[gunsho]

Originally Posted by viva

Thanks Lombo,
"vRS"??

Skoda vRS.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

[imp!]

As Lambo has suggested, a new VRS is a good buy. Additionally, you could consider a newer pre-owned 320D/520D for the next couple of years and keep an eye out for the new 330i to come up on re-sale. Over all that may be a better experience than buying an older 328i.

[viva]

Originally Posted by imp!

As Lambo has suggested, a new VRS is a good buy. Additionally, you could consider a newer pre-owned 320D/520D for the next couple of years and keep an eye out for the new 330i to come up on re-sale. Over all that may be a better experience than buying an older 328i.

Good idea!, Imp!
I am now inclined to find 2012 320d in sport trim!
Change from 2008 e90 320d hi line will be rewarding, I guess.
Lambo,
Thanks for suggesting Skoda vRS. But, I am deeply into BMWs. Having used 535 in US and 330d in India.
Comments invited from Bhpians.
viva

[imp!]

Originally Posted by viva

Thanks for suggesting Skoda vRS. But, I am deeply into BMWs. Having used 535 in US and 330d in India.
Comments invited from Bhpians.
viva

I think you meant the 320D. I don't think any 330Ds have ever been sold in India. Don't discount the Octavia VRS until you've driven it. It may be a huge upgrade from the 2008 320D

[viva]

Yes. I meant 320d. Sorry for typo.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by viva

Good idea!, Imp!
I am now inclined to find 2012 320d in sport trim!
Change from 2008 e90 320d hi line will be rewarding, I guess.
Lambo,
Thanks for suggesting Skoda vRS. But, I am deeply into BMWs. Having used 535 in US and 330d in India.
Comments invited from Bhpians.
viva

Fair enough buddy, just stating my thoughts as someone who had the E60 525D till May this year, and regret selling it till date.
The 328i was also picked up pre-owned last month because it's a fun fun car.

However, before I spotted the 328i, the only other car I could find that offered similar driving pleasure was the Octy vRS thanks to the gem of an engine and well tuned suspension. The other options were either diesels (which you're open to) or very old (pre-2010).

Mechanically the 328i and the 330i aren't significantly different. If you're keen to get the 320D F30 over the E90, keep in mind that the F30 is a lot more softer and just isn't as involving to drive as the E90. Esp the 2012 year models - they're a lot better for indian roads but no where close to as planted as the E90 on a smooth expressway, or around corners. Same for the steering feel as well - it's lighter but a little numb.

Right now I am trying to get the dynamic / after market suspension installed on the 328i to sort out this issue.

The FL 320D has a better suspension set up though so keep an eye out for one of those - in fact you should get a newer model 320D as compared to the 328i for a similar price. The later the year, the more the features as well (initial lot of 320D's didn't come with a sunroof except in the 328i and Luxury Line plus, became standard equipment later on).

Also, just a thought - I've seen a couple of 2012 530D's on sale too with less than 30-35K on the odo with an attractive asking price. No harm checking those out too. Plus it'll be a good upgrade from the E90 320D in terms of performance, and size (the suspension on the pre-LCI F10 5 series is very well tuned as well).

In a nutshell - the 2012-2016 F30 isn't going to be as involving to drive as the E90 3 series though arguably a better all rounder. If you're open to diesels consider a pre-owned 530D/525D (the one with the 6 cylinder engine available in 2011-12). Otherwise spend that effort in finding a good 320i / 328i / 330i for a real upgrade in terms of performance from the 320D.

[viva]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Fair enough buddy, just stating my thoughts as someone who had the E60 525D till May this year, and regret selling it till date.
The 328i was also picked up pre-owned last month because it's a fun fun car...

..In a nutshell - the 2012-2016 F30 isn't going to be as involving to drive as the E90 3 series though arguably a better all rounder. If you're open to diesels consider a pre-owned 530D/525D (the one with the 6 cylinder engine available in 2011-12). Otherwise spend that effort in finding a good 320i / 328i / 330i for a real upgrade in terms of performance from the 320D.

Many thanks, Lombo,
Your post is really very helpful. I have driven e90 320d for long and enjoyed very planted drive an steering feel.
Is suspension of F30 (pre-LCI) 320D SPORT EDITION tuned like E90? I love planted high speed drive of E90!
I guess, FL 320d means, "E46 320D FL". Right, Lombo? E46 is good but difficult to find one.
My budget is 20L max. So, keep searching within budget.
Thanks once again.
VJ

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by viva

Many thanks, Lombo,
Your post is really very helpful. I have driven e90 320d for long and enjoyed very planted drive an steering feel.
Is suspension of F30 (pre-LCI) 320D SPORT EDITION tuned like E90? I love planted high speed drive of E90!
I guess, FL 320d means, "E46 320D FL". Right, Lombo? E46 is good but difficult to find one.
My budget is 20L max. So, keep searching within budget.
Thanks once again.
VJ

If you read the official review on the first page of this thread it will answer your questions on the F30, as well as the E90 vs the F30. FL 320d means facelift a.k.a F30 LCI (facelift).

[viva]

Hello Bhpians,
Is suspension of 2012 F30 320D Sport edition as stiff as 320d E90 HiLine? I am using 2008 E90 and love it's feel on highway and cornering.
Thanking all in anticipation of quick response.
Happy New Year!
viva

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by viva

Hello Bhpians,
Is suspension of 2012 F30 320D Sport edition as stiff as 320d E90 HiLine? I am using 2008 E90 and love it's feel on highway and cornering.
Thanking all in anticipation of quick response.
Happy New Year!
viva

Not at all. Infact it's quite bouncy in the rear and doesn't inspire confidence in corners with bad road surface or undulations.

[SUPERSPORT]

Since there's no official thread for the X1 posting my query here. My one year old x1(nov 2016) with just 4100kms on the odo had a tyre burst few days back. Hit a pothole @ around 80kmph, heard a loud bang and TPMS warning came up soon. Used the space saver to return home and fortunately the alloy isn't damaged. This is the first time I'm having a tyre burst. Learnt the lesson hard way.

I had my share of concerns about these very low profile RFTs with thin side walls during delivery itself and had tried to swap them but finally decided against it due to unavailability and I didn't want to gamble on my first bimmer. Living with RFTs for an year made me realise they aren't suitable for our road conditions. 225/50 R18 is a low profile spec with very less stiff RFT rubber to absorb impact and that means on broken roads were normal cars can easily pass @ 40kmph, I had to slow down to below 20kmph to feel comfortable. They ride fine on good roads though. I also feel these RFTs are getting stiffer as it ages.

So a word of caution to new 3GT as well as X1 owners- if your car has 18 inch wheels with RFT it's better to swap them to Tubeless on delivery unless you plan to drive at very high speeds on the express way. Seems like my present RFTs will fetch nothing and no shop is ready to take them back. Add to that high road noise and stiff ride on broken roads.

BMW quoted 35k for a new RFT and at that price I don't want to buy another one of these and suffer for the rest of my cars life. Thinking of upsizing to 235/50 R18 tubeless(same size as GLA) as that will give some more sidewall as well as width. Clearances are tight in the wheel well for the new X1 so I have my doubts about that too. Then comes the availability trouble. All over Cochin the only tyre available in this size is Yokohama C drive 2(AC02). Is this a good option? I haven't used Yokohamas so don't know how they are in Indian driving conditions. It would be very helpful if someone could guide me on the performance of these tyres.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by SUPERSPORT

Since there's no official thread for the X1 posting my query here. My one year old x1(nov 2016) with just 4100kms on the odo had a tyre burst few days back. Hit a pothole @ around 80kmph, heard a loud bang and TPMS warning came up soon. Used the space saver to return home and fortunately the alloy isn't damaged. This is the first time I'm having a tyre burst. Learnt the lesson hard way.

I am guessing it was Bridgestone? I see a lot of tyre shred cases every time I visit the service centre. I moved from RFT to tubeless (X3) for improved ride. Ironically I suffered a blow out on the new tubeless tyre! In my case, I suspect the air leaked out from the valve causing the tyre to burst. I replaced it with another tubeless tyre. The ride is simply outstanding when compared to RFT. There is no doubt that RFTs are safer when it comes to high speeds, but in my opinion it's a poor trade off when it comes to ride quality and luxury feel.

In case you switch to tubeless, I would recommend maintaining about 3 or 4 PSI higher than company recommended pressure for the RFT.

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I am guessing it was Bridgestone? I see a lot of tyre shred cases every time I visit the service centre. I moved from RFT to tubeless (X3) for improved ride. Ironically I suffered a blow out on the new tubeless tyre! In my case, I suspect the air leaked out from the valve causing the tyre to burst. I replaced it with another tubeless tyre. The ride is simply outstanding when compared to RFT. There is no doubt that RFTs are safer when it comes to high speeds, but in my opinion it's a poor trade off when it comes to ride quality and luxury feel.

In case you switch to tubeless, I would recommend maintaining about 3 or 4 PSI higher than company recommended pressure for the RFT.

Will it not void warranty if you change to tubeless? I am planning to move to tubeless soon on my 3, but hesitant as I recently bought extended warranty by paying a bomb!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by shivasuma

Will it not void warranty if you change to tubeless? I am planning to move to tubeless soon on my 3, but hesitant as I recently bought extended warranty by paying a bomb!

I have extended warranty too. At the most they may possibly deny suspension related warranty. For other stuff I don't think they will be stupid enough to point to the tyres.

[SUPERSPORT]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I am guessing it was Bridgestone? I see a lot of tyre shred cases every time I visit the service centre. I moved from RFT to tubeless (X3) for improved ride. Ironically I suffered a blow out on the new tubeless tyre! In my case, I suspect the air leaked out from the valve causing the tyre to burst. I replaced it with another tubeless tyre. The ride is simply outstanding when compared to RFT. There is no doubt that RFTs are safer when it comes to high speeds, but in my opinion it's a poor trade off when it comes to ride quality and luxury feel.

In case you switch to tubeless, I would recommend maintaining about 3 or 4 PSI higher than company recommended pressure for the RFT.

Sorry I forgot to mention the tyre name- it's Pirelli Cinturato P7 RFTs. I also read somewhere changing RFTs is a tough job and might scratch the rims! Is it so? As of now in Cochin the only tubeless available in this size is Yokohama C drive 2. And I'm yet to receive a concrete opinion about them. Can't find adequate reviews on the web either. Went through your thread & I guess the culprit should be valves itself. My trusted tyre shop changes valves every time I go for a tyre change.

It's startling to see that tyre availability in a city like Cochin is difficult even where there are so many modded rides running around. I don't know what to do next. In case anyone has used Yoko C drive 2 recently, please let me know how they perform. Thanks in advance.