F30 328i Loaner Review

[NYC6]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

The F30 328i has 240bhp, the E90/E92 328i has 230bhp.

TQ not HP.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by NYC6

TQ not HP.

Ooops, misread that.

[ken1137]

Hmmm. I'm gonna ask for one the next time I go in for service. Nice review BTW.

[GreggerFL]

The old 328 was a dog, glad to see some of you guys kinda enjoying it, I would've thought for sure that going from a turbo to a NA car would be like going from running to walking lol, guess not

[mzem]

I have to say that I was impressived with the F30 loaner that I got last night. I was surprised by the handling and the torque of that little 2.0T motor. The finish of the glacier silver paint was top notch. It's too bad this one had the 20" black painted rims with the red stripe on the lip of the rim. Total d-bag look in my opinion. The icing on the cake was BMW 69 license plates the dealer had put on it. Maybe I'm not a valued customer?

[KellyK]

i got a f30 today because my 1er had to go in for new break pads and an oil change. I actually like it, i feel the steering isn't as tight as the 1 though. I let my mom take it out on the freeway and now she's thinking about getting one. The interior is great !

[128vertinnoho]

I also had a 328 loaner for over a week recently. I was impressed with the engine but the light vague steering feel would be enough for me to reject this car as a daily driver. Getting back into my 128 with its awesome heavy precise steering made me VERY happy!

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by TMR013

Just my gut feel. Maybe the turbo gives it a little more grunt and that's what I'm feeling. I really did not like the old 328i, so IMO dog is apt.

Torque. It's 260lb ft with the N20.
Combine that with the extra 20hp and there is a VERY noticeable increase in power. The torque comes in at very low rpm and stays strong.

The sound of the N20 is nothing close to the sweet shrill of the NA 6 at high rpm. In fact, the sound is lackluster. But, the power vs the N52 is quite noticeable.

I too wouldn't call the N52 a "dog".

Dyno:
http://www.automobilemag.com/feature..._dyno_results/

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Venom

Got one myself while my turbo's were being replaced. Didn't like the active steering. Loved the Headsup Display.
I actually kinda like the headlights and think they would be better suited to the 1 series. I could feel the lag of the car pretty heavily unless it was in sport. But I had that car for near 2 weeks so I got to know it pretty well.
Don't know how realistic or what the speed warning was based on. Would like to know if anyone can chime in.

The F30 3 does not have active steering.
It has electric assist not hydraulic like in the 1 series.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by RPM90

The F30 3 does not have active steering.
It has electric assist not hydraulic like in the 1 series.

I assumed active = electric, my bad.

[coda72]

I had an F30 loaner yesterday while my car was being serviced, and I wasn't impressed at all. Even though I know the engine is more powerful in than my 128, it didn't feel like it. I was also not impressed with the automatic transmission; it seemed just like any other automatic I've driven. But then, I don't like automatics and haven't ever owned one. The steering also felt too light, I like the hydraulic steering in my 128 a lot better. And the suspension was very soft, I couldn't feel the road at all. Even though my car doesn't have the sport package, I can feel the road a lot more. I could have been driving a Lexus, that's how the 328 felt. It didn't feel like the ultimate driving machine like my 1 does. I know a lot of people on here like the new 3 series a lot, but it's not my cup of tea. Definitely wouldn't buy it if I ever decide to get rid of my 1.