[Hayek]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

And is the 328i available only in Sportline? I think I saw a 328i TD car in my office last month and it was a luxury variant.

Would like to hear more on this.

The 328i test drive car that Inifnity Motors, Bombay has is a luxury line, but that was a CBU import sent to dealers. They have not launched it (yet?)

[dkaile]

Here's the feature list of the different variants -



BMW_3_Series_F30_2012.pdf

[elantracrdi05]

Thanks guys for a great review.

Akshay1234's comparo was spot-on! Being an owner of the E90, there were a few things I was actually happy to read - specifically, the omissions and the pricing . I guess it's but natural to try and vindicate a decision made in the past. Having said that, as I have said on other threads, I believe that if nothing else, my car's resale values will maintain much better given the current crop's prices.

Again, glad that I didn't wait, maybe the next one is going to be the '2016 all new car!'

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by karan561

I agree to the point where the car feels bouncy , have experienced it & very annoying ( sometimes risky )

Any alterations in tyre pressure can help overcome this by any chance ?

Don't think the tyre pressure can help here. In the 320D we lowered the tyre pressure to 30 and it was still bouncing around. Think its more irritating than unsafe.

Originally Posted by Sahil

Sport seats: Although they are called 'sport' they seem to be more comfortable than the regular seats offered in the luxury trim. BMW should give comfort seats or atleast the sport seats in the Luxury line too to have the features such as under-tigh adjustable support which are a boon on long drives.

Those seats are far more comfortable, which is why in the middle models I would take Sport over Luxury just for the seats. They should be an option, but this is something BMW should realize. Only now are they offering these seats on the 5, that too only on the 530D.

Originally Posted by dkaile

Also I read somewhere on this forum that some Tbhpian got to see a corporate edition of this new model or was he confusing it with the old one? Also the price of both the base and mid diesel variants has been listed as 31.5L. Is that correct or is a correction required?

The so called corporate edition is the base 320d, which is missing xenons etc. I don't think any F30 in the world comes without idrive so I doubt there will be a lower model. In that case they will have to do some India specific mods.

Originally Posted by saketa

Fantastic Review! But Diesel engines aside, would you guys say that among the petrol luxury compact saloons, the A4 is a clear winner? Or not by much? (As compared to the C200, Old 320i)

A4? Which one? The 1.8? The 328 demolishes it.

Originally Posted by Hayek

I think the mechanical hand brake which omits an auto hold function is a big miss compared to the C 250 CDI - it forces you to keep the brake pressed at signals, which can get a bit painful.

Definitely one feature which was missed, it would have helped quite a bit.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Does this system actually switch the engine off the minute the car comes to a halt? If I remember, in the Passat it was after 3-4 seconds of coming to a halt. Incase you need to come to a halt and then start after 3-4 secs if it switches off and on, I'm sure it will be pointless.

For example you come to an intersection, stop to see any car coming from both sides for a few seconds. To switch off and on is a waste.

Lol it does go off the moment you stop. It certainly gives other people the advantage when you have to try and get into some gap.

[saketa]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

A4? Which one? The 1.8? The 328 demolishes it.

My apologies. I meant to qualify that statement with "within 30-31L OTR Delhi"


Does the base version come with the standard LED rings and Halogen headlamps or is it missing the Xenons as well as projectors/LED rings?

Note from Team-bhp support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread! Also, do not quote an entire post, it inconveniences our small screen and mobile users.

[Jaggu]

Superb review! Really enjoyed it and went line by line, as i have said earlier this is one of my dream cars and make that an M, same initials as mine

I try to recommend people who love to drive and run behind bigger sedans to first try the 3. Its just right! the right size, the power and the handling to die for. Need to try the new 3 to see how much the ride has changed from the previous gen. I was driving a friends E 90 the whole of last week and its such a seductive car. Today morning the swift felt like a video game steering, after driving the 3!! The addition of the gizmo's is definitely going to help the sales figures, since i know of few people who went for the 5 coz the previous gen 3 lacked this and that.

Run flats are the only negative if you ask me, cost was 90k ish for the 4 tyre plus alignment and balancing at cochin!! They lasted 40k without an issue, which according to the owner was deciding factor to get the Bridgestone RFT again.

Rating 5!

Originally Posted by saketa

Does the base version come with the standard LED rings and Halogen headlamps or is it missing the Xenons as well as projectors/LED rings?

Should have the rings, the previous gen had in the base version also.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by saketa

My apologies. I meant to qualify that statement with "within 30-31L OTR Delhi"

There is no 3 then petrol at that price. In that case the A4 1.8 with the updated engine with 170bhp and 320nm is great.

Originally Posted by saketa

Does the base version come with the standard LED rings and Halogen headlamps or is it missing the Xenons as well as projectors/LED rings?

No LED rings and halogen headlamps.

[Omtoatom]

Absolutely fantabulous review Moralfibre. Meticulous, incisive, thorough, provocative.

Read it like thrice already. You've managed to elevate my 'object of desire' to an even higher aspirational pedestal! We're closely looking at the 3 and this might just effectively seal the deal in favor of the Bimmer. That the ZF8 gearbox is right up there with the DSGs is an immense compliment to both technologies.

Akshay: great comparo, thanks. Your E90 looks impeccable as usual man. That picture with the two side-by-side is simply awesome! Personally I still prefer the front of the E90 to that of the F30 but that's for another day. Right now let's just enjoy these beauties. Will be PMing you as we come closer and closer to D-day.

Rating a very well-deserved 5 stars!

[Racer_X]

Very well written first review Kiran! Read it line by line.

Taken a print for my dad. Will coax him to go for a test drive this weekend

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Would like to hear more on this.

Brake drying: Has been around in BMWs for more than 5 years now. When the roads are wet, water gets on the brake discs and pads - reducing friction / braking efficiency. When the car senses these conditions, it constantly applies the brakes very lightly - so that the pads are just barely in contact with the disc. This keeps them both dry, and improves braking when its required.

Fading compensation: Hard braking = heated brake pads & system = lower braking abilities. The car senses this (probably via a thermal sensor in the brake system?) and compensates by boosting brake pressure slightly for the same level of brake application (to somewhat negate the faded brakes).

These modern cars are pretty smart. Some even start to apply the brakes slightly if you lift off the accelerator very suddenly.

cya
R

[scooby05]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Brake drying: Has been around in BMWs for more than 5 years now. When the roads are wet, water gets on the brake discs and pads - reducing friction / braking efficiency. When the car senses these conditions, it constantly applies the brakes very lightly - so that the pads are just barely in contact with the disc. This keeps them both dry, and improves braking when its required.

Fading compensation: Hard braking = heated brake pads & system = lower braking abilities. The car senses this (probably via a thermal sensor in the brake system?) and compensates by boosting brake pressure slightly for the same level of brake application (to somewhat negate the faded brakes).

These modern cars are pretty smart. Some even start to apply the brakes slightly if you lift off the accelerator very suddenly.

cya
R

Yes True. But, my friend bought the new 328i 3 weeks back and the ABS lights have come on! with 800kms on board. So these over engineered cars do have a hell of a downside to it. Its not the question of the dealership rectifying the errors under warranty.
At the drop of the hat, these show, "so and so problem- go straight to the garage!" in RED. Just today my S showed the sign, "DO NOT SHIFT GEARS-GO TO THE GARAGE" IN RED. And This could be bad news, could be anything wrong. Its a spend spend and spend on these European Beauties, more than on a woman!

[nirav]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Start stop: I don't get why every manufacturer is jumping on this bandwagon, its an annoying feature ! The only time I experience it the most is when I am passenger in my friend's CayanneD and it makes me want to tear my hair even though I am not driving. Moreover from my limited techincal knowledge on engines I do know that frequent startups to the engine will only make the car drink a lot more engine oil besides having effects on the engine mounts and turbo charger(sudden shut off). Hence is there really a saving here ? The gas saving will be far less than the maintenance cost that will increase over the long run.

Completely agree on this, had rented a Cayenne D in London this summer, and that start-stop feature was singularly THE most annoying thing about the car. I wondered the same thing as Sahil on this, as the feature totally shut off the engine and in central Londons bumper-to-bumper traffic it would happen way too frequently to not cause any harm. Needs more research and development, methinks.

[Tats07]

Thanks for the great review!! I was waiting for this eagerly.

Have read some reviews at other forums such as bimmerpost and bimmerforums. Seems that the west is going crazy over the 328i. Everyone seems to be buying the 328i there, the 320d's have fallen out of favour, largely due to the turbocharged 4 cyl petrol! Wonder why BMW did not bump up the power for the newer 20d.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by nirav

Completely agree on this, had rented a Cayenne D in London this summer, and that start-stop feature was singularly THE most annoying thing about the car. I wondered the same thing as Sahil on this, as the feature totally shut off the engine and in central Londons bumper-to-bumper traffic it would happen way too frequently to not cause any harm. Needs more research and development, methinks.

Well, you do have the option of turning it off altogether in the BMW - when traffic is of the stop-go kind. And then turning it back on when traffic is relatively light and the only time you'd stop is at a traffic-signal.

[ajmat]

An excellent review

Although everyone is raving about the 3, I am a bit disappointed by the styling, it has become very derivative. I have not seen any new 3's in town, am not sure whether I have mistaken them for 5's. Some folks might beat me up for being a mod yet not able to spot what is what! Sorry, I concentrate on the road too hard!

I have not driven this car but have driven the latest 5 and an E90. EPS does rob it of feel, I can vouch for that in the Jetta also.

The 328 sport looks hot but the 320d wheels makes the overall styling look staid. As for the spare wheel, it is a bummer. Having busted a wheel rim on a forest road between Hubli and Goa, I know that a run flat would have be of no use.

There is no doubting that it is a competent car and I would buy one if I had the dosh but I would have liked it to be provokingly styled. I like the Bangle 7 and the E90 5 since they visually challenged you. The E36 also signified a different styling path for BMW.

EPS, stop-start - these are really methods to reduce emission ratings, they dont really work for us on a day to day basis. Since cars are taxed abroad on this basis, manufacturers are forced to follow this path.

The derivative evolution disappoints. Audi have gone this way, Mercedes (based on the protoypes) are also following that path.

Designers, step away from the phtocopier, get a blood transfusion from Mr Bangle and challenge us!