Quote:
Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim
Interesting thought. Ever since I got my R, I was kind of missing "that BMW feeling". So I had to bring my Mini for service, and the good dudes at Canbec, who know me as an unofficial frequent member despite not having any loyalty card to show for it (seeing how many times I've been there with my 335) kept me a "nice" F30 328i, sport edition (whatever that means these days). So I am driving that right now.
I am a little bit in shock.
Coming off my 335 with my ball-breaker suspension, sport seats and otherwise "fun" drive, I am a little bit surprised at how the 2013 feels lamer, and cheaper, than my elderly 2008. What's going on here, and is it just because it's a loaner? And why do I feel like my R is a "better" car? What's wrong here?
- the engine is punchy. like.
- the suspension is so soft I feel like I will float off the road. do not like. (but fine. one of my cars is on coilovers, another was on aftermarket suspension, and the R is a "sport" car so necessarily has a stiffer suspension). pass judgement.
- the interior has lost quality. the front seats are terrible. i feel like i am sitting on a flat dining chair, rather than a "sport" car (they do have the leg extension support - but even then, absolutely awful seating). the back support pretends to be a bucket with the side bolsters, but is nothing of the sort.
- the rear seats lost the little doors for baby seats. i used to give those massive amounts of respect, even though the little doors broke all the time, because i felt they put the extra effort in to make life easier for people with baby seats. even my mini has that. the R has that. the new F30? back to Honda Accord style seats, where you have to fish in the lining to find the metal bracket.
- the steering is soft and lifeless. but i have complained about that already in the past. i do NOT like the change to the electromechanical steering....
- the steering wheel is abysmal. it's plain, hard and thin. and has no shape. it's just a huge dried out bagel.
Am I spoiled? Am I being unreasonable? It's not like the price of the car went down to justify the perceivable decrease in quality. Has anyone else noticed this?
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i am not surprised that these are your thoughts on the 328.... dont forget that this car is for the masses. lots of older folks buy these cars and they want a comfortable daily commuter, not a 'sporty' car. i am guessing the older ladies would like the numb and soft electric power steering and probably equate it to 'luxury'. also the R and the cooper S are aimed at generally younger owners who like to drive spiritedly or even track the car so tuning is going to be quite different.
we'll see what they do with the upcoming M3/M4.... thats the car that will make or break BMW's reputation to the enthusiast. i lost faith in M division after they started to put engine noise through the car's radio speakers in the new M5. but then again, they did come up with the 1M recently, which has been highly praised by many (even though i havent driven one before). so we'll see.