03-19-2020, 09:18 AM | #1 |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Initial impressions of the G20
So, I picked up my 330d M Sport X drive a couple of weeks ago having had an A4 B9 and 3 A5's prior to that. I have had BMW's before, an 02,05 and 08 plates 3 series coupes so I'm familiar with the brand. These are my initial impressions and thoughts of my G20 so far.
Exterior-I like the looks, colour (I went for sunset orange) and wheel design (18" bi colour orbit grey double spoke). Light design is OK, DLR's don't look that brilliant, those with the laser look much better in my opinion. Nice to have real exhausts though. Overall I like the look. Interior- Black leather with grey contrast stitch is acceptable in appearance, quality is hard to comment on after a short period though. The mesh effect trim is at best "OK", feels cheap both in appearance and feel. The gear lever and buttons around it all feel a little on the cheap side. The once piece plastic certainly cheapens the feel (The A4 has individual switches with a nice solid feel to them). Main infotainment screen is OK overall, not disappointed but not massively impressed either. The digital instrument cluster isn't bad, could probably do with just being a better layout that makes more sense and is similar in layout to non digital versions. So, now the big things which I am not really liking, the seat comfort or, to be more accurate the lack of comfort, I have manual seats with lumbar support. I cannot find a comfortable position, I got back & neck ache after 150 mile trip and my left ankle also ached. The seat itself feels as though it has a slight lean toward the centre console, as well as not being a comfortable design, the seats are VERY firm and not a particularly nice place to be. Never ached after any of the previous BMW's I had and definitely no comfort issues in the Audis. The brake pedal creaks (hoping this will be fixed at some point). I also spec'd a space saver, now partly my fault for not reading the details on the site but I didn't expect to lose a large chunk of boot space, every single Audi I had didn't compromise boot space for this so I can't see why BMW seem unable to retain capacity?? I'm not sure if the space saver can be removed and I can regain the space? No idea what fuse/fuses I need to use for my nextbase dash cam to power up and down with ignition, the 12v socket isn't very practical as the cable it constantly on show and appears to supply power constantly which will just drain the battery. Speaking of the 12v socket, I can't remember handling a cheaper piece of plastic in my life as that which came out of the socket! Kinder egg plastic feels luxurious by comparison. Ambient lighting is nice enough, not wowed by it, but it's quite a nice place to be at night. The Harman Kardon system is OK, not as loud as the B&O systems in the Audis, but it's alright. Shame there's no automatic lowering of the volume when reversing, this was a very nice feature of the Audis. Ride comfort (excluding the seats) is quite firm, but then it has run flats so it's to be expected I guess, not bone breaking but not the most relaxing of drives. Decent seats would have gone a LONG way in helping ride quality. Still, feels quite solid on the road, can't comment on 4 wheel drive capabilities yet but feels alright thus far. Economy isn't as good as my A4 but that was a little less powerful so it's not bad I guess for the pay off in performance. Gear box seems smooth, the A4 lacked the ability to make it's mind up quickly setting off but, using the gears by paddle or gear lever did feel like it helped slow the car rather than solely relying on braking. As I say, just my initial impressions. Would be happy to hear what others think or any advice to resolve the seat comfort especially! I know it may read negatively, it's not meant to be, just a big change from what I had and change takes time to adjust to especially when there are niggles like I've found. |
03-19-2020, 09:28 AM | #2 |
Lieutenant Colonel
1148
Rep 1,684
Posts |
Many including me have found the seats uncomfortable at first - I have had my M Sport since Xmas Eve and am now perfectly happy with them.
There is a lengthy recent thread on this subject in this forum...... https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1658539 Last edited by Seaford; 03-19-2020 at 09:29 AM.. Reason: Adding link |
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 10:09 AM | #3 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 10:11 AM | #4 | |
Private First Class
67
Rep 105
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 10:35 AM | #5 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
I am hoping that the seat comfort can somehow be resolved or is just a case of it needs to soften over a little time and that the other queries can be answered. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 04:31 PM | #6 |
General
8566
Rep 19,982
Posts
Drives: 911, Cayenne Turbo, Disco 4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland
|
Make sure that the seat base angle is right for you. Many folk don't realise you can change the tilt angle, and it can make a huge difference.
I don't think the seats give you that immediate comfort feeling, but having done round trips to Scotland and Poland in ours I found the seats to be really quite good for long term comfort and support. I never get out feeling like I've been sitting wrongly or with aches. Electric seats certainly help with fine adjustment.
__________________
Current: Porsche 911 991 C4S, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Land Rover Discovery 4. Gone...G01 X3 M40i, Cayman S 987, F31 340i, Cayman GT4, F82 M4 CP, Lotus Exige V6, G20 330e, F30 330e, Boxster S 987, F31 335d, Mini Cooper SD, E89 Z4, E90 330d 320d, E60 520d, E46 330d 320d, MX5s, E30 325i
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 04:42 PM | #7 |
Second Lieutenant
70
Rep 272
Posts |
is there anything you actually like about the 3 series haha
i had a 2019 A4 sline on hire for a month while my F30 3 series was being repaired. i now own a G20, personally i feel the G20 outshines an A4 all day. Maybe the digital dash isn't as good as audi but i feel the Idrive system is so hard to beat! have you got adaptive dampers? |
Appreciate
1
Blackers62.00 |
03-19-2020, 05:04 PM | #8 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 05:08 PM | #9 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
I do like the solid feeling of the drive and it feels a bit more connected to the road. I don't have adaptive dampers, no. I did ask if it could come with normal tyres but was told that was only an option with different wheels I'd have to pay extra for. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-19-2020, 06:19 PM | #10 | |
Second Lieutenant
70
Rep 272
Posts |
Quote:
maybe this could be an avenue to explore when your tyres need replacing |
|
Appreciate
1
Seaford1147.50 |
03-19-2020, 09:37 PM | #11 | |
Lieutenant Colonel
1148
Rep 1,684
Posts |
Quote:
As an aside, I struggle with the thought of any premium car without electric memory seats....but appreciate that the tax laws come into play for many on this where some things have to give. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 03:02 AM | #12 |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
I was thinking that come the time. But it's contract hire so I'd probably have to switch back to run flats to avoid charges when handing it back no doubt.
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 03:04 AM | #13 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
I was surprised electric seats weren't standard, but I don't want a sunroof and I'd have had to have one to get electric seats. Seems crazy what should be on cars standard isn't. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 07:02 AM | #14 |
Enlisted Member
21
Rep 31
Posts |
I've also come from an A4 B9. I have a 320d M Sport xDrive with Visibility, Tech and Comfort packages. I do about 32,000 miles a year. I'm very happy with mine. You will always get things on one car that are better or worse than another model. Overall (and it's very early days) I think I'm a BMW convert.
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 08:46 AM | #15 |
General
8566
Rep 19,982
Posts
Drives: 911, Cayenne Turbo, Disco 4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland
|
I think there's a challenge in moving from a long time with one brand and moving to another. After over a dozen BMWs we recently bought a C class for my wife.
In many ways there were aspects that were better, but there were also plenty of things that were worse. The things that annoyed were REALLY annoying, and 6 months later it's gone. Partly I just don't think I'm a Merc driver, far to soft and floaty for me, but generally it just never felt right to either of us. Like wearing an item of clothing which just isn't you. I honestly put it as much down to being so used to how a car manufacturer thinks and has evolved over time. 10 minutes of driving my G20 and it felt like home, despite being quite a bit different to the F30.
__________________
Current: Porsche 911 991 C4S, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Land Rover Discovery 4. Gone...G01 X3 M40i, Cayman S 987, F31 340i, Cayman GT4, F82 M4 CP, Lotus Exige V6, G20 330e, F30 330e, Boxster S 987, F31 335d, Mini Cooper SD, E89 Z4, E90 330d 320d, E60 520d, E46 330d 320d, MX5s, E30 325i
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 03:04 PM | #16 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 03:09 PM | #17 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
Really appreciate everyone's feedback, it's always helpful to have other owners opinions and input |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-20-2020, 05:12 PM | #18 | |
Old Fella
18
Rep 37
Posts |
Back with BMW
Quote:
__________________
Current : 2019 M340i xDrive, Mineral White Last edited by kiwirick; 03-20-2020 at 05:21 PM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-21-2020, 09:34 AM | #19 |
Enlisted Member
21
Rep 31
Posts |
I think I do. I had done 100,000 mile plus, in my A4, which was only 3 years old, when I put it in a ditch in January. I needed a replacement quickly, and I did initially look at a straight A4 replacement. I was a bit put off by the fact that the 2020 refreshed A4 has abandoned the scroll wheel and replaced it by touch screen. In truth, there is little real difference, they are both good cars. I was lucky enough to get the G20 straight from stock, and I wanted so far as possible to match what I had on the A4, which too was very well specced. I take your point about the ride-quality, but like you, I'm on runflats. The driver's display on the dashboard is nowhere near as good as the A4 (I had Virtual Cockpit), but I think that the iDrive beats the MMI hands down (although again, I prefer the A4's Nav overall). I now have HUD which I didn't have before, and cannot now think of driving a car without one. The headlights (Laserlights on the Visibility pack) are as good as, if not better than the Matrix lights on the A4. I also like the fact that the warranty is 100,000 miles - (I can't tell you how many things started breaking on the A4 at 61,000 miles!). I think that the fit and finish of both are excellent. I've got an Oyster interior on the G20, which gives the car a much lighter feel than the A4. The BMW connected app is an absolute dog. My software version is back in 2018, and even that didn't install properly and I can't get it to update for love nor money. I haven't yet had experience of post purchase customer service. As I said, it's early days, but I could certainly see myself buying another one in the future.
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-21-2020, 11:26 AM | #20 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
Couldn't bring myself to spec the package to get laser lights, I don't doubt they're really good but the pack was too much of an expense. I was disappointed they scrapped the scroll wheel, also, being on a 2nd gen "face lift" it just seemed like overpaying for the car I got in 2016 which was actually a better spec and stronger engine (3 litre quattro). I don't use nav very often but the few tests I've done it's been OK, voice entry has sufficed with it so far. Definitely a fan of being able to have a brighter colour, hence I went for sunset orange having had daytona grey on the A4. Shouldn't BMW be able to do the update free of charge if it's still within the 3 years? I'm not too fussed about the app, it would just be a bit of a gimmick for me. It is growing on me, just typical with the current situation I won't be getting to drive it so much. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-21-2020, 12:16 PM | #21 | |
Enlisted Member
21
Rep 31
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
03-21-2020, 01:47 PM | #22 | |
Private
13
Rep 77
Posts |
Quote:
Ugh, that's a pain, hopefully they'll sort it,and the software for you too. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
Tags |
330d, comfort, exterior, first impressions, g20, interior, ride, seats, xdrive |
|
|