[Blacktemplar]

Well, I finally got to pick up the car on Friday, but it was late on in the day, and the light was nearly gone so no pictures from the dealership worth the candle. Handover & signing of endless bits of paper went smoothly enough, but have to say I was a bit underwhelmed by the lack of drama. When my wife picked up her new A1 last year, it was a ‘big reveal’ in a personal bay, with a placard welcoming her and a bunch of flowers. Now I’m not fussed about the foliage, but being handed a set of keys and effectively told ‘your car’s outside on the forecourt in the pissing rain (parked in the disabled bay), the tekkie boy will give you some pointers on iDrive, cheerio & thanks for the cash’ was in hindsight more than a bit naff to say the least. That said, I was so excited about it finally arriving after a wait of almost 4 months that I didn’t really notice at the time.

We were heading off for the weekend first thing on Saturday morning, so unfortunately the car was starting to pick up a fair bit of road grime before I was able to find a suitable venue for some pictures. The other issue was the weather, which has been appalling for the past few days, and as a consequence the light made for difficult photography – well, with a compact camera or iPhone at least.

So what are my first thoughts after a few days of largely gentle driving? The tautness of the chassis is astonishing, the turn-in and precision even at moderate speeds and on wet roads is so different to the Audi. OK, I’ve come from a 2-tonne diesel estate putting out 170bhp, but the VAG unit churned out a lot of torque at low revs and progress was always effortless. On S-line sports suspension it was always a bit more nimble than you’d expect, but the 330i is in a different class. On very familiar roads, I found myself carrying way more speed than I could ever have dared in the Audi, which would eventually gently understeer; the BMW tucks in, hunkers down and holds its line with zero drama. I’d also been prepared for higher noise levels and ride harshness from the non-adaptive setup and 19” 403M’s on RFT’s, but frankly it was at least as quiet as the A6 and a damn sight more civilised, quiet and compliant than my wife’s A1 which runs the S-line setup on 17” rims.

It was interesting experimenting with the three drive setups. Well four, if you count Sport+ but as I’m running in I haven’t been that brave yet….

Eco Pro. Okay, I get the point of encouraging you to be environmentally friendly, driving gently and saving the planet. But that’s not why we buy BMW’s is it? Throttle response is muted to the point that I thought there was something wrong at first, and nearly got caught on the hop a couple of times pulling out at junctions. I can’t say I noticed much difference in steering speed or weight, and I didn’t do any driving on twisty roads in Eco Pro, just sport, so can’t comment on the ride difference – not sure if it even changes without adaptive. Can’t say I’ll ever use it unless I’m fuel-saving on a long M-way run.

Sport. Does what it says on the tin. Sharp and instant throttle responses, engine feels much more eager to rev, exhaust note even sounds sportier, though that might just be my fevered imagination. I guess Sport+ is just more so, but with some of the driver aids turned down a notch…

And so to Comfort. This is the default start setting, and to be honest seems more than good enough for everyday pootling. I’ll play about with all three and report back, but with a manual box and non-adaptive dampers it’s probably limited in application. I suspect I’ll be in Sport mostly….

What does it sound like? Well, not bad actually. Much more burbly than I expected, with a good gurgle on overrun, and a pleasing rasp as the revs build in Sport mode. I’ve been sticking sub-4500rpm (mostly) so will be interested to hear how it sounds once I’ve passed the magic 1,200 mile mark and can push the engine a bit more.

Finally to the interior. Coming from Audis which I’ve had for a number of years, I was a bit unsure how I would regard fit & finish, and quality of materials. Whilst I’m happy to say that in the main it more than meets the same standard, particularly around the central dash, it isn’t all rosy, and there are one or two cheap finishes that slightly detract from the overall feel. The sun visors feel rather flimsy and plasticky for example, and the load cover and luggage mesh are significantly less well engineered than in my 7 year old A6. On the plus side, iDrive 5 is astonishing. The quality of the graphics and the slick intuitive nature of the controls is a thing of beauty. I specified the Pro Nav with HUD, and from the word go I can’t for the life of me imagine how I ever lived without it, particularly when nav is running. The range of apps and features in Connected Drive is remarkable, and I’ve really only started to scratch the surface there – lots of fun & exploration to be had there I think…. Sounds are good with the HK system – nearly on a par with the A6’s Bose setup, and I’m absolutely loving the Oyster leather; really lifts what has the potential to be a very gloomy interior.

Well, that’s more than enough words from me for quite some time to come, so I’ll leave you with the pics. Since I took these, I’ve fittet the black grilles and black exhaust tips, so will post some more images later, hopefully along with some Snow Foam Porn when I get into a bit of ‘Strictly Come Detailing’ later this week. Thanks to everyone for all the sage advice I’ve been given in here, and for the help with ticking the options boxes…..

[Finchley]

Very nice. Enjoy your motoring

[teaston]

Very nice, those corpses will be travelling in style!

[Sullym6]

Congrats on the car, looks great

[DThr33]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

I’ve been sticking sub-4500rpm (mostly) so will be interested to hear how it sounds once I’ve passed the magic 1,200 mile mark and can push the engine a bit more.

It sounds great even before you run it in tbh. This is a warm 430i in sport mode with the stock exhaust:



You're going to love the car though, it may not be an x40i but the 30i still has enough power to put a smile on your face

[black stig]

Congratulations.

Great write up and nice shots.

Have to echo a lot of what you have said about the handling. I expected a sharper drive in the 4er coming from the Merc estate, but the turn in and lack of fuss in the bends is in a different league.

[225]

Very nice and different to see a 3er without sun protection. Its nice not to see the contrast with blacked out windows. Sounds good as well if they all sound like that clip!

[philiper1]

Lovely car and photos, enjoy

[recardo]

nice! i've ordered the oyster & black interior as well. looks nice and classy in your EB

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by 225

Very nice and different to see a 3er without sun protection. Its nice not to see the contrast with blacked out windows. Sounds good as well if they all sound like that clip!

Thanks 225. I really agonised over the SPG for ages but in the end I reckoned it spoiled the visual balance between the front rear of the car. That, and the fact that they're as common as muck....

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by DThr33

It sounds great even before you run it in tbh. This is a warm 430i in sport mode with the stock exhaust:



You're going to love the car though, it may not be an x40i but the 30i still has enough power to put a smile on your face

Must see what mine sounds like. Haven't really listened to it outside the car yet, but if it sounds like that then I'll be well chuffed. Not a x40i by any means, but still nice

[andymj]

Beautiful ... a great visual example of what mine will look like when it lands on my driveway on Friday.

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by andymj

Beautiful ... a great visual example of what mine will look like when it lands on my driveway on Friday.

If that's like your driveway, you must be Andy Murray. Or the Duke of Argyll....

[73henny]

Congrats on your new car. Whats your spec?

[DThr33]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

Must see what mine sounds like. Haven't really listened to it outside the car yet, but if it sounds like that then I'll be well chuffed.

It should do mate, same engine. That was only revving to about 3k rpm too I think. Just make sure the engine's properly warmed up first or you won't get any of the burbling/popping

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by 73henny

Congrats on your new car. Whats your spec?

Aaarghh. Noob mistake.....

F31 330i
Estoril Blue
Manual box
Oyster/dark oyster leather
19" 403M alloys
Professional Plus Navigation with HUD
Connected Drive
Heated seats f/r
Lumbar support
Folding rear headrests
Electric folding mirrors
HK sound system

[CazuaLLUK]

Looking good man!

[BrennanF30]

Very nice, best colour!!

[Grant_7]

Congratulations!

Love the EB and Oyster combination - it looks great!

[225]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

Thanks 225. I really agonised over the SPG for ages but in the end I reckoned it spoiled the visual balance between the front rear of the car. That, and the fact that they're as common as muck....

haha true enough. I had no choice with the kids in the back and don't think it looks so bad on a mg car.

[2CRO4TV]

Lovely car and another 28i/30i so double

You just need the MPE to complete the car

[Blacktemplar]

Originally Posted by 2CRO4TV

Lovely car and another 28i/30i so double

You just need the MPE to complete the car

Is MPE available for the B48 engine? I thought they'd restricted availability of performance upgrades on the 330i as that would take it too close to the 340i.... maybe I just imagined that though......