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      01-11-2013, 02:29 PM   #177
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Look at the Road&Track 01/2013 page for their comments regarding the ATS 2.0T vs ATS 3.6 and how "the V6 transformed the car" [their words]. They also mentionned that they "vastly prefer" this engine [again, their words]

Same feeling when I drove recently a 328i 2.0T and a 128i I6 2013. I have been driving the 128i for a few days and it feels in a totally different league than a N20, although it is a bit slower.

The 335i F30 fares better.
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      01-11-2013, 02:47 PM   #178
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen View Post
At the Tr-State gatherings I went to, it was comic how many E90/92 335i AUTOMATICS had M stripes and M badges along with tons of carbon fiber and 30lb wheels.

That's not exactly an appealing direction either.
Whats wrong with that? Carbon fiber is used heavily in race cars and the only transmission you can get in a Ferrari is automatic.
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      01-11-2013, 02:49 PM   #179
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Originally Posted by gsxtcy View Post
Well to play devil's advocate a car company will go where the money is. People buy sport sedans, not many people buy NSXs or other two seat sports cars at the same rate. I don't like it either, and I'm sure you all know that, but had to talk realism.
Yup. Not many people outside of this forum are interested in MT, firm suspension and firm steering.
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      01-13-2013, 03:19 PM   #180
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Originally Posted by DrivenByE30 View Post
OP, save your money, keep your current car, no need to switch over if you dont need to.

I would wait for the M2 to come out

Your patience will pay off.

Unless you have money to spare, why not, but otherwise, the F30 is just another good car from BMW.

Ha! Your ED thread is what makes me want to lease a new car. I have even looked at the S4, I want the experience...of ED. I was hoping the f30 and ED would go hand in hand in the perfect experience, but I love my e90.
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      05-10-2013, 08:48 AM   #181
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Get yourself into a 335i Msport with the 19" staggered setup and tell me about the steering. There may be a little more body roll on the F30 but this car can handle and it has good feel. I would not call it light at all. I drove the previous 3 and I prefer the F30. I know it's tough for people to accept a new version of the 3 and will come up with all sorts of excuses to hate the car. but if you look at the total package you will see that the F30 is a good proposition. If you want the all-out sport car version then get the M

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      05-10-2013, 10:32 AM   #182
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Originally Posted by 335BBS View Post
Whats wrong with that? Carbon fiber is used heavily in race cars and the only transmission you can get in a Ferrari is automatic.
The carbon fiber on race cars is functional, because its largely structural. The carbon bits on these road going BMWs provide 0 performance benefit.
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      05-10-2013, 10:37 AM   #183
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Originally Posted by KevRyd View Post
Get yourself into a 335i Msport with the 19" staggered setup and tell me about the steering. There may be a little more body roll on the F30 but this car can handle and it has good feel. I would not call it light at all. I drove the previous 3 and I prefer the F30. I know it's tough for people to accept a new version of the 3 and will come up with all sorts of excuses to hate the car. but if you look at the total package you will see that the F30 is a good proposition. If you want the all-out sport car version then get the M

Kevin
Meh, I don't think the F30 M-sports have nimble steering, It's accurate, surely, but it's not transparent. There's nothing there, so to speak. You just point and it goes, you have to trust that the car will be able to do what you ask, because you can't feel a damned thing though the steering wheel.


I much prefer the E92's steering feel but, that is not to say that it provides ton's more feedback. It doesn't. The E92's steering feel is dominated by it's weighty, tight character, with a few trimmings of feedback when at or near the limit. I feel more of what's happening at the contact patch through my seat than I do through my hands, honestly. The older BMWs were much better than the E9xs, in this regard.


Having said that, I'm sticking with the E9x BMWs for the forseable future. I just prefer almost everything about them. The interior is of higher quality (something that does not reflect well upon the F30s, because the E9xs interiors aren't that great), the build is better, I think the DESIGN is better, the exterior is more attractive, and the cars drive better. Hopefully, I can pick up a 2011+ M3 in the next year. That would be sublime.
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      05-15-2013, 07:07 PM   #184
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OK so here is my experience so far. I own both a E90 and F30. I drive the E90 and I bought the F30 for my wife. The F30 is the Sport edition which I recommend. It come with the turbo and it make all the difference when your feeling zippy. Otherwise it lends itself to modest driving. Comes with run flats of course so the drive is firm. It does sit on the M chassis from what I was told. A definite head turner. My E90 is more plain. Took 5 minutes to get adjusted to my liking. The F30 has more options than I know what to do with and has taken some time to learn all the tricks. As a plus there is driver memory feature. So when I get in I select my profile by name. Not just seat memory but everything from my phone to the radio stations change. OK I did get her the mobile office option. The big plus is that it stands apart in traffic, because of the new body. I think the only real down side is the head rest only have two positions. Forward against the top of your head or back and to far to enjoy. I wish I could pull the ones out of my old 528 and put them in. All I can say about the E90 is it stands the test of time. All the things that we have grown to love about BMW and continue to be the bench mark for all other manufactures to mimic.
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      05-15-2013, 07:10 PM   #185
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Well, the f30 that I priced came out to $52,000 and that was without Nav or Tech package. I don't think so for a small 4 door sedan.
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      05-15-2013, 07:52 PM   #186
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My neighbor across the street just leased a 328 f30. I cannot stop looking at that ugly front end...
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      05-15-2013, 10:42 PM   #187
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Soft ride, very ugly beak, and that start/stop feature made me keep my E90. I plan on getting a Ford F150 FX2 pickup.
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      05-16-2013, 04:57 AM   #188
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I went to the c class over the f30. It didn't really wow me. The e90 was too plain and needed more too it, but the f30 seemed to be worse. Plus its not a car I can just be happy with the lower models, and it gets expensive with the packages.
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      05-16-2013, 09:50 AM   #189
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I really like the look of the outside of the F30. Everybody moan and groans about the beak. I find it to be brilliant. The E90 has never really impressed me with its exterior, it is a bit blend. The F30 has a strong presence, it is muscular, yet refined.

On the inside, the F30 disappoint big time. Lots of cheap plastic visible, doesn't look very good (although I do like the toaster screen that many revile), the center console is a disgrace. I have heard that assembly quality for the interior is not the best, and creaks are common. Also what is it with the limited choice of interior colors with the lines ?

I did try the 328i, the new engine is very good, makes really wonder if the 335 is necessary in fact. The steering is light and numb, as everybody complained about. It is not very bad, but it is not good anymore. Even in sport+ mode

Full package I prefer the e90. Sad to say, because I wanted to upgrade, and I think I'll just stick to what I have a tad longer. Also, it doesn't help that the price has inflated to insanity, and they have outpriced themselves out of my comfort zone. The F31 I like is $52k msrp, and it doesn't even have the -fancy options- like nav, cameras, lane departure and other disposable stuff.
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      07-07-2013, 04:13 PM   #190
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Meeni View Post
I really like the look of the outside of the F30. Everybody moan and groans about the beak. I find it to be brilliant. The E90 has never really impressed me with its exterior, it is a bit blend. The F30 has a strong presence, it is muscular, yet refined.

On the inside, the F30 disappoint big time. Lots of cheap plastic visible, doesn't look very good (although I do like the toaster screen that many revile), the center console is a disgrace. I have heard that assembly quality for the interior is not the best, and creaks are common. Also what is it with the limited choice of interior colors with the lines ?

I did try the 328i, the new engine is very good, makes really wonder if the 335 is necessary in fact. The steering is light and numb, as everybody complained about. It is not very bad, but it is not good anymore. Even in sport+ mode

Full package I prefer the e90. Sad to say, because I wanted to upgrade, and I think I'll just stick to what I have a tad longer. Also, it doesn't help that the price has inflated to insanity, and they have outpriced themselves out of my comfort zone. The F31 I like is $52k msrp, and it doesn't even have the -fancy options- like nav, cameras, lane departure and other disposable stuff.


I test drove the F30 335i m sport about three weeks ago, the acceleration is mind boggling. As you have said the interior is full of cheap plastic and the steering wheel feels like it has come from a cheaper car. After the test drive and walking away from the vehicle I turned and looked at the rear and could not help thinking it does not look right and at £38,000 you have to feel right. I will be sticking with my E90, at least for now.
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      09-06-2013, 02:27 PM   #191
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I recently drove the F30 328i Sport Line for a week and despite all the negativity surrounding it, I came away quite impressed. It took me longer to warm up to the E46 > E90 transition than it did for the E90 > F30.

Things I liked:

Interior - I didn't find the materials cheap in the least. If anything it is on par with the E90 and E46. I really like some of the design elements (accents around the climate control, brushed alum trim). I love the sport seats on the E90 and I felt they were a step up from the E46, but the F30 sport seats are amazing. Best seats in a non M 3 series IMO.

Handling - The car feels a bit lighter than my E90 and has a faster steering ratio. The steering feels pretty lifeless even in sport plus, although the weighting was decent. When I got my E90 back from the dealer I was reminded again how much better the hydraulic steering is. At the end of the day though, I don't think the steering is a deal breaker and there is always hope as a simple software update can change the feel completely. Other than steering I found the car to handle really well. I wouldn't mistake it for anything other than a 3er. Also I was expecting more body roll after reading other reviews but I can say for a fact that my sport pack E46 rolled more in tight corners. In Sport + I found very little body roll.

Engine - Doesn't sound the greatest, but man does it pull for a 2.0L 4 banger. It's also very efficient and runs much cooler than my N54. The ASS is a little rough, ok... it's just rough . I left it on in the loaner but if it was my car I would want that feature to be programmed off.

Overall I think this will be a good upgrade from my E90 down the line. I'm sure I would like the car even more with a manual trans. I got in this car expecting to be disappointed but I wasn't in the least.

Last edited by kunal_d; 09-06-2013 at 03:46 PM..
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      09-06-2013, 03:22 PM   #192
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Only way I would buy an F30 is if were an M3
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      09-06-2013, 05:58 PM   #193
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kunal_d View Post
I recently drove the F30 328i Sport Line for a week and despite all the negativity surrounding it, I came away quite impressed. It took me longer to warm up to the E46 > E90 transition than it did for the E90 > F30.

Things I liked:

Interior - I didn't find the materials cheap in the least. If anything it is on par with the E90 and E46. I really like some of the design elements (accents around the climate control, brushed alum trim). I love the sport seats on the E90 and I felt they were a step up from the E46, but the F30 sport seats are amazing. Best seats in a non M 3 series IMO.

Handling - The car feels a bit lighter than my E90 and has a faster steering ratio. The steering feels pretty lifeless even in sport plus, although the weighting was decent. When I got my E90 back from the dealer I was reminded again how much better the hydraulic steering is. At the end of the day though, I don't think the steering is a deal breaker and there is always hope as a simple software update can change the feel completely. Other than steering I found the car to handle really well. I wouldn't mistake it for anything other than a 3er. Also I was expecting more body roll after reading other reviews but I can say for a fact that my sport pack E46 rolled more in tight corners. In Sport + I found very little body roll.

Engine - Doesn't sound the greatest, but man does it pull for a 2.0L 4 banger. It's also very efficient and runs much cooler than my N54. The ASS is a little rough, ok... it's just rough . I left it on in the loaner but if it was my car I would want that feature to be programmed off.

Overall I think this will be a good upgrade from my E90 down the line. I'm sure I would like the car even more with a manual trans. I got in this car expecting to be disappointed but I wasn't in the least.
Do you have a sport model e90?
I drive a combination of f30 328i sedans for a little more than a month.
I came back with a completely different opinion.
I have a e90 with the sport package.

The steering on the f30 only felt decent when in sport mode and even then my e90 felt better.

The engine while okay, needs to be flogged a bit to get it to perform. It always felt to be working real hard and was real noisy compared to my e90. Now granted my e90 is a six and the 328 is a four.

I did not like the interior. The sport seats are real good and didn't feel any better than the sport seats from my e36 M3 or my e90. The interior was felt cheap to me. The map pockets stick out into the leg area and the center console sits to high.

Definitely not my next upgrade....
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      09-06-2013, 06:57 PM   #194
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      09-06-2013, 07:06 PM   #195
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e90 328 < f30 328
e90 335 > f30 335
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      09-06-2013, 07:14 PM   #196
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335BBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen View Post
At the Tr-State gatherings I went to, it was comic how many E90/92 335i AUTOMATICS had M stripes and M badges along with tons of carbon fiber and 30lb wheels.

That's not exactly an appealing direction either.
Whats wrong with that? Carbon fiber is used heavily in race cars and the only transmission you can get in a Ferrari is automatic.
Ferraris offer manuals. In fact there are only 3 manual Ferrari California's in the world so that's going to be a huge investment for those owners in the future.
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      09-06-2013, 08:47 PM   #197
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I'll chime in here. So just to validate what I'm about to say; I'm an old dude and have owned an E30 since it was new for 18 years and my E90 for 7. My wife has a 17 year old Z3 1.9L (we bought it new). I've driven every 3 Series starting with the E21 and I've driven a 2002 a few times. Just on my E90 and E30 alone I've got a combined mileage of over 480,000 miles driven.

In the past three weeks I've had a F30 335i (non-sport package) automatic that I put 1,000 miles on and had it for my daily commute. This week since Wednesday, I've had a Cadillac ATS 2.0T automatic (I think it is the Performance trim) as a loaner that I've put about 560 miles on so far. The ATS by far is the better driving car between the F30 and the ATS. The F30 is of course faster and gets really good gas mileage, but it drives like a turd. The brakes have no BMW DNA, and the steering was outsourced to Toyota, who must have just used the rack from a 2004 Camry.

Further, being so disappointed with the 335i, I test drove a 320i sport package with a manual transmission (the way I'd get an F30) and it had no steering feel, was highly imprecise, and the brakes sucked, and it had no power. The ATS and the 320i are similarly priced; the Caddy is the far superior driving car IMO. The CUE system in the Caddy distracts from the car so I would get one without it. I-drive doesn't do much for me either but is better to operate.
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      09-06-2013, 08:55 PM   #198
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Doubtless I've already replied to this. But I still hate it. It looks ALRIGHT in msport with all m performance accessories, though.
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