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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) Ordering / Pricing / Order Tracking Forum 320i with options vs modest 330i

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      10-27-2019, 03:49 AM   #1
nahhlt
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320i with options vs modest 330i

Hey. Having hard time deciding between two options. :/ Unfortunately, I've only had chance to try out 330i so I'm a little bit worried whether the thing I love the most about the car was actually the engine and 320i might be a huge disappointment.

1) 320i M Sport
Laser lights
Driving Assistant Professional
HUD
*doesn't include M performance brakes*

*or*

2) 330i M Sport
Adaptive LED lights
Driving Assistant (basic)
No HUD
*includes M performance brakes*

Everything else is the same.

Went through a lot of youtube videos (not many with 320i tho), headlights comparison, driving assistant professional threads and these are my thoughts:
- I'll probably do at least 50% time driving in the city so I might not benefit that much from 330i
- found some posts that driving assistant professional is jerky and accelerates when switching lanes and actually needs driver intervention to not hit the other vehicle
- resale value of 320i might be lower (?)
- I have a car with HUD, did a test drive with 330i without HUD and was quite okay actually. Did not miss that much.
- my current car has adaptive speed cruise control (i.e. follows the vehicles in front and stops if needed). Did use that almost always on highways and probably this is what makes the choice really hard.
- loved the M brake performance on 330i test drive. Worried if the regular ones are way worse.

Which would you choose? Any thoughts?

Last edited by nahhlt; 10-27-2019 at 06:37 AM..
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      10-27-2019, 04:46 AM   #2
jmmk
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I went through the same process... decided 330i with that same equipment (I also added sunroof)

My point is that laser lights and led adaptive are pretty the same in Low beams (see the IIHS report on the G20). Differences are just High Beam and selective beam assist. The adaptive LED just turn on and off high beams automatically but lasers play with shaping the beam. With laser the high beams are longer... should you drive at night frequently, go for them.

Brakes are a must have, even if you go for 320i you should add them. The need for better braking is depending on speed and weight, you might need them independently of power. (The more power the faster you’re supposed to be, but 320i allows you to go fast)

Regarding Engine, torque in 330i (400nm) makes the difference, it’s not about how fast the car can be, but how agile it is. 320i torque is not that good (300nm)

HUD is definitely not a must have, just nice to have

Hope this help... any choice is good, but I would recommend number 2
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      10-27-2019, 05:06 AM   #3
Tam the Bam
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmmk View Post
I went through the same process... decided 330i with that same equipment (I also added sunroof)

My point is that laser lights and led adaptive are pretty the same in Low beams (see the IIHS report on the G20). Differences are just High Beam and selective beam assist. The adaptive LED just turn on and off high beams automatically but lasers play with shaping the beam. With laser the high beams are longer... should you drive at night frequently, go for them.

Brakes are a must have, even if you go for 320i you should add them. The need for better braking is depending on speed and weight, you might need them independently of power. (The more power the faster you’re supposed to be, but 320i allows you to go fast)

Regarding Engine, torque in 330i (400nm) makes the difference, it’s not about how fast the car can be, but how agile it is. 320i torque is not that good (300nm)

HUD is definitely not a must have, just nice to have

Hope this help... any choice is good, but I would recommend number 2
^ as above... I didn’t go for laser lights as I don’t do a lot of night driving with full beam required. £1500 saved... just couldn’t justify the cost although love the blue accents and HBA.

It is hard to select which options/packages to chose. For myself I wanted the extra power of the 330 (came from a diesel with as much torque as it) and some of the technology...



Enjoy the process of choosing. It looks like a choice of power v’s technology.....
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Last edited by Tam the Bam; 10-27-2019 at 05:49 AM..
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      11-12-2019, 08:08 AM   #4
Sarni
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Went through the exact same choice last month, currently awaiting delivery of 320i xDrive. I packed it with all technology I could get and came within the limit I set for myself in terms of monthly cost. Admittedly 330i wouldn't have been that much more expensive but with extra insurance costs, and monthly payments, it'd add up.

Still not sure whether I made the correct choice. I think either way I would be happy with the car, comfort is probably more important for me than power - coming from X1 18d I feel that 320i will feel like a rocket to me anyway, but it's not like giving up on HUD or Harman Kardon would make it significantly less comfortable... I almost got 330i with all the equipment but then decided not to as I test drove both and felt 320i was perfectly enjoyable as I could push it to the limits while with 330i I felt hesitant. I think it also largely depends on what car you are coming from. In my case my previous cars were X1 18d (9.2s to 100 kph), Qashqai (almost 12s), Cooper D (9.9s) and Cooper (9.1s). 320i at 7-7.5s range (I think it's faster than 7.5s advertised) will be absolute head and shoulders above all of them anyway, in fact 5.5s of 330i would have probably been TOO fast at the beginning.

For me 90% of my driving will be in the city with speed limits, and I don't tend to go over 170 on highways anyway so I'd probably be wasting 330i's power a bit too.

I think either way you will be fine. I can't wait for my 320i to be delivered.
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