335d X-Drive M Sport Touring - early impressions...
Discussion
Hi guys,
I just took delivery on Saturday of my F31 335d X-drive M Sport Touring with a few options on it -
Tanzanite Blue
M-Sport Plus pack
Head-up display
Icon Adaptive LED headlights
Interior comfort package
Adaptive suspension
Sunroof
Extended storage
I thought I would take a moment to offer some comparisons to my previous E91 330D SE Touring, and also my E46 M3 convertible.
First off this car is refined - I mean seriously refined. Its so smooth and quiet. It wafts down the road in Eco Pro and simply absorbs the bumps like they are not there. My E91 would regularly feel a bit bouncy in the back end and crash over bumps - not this new one. When it comes to bumps in the E46 M3 I think the approach is to simply drive quicker to get over them faster - you have to accept you will have a compressed spine after an extended period of driving :-)
I have had Xenons on both previous motors, with adaptive Xenons on the E91 Touring. I thought they were very good lights making regular lights appear like candles. These LED lights take it to a whole new level - so crisp and clear. When you switch on the automatic mode all i can say is WOW! Its spooky watching them map the light pattern accurately around other cars in front of you on the road. Its quite mesmerising at first and i found myself drifting a little as I was watching the lights do their thing and not paying as much attention as i should have been to the road - consider yourselves warned if you spec this option!
With regards to how accurate do the Icon Adaptive LED lights detect the traffic around you, i would say 99.999% of the time they get it spot on. I have noticed that they seem to struggle with traffic approaching coming down a hill on the opposite side of a valley for example, but only if they enter at a higher angle (i.e.: slightly above you). In this scenario the car simply seems to ignore the oncoming car as i suppose thats not a normal angle of approach. Bizarrely once that oncoming car gets into a normal position it continues to be ignored meaning you have to manually dip the lights. On other occasions is it thrown by bright white lights on the verges - petrol stations or car parks where the lights appear level with the road you are on (imagine the petrol station is down an off ramp). Other than these rare scenarios I must say they have been amazing - well worth the extra dosh over and above the M Sport Plus pack. These lights are nothing short of witchcraft! I drove back from Bristol to Kent in full auto the other night and never got flashed once.
I find the adaptive suspension lovely. It’s so nice being able to move from ‘soft and comfy’ to ‘taught and responsive’ at the flick of a button. Its no M3 mind you as even in Sport Plus there’s no hiding this Tourer is a bit porky - but it is mighty damn impressive. In a straight line and for 99% of normal driving this car is a pure weapon, and the update M Sport brakes do a tidy job of reining in the ponies too. Again however its no M3… I have heard that AC Schnitzer make some different springs to fit to these models that lower the ride height by 15mm and sort out the overall laziness and yaw/roll when pushing on. Anyone tried these?
Eco Pro mode - hmmm. At first i disliked this mode as it appears to totally detach the steering wheel from the chassis and makes the whole vehicle behave like its made of jelly. I was however missing the point… Eco Pro is there to encourage you to drive smoothly and efficiently in order to maximise fuel economy and minimise killing trees and fluffy bunnies. When you approach it as such its is actually quite rewarding and sublimely refined. It is also nice to watch the extra miles per gallon your careful driving is saving slowly accrue from the tank of fuel. Also wafting down the road actually gives me a moment or two to enjoy the beautiful Kent countryside too.
Going back momentarily to the point of steering feedback. I must have forgotten to tick that options box. Its not very good when you compare it to the lithe feedback the E46 M3 gives you and you don’t have that connected “seat of the pants” feel either. It is however easy to place on the road and it does weight up nicely in the Sport and Sport+ modes (not really played much in the Sport+ space yet). The car is lacking in the tactile feedback through the chassis about the road surfaces etc - but on the flip side it isn’t tram-lining either and rides the bumps without snatching at the wheel. I suppose you can’t have it both ways. and for most driving its just fine. When I want to play “Lewis Hamilton” I have the other car for that…
The engine stop/start thing is rather annoying in general (yes I know you can turn to off but the car doesn’t remember the setting when you turn off the ignition), however I find I have modified my driving style. I now see a red light or a give way sign as a challenge and attempt to not have to draw to a complete stop in order for the engine to not have the opportunity to cut out. Oh what fun there is to be had!!! Its worth noting that with the wheels dead straight ahead there’s a slight pull on the wheel when the autostop/start restarts the engine - nothing too tragic however.
The sports auto (8-speed ZF) is very good. Very fast changes up and down and a myriad of cogs to ensure you can stay “on it” if the driving conditions require progress to be made. Compared to the SMG in the E46 M3 it is much more refined - but i quite like the rough edges on the E46 as its part of the experience. The automatic box on my old 330D SE used to drive me potty with its slow upshifts (it shifted down just fine). I really like the way that on the ZF gearbox you can override the sports auto by pulling a paddle and then about 10-15 seconds later it will drop back to full auto (unlike the SMG), and that you can pop it into Sport if you want it to hold the gears. Initial pickup in first can be a bit lumpy especially when the start/stop has just restarted the engine - but its still new and I shall see if it stays that way, as it may change as it all beds in.
The Harmon Kardon Stereo is simply amazing. I had a Logic 7 in the E90 however i think this is slightly better. I have the Harmon Kardon in the E46 M3 and it sounds pants in comparison. Whats a difference 12 years of automobile audio system manufacturing makes at BMW!!!
iDrive - never had this before and still getting used to it. Its OK and very clever with all the voice activated Nav etc. Would be nice to be able to set a few things and have them remembered when the ignition is switched off. I would actually like the car to come on in Eco Pro mode (in order to save some trees) and yet dispute this turn off the pesky start/stop engine thing unless I choose to turn it back on again. Most of the time i am not hooning it around and would appreciate the extra MPG it gives - its 2-clicks of a button to turn it into a hooligan...
Paintwork - I didn’t pay for the paint protection as from previous experience its not worth the paper its written on. I have yet to be able to actually wash/clay/seal/wax the car but will do so in due course. Paint finish appears standard BMW orange peel which seems to be just a part of the process they use. Mercedes Benz seem have got the knack of the water based paint finish much better based on the cars i saw in their showrooms.
Its averaging 43mpg currently on a real mix of motorway/town/open A roads driving. I just filled it with premium diesel (no idea what the dealership supplied it with) at the 460 miles mark. As such its already more economical than the old 330D as that “only” averaged 42mpg combined.
Overall this is lovely motor and one thats going to be a nice place to spend some time in. Currently its now done just 650 miles. In another 550 I believe I can give it the beans and see how fast it really goes (its already damn quick whilst limited to 3500RPM). Brown pants time :-)
I just took delivery on Saturday of my F31 335d X-drive M Sport Touring with a few options on it -
Tanzanite Blue
M-Sport Plus pack
Head-up display
Icon Adaptive LED headlights
Interior comfort package
Adaptive suspension
Sunroof
Extended storage
I thought I would take a moment to offer some comparisons to my previous E91 330D SE Touring, and also my E46 M3 convertible.
First off this car is refined - I mean seriously refined. Its so smooth and quiet. It wafts down the road in Eco Pro and simply absorbs the bumps like they are not there. My E91 would regularly feel a bit bouncy in the back end and crash over bumps - not this new one. When it comes to bumps in the E46 M3 I think the approach is to simply drive quicker to get over them faster - you have to accept you will have a compressed spine after an extended period of driving :-)
I have had Xenons on both previous motors, with adaptive Xenons on the E91 Touring. I thought they were very good lights making regular lights appear like candles. These LED lights take it to a whole new level - so crisp and clear. When you switch on the automatic mode all i can say is WOW! Its spooky watching them map the light pattern accurately around other cars in front of you on the road. Its quite mesmerising at first and i found myself drifting a little as I was watching the lights do their thing and not paying as much attention as i should have been to the road - consider yourselves warned if you spec this option!
With regards to how accurate do the Icon Adaptive LED lights detect the traffic around you, i would say 99.999% of the time they get it spot on. I have noticed that they seem to struggle with traffic approaching coming down a hill on the opposite side of a valley for example, but only if they enter at a higher angle (i.e.: slightly above you). In this scenario the car simply seems to ignore the oncoming car as i suppose thats not a normal angle of approach. Bizarrely once that oncoming car gets into a normal position it continues to be ignored meaning you have to manually dip the lights. On other occasions is it thrown by bright white lights on the verges - petrol stations or car parks where the lights appear level with the road you are on (imagine the petrol station is down an off ramp). Other than these rare scenarios I must say they have been amazing - well worth the extra dosh over and above the M Sport Plus pack. These lights are nothing short of witchcraft! I drove back from Bristol to Kent in full auto the other night and never got flashed once.
I find the adaptive suspension lovely. It’s so nice being able to move from ‘soft and comfy’ to ‘taught and responsive’ at the flick of a button. Its no M3 mind you as even in Sport Plus there’s no hiding this Tourer is a bit porky - but it is mighty damn impressive. In a straight line and for 99% of normal driving this car is a pure weapon, and the update M Sport brakes do a tidy job of reining in the ponies too. Again however its no M3… I have heard that AC Schnitzer make some different springs to fit to these models that lower the ride height by 15mm and sort out the overall laziness and yaw/roll when pushing on. Anyone tried these?
Eco Pro mode - hmmm. At first i disliked this mode as it appears to totally detach the steering wheel from the chassis and makes the whole vehicle behave like its made of jelly. I was however missing the point… Eco Pro is there to encourage you to drive smoothly and efficiently in order to maximise fuel economy and minimise killing trees and fluffy bunnies. When you approach it as such its is actually quite rewarding and sublimely refined. It is also nice to watch the extra miles per gallon your careful driving is saving slowly accrue from the tank of fuel. Also wafting down the road actually gives me a moment or two to enjoy the beautiful Kent countryside too.
Going back momentarily to the point of steering feedback. I must have forgotten to tick that options box. Its not very good when you compare it to the lithe feedback the E46 M3 gives you and you don’t have that connected “seat of the pants” feel either. It is however easy to place on the road and it does weight up nicely in the Sport and Sport+ modes (not really played much in the Sport+ space yet). The car is lacking in the tactile feedback through the chassis about the road surfaces etc - but on the flip side it isn’t tram-lining either and rides the bumps without snatching at the wheel. I suppose you can’t have it both ways. and for most driving its just fine. When I want to play “Lewis Hamilton” I have the other car for that…
The engine stop/start thing is rather annoying in general (yes I know you can turn to off but the car doesn’t remember the setting when you turn off the ignition), however I find I have modified my driving style. I now see a red light or a give way sign as a challenge and attempt to not have to draw to a complete stop in order for the engine to not have the opportunity to cut out. Oh what fun there is to be had!!! Its worth noting that with the wheels dead straight ahead there’s a slight pull on the wheel when the autostop/start restarts the engine - nothing too tragic however.
The sports auto (8-speed ZF) is very good. Very fast changes up and down and a myriad of cogs to ensure you can stay “on it” if the driving conditions require progress to be made. Compared to the SMG in the E46 M3 it is much more refined - but i quite like the rough edges on the E46 as its part of the experience. The automatic box on my old 330D SE used to drive me potty with its slow upshifts (it shifted down just fine). I really like the way that on the ZF gearbox you can override the sports auto by pulling a paddle and then about 10-15 seconds later it will drop back to full auto (unlike the SMG), and that you can pop it into Sport if you want it to hold the gears. Initial pickup in first can be a bit lumpy especially when the start/stop has just restarted the engine - but its still new and I shall see if it stays that way, as it may change as it all beds in.
The Harmon Kardon Stereo is simply amazing. I had a Logic 7 in the E90 however i think this is slightly better. I have the Harmon Kardon in the E46 M3 and it sounds pants in comparison. Whats a difference 12 years of automobile audio system manufacturing makes at BMW!!!
iDrive - never had this before and still getting used to it. Its OK and very clever with all the voice activated Nav etc. Would be nice to be able to set a few things and have them remembered when the ignition is switched off. I would actually like the car to come on in Eco Pro mode (in order to save some trees) and yet dispute this turn off the pesky start/stop engine thing unless I choose to turn it back on again. Most of the time i am not hooning it around and would appreciate the extra MPG it gives - its 2-clicks of a button to turn it into a hooligan...
Paintwork - I didn’t pay for the paint protection as from previous experience its not worth the paper its written on. I have yet to be able to actually wash/clay/seal/wax the car but will do so in due course. Paint finish appears standard BMW orange peel which seems to be just a part of the process they use. Mercedes Benz seem have got the knack of the water based paint finish much better based on the cars i saw in their showrooms.
Its averaging 43mpg currently on a real mix of motorway/town/open A roads driving. I just filled it with premium diesel (no idea what the dealership supplied it with) at the 460 miles mark. As such its already more economical than the old 330D as that “only” averaged 42mpg combined.
Overall this is lovely motor and one thats going to be a nice place to spend some time in. Currently its now done just 650 miles. In another 550 I believe I can give it the beans and see how fast it really goes (its already damn quick whilst limited to 3500RPM). Brown pants time :-)
Edited by wood634 on Friday 1st July 12:39
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