2017 BMW 330xi loaner

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I got a 2017 BMW 330xi while my i3 is in the shop again, for about the 20th time in the past two years.
Some thoughts;

Hits:
Overall experience - the car feels connected to the road. The steering, handling, braking, seating, instruments and ergonomics flow together to create a focused driving experience.
Engine - While it's the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder that BMW is putting into everything and its dog, this one runs like a scalded dog. Huge punch and tremendous acceleration. Strap yourself in and feel the Gs!
Infotainment center - very well evolved and sophisticated. Rear view camera, front and rear proximity sensors, widescreen navigation, excellent stereo.

Misses:
Interior materials - the seat material feels cheap and synthetic. The interior even has a squeak when hitting a bump sometimes. I hate that sound.
Price - this one stickered at $50,000. Back in my day, an M3 was $40,000.
frown.gif

Age - this 3 series is due for an update soon, and it will become obsolete with the introduction of the next model.
Lack of Apple CarPlay - The future holds for Apple mobile device interoperability and this car doesn't have CarPlay functionality, which is sorely missed.

Overall, I'd love to have this car, and love to be seen in it. But it is pricey and due to be replaced by the next 3 series fairly soon (Here's a link to Car & Driver's article on the 2019 3-series, and why its worth the wait: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-2019-bmw-3-series-is-a-car-worth-waiting-for-feature )
As a used car, if owners signal that the car is reliable, it would be a good car to have.
 
Interesting thoughts. Like you, I am impressed by the 2.0 turbo 4 engine in them.

I had a 2018 430i convertible as a rental car on vacation a couple weeks ago. My two daily drivers are an E90 328i sedan and an E30 325i.

I thought the 2.0 turbo 4 banger was excellent, and I was even impressed by the automatic transmission (I generally prefer manuals). However, I didn't like the lack of road feel and feedback (steering wheel is only a joystick now), and the brakes were definitely not typical BMW brakes (they must use more ceramic material as opposed to semi-metallic). Car handled well though, even though it felt "big". My E90 sedan doesn't feel as big.

I'll agree on the interior materials, although my rental had leather and they were nice. Very comfortable. The seats in the loaner car you drove may very well have been synthetic. BMW uses that material a lot unless they are equipped with premium package.

I entertained the idea of maybe getting one, until I got back home and drove the E90. I'll take the heavy, yet responsive BMW steering feel and brakes while I can.
 
Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
Any pics? Love the BMWs!

I have some interior photos for you at least
lol.gif



(I don't know why the last one is rotated 90 degrees. The image I uploaded is straight.)
 
Originally Posted By: drtyler
My E90 sedan doesn't feel as big.

I'll agree on the interior materials, although my rental had leather and they were nice. Very comfortable. The seats in the loaner car you drove may very well have been synthetic. BMW uses that material a lot unless they are equipped with premium package.

I entertained the idea of maybe getting one, until I got back home and drove the E90. I'll take the heavy, yet responsive BMW steering feel and brakes while I can.

What are your thoughts on the E90 vs the F30? Does the F30 feel cheaper and/or more Camrylike, in your opinion?
The F30 330xi is night and day different from my E30 325ic. They are so different that they might as well be from a different manufacturer!
 
Agree with the comment vs the E30. The new F30 was much more refined and substantially larger than my E30 (also a convertible!). I still like the E30 though, and its a fun car.

I like the E90 better in most every way over the F30. I thought the F30 was a nice, good driving car. But if you had covered up the BMW logos, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that it was a BMW. The steering was very light, and the brakes weren't touchy. Unlike an E90, E46, E30, etc....you drive one of those, and they feel like BMWs. So the F30 feels more Camry-like in the way it drives, but it did handle well when I pushed it. And the engine goes pretty well (as you know). Maybe Camrys handle well now, but none I have driven would qualify as good handling!

Interior trim seemed fine to me in the F30, and the seats were super supportive and comfortable. But the car I had as a rental had the premium package (or whatever they are calling it now) and had a lot of leather trim.

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: drtyler
My E90 sedan doesn't feel as big.

I'll agree on the interior materials, although my rental had leather and they were nice. Very comfortable. The seats in the loaner car you drove may very well have been synthetic. BMW uses that material a lot unless they are equipped with premium package.

I entertained the idea of maybe getting one, until I got back home and drove the E90. I'll take the heavy, yet responsive BMW steering feel and brakes while I can.

What are your thoughts on the E90 vs the F30? Does the F30 feel cheaper and/or more Camrylike, in your opinion?
The F30 330xi is night and day different from my E30 325ic. They are so different that they might as well be from a different manufacturer!
 
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I got a 2017 BMW 330xi while my i3 is in the shop again, for about the 20th time in the past two years.


You buried the lead......why do you still own this POS?
 
I'll add some input from my experience with my 340i xDrive (I've been meaning to do a follow-up post). I think my biggest gripe is getting in a hot car, turning the AC on, and having to listen to the interior trim randomly (or when going over bumps) click and pop for 15 minutes while the plastics contract. The really insidious thing here is most of my drives are 15-20 minutes so it never stops.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I got a 2017 BMW 330xi while my i3 is in the shop again, for about the 20th time in the past two years.


You buried the lead......why do you still own this POS?
It is not only the most unreliable car I've owned, it is actually the most unreliable car I've ever heard of anyone ever having. I'm serious. It's had its entire battery replaced ($15,000), multiple oxygen sensors replaced in two separate visits, fuel tank sensors and hoses in at least 6 separate visits, this and that and this and that... my service history for that car would need a case of paper to print.

The I3 is a lease that's being returned soon. I wonder if I can get them to waive the $350 lease termination fee on account of the car's unreliability.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
I'll add some input from my experience with my 340i xDrive (I've been meaning to do a follow-up post). I think my biggest gripe is getting in a hot car, turning the AC on, and having to listen to the interior trim randomly (or when going over bumps) click and pop for 15 minutes while the plastics contract. The really insidious thing here is most of my drives are 15-20 minutes so it never stops.
I feel for you, brother, I really do. I had a Toyota Prius that I traded in at a huge loss simply because the interior plastics thermal expansion/contraction squeaks were really driving me insane.
I wonder why my 2002 Acura TL Type S, a 15 year old car, doesn't have the plastic expansion/contraction squeaking, while many new cars will?
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
330 should be a 3.0 6 cylinder, 320 and 328 are 2.0 4 cylinder motors.
I read the window sticker of the car. It's a 4 cylinder; the 328i to 330i naming changeover is something they did recently - maybe to try to make the car sound more upmarket. I don't like the marketing. I believe that BMW's model names should represent their displacement honestly. Car & Driver has an article about the 2017 2 liter 4 cyl 330i - here it is: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-bmw-330i-automatic-tested-review
 
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: gofast182
I'll add some input from my experience with my 340i xDrive (I've been meaning to do a follow-up post). I think my biggest gripe is getting in a hot car, turning the AC on, and having to listen to the interior trim randomly (or when going over bumps) click and pop for 15 minutes while the plastics contract. The really insidious thing here is most of my drives are 15-20 minutes so it never stops.
I feel for you, brother, I really do. I had a Toyota Prius that I traded in at a huge loss simply because the interior plastics thermal expansion/contraction squeaks were really driving me insane.
I wonder why my 2002 Acura TL Type S, a 15 year old car, doesn't have the plastic expansion/contraction squeaking, while many new cars will?


Someone probably detailed it with ArmorAll or similar.
 
Knock on wood we've had our i3 REx for nearly one year and the only dealer visit has been for scheduled maintenance.
As for the F3x vs E90 and newer 3ers, I prefer the F3x interior over the E9x, but not the driving experience- although I've recently driven a couple of LCI(facelift) 440i Gran Coupes and have been very impressed. The steering feel and suspension tuning have been improved to a significant degree; I spent considerable seat time in a 440i GC M Sport RWD(thankfully) fitted with the M Performance Power and Sound Kit(355 hp/369 lb-ft of torque)- it was a LOT of fun. I still prefer my F22 but if I needed four doors I'd be sorely tempted.
 
The N20 2.0L turbo 4 certainly packs a decent punch, but the sound of the engine just isn't there. If possible I'd go for the 335i or 340i just for that inline six.
 
They don't make the 335i anymore, do they?
I have a couple notes to add.
There is noticeable turbo lag with the 330i. If I need to make a quick left at an intersection it takes a second to get moving. No instant punch. The lag is annoying with the transmissions programming to always be out of the power band.
Another observation- the car does have Apple carPlay after all! I was wrong. Kudos to BMW for that.
 
Nice review, thanks. A guy over here have the F30 (prefacelift) and a Alfa Giulia, both top of the range diesels.

He says Giulia is dynamically two generations ahead. And guy is not an idiot, real petrol head, owner of e46 M and e36 M.
 
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