[ewanmac]

Picked up my F31 330d XDrive M-Sport today. The forum was incredibly helpful (especially the tip on the M Sport Plus Pack + Visibility Pack). My spec is:

Estoril Blue
Dakota Black Leather
Heated Seats
Business Media
M Sport Plus Package
Visibility Package
Adaptive suspension
Service Pack

I only picked the car up this evening so here are my first impressions:

I haven't floored it yet (after reading the run-in thread!) but I have pressed on a wee bit. Compared to my previous E90 335D, the torque is very impressive. There is no doubt that the car feels much quicker and the 8 speed gearbox is superb.

The adaptive dampers are fantastic. I only added this option just before the car was built and I am so glad that I did. In comfort mode on pretty terrible back roads, the ride was almost jag-like although it did feel a bit wallowy around the corners. Switch it to sport and it feels incredibly planted - it feels like a totally different car. If you are unsure on the adaptive dampers, I would throughly recommend them on the drive.

Interior is excellent: seats are comfortable and supportive and hold you very well. Steering is well weighted and the wheel feels nice and chunky. I managed to get a comfortable driving position very easily. All the demo cars I sat in and test drove had the pro nav, however, I couldn't justify the extra £1,000 over the business nav (and £30 a month extra as the residuals are hardly any better than the business nav). I was a little bit worried that the business nav would be disappointing but it is absolutely fine for me. The E90 range needed the nav option otherwise the dash would look very basic, however, I think the F30/31 looks absolutely fine with the standard screen. Yes the pro nav looks better and there are a lot of added gizmos, but none of them were worth an extra £1,000 IMO.

The only negatives for me so far are 1) the rear seatbelts are a nightmare to access with my elder son's car seat in place; 2) the HK set-up isn't as good as the standard Jag/Land Rover Meridian system (lacks a bit of clarity); and 3) you would expect an iphone to sync without the need to purchase a Y cable in this day and age!

Otherwise, an absolutely fantastic car.

[Sul]

I am happy for you brother, can you please elaborate more on the Adaptive M Suspension.
for example if we bring one car without it and another with it, then you drive both in comfort mode. What difference do you feel? is it more quite in the cabin? less road noise? more relaxed ride with Adaptive OR the difference will be only in Sport mode?

Can you please tell us what tyres you have? did you test drive with different size of tyres? and how did that feel?

sorry to be concerned about noise but I test drove a 320i GT with 19" and it was such a noisy ride.

thank you for your feedback

[Alkidrew]

Glad you're enjoying. I agree on the pro nav v bus nav. It's a car not an iPad! I even question whether bus nav was worth getting and and spent the money elsewhere. Give it 10 years and nav will be like phones, you just link your tablet to Bluetooth and slot it into the dash

[Defero]

Glad you are enjoying the car. I'm collecting mine on Wednesday For information the pro nav works with a normal iPhone cable.
I went for the pro nav as the tech is better, I love gadgets also the traffic system is better.

There is a much if not more tech in a bmw than an IPAD

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Sul

I am happy for you brother, can you please elaborate more on the Adaptive M Suspension.
for example if we bring one car without it and another with it, then you drive both in comfort mode. What difference do you feel? is it more quite in the cabin? less road noise? more relaxed ride with Adaptive OR the difference will be only in Sport mode?

Can you please tell us what tyres you have? did you test drive with different size of tyres? and how did that feel?

sorry to be concerned about noise but I test drove a 320i GT with 19" and it was such a noisy ride.

thank you for your feedback

Bear in mind he has an xdrive which of course as M Sport has normal springs, not sure if you are aware. If you are after a sdrive then the results/opinion could be different.

[Sul]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Bear in mind he has an xdrive which of course as M Sport has normal springs, not sure if you are aware. If you are after a sdrive then the results/opinion could be different.

That's very important point brother however the comparison between a car with Adaptive M Suspension and another without it both driving in comfort mode should apply regardless

Is it true however that all Adaptive M Suspension does is that it allows you to go back to comfort (which is available by default) once you switch to Sport?

[dopper99]

I'm sure I've read that the comfort setting WITH adaptive is not the same as a non adaptive car with basic standard suspension, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong?

I'm sure the adaptive continually affects and adjusts the dampers, even in comfort mode and gives better handling.

I'm sure someone who has tried both can comment?

[PA11L JJ]

I've driven a 330d sDrive with Passive and drive a 335d xDrive with adaptive.

In my humble opinion......

...the adaptive in comfort mode makes the car feel more like your driving a 5 series, its extremely smooth even on the really crappy pot holed roads we seem to have an abundance of in this country. I also find the road noise is negligible even on the 19"s, however the HK helps with this.

In sport it feels more like a regular M sport set up but not quite as sure footed as the sDrive with the M sport springs.

All in all, I think you get the best of both worlds, 'almost' the comfort of a 5 series and 'almost' the sportiness of a full M sport spring specced car. A good compromise if you ask me.

[gtsussex]

Originally Posted by Paul845

I've driven a 330d sDrive with Passive and drive a 335d xDrive with adaptive.

In my humble opinion......

...the adaptive in comfort mode makes the car feel more like your driving a 5 series, its extremely smooth even on the really crappy pot holed roads we seem to have an abundance of in this country. I also find the road noise is negligible even on the 19"s, however the HK helps with this.

In sport it feels more like a regular M sport set up but not quite as sure footed as the sDrive with the M sport springs.

All in all, I think you get the best of both worlds, 'almost' the comfort of a 5 series and 'almost' the sportiness of a full M sport spring specced car. A good compromise if you ask me.

You've completely hit the nail on the head - couldn't have said it better myself! There are moments where the comfort setting can 'wallow' a bit more than is ideal on the xDrive but it's ability to deal with crappy surfaces on 19's is astonishing.

My car's on P Zeros and I have to say it's not that bad at all noise wise, the only exception being concrete on M25 around Junc 12 but that's horrendous in pretty much anything.

[ewanmac]

Originally Posted by Sul

I am happy for you brother, can you please elaborate more on the Adaptive M Suspension.
for example if we bring one car without it and another with it, then you drive both in comfort mode. What difference do you feel? is it more quite in the cabin? less road noise? more relaxed ride with Adaptive OR the difference will be only in Sport mode?

Can you please tell us what tyres you have? did you test drive with different size of tyres? and how did that feel?

sorry to be concerned about noise but I test drove a 320i GT with 19" and it was such a noisy ride.

thank you for your feedback

Road noise is pretty good IMO (19" rims). There isn't any difference in road noise whether you are in comfort or sport mode - it is the ride and handling that changes. Comfort mode is excellent - far better than my old E90 335d passive set up. Sport firms it up but not to the extent that your fillings fall out. It is more planted and rolls less around the corners.

I test drove a 330 with the same wheels but passive set-up. I didn't notice that the passive set-up was any quieter but it definitely rolled more around the corners compared to the sport set-up on the adaptive dampers.

I will be keeping the car in comfort unless I am on some windy roads I think.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by ewanmac

..
I test drove a 330 with the same wheels but passive set-up. I didn't notice that the passive set-up was any quieter but it definitely rolled more around the corners compared to the sport set-up on the adaptive dampers.

I will be keeping the car in comfort unless I am on some windy roads I think.

Was this an xdrive with passive you tried?

[ewanmac]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Was this an xdrive with passive you tried?

Yip