Loaner Car

"Party-vi" (party-vi) 10/24/2014 at 09:55 • Filed to: None

2

19

I have a shiny black 328d Xdrive courtesy of Catonsville BMW while they fix the bomb airbag in my E46. First impressions:

Torque. Gobs and gobs of torque. You can launch this thing and it puts a smile on your face, and it's reasonably quick; 60mph comes up after 7.2s.

Suspension. Comfort is like riding on pillows, but they're those useless throw-pillows that no one likes. Sport is better, but there's still quite a bit of body roll. Don't use Eco.

Toys. Lots of buttons and knobs so there's that.

Questions and comments welcome.

Brian Silvestro > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 09:58

1

My mother has the exact same car. It's fun to press the go-pedal, isn't it?

It's a little noisy at low speeds though. And the steering is numb.

Party-vi > Brian Silvestro 10/24/2014 at 09:59

0

Yes - steering is dead, it's noisy as hell and if it is not in start/stop mode the engine shakes you like a baby at idle.

Brian Silvestro > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:02

0

The stop/start isn't the smoothest operation either. Porsche does it better.

heliochrome85 > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:12

1

My baby.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:18

1

Why would the put start stop on a diesel?

Party-vi > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 10/24/2014 at 10:21

0

For shits and giggles.

Party-vi > heliochrome85 10/24/2014 at 10:23

0

ooooo pretty. There was a 328i M Sport in line, but some old guy grabbed it before I could :(

Coty > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:29

1

I read that as "lovely car" and that just sounded sort of creepy.

mjswee > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:33

0

I had one as a loaner when my e90 335d was getting serviced. I was disappointed in the torque after coming from the 335d. It definitely was more efficient and had more toys and creature comforts, but also felt less sporting.

I've had the 320xi, 328xi, 328d, X3, and 528xi as loaners and I think the 320 was the most fun to drive.

Rico > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 10:42

0

How different are the gauges in the 328d vs. the E46?

N51fanatic > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 11:53

1

My last two visits to my local BMW dealer has netted me a 320d and a 328d. Even the 320d effin moves. Obviously not as much torque as the 328, but plenty enough for day to day driving. I would save the extra money and get a 320. Its too bad they dont do an msport trim on the 320 though.

Party-vi > Rico 10/24/2014 at 13:22

1

I like the gauges in my E46 better - silver trim rings looked nicer and they were flat on the bottom and more tick marks around the gauges for a more accurate read; in the 328d it reads 60, a tick for 70, and then reads 80 (as above) BUT the F30 speedo has a neat feature with cruise control - when engaged, a small green LED lights up at the speed you select, and moves along the speedo as you increase or decrease the cruise control speed. I think the E46 gauges fill the space better, but that could be because I'm use to it more. I will say the needles on the F30 are a lot smoother in operation than on the E46.

Party-vi > mjswee 10/24/2014 at 13:23

0

Probably. I was surprised that the 320i is quicker than the 328d even though the 328d has tons of torque.

Rico > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 14:27

0

That's pretty cool, I like the flat bottom on the E46! Idk why but I expected the diesel to scream "ECO!" somewhere and I'm glad it doesn't.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 14:34

1

Im looking forward to getting my loaner car for whenever my local dealer decides its time to replace the grenade in my E46

Party-vi > Trunk Impaired 318 10/24/2014 at 15:13

0

All I did was call them up and was scheduled for work 3 days later. No letter needed.

Party-vi > Rico 10/24/2014 at 15:13

0

Well, there is an Eco mode, but it only shows up as blue text on the display.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Party-vi 10/24/2014 at 23:05

0

Damn, my dealer says they don't even know when the proper airbags are scheduled to come in, this was even verified by a friend who does a lot of the ordering in the service department

Party-vi > Trunk Impaired 318 10/25/2014 at 19:10

0

Sounds kinda odd. I'm guessing my dealer had some new ones in stock then.