Today marks one month since I purchased this car: A gold over cream 2015 328i, base model I presume, 27,000 miles, with 245hp turbo four, 17" wheels and Continental run-flats, more gadgetry than I can count, and astonishing power combined with great efficiency.
I had been searching for a newer, turbo Regal; but ones with light-colored interiors were very thin on the ground here. So I looked at the local BMW dealer, and spotted a gold one, CPO (and, it turns out, with 3 months' factory warranty left). My research and my independent mechanic each gave positive info, and my insurance company quoted something reasonable -- for Lousyana, anyway. I expected the run-flats to ride hard, but for some reason they didn't and at 34 psi still don't. Yes, it needs premium fuel, but I am seeing 25-27 mpg in 70% city driving, and even a little highway time brings the average up. I don't think I've ever seen numbers like these, not even on the Regal with its N/A four.
But you don't buy a car like this for mileage. The car is quick and powerful, yet smooth when I need it to be.
Things I dislike: The orange instrument lighting (but I like that the odometer, trip meter, and clock all turn white with enough daylight coming in). The headlights seem a little weak; going to try new bulbs. The fact I have to turn off the Auto-Stop-Start each time I put on the EcoPro economy mode, though the feature remembers the last setting. So many gadgets I have to sit in the car burning battery power or gas as I learn them.
Things I love: The cold A/C. That effortless "Sure, Boss, let's go!" speed without downshifting if I need to accelerate in a hurry or go up an incline. The leap it seems to give when I click into Sport mode, and the watchdog growl when I pull away from a light in that mode. The fact that it looks like a basic upper-middle-class cruiser but has a starship engine under the hood. (Sure, I'm exaggerating for effect. Don't you do that when you first buy a newer car?)
The dealer has found a mysterious rattle in the cabin that turned out to be a lipstick rolling around in an air vent, and has corrected a faulty rear light socket. After the warranty expires, I'll visit my independent for most things, starting with an oil change and some filters at 30K miles, about four months away, and then we'll go from there.
Now I begin to understand why people love these cars. . . .
I had been searching for a newer, turbo Regal; but ones with light-colored interiors were very thin on the ground here. So I looked at the local BMW dealer, and spotted a gold one, CPO (and, it turns out, with 3 months' factory warranty left). My research and my independent mechanic each gave positive info, and my insurance company quoted something reasonable -- for Lousyana, anyway. I expected the run-flats to ride hard, but for some reason they didn't and at 34 psi still don't. Yes, it needs premium fuel, but I am seeing 25-27 mpg in 70% city driving, and even a little highway time brings the average up. I don't think I've ever seen numbers like these, not even on the Regal with its N/A four.
But you don't buy a car like this for mileage. The car is quick and powerful, yet smooth when I need it to be.
Things I dislike: The orange instrument lighting (but I like that the odometer, trip meter, and clock all turn white with enough daylight coming in). The headlights seem a little weak; going to try new bulbs. The fact I have to turn off the Auto-Stop-Start each time I put on the EcoPro economy mode, though the feature remembers the last setting. So many gadgets I have to sit in the car burning battery power or gas as I learn them.
Things I love: The cold A/C. That effortless "Sure, Boss, let's go!" speed without downshifting if I need to accelerate in a hurry or go up an incline. The leap it seems to give when I click into Sport mode, and the watchdog growl when I pull away from a light in that mode. The fact that it looks like a basic upper-middle-class cruiser but has a starship engine under the hood. (Sure, I'm exaggerating for effect. Don't you do that when you first buy a newer car?)
The dealer has found a mysterious rattle in the cabin that turned out to be a lipstick rolling around in an air vent, and has corrected a faulty rear light socket. After the warranty expires, I'll visit my independent for most things, starting with an oil change and some filters at 30K miles, about four months away, and then we'll go from there.
Now I begin to understand why people love these cars. . . .
