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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Drove the 330i with M Sport Pack and left unimpressed

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      02-08-2019, 08:46 AM   #1
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Drove the 330i with M Sport Pack and left unimpressed

Today I drove, on the Belgian roads and for about 1.5 hours, the BMW 330i in Portimao Blue with the M Sport Pack and I was not really impressed but then again I am biased as I have the M4 as daily driver. The car is a beauty: I love the design of the car with the M Sport Pack. Portimao blue is much nicer in real person in comparison to the pictures I saw online. The interior is a bit ‘meh’ but then I am not talking about the used materials because those were of high quality, the interior was just a bit boring.

My biggest complaints are the 4 cilinder engine and the lack of sound and character/spirit for a BMW especially considering the price range the car is being sold for. Fuel consumption was higher than expected, I drove about 10 miles on some bumpy country roads where the speed limit was changing between 30 and 50 km/h and the fuel consumption was over 10 l/100KM in Eco mode.

The HUD is nice and the screen landscape, if I can call it like that, is much bigger than in my M4. It was too cluttered with information but this is configurable.

Traffic Sign Recognition works like a charm and you can configure the speed limit info in such a way that it alerts you when you are driving a configurable amount of kilometers per hour faster than allowed.

The ‘Intelligent’ Personal Assistant is absolutely not impressive in comparison to what I was able to try in the Mercedes A-class. Most of the time all I got was “I did not understand what you mean” or “try again”. For example “Hey BMW set the ambiant lightning to blue” and the response is “I have set the ambiant lightning to 20” (whatever that means).

The Live Cockpit is too cluttered and too distracting and I don’t like it. Makes me appreciate the instrument cluster in my F82 even more. I truly hope that analog gauged will still be a possibility in the next M3/M4 or my current M4 will be my last M.

There were some issues with the new ‘operating system’. The car’s language was set to Dutch but here and there were translations missing and some text was in French. Because why not as everyone serms to think that in Belgium everybody speaks French. The system was very responsive but there are too many menus and submenus.

I was able to drive the driver assistant systems. The reversing assistant worked like a charm but is a costly gimmick imho. The parking assistant is not flawless and I don’t see myself using it a lot, parking the car with this system just takes too long and in most cases a parking spot was not detected correctly even after trying several times. The lane departure system did not work at first but after playing with the settings and setting it to “early” it worked but only when I had my hands on the steering wheel.

We were test driving the car for my wife and she said that everything was made too complex and I agree. There are just too many options and things to do while you are driving that are just too distracting for here.

Basically it is a very nice car but I would not pay for all the driving assistant features because those are imho still gimmicks, cost too much and will not really be used in our case by my wife. I would also choose the 320i or the 320d over the 330i considering the 4000 to 5000 euro price difference (in Belgium). If I had to choose between all the driving assistant features I would only choose the Parking Assistant Pack Plus with 360° view. The M Sport Pack and brakes offcourse. Considering the bad conditions of the roads in Belgium probably also the adaptive suspension. Not sure yet about the HUD but I would probably choose it. The fact that you MUST choose between the Live Cockpit Plus or Professional is a showstopper. I already miss the days of a simple instrument cluster. This would also be a reason why I would not buy the new M3 or M4.

Last edited by G4BR13L; 02-08-2019 at 09:06 AM..
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      02-08-2019, 10:03 AM   #2
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Well coming from an M car the 330i is not going to measure up.
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      02-08-2019, 10:24 AM   #3
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This is good insight and it makes sense, thanks for sharing. Not sure if you test drove the 2 series, but do you think the overall performance / handling of the 4 cylinder version justifies the higher price? Kind of looking to see how it compares to the 2 series.
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      02-08-2019, 11:05 AM   #4
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How was the steering feedback?
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      02-08-2019, 11:23 AM   #5
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That's all to be expected. Has the car improved as far as road noise and quality of material?

F3X are aweful in those regards.
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      02-08-2019, 01:58 PM   #6
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At least the latest price list in germany seems to indicate that you can choose the ACC without having to upgrade the instrument cluster. HUD is too much baked in I guess for that to happen.
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      02-08-2019, 02:05 PM   #7
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You kinda glossed over the most important part, the suspension tuning. Have you driven an F30 330i? Can you compare how the suspension and steering feel compared to the F30?

You basically wrote a story about the electronics in the car.
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      02-08-2019, 02:24 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by praxis218 View Post
How was the steering feedback?
I forgot to mention that car had the "Variable Sport Steering", I believe that this is included in the M Sport Pack. I could choose between "Comfort" and "Sport" mode, there was no "Sport+". The steering feedback felt more weir in "Comfort" mode and it was okay in "Sport" mode. The steering is a serious improvement compared to a F36 (4 series Gran Coupe) that I drove a couple of months ago (was a replacement car for a day) and I did notice that the car's chassis was stiffer.

In the G20 330i, even in "Sport" mode, the steering still feels very light and artificial. Just like with the F36 at times it feels as if the car is floating over the street. But I do think that a lot of customers will actually like the way the steering feels, at least my wife liked the light steering feel, she said that it felt 'calming' and 'smoothing'. This is the kind of feel I would expect in a 7 series that I would buy for the luxury and comfort but not in the sportier 3-serieus.

And again I might be seriously biased as I drive my F82 on daily basis (30.000 KM/year) and constantly in "Sport+" mode even for the steering so I don't think that I am in the correct position to give useful feedback about comparing the new 3-series with the outgoing model.

In combination with the Lane Departure warning, that vibrates the steering wheel and even jerks the steering wheel when driving over a white lane marker, it was weirder. I was driving along small lanes with a lot of crossing traffic so the steering wheel was constantly vibrating and I had to turn this off (after going to numerous menus and submenus). I felt like I was playing Forza Motorsport with a force feedback steering wheel.

The car I tested did not have the electronically controlled rear differential (in Belgium this is not included in the M Sport Pack) so I am unable to comment on this.

The 330i is a nice car and I am sure that the steering feel is major improvement compared to the outgoing model but the car just did not feel 'sporty' to me on any level.

The electronic power steering in the 3-series will imho never be as good as the hydraulic power steering or it will take a few generations. But the same can be said about the I4-engines. About the electronic power steering I just want to add that the engineers did a pretty damn good job in the F8x where the steering feel is superb on all modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport+).

I am now going to wait for test-driving the M340i because I want to test the G20 with the B58 3.0L inline-six engine but in all honestly my wife is going to happy with the 320i. The 330e is also an option and because of the low co2 and how Belgian taxes work the cost of owning a 330e is considerably lower than owning a 320i.
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      02-08-2019, 02:30 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel View Post
You kinda glossed over the most important part, the suspension tuning. Have you driven an F30 330i? Can you compare how the suspension and steering feel compared to the F30?

You basically wrote a story about the electronics in the car.
Unfortunately I can only compare it with my F82 and with a F36 I drove a couple of months ago. The only 3-series of the previous generation that I drove was maybe 5 years ago when I was test driving one.

That is why I do have to 'warn' that I am not in the best position of giving feedback about the G20. However it is a much better car than the F36 I drove, and that on all levels, you feel that the chassis has become stiffer and the steering feel is much improved. Also the road holing is better than good.

The car is without doubt a great car but I am not sure that the 330i is worth the premium price over the 320i. And you are correct my critics were mostly about the electronics and the new operating system which I believe is a step backward but the rest of the car is most certainly major steps forward.
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      02-08-2019, 02:50 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by openwheelracing View Post
That's all to be expected. Has the car improved as far as road noise and quality of material?

F3X are aweful in those regards.
Inside cabin noise can be compared with a BWM 7-series (G11) I drove last year meaning that it was more than pleasant but I could clearly hear the Active Sound Design (ASD) which is very annoying and artificial, but this can be disabled through coding. The low cabin noise is one of the reasons the car does not feel sporty imho.

The quality of the material was very good, I did not see a lot of hard plastics except some black plastic around the gear shift and light gray plstic on the steering wheel. I recall that the plastic used for the bottom part of the dashboard did feel harder but I don't think that this is a problem.

The car I drove had the Vernasca Leather Schwarz with contraststitching Blau / Schwarz and also the dashboard in leather. Absolutely no remarks about this leather and the sport seats felt very good. I was amazed about how good the seats are.

I am however not so impressed with the entire design of the cabin. I do not find it to be on the same level as the Mercedes C-class but still it is a major improvement.

There is considerably more leg room for the back passengers compared to the outgoing 3-series (we compared this with our kids in the dealer showroom months ago with the outgoing model and today with the G20).

The car I drove came with the shifters on the steering wheel and the shifters felt fragile and very 'plasticky'.

All by all I liked the interior, it was as minimalistic as possible. I did notice that the programmable radio buttons are positioned much lower in the G20 compared to my F82 and I use these buttons a lot and in my F82 I can press these buttons without having to look down but due to the low position in the G20 I did notice that if I wanted to press any of the numerical buttons that I had to look down for a brief moment, not something you want to do a lot when you are driving.

Last edited by G4BR13L; 02-08-2019 at 05:24 PM..
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      02-08-2019, 03:06 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThatKrazyPolak View Post
This is good insight and it makes sense, thanks for sharing. Not sure if you test drove the 2 series, but do you think the overall performance / handling of the 4 cylinder version justifies the higher price? Kind of looking to see how it compares to the 2 series.
Unfortunately I cannot compare. I did drive once a friends BMW M2 but this does not compare. It depends which engines you are comparing. I don't think that there is for example much difference between the engine in a 220i (> 2016), the F30 320i (> 2015) and the G20 320i to give an example. I know someone who has a chiptuned F30 320i (I believe from 2017) with more HP and torque than the new G20 330i. I am certainly not recommending chiptuning but it is just to illustrate that these I4 engines are actually very good engines maybe even one of the best 4 cilinder engines in the world.

Don't forget that the 2 series received a lot of positive reviews on its agility, handling, …

I think that if you own a 2 series that you should test drive the G20 and if you believe that the G20 is the better car and you can get a good deal you can still consider 'upgrading' your car but unfortunately I cannot compare.

//update: i apologize for the typo’s, it is not easy to type on the smartphone.

Last edited by G4BR13L; 02-08-2019 at 05:19 PM..
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      02-08-2019, 04:40 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G4BR13L View Post
But I do think that a lot of customers will actually like the way the steering feels, at least my wife liked the light steering feel, she said that it felt 'calming' and 'smoothing'. This is the kind of feel I would expect in a 7 series that I would buy for the luxury and comfort but not in the sportier 3-serieus.
This is the crux of the problem.

BMW wants to chase volume to keep up with competitors and the only way to do that is to appease people who want the "image" of a BMW but not all the baggage that goes with it (historically, stiff suspensions, heavy tactile steering, etc.). BMW has become too big a company to connect with customers the way they used to.

I'll be in the market for a new car in roughly 3 yrs time. If the 340 disappoints me I certainly won't return to BMW. It really pains me to say that. For as flawed as the Giulia is, if I smile more when driving it then it will be my choice.
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      02-09-2019, 12:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Germanauto View Post
This is the crux of the problem.

BMW wants to chase volume to keep up with competitors and the only way to do that is to appease people who want the "image" of a BMW but not all the baggage that goes with it (historically, stiff suspensions, heavy tactile steering, etc.). BMW has become too big a company to connect with customers the way they used to.

I'll be in the market for a new car in roughly 3 yrs time. If the 340 disappoints me I certainly won't return to BMW. It really pains me to say that. For as flawed as the Giulia is, if I smile more when driving it then it will be my choice.
I really don't think BMW even has a distinct "image" any more.
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      02-10-2019, 06:14 PM   #14
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BMW enthusiast community has mostly left, it's unfortunate and I wish the smart guys would come back and make these discussions better. We used to have fun with great discussions. Now too many apologists trying to defend their purchases, which I think deep down, they regret.
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      02-10-2019, 10:29 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by openwheelracing View Post
BMW enthusiast community has mostly left, it's unfortunate and I wish the smart guys would come back and make these discussions better. We used to have fun with great discussions. Now too many apologists trying to defend their purchases, which I think deep down, they regret.
Agreed. The funny thing is that BMW will not lure tree huggers from Tesla and will lose all of their enthusiast base and then will try to get them back, hopefully not too pate
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      02-11-2019, 01:07 AM   #16
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The following is representative of a BMW enthusiast who understands the tool at hand and do not need(nor complain the lack of) fancy M package and stiff suspension and heavy steering to get below 10 minutes(9:40)@Nurburgring.

16-inch wheel, non-sport, stock F30 320i, 180hp, 200lb-ft, 3300-lb.

Stop whining guys, know your car and make use of your 50/50(esp. I4), ZF 8AT/MT, and power bands, these current gen bimmers wake up at curves!

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      02-11-2019, 07:00 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by G4BR13L View Post
there was no "Sport+".
you need to hit the sport button twice to activate sports plus. at least thats how the g20 m340 was when i had it
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      02-11-2019, 07:13 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by openwheelracing View Post
BMW enthusiast community has mostly left, it's unfortunate and I wish the smart guys would come back and make these discussions better. We used to have fun with great discussions. Now too many apologists trying to defend their purchases, which I think deep down, they regret.
yeah? where have they left to exactly? Audi? Mercedes? i tested the S4 and C43 against the 340 solely because i wasnt particularly keen on buying a second 340 in a row but both those cars were more boring to drive than the 340 in sport plus so i bought another one - hence why im curious to know where the enthusiast community has gone, have they moved on to old cars? unless literally everyone single one of them drive an automatic C63 or QV now...
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      02-11-2019, 08:43 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bavarianride View Post
The following is representative of a BMW enthusiast who understands the tool at hand and do not need(nor complain the lack of) fancy M package and stiff suspension and heavy steering to get below 10 minutes(9:40)@Nurburgring.

16-inch wheel, non-sport, stock F30 320i, 180hp, 200lb-ft, 3300-lb.

Stop whining guys, know your car and make use of your 50/50(esp. I4), ZF 8AT/MT, and power bands, these current gen bimmers wake up at curves!

Been to the Ring with my F30 320i with 704. The Model 3 is a better handling sport sedan. Maybe a G20 is in the future, but I doubt I'll be doing another ED anytime soon.
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      02-11-2019, 01:27 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by openwheelracing View Post
BMW enthusiast community has mostly left, it's unfortunate and I wish the smart guys would come back and make these discussions better. We used to have fun with great discussions. Now too many apologists trying to defend their purchases, which I think deep down, they regret.
Really? Where did they go?
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      02-11-2019, 04:51 PM   #21
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Really? Where did they go?
My guess is these enthusiasts are still around driving BMWs, but since there is no crazy DIY repair and maintenance and mod to discuss they don't post much.

And occasionally when the situations arise, their bimmers shine, and that's good enough for them.
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      02-16-2019, 07:46 PM   #22
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I have to say that I just sat in the car, didn't drive it but the interior is miles better than the F30. Most of the materials feel the same as in the X5 which is quite a compliment.
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