[Bimmerfestool]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

It's not enough.

People still want to mix and match and find a way to hate on the F30.

If the 328 gets the love, people hate it on it due to the 4 cylinder and insist the 335 is the only way to go.

But then if the 335 gets bad press for the handling-well no one wants to talk about the 328 doing better in testing and said to have the better handling because we have already dismissed the 328 for having a 4 cylinder.

Here is how I would make things happy in fantasy land and have everyone shut up.

I would have a 2.5L fully forged 6cylinder with direct injection and a twin scroll turbo. I would work with the packaging engineers to make it very compact and light weight so it sits farther back than the N55 and weights less similar to the N20.

I would leave the N20 for the 320i.

I would rename the 328 the 330. The 330 would have a rating of 265hp but you know, really make 270whp.

The 335 would not have the N55. It would have the same 2.5L, but with a factory PPI treatment like the E92 335 is, and include extra cooling, overboost function, exhaust etc and have 325hp, or about 310whp.

I would take the EPS and keep settings the same in comfort and ECO but in sport or sport+ I would dial the EPS way down to have more feedback and heft.

For handling, I would have a Sport suspension available on Xdrive cars.

I would have the Mperformance suspension standard on the MSport. If anyone found it too stiff-just recommend they order DHP with it(in my fantasy-you can have both).

I would also allow for more interior color combos so you could get say saddle leather sport seats.

How does that sound?

Well are you sure you can't have aftermarket coils and DHP at the same time. I saw a post about that the other day. Dude had DHP and new springs and had it lowered.

[Pauleebe]

I wish they brought back the 325 name and gave that to the 320, since it is in the performance ballpark of the E46 325.

Would have been nice to then badge the 328 the 330, as you mentioned, and keep the 335.

I do agree that they could squeeze more out of the N20/N26 and N55, but surely BMW realizes this would eat into M3 territory.

[zeezz]

In an E92 328i M-Sport Loaner today... my car is a 2012 328i Sport line.

E92 Pros:
Love the engine sound
Seems like there is a bit less wind noise at highway speeds
M-Sport wheel is nice (but this is avail on F30)

F30 Pros:
E92 felt Slow, even compared to the F30 in comfort mode... sometimes I questioned what was wrong coming onto the onramp
8AT in the F30 is amazing compared to the transmission in the E92 (6 speed auto? not sure)
This is subjective, but the F30 interior to me seems way more upscale, driver-oriented, and modern. The general look/feel of the knobs is a bit too old school for me now in the E92. Navi is the same for 2012 model years.
The new key looks nicer

Toss-up:
Steering feel is definitely much better in the E92, more weighted than even the 'sport' mode on the F30. However, in parking lots I've grown to the convenience of the Comfort mode. Call me lazy.
Overall road handling and feel was much more similar than I expected.
Equal amount of slight rattles, build quality felt very similar

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfestool

Well are you sure you can't have aftermarket coils and DHP at the same time. I saw a post about that the other day. Dude had DHP and new springs and had it lowered.

People have had great results with H&R springs combined with DHP. But no one would do the MPeformance kit as it would replace the DHP dampers.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

It's not enough.

People still want to mix and match and find a way to hate on the F30.

If the 328 gets the love, people hate it on it due to the 4 cylinder and insist the 335 is the only way to go.

But then if the 335 gets bad press for the handling-well no one wants to talk about the 328 doing better in testing and said to have the better handling because we have already dismissed the 328 for having a 4 cylinder.

Here is how I would make things happy in fantasy land and have everyone shut up.

I would have a 2.5L fully forged 6cylinder with direct injection and a twin scroll turbo. I would work with the packaging engineers to make it very compact and light weight so it sits farther back than the N55 and weights less similar to the N20.

I would leave the N20 for the 320i.

I would rename the 328 the 330. The 330 would have a rating of 265hp but you know, really make 270whp.

The 335 would not have the N55. It would have the same 2.5L, but with a factory PPI treatment like the E92 335 is, and include extra cooling, overboost function, exhaust etc and have 325hp, or about 310whp.

I would take the EPS and keep settings the same in comfort and ECO but in sport or sport+ I would dial the EPS way down to have more feedback and heft.

For handling, I would have a Sport suspension available on Xdrive cars.

I would have the Mperformance suspension standard on the MSport. If anyone found it too stiff-just recommend they order DHP with it(in my fantasy-you can have both).

I would also allow for more interior color combos so you could get say saddle leather sport seats.

How does that sound?

The biggest problem with the F30 is that it feels about as big as an E39. It drives like a bigger car and this is why I think the M3 guys are going to hate it. I've had one for a week (328) and it does handle well at the limit, but it doesn't feel planted. Doesn't inspire confidence although it will do what you want it. It's still buzzy and IMO the 4cycl is more appropriate for a 1 series size vehicle. The steering is still suspect, BMW tried to loosen up the steering with the
E46 and people screamed bloody murder.

[mynycbimmer]

Originally Posted by zeezz

In an E92 328i M-Sport Loaner today... my car is a 2012 328i Sport line.

E92 Pros:
Love the engine sound
Seems like there is a bit less wind noise at highway speeds
M-Sport wheel is nice (but this is avail on F30)

F30 Pros:
E92 felt Slow, even compared to the F30 in comfort mode... sometimes I questioned what was wrong coming onto the onramp
8AT in the F30 is amazing compared to the transmission in the E92 (6 speed auto? not sure)
This is subjective, but the F30 interior to me seems way more upscale, driver-oriented, and modern. The general look/feel of the knobs is a bit too old school for me now in the E92. Navi is the same for 2012 model years.
The new key looks nicer

Toss-up:
Steering feel is definitely much better in the E92, more weighted than even the 'sport' mode on the F30. However, in parking lots I've grown to the convenience of the Comfort mode. Call me lazy.
Overall road handling and feel was much more similar than I expected.
Equal amount of slight rattles, build quality felt very similar

Interesting. I have an E92 328xi and recently had a F30 328xi loaner for a day.

E92 pros

Size, F30 felt too big for my liking, less tossable.
Steering was nicer, car felt more planted, less body roll.
Engine sounds way nicer and smoother power delivery.
Interior build quality feels higher.

F30 pros

HUD and tech is very cool.
Faster in sports mode (although not night and day), I thought comfort mode actually felt slower.
Ride quality was better.
AT is definitely better.

The N20 is really showstopper for me along with the size of the car. The power is nice but it just doesn't' feel smooth and sounds like a diesel. I also think both cars look way better with the m-sport package. I also test drove a 428, which although even bigger felt a lot closer to my E92. The engine note is also improved over the F30. It looks stunning in real life too, something I wasn't' expecting after seeing the pics.

[ny325]

What's the general consensus on the F coupe. Has anyone took one for a test drive? I sat in one today, and I must say it felt big. Looking out the windshield, the hood looks high, and long. I wasn't able to test drive one.

[AMJAM]

I hated everything about the E90 series. So much so I left BMW. The F30 especially the 328i M Sport is one of the best looking, handling and performing cars on the market. I love my F30 and almost everything about it.

[pazzo]

Originally Posted by AMJAM

The F30 especially the 328i M Sport is one of the best looking, handling and performing cars on the market. I love my F30 and almost everything about it.

+1 - I'm very happy with mine.

[NosceTeIpsum]

Originally Posted by dinonz

In this article, it is. In their own words "So far, it's a toss-up. But then we come to the engine". It's a major problem for these guys - but then sometimes I get the feeling they *want* to complain about it for the shock factor of saying the older car is better.

Just saying that for these guys, a 335i comparison might have yielded different results, but that's probably exactly why they didn't do it. Concluding that a new car is better than an old one is hardly ground-breaking news.

I agree.

[ToyotaBMW]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

There have been revised PN's for the steering rack which are said to have revised software as well. It has happened 2-3 times now.

The F30 in their test is their long-termer, it's production date is before any of the updated racks.

For this test, I say it again.

No surprises.

If it was 5 years ago and they brought out an E46 they would swoon for it and choose it over the E90. That is what they do.

These guys are not spending money on getting the best all around car-DD for their families. They are just visiting, vacationing.

Vacations are great, oh the fun. But plopping down the money to live there. That is what matters. A lot of the F30 makes it more appealing than the E90, enough so where people vote with money and make the choice to live with it every day. The things they are swooning about on vacation, the steering and lack of body roll, those are things I am more obsessed with in my pleasure car than my DD. There are reasons I and many others found enough good reasons to pass on the E90 for DD duties in the past 5 years. I voted with my wallet. I did not write an article about it. Every 6 months before the F30 I drove an E90-I was able to afford it, I wanted a second BMW parked next to my first. But it just gave me too many reasons to pass. The F30 did not.

Sure, it had lighter steering with a bit less feedback, a bit more body roll than I was used to. But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned. Boom, F30 had more steering feel, more heft, and less body roll. It is how the F30 MSport should have been from day one. I drive E9x's now and long for nothing when I get back into my car.

The problem is you have to throw springs, wheels and tires at a brand new car (F30)to get it to drive/perform and ride like the old car(E9x). LOL These are your words not mine.

[pazzo]

Originally Posted by ToyotaBMW

The problem is you have to throw springs, wheels and tires at a brand new car (F30)to get it to drive/perform and ride like the old car(E9x). LOL These are your words not mine.

"But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned"

Where did you make the leap to F30 from Jamesons statement?

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by pazzo

"But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned"

Where did you make the leap to F30 from Jamesons statement?

Thank you, I appreciate when people actually READ the whole reply.

[shoptb]

It's articles like this that have made me stop reading 'C&D' and 'R&T' when they arrive in the mail. There's even less objectivity in the articles than I used to delude myself into thinking there was. When I was younger and living in automotive fantasy-land, these magazines were fun. Now that I actually need real information about cars, this subjective never-satisfied hullabaloo is not really even entertaining.

[ToyotaBMW]

Originally Posted by pazzo

"But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned"

Where did you make the leap to F30 from Jamesons statement?

"It it just gave me too many reasons to pass. The F30 did not.

Sure, it had lighter steering with a bit less feedback, a bit more body roll than I was used to. But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned. Boom, F30 had more steering feel, more heft, and less body roll. It is how the F30 MSport should have been from day one. I drive E9x's now and long for nothing when I get back into my car."

From this I gather that Jamesons bought a F30 and modded it to drive like his e9X. No? Sounds like he bought the F30 and found after he got new wheels, tires and springs it drives now more like his E9x.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by ToyotaBMW

"It it just gave me too many reasons to pass. The F30 did not.

Sure, it had lighter steering with a bit less feedback, a bit more body roll than I was used to. But I also seem to throw wheels/tires and springs at every car I have ever owned. Boom, F30 had more steering feel, more heft, and less body roll. It is how the F30 MSport should have been from day one. I drive E9x's now and long for nothing when I get back into my car."

From this I gather that Jamesons bought a F30 and modded it to drive like his e9X. No? Sounds like he bought the F30 and found after he got new wheels, tires and springs it drives now more like his E9x.

Reading too much into it.

Point is, I did nothing to the F30 that I did not do to all my other cars. BUT, the F30 had more to gain as I see the electric steering is very sensitive to lighter wheels, better non RFTs and the springs. So the recipe was made from the same ingredients as always, but somehow came out tastier than past dinners :P

[ToyotaBMW]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

Reading too much into it.

Point is, I did nothing to the F30 that I did not do to all my other cars. BUT, the F30 had more to gain as I see the electric steering is very sensitive to lighter wheels, better non RFTs and the springs. So the recipe was made from the same ingredients as always, but somehow came out tastier than past dinners :P

So if we look at only performance/handling which car would you rather have?

1. e9x stock vs f30 stock
2. e9x stock vs F30 with wheels, suspension, and tires
3. e9x wheels, tires, and suspension vs f30 with wheels, tires, and suspension.

Can you let me know how these compare?