sport+ really wakes the exhaust up! as around 3500k rpms it starts to have a nice deep rumble.

That's it for my 70 mile review. Will probably report back as I learn more about the settings and get to drive in different situations.

All in all, I see why people get addicted to BMWs, it changes the way you feel like driving. Makes my 35 mile commute fun. The only reason the old school BMW owners complain about the F3x is because they have other experience. Times change. This car is probably an overall higher quality build in fit and finish and engine performance , but less a pure sports car. For me that's perfect bc I'm not 20 anymore and need some comfort and quality over race car feel. If you want pure sportscar, get a Lotus Elise and see how comfortable you are.

Sorry for the wack pictures, this was the best I can do on short notice. More to come!!
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      04-12-2014, 10:09 AM   #2
jonkarn
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More pictures. For some reason it doesn't let me upload more that one at a time even though file size is small enough
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      04-12-2014, 10:36 AM   #3
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Very, very nice review and car. Thanks so much for posting your detailed comments. I really enjoy reading others experience like this. A+
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      04-12-2014, 10:54 AM   #4
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Are you posting from Australia? Why are the pictures upside down? I'll wait another 12 hours and hopefully the pictures will turn upside down.
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      04-12-2014, 10:55 AM   #5
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Congrats!! And nice review. Like you, I've been waiting to take delivery for what seems like forever. Did your car come out of the New Jersey port by any chance?
I should be picking up next week as it finally made it to the dealership yesterday. I waited 4 weeks and this last 4 days is going to be painful.
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      04-12-2014, 11:23 AM   #6
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Congrats on your new car. Awesome enthusiasm, and appreciate the opportunity to read your review. I've had my 335i for six months and still love it. Best wishes and happy motoring.
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      04-12-2014, 11:39 AM   #7
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Lovely commentary.
Really enjoyed reading it and thinking about my upcoming delivery.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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      04-12-2014, 01:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonkarn View Post
DHP- still trying to figure out the best way to set it. I think it's a waste of adjustability to just leave it in drivetrain and chassis all the time. I think setting Sport mode to chassis only, gives me the best variety of options:

Comfort- has smooth ride and less aggressive acceleration for cruising( or when my wife drives the car) and maximizing MPG without suffering in Eco mode

Sport(chassis only)- stiffer ride, better handling, and firmer steering, slightly more aggressive acceleration

Sport+ - Sport plus can be activated with a simple left bump of the shifter, turning on Drivetrain and Chassis and activating paddle shifters

This seems to give me 3 quick options. 1. Comfort setting upon starting car. 2. Switch toggle up once to Sport if I want better handling but not totally killing MPG. 3. Left shifter bump to Sport+ for handling and most aggressive driving.

Btw the switch to Sport+ With the way I have it set really wakes the car up in power and sound with a bump of the shifter, like 2 different cars, which is cool bc you can really change it to fit your mood and passengers.

Does this sound correct? Otherwise, I'm not sure what having Dynamic Control would do for you if you have it set to C and D in Sport all the time which is just like Sport+.

Anyone else have any better ideas for this?
I am doing the exact same thing. I have my DHP sport set for chassis only. I am stuck in traffic most days and don't want the higher rpm shift point during stop-and-go. Whenever I want faster response, it is easy to switch to Sport+. If need be I can also switch the Sport Auto to manual mode by moving the lever to the left. That alters shift response further and allows me to use paddles in a more involved way. Love having multiple options.
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      04-12-2014, 03:20 PM   #9
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Two thumbs up for setting Sport Mode to chassis only. This way if I want sharper handling I switch to Sport mode, and if I want to add extra acceleration I just flip the shifter to the left to engage higher RPM upshift.

I still don't get what Comfort mode gets me as it does not allow automatic disengaging the engine to coast the car. When I take my car in for first service I am going to see if I can get the dealer to recode the software so it starts in Eco Pro all the time.

The only complaint I have is the iDrive integration with my iPhone 5. It is terrible to say the least.
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      04-12-2014, 04:08 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pflau View Post
The only complaint I have is the iDrive integration with my iPhone 5. It is terrible to say the least.
I'm quite happy with idrive integration with my iPhone 5s. Syncs perfectly for hands free calling, and downloads my contacts error free. Works great in a 2-phone setup with my wife's android. Voice quality is stellar. Bluetooth streaming in iPod mode works flawlessly, and includes album art. Siri hands free is faultless. And if I plug in the iPhone cable via USB, I get great Pandora integration with album art and control from idrive. What's not to like? Yes, I don't get email message onto the idrive screen. IMHO, that is more of a gimmick anyway. I've haven't messed around too much with iPhone apps, as I also think that's more gimmick than anything. I can live without facebook on idrive.

Given the above, its hard to call it "terrible". If you really, really wanted email integration on idrive, there are workarounds.
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      04-12-2014, 04:38 PM   #11
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Yes I'm in jersey. Voyage took about 2 weeks. 6 weeks total ordering to car delivery. Pretty good. Even 6 weeks was too much wait though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fronzdan View Post
Congrats!! And nice review. Like you, I've been waiting to take delivery for what seems like forever. Did your car come out of the New Jersey port by any chance?
I should be picking up next week as it finally made it to the dealership yesterday. I waited 4 weeks and this last 4 days is going to be painful.
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      04-12-2014, 04:40 PM   #12
jonkarn
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For some reason when you upload photos from mobile device(iPhone) it posts them upside down. Not sure why. I saw that happen to another poster as well. I will post some more pics from my computer when I get a chance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 3magine View Post
Are you posting from Australia? Why are the pictures upside down? I'll wait another 12 hours and hopefully the pictures will turn upside down.
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      04-12-2014, 09:22 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diablo2112 View Post
Given the above, its hard to call it "terrible". If you really, really wanted email integration on idrive, there are workarounds.
Well, I don't know what version of iDrive software you have but I do have the latest version and it is terrible. Some of my problems:

* No phone integration, cannot get phone to work at all. Blue tooth or cable.
* Music integration is hit-or-miss. Sometimes it shows the cover art with all the play lists, other time it shows only the song name. Other times it gets stuck showing the previous song played.
* Play would stop, and start again. It would always try to play something when I just want it to shut up. It ends up trying to always play the first song of my iPhone, which unfortunately is A.D.I.D.A.S by Korn.
* Asked the dealer to get the iPhone adapter thinking that would allow me to integrate phone function, told by dealer the version for my car will not come out until May or something.
* My car was built in February and I have the iPhone 5.

Terrible.
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      04-12-2014, 09:25 PM   #14
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One more thing, no Siri integration. Even the Chevy Cruz I rented had that.
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      04-12-2014, 09:26 PM   #15
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I have 2 2014 F30s. One built November 2013, the other built January 2014. Absolutely none of the problems you list. iPhone 5s is working flawlessly in both. Bluetooth, music streaming, Siri, Pandora, album art. Never a hiccup in many hours in both cars.

With all the problems you list, I'd be pissed, too. I feel for you. If it's any consolation, your experience is NOT normal. I've had zero issues with my iPhone.
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      04-12-2014, 10:13 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonkarn View Post
More pictures. For some reason it doesn't let me upload more that one at a time even though file size is small enough
OP i see you're from Australia
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      04-13-2014, 04:40 AM   #17
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Beautiful F31, congrats!
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      04-14-2014, 10:40 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pflau View Post
* No phone integration, cannot get phone to work at all. Blue tooth or cable.

Terrible.
OK, got the phone integration to work. Needed to disconnect, reconnect blue tooth. Apparently when I connected the first time I chose not to use the phone function.

The other issues still stand. And the most recent software update only contain fixed for the phone functions.
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      04-15-2014, 12:27 AM   #19
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Congrat nice write up but you got to check your pictures prior to post.
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      04-15-2014, 01:13 AM   #20
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Yep photos work fine for me (sydney, australia)
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      04-15-2014, 07:46 AM   #21
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Not sure how I would check pictures. I posted from my ipad and the pictures were taken and uploaded right side up. Not sure how the flipping occurs

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Originally Posted by zamboni View Post
Congrat nice write up but you got to check your pictures prior to post.
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      04-15-2014, 12:17 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonkarn View Post
Not sure how I would check pictures. I posted from my ipad and the pictures were taken and uploaded right side up. Not sure how the flipping occurs
I got the same problem with iphone and the pictures were upside down.
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