[kiforrest]

Well she's here. Got her on the 5th April at noon, the Passat CC was loaded on to a flat loader with nigh 97k on the clock, the most miles I have done in any car. Strangest thing but once on the flat loader you could see the scars of those 97k miles, stone scars everywhere and made the decision for me that I would never buy a new car with my own money again - seeing that is just too painful when you have parted with the folding yourself. It was a good car, but having stepped out of one new (ish) 2.0 turbo diesel with 168BHP and 258lb/ft torque, I thought I was in a good position to comment on the merits and inevitable bugbears of another with 163BHP and 280lb/ft torque - 2 more gears and a loss of weight.

Pics to follow as I should have taken pics when I got her and the sun was shining, its been drizzly since. I love the colour mineral white and with the Xenons am very pleased with the front end look .


I’ve been looking forward to getting behind the wheel of an F30 320d since the launch, when the motoring press were making their judgments on the new 3. I had been to a dealer and tried a 5 with/without the VDC and in the end changed the order and went with it - 50% of me telling me that I would regret not getting it.

Without pics the car I have is a 320d ED (16" alloys), in Mineral White with the standard cloth trim. Not to everyone’s taste, but personally as resale is not an issue and with the kids older I am not paying tax on leather to be cold in the winter and too hot in the summer - I have had 10 plus years of that.

Anyway on with the drive. The seat is a familiar place, in fact the seat feels a bit better to my butt, slightly more refined and comfy, but same support and adjustments for position, as the E90/1. Everything in the cabin feels right and well placed, the controversial screen is in my view spot on, where it should be, and inclined to the driver. Starting the engine and driving off was surprisingly noisy, not the gruff sound of the normal diesel, more a rattle like a poorly petrol. Outside the engine noise is lower, quieter and smoother than the Passat CC. In the car though it is noisier, like the engine is pressed too close to the bulkhead. One can only assume this is the engine placement, canted back as it is in a BMW compared to a VW for ideal weight distribution. The stereo (HK is ace) removes the noise and once the engine is warmed through it almost goes, but is an ever present around town. On the motorway it cannot be heard at all. The engine noise at cold/round town and low speed motoring is one small blot on the copy book, but I am beginning to like that too which is odd. Love this car....

The gearbox is much better than the DSG, sweet and near silent, the gearbox just blurring any feeling of changes. The steering was quite light, compared to my old BMW, but very precise, more precise in mid position than any car I have driven outside of dedicated sport cars. Brakes as you expect from BMW, powerful and well weighted, to the point you just don’t notice them, like most BMWs I’ve driven. Much more progressive than the VW stoppers!

As I got going on the way home from the office, it all felt so good I almost failed to give the driving feel any attention, as it felt so natural. The suspension on the 16” efficiency none RFTs was in a different league to any car I’ve recently driven. None of the niggles of the F10/11 cars I tried just after their launch. It took me back to the brand new 528i E39 my dad got in 98, yes nearly that good. Top marks for a good start.

Once on the motorway, a variety of conditions, hills, sweeping curves and different surfaces, all handled without fuss and drama, car holds a very precise line, no influences coming back from the road through the steering. No additional road noise from differing road surfaces could wither which has been an issue I have read from larger wheeled F30's. The only real negative about the car for me, at this point was that the steering had lost some of the magic of the E90. I can't quite put my finger on it, when driving 'normally' the F30 is perfect, but start to press on and the E90/E87 have a 'feel' about them which the newer car does not quite have.

I got home after a 42 mile trip (with 42mpg on the OBC) which was impressive since the car had now only done 49 miles in total. The economy is already bettering the Passat CC. I decided to then take her out over the backroads near home which I know like the back of my hand. Roads with all sorts of contours, poor surfaces and a lot of patching, plus some pretty poor repairs through some of the villages. Very impressed with the car and how it copes, better than the VW, the best BMW I’ve ever driven along this section of road for a mixture of handling and poise. At first I thought it was a tad bouncy but flicking it into sport sorted that out. In fact that in itself was a revelation! The car starts in Eco Pro mode as standard and felt about the same pace wise as the VW, but with a ride that was 1000 times better. The handling was also far more superior with a balance that the nose heavy tugger that was the VW could only dream of. In Eco Pro mode the car did not have the extra urge I was expecting but felt soft everywhere, but on the plus side the car was telling me I was averaging 84mpg with cruise on a steady 75mpg on the motorway (constant for 8 miles).

The flick to sport transformed the car, the throttle response became sharper with slabs of torque appearing with a flex of the toes, the 'bounciness' in the ride disappeared and was replaced with a control I expect in a Boxster S (another previous steer), but with the ride comfort (at this pace) hardly lessened. The car kept wanting to pull over 3.5k RPM (which I am sticking too for the running in), so I flicked the up lever beside the wheel instinctively. No moving the gear stick into manual mode, the paddles just take over, again it just felt right. So here I am moving at some pace down a favourite road, the car feels shrink wrapped round me showing a balance and poise I would have never expected in a 4 door eco family saloon. It feels on its tippy toes in the same way the E46 M3 did on this road, but without reacting to the pot holes and tram lines with crashing and violent tugs at the wheel. The 16" wheels also start to move about on the road without having to reach speeds that would kill you as you would on the massive rubber that is the norm today The car really is very very good!

So I up the pace and ante further still (staying within running in limits) as there are some interesting bends and twisty sections of road ahead. The car's balance and precision on its line is amazing! The suspension is set perfectly to blend the comfort with an edge of sportiness. This car’s balance and agility - the dynamics are excellent.

Inside the car, what can I say, the heater/air con is miles better than the VW, the sat nav is far more responsive (speed) than the touch screen in the VW (although not quite as intuitive. One bug bear that niggles is the inability to fast forward and rewind through audio books (on the iPhone) plugged in to the media snap in. Press and hold fast forward and it just jumps forward to the next chapter . Sad I know but one has to fill the hours in on the motorway. The integration with the iPhone is excellent with pre conditioning, telling you how may miles you have done and how much fuel is left in the car. You can also find your car, open it, close it and flash lights/sound horn if its lost in a multi storey car park


I took the car home again to try some speed bumps. The car goes over the speed bumps in the strangest way, hard to describe, but seems far too bouncy for the ride and control you get out on the road. I’m sure this is the ‘odd ball’ from how BMW have tuned the suspension in such a fine way, for a blend of comfort and decent control. Sport makes it too hard for this work, comfort is too bouncy. Only for speed bumps - rest of the time it is nigh on a perfect compromise

My conclusion. This car is a march forward for BMW. I know the 328i in M Sport trim with the adaptive suspension (if I did less than 15k miles per year) would be the nigh on perfect car for me, coupled with the sport auto to get the paddles and sharper gear change option. VDC to get the firmer control for the faster point to point driving, but with the comfort mode when just driving around, with the flow. The 328i according to some test drives is more economic than a 335d - food for thought

BMW have moved the F30 on with such a ‘leap’ from the E90. I never seen such a transformation in any model change. The F10 5-series was a decent move forward, but the 3-series even more so.

Great car. Pics to follow together with further thoughts as the miles roll by and she is run in. I have found a replacement to the E39

[Feanor]

Nice review, thanks! Very thorough .

I'm a bit puzzled though about the full specs of your car, as they don't seem to be all mentioned in your signature. You mention the HK system, and you seem to be talking as though you've got adaptive suspension, judging by the way you report the suspension changing depending on sport/comfort/eco mode?

[kiforrest]

Yes I have adaptive suspension and Harmon Kardon

Full spec is:

BMW 320d Efficicent Dynamics
Mineral White Metallic
8 Speed sports automatic with paddles
Sports Steering Wheel & Seats
Adaptive M-Sport Suspension
Professional Media Pack
Full Black Panel Display
Voice Control System
Option 6NR Mobile Iphone -apps preparation
Telephone USB Audio Interface
Visibility Pack (Bi-Xenon Lights, Main Beam Assist, Directional Lights)
Extended Interior Light Pack
Harmon Kardon Logic 7 Surround Sound with 16 speakers
Rear Centre Armrest

I kept altering the spec as I waited for it . Over £35,000 by the time I had finished

Thanks

[Feanor]

Nice! I notice you don't seem to have the Comfort Pack, which includes the split folding rear seats option. I've read reports that without this the rear seats don't fold at all, which would seem very odd to me - is this true?

[PrinceBarin]

Originally Posted by Feanor

Nice! I notice you don't seem to have the Comfort Pack, which includes the split folding rear seats option. I've read reports that without this the rear seats don't fold at all, which would seem very odd to me - is this true?

That is true, folding seats are strictly optional.

[PrinceBarin]

Congratulations on the car kiforrest, that spec looks fantastic. Also, thanks for such a thorough review, it's great to hear the owner's opinion!

Looking forward to seeing pics.

[nexusonemeover]

Great review. Welcome back to BMW. Really wished that diesel would have been available in the US.

[Micleg]

Yes! Yes! Pictures of MW! Please, both in cloudy weather and sunny!

[kilmoremick]

I have outside my home a 2007 E90 320dse and the new 2012 f30se sitting side-by-side.

The E90 body shape in my opinion is superior to the F30.

But on the positive side, the internal finish/ layout and general performance is way ahead in the F30. Overall a very refined car!

[tr0tt3r]

Very nice read!
I have one question: How does the new engine compare with the 170hp vw engine in terms of power? Does it feel quicker (given the added torque)? Is it a step up, or would you have prefered more horsepower?

[kiforrest]

Originally Posted by tr0tt3r

Very nice read!
I have one question: How does the new engine compare with the 170hp vw engine in terms of power? Does it feel quicker (given the added torque)? Is it a step up, or would you have prefered more horsepower?

In Eco pro mode it felt the same as the VW. In sport it became clearer that torque and power were everywhere in the rev band and that the car was a LOT quicker than the VW. This car would show a clean pair of heels to any VW car with that engine. I would say it is a good second plus quicker to 60 and at least 5 or 6 seconds quicker to 100. The sports auto is also better than the DSG in picking the right ratio, it also has 8 to choose from, so wafting past slower traffic is a breeze. The extra torque is very noticeable

I have a 130i too which is not too far behind the e46 M3 I used to have so am not a stranger to decent performance

Low down you would have to work the 130i box to keep up with the F30 320d, higher up the rev range the 130i would be away, but with today's traffic and daft fuel prices you do not often get the chance

A truly epic engine to be honest, a great gearbox and a very well engineered car.

The twin power turbo eliminates the lag the DSG gearbox would expose in the VW.

Hope this helps.

[yerffejleahcim]

Congrats on the new car! Please post pics when able. Excited to see a MW.

[robbieracer]

Thanks for the very thorough review of the 320d, I can only hope we get a diesel in the US. My wife needs to replace her IS250 soon and we're holding out in hopes the F30 will get a diesel next year.
I enjoyed reading your input on cloth vs. leather seats and I couldn't agree more...

[f30 320d ED]

http://www.f30post.com/forums/images...s/needpics.gif

Please post pics as I have to wait till Thursday (12th April) before I get my ass in mine !

[kiforrest]

Originally Posted by nexusonemeover

Great review. Welcome back to BMW. Really wished that diesel would have been available in the US.

Wish I lived in the states as with your fuel prices I would be in a 328i

[kiforrest]

Originally Posted by f30 320d ED

http://www.f30post.com/forums/images...s/needpics.gif

Please post pics as I have to wait till Thursday (12th April) before I get my ass in mine !

Taken a few in poor lighting - I will post up soon

[f30 320d ED]

Originally Posted by kiforrest

Taken a few in poor lighting - I will post up soon

Post them now. understand the poor lighting but desperately want to see them now.
Do the 16" wheels look lost or do they fill the arches ok?

[tr0tt3r]

Thank you very much for the feedback. The thing is I have a vw passat tdi 170hp and it doesn't pull like I would like it to. And was wondering if the ede version pulls well, then the standard 184hp engine should suit me well.

[kiforrest]

Quick and poor pics as promised uploaded from the Iphone so cannot say what they look like (one outside a shop and another up a mate's drive)

[f30 320d ED]

Looks fab. Thanks for posting the pics. My sapphire black same model will be here Thursday 12/04. 2 days to go.......who hooooooooooo

[kiforrest]

Cool, had a 530d a couple of years ago in that colour. What spec?

Please post pics on arrival

[f30 320d ED]

Originally Posted by kiforrest

Cool, had a 530d a couple of years ago in that colour. What spec?

Please post pics on arrival

Efficient dynamics same as yours, hence the clamour for pics!
Fairly standard spec wise but in every way it seems a jump up from my 56 plate A4.
As long as it drives like they say and I can get the golf clubs in the boot then life will be good !