TheOneDoubleN Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I have been driving this loaner '12 328i for the past few days since mine is having both turbos warrantied at the dealership . The new generation 3 series is definitely a nice car, but I feel very conflicted about it personally, and also about where BMW is headed with their design philosophy in their fleet in general. I'm not sure I would actually want one of the newer generation BMW's due to several major flaws. Here's the good and the bad thus far after a few hundred miles of city/hwy driving, plus two mornings up in the canyons for a couple hundred miles of "spirited driving". I have somewhat missed driving a RWD car, but still prefer AWD for the other 98% of driving time when I'm driving normally. Disclaimer: I was really bored when I wrote this, so it isn't short. You've been warned. The Good: 1) The engine is ridiculously torquey for it's tiny size, and accomplishes most of its grunt work between 1500 and 5000 rpm, though it readily revs up to 7000rpm. The published 240hp/255ft-lbs figures are absolutely underrated. Power does begin to drop off somewhat noticeably after 5500rpm, though that's expected when you have peak torque at 1250rpm. Peak hp occurs at 5000rpm. 2) It is insanely fuel efficient. I don't remember ever driving this fast, and getting such brilliantly good gas mileage. If I'm not driving like a jackass (rare ), I'm getting mpg well above and beyond what it's rated for. Cruising basically uninterrupted at 70mph for 50mi on the freeway netted me 42mpg! Typical observed hwy figures have been more like 32-33 when there is slowing and passing going on, which is still great. 3) The turbo runs a lot of boost pressure, so it sounds nice . I can't really hear the turbo's in mine, but the boost pressure is about half of what the 328i runs. 4) Thanks to the direct injection, there is probably a good amount of safe power to be had still left on the table. 5) It is a relatively lightweight, nimble, and well balanced car. It doesn't look too shabby either. 6) In manual mode, the transmission is quick to shift up. 7) The trunk is pretty enormous for such a small car, with a good angle of entry (although the opening is a little on the small side, but you expect that given the way it looks. The rear seats also fold down. The Bad: 1) It sounds like a diesel motor, seriously. It does not sound anything close to smooth or luxurious either inside or outside the cabin. When I start it and drive off, the engine note reminds me of the tractor I drove when pitching in on a friend's farm one summer. 2) The 8 speed auto, while fun in the canyons, in that the gears are ridiculously short, is ridiculously annoying in traffic. Shifting 6 times before hitting 35mph is really obnoxious, it feels like it's constantly shifting every 5mph. While it's fairly smooth, you do often get the sensation that you're lurching forward a bit every 5mph, and it's behavior is not all that predictable. I feel like it would have relationship issues, I don't need another girl like that in my life right now, thanks. The previous gen's 6 speed auto was much more smooth, transparent, predictable, and quick in general. In manual mode, downshifts often take unreasonably long to complete. Rev matching, while existing in this iteration, could be much snappier. 3) It would seriously benefit from a LSD (as would the faster bmw's) now that the base 3 series has over 255lb-ft of torque going to the rear wheels at such a low rpm. Corner exit on the 328i can be a bit daunting driving hard in the canyons, as the boost application during partial throttle is not super smooth/predictable, and it's very easy to light up an inside rear tire, making for some interesting surprises once the car responds to your throttle input. Stock boost levels are close to 19psi, so it can easily upset the drivetrain when it hits. Apparently the only cars which have a LSD in the rear are the M's. But I suppose that's because the only people likely to notice the absence of it are the enthusiast crowd. No, I didn't bother seeing how well the stability/traction control system worked. The first time I felt it interfere, I disabled it completely. 4) The suspension could really be better, as well as the brakes. It's very smooth in a straight line, and corners fairly competently, but the chassis feels easily upset by quick transitions, especially multiple moves, such that it's often hard to find a rhythm during spirited driving. Damping is too soft and slow, which probably explains most of this feeling. I haven't driven a previous gen 3 series in the same manner, so I can't really comment on that, but my 535 is much stiffer. Maybe the 335 handles differently? The Ugly: 1) The electric power steering nonsense has got to go. The motor often emits little groaning noises on my 7000mi old loaner. Yes, it's fairly competent and precise mid-corner, but that's the only decent thing I have to say about it. It's numb, it has a vague on center feel, I don't like it one bit. 2) The I-drive, while an improvement over the previous version (which isn't saying much), is still awful. It looks prettier, but is still just as clumsy (if not more complicated) to operate as before. The storage space selection inside the cabin is woefully slim. 3) The shift logic programs definitely leave something to be desired. Leave it in normal mode and if you're cruising at 45mph (in 8th gear at that point) and give it 50% throttle, the car respond by doing one of the following: a) Wait to make sure that's what you meant to do, and therefore do nothing for the first few seconds, literally. Then you have your choice between: i.) Pick 5th gear, then realize you were serious when you hit 50% throttle, and kickdown all the way to 2nd (lowest) gear a second later, even though you never floored it, or even came close. ii.) After some delay, pick 4th/5th gear and accelerate appropriately with a surprising burst of torque that wasn't necessarily desired. Your other option is to put it in sport mode, which will make the car shift at 4500rpm even at 10% throttle, say when leaving a stoplight in a normal fashion, which is extremely annoying. Sport mode in the older bmw's make much more sense to me. I rarely employ its services on this one. Most of the time, a downshift of any kind is totally unnecessary and the car very willingly accelerates in 6th/7th at 40mph due to it's massive amount of torque at very low rpm's. Overall, if I ever had enough money to afford one brand new, I don't think I would feel the $37K price tag was justified. By the numbers (hp, mpg, price, badge name), I am sure the car will be outrageously popular amongst typical buyers. However, for the more entusiast/purist crowd, I can see a lot of people not feeling very excited about this car. Don't get me wrong, it's very nice, but there's just one or two major things that ruin the experience and make it feel like a cheaper car (engine note, tranny logic, etc). I would be interested to drive a new 335xi, since the AWD versions apparently retain hydraulic power steering for space saving reasons, and would probably prefer a normal manual transmission with 6 gears. By then however you're approaching a $45K starting price, and for that amount of money, I would probably spring for the much nicer 5 series, which starts just a bit above that (with my pretend monopoly money ). I think just like what happened with Subaru and their design direction with the 5th gen compared to the 4th, BMW is doing the same as Subie by marketing more to the average consumer instead of building something different and exciting (which unfortunately, is what sells cars). The sales numbers don't lie for either manufacturer, so they're doing something right. I'm hoping my 2008 lasts a long time, because I don't think my original thought of having it for 3-5 years, and then buying a used 2011-2013, is going to work for me. Yes, the new 535 is 20% more fuel efficient, but it's also the only time I've seen a manufacturer's self-published 0-60 drop on a performance car. Especially with a fancy new 8 speed tranny and a "faster spooling single turbo setup". Well, here's hoping that when 2018-2019 rolls around, BMW returns more to its roots (they did with the styling at least, which gets my approval) and refocuses on the things that made them great, not what produced the most units, but what genuinely impressed car pundits and everyday drivers alike. And here's hoping I make at least 5 times what I make now by then, so I could possibly even consider being able to afford a lease on a new one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 The electrical power steering is kicking everyone's ass right now for feel, but given some time manufacturers will get it figured out. Not sure why they can't use an electric motor to pressurize hydraulic power steering at low speeds where you need the assist and then just taper it off at higher speeds and have manual steering. Probably much harder than it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Regular suspension, right? Not a 'sport package' or whatever the proper name is? 666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yes, regular suspension, no sport package. Complete with craptastic tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Good feedback. Less interested in 3-series BMW than ever. Though I thought the "i" meant improved suspension over base... as in 328 base and 328i with uprated suspension bits. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssTeeAai Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I'm not sure about US, but I live in Canada and we never got a turbo 328. There's the very underpowered 4-banger 323. The 328 comes with an NA motor and is incredibly slow. The 335 comes with a twin-turbo inline-6. And the M3 comes with a NA V8. Two of my friends have the (2008) 335i. They're actually faster than the M3 with a mild tune that raises the boost. The boost is set to 4psi at each turbo for a total of 8psi, and is rated for ~300hp. If you up the factory boost just a bit, mated with a manual transmission the car becomes a beast. But it really needs AWD. The 335iX didn't get released until recently. Surprised to see that you can get a turbo 328. Hmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I'm not sure about US, but I live in Canada and we never got a turbo 328. There's the very underpowered 4-banger 323. The 328 comes with an NA motor and is incredibly slow. The 335 comes with a twin-turbo inline-6. And the M3 comes with a NA V8. Two of my friends have the (2008) 335i. They're actually faster than the M3 with a mild tune that raises the boost. The boost is set to 4psi at each turbo for a total of 8psi, and is rated for ~300hp. If you up the factory boost just a bit, mated with a manual transmission the car becomes a beast. But it really needs AWD. The 335iX didn't get released until recently. Surprised to see that you can get a turbo 328. Hmmmm The AWD 335i (ix, x-drive) has been available in the US since 08 in coupe or sedan forms. The suspension on it is a bit soft. The 335i really just needs a LSD and it will be good to go. BMW has recently started selling the 320i here in the US, probably to compete with the entry level Cadillac ATS 2.5. Part numbers indicate the 320i's 2.0 liter, 4cyl turbo and trans is exactly the same as the 328i. If it were your desire, one could buy a 320i, put a JB4 on it, and have the same output as a flashed 328i (~300hp). The base price starts around $33,000. Of course the rest of the car is a bit decontented, but you could always option up, as is the BMW way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Good feedback. Less interested in 3-series BMW than ever. Though I thought the "i" meant improved suspension over base... as in 328 base and 328i with uprated suspension bits. The "i" stands for fuel injected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Oic. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yeah, you would think they would change that by now, seeing how fuel injection isn't exactly new technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mass-hole Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 You forgot to mention that BMW's styling is hideous on all new models. Also, these new DI Turbo'd motors seem like they are getting closer and closer to diesel power delivery. 1250 rpm is pretty god damn low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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