[Andy-1878]

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.

[Seaford]

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

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Andybird

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

Thanks Andy, I had seen that post and also commented there. Do you think they just need "breaking in"? It's the weird lean which I can't see how that will change as I feel my body is naturally trying to compensate for this which may be causing the back ache. But a care which isn't comfy to drive isn't what I expect, especially for this kind of money.

[sanch8]

Originally Posted by Andy-1878

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.

Looks like you don't like the car much. Didn't you test drive it and compare it to other cars/manufacturers before buying? Why buy a mediocre car in your opinion if there's better options out there.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by sanch8

Looks like you don't like the car much. Didn't you test drive it and compare it to other cars/manufacturers before buying? Why buy a mediocre car in your opinion if there's better options out there.

I managed to get a 20 minute test drive due to what was available at the time. Audi don't do 3 litre diesels anymore and my contract was up. Didn't feel uncomfortable in the test car, interior spec wasn't exactly the same, the brake pedal didn't creak and didn't have a space saver. Unfortunately a lot of things aren't evident until you actually have a car. Audi used to loan me cars for weekends BMW don't seem to operate this, Mercedes never returned calls, Skoda couldn't source a car to test. Not a lot available with 4 wheel drive that isn't an SUV/cross over which I didn't want.

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.

[Tengocity]

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.

[Brobbo]

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?

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

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.

Yeh, I've adjusted the tilt angle, it's that weird sloping feeling that is odd. I'll keep on trying to find the right position. Don't have electric seats for the finer adjustment, but I'd hope that isn't the reason for the discomfort.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Brobbo

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?

Haha just these initial things I've found. Maybe the comfort thing is making me grumpy and a bit overly critical?

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.

[Brobbo]

Originally Posted by Andy-1878

Haha just these initial things I've found. Maybe the comfort thing is making me grumpy and a bit overly critical?

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.

On my previous Msport F30 which didn't have adaptive dampers the ride was quite harsh, but i found moving to Non runflat greatly improved the comfort/Road noise levels.

maybe this could be an avenue to explore when your tyres need replacing

[Seaford]

Originally Posted by Andy-1878

Thanks Andy, I had seen that post and also commented there. Do you think they just need "breaking in"? It's the weird lean which I can't see how that will change as I feel my body is naturally trying to compensate for this which may be causing the back ache. But a care which isn't comfy to drive isn't what I expect, especially for this kind of money.

That's a good question. I came from a 328 GT M Sport and there is no doubt in my mind that the seats in that were softer and there was certainly more support under my legs (I am well over 6 foot) but I appear to have adapted over the course of just a couple of thousand miles in the G20 - in fact I hadn't even thought about it for weeks.....until I read your thread.

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.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Brobbo

On my previous Msport F30 which didn't have adaptive dampers the ride was quite harsh, but i found moving to Non runflat greatly improved the comfort/Road noise levels.

maybe this could be an avenue to explore when your tyres need replacing

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.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Andybird

That's a good question. I came from a 328 GT M Sport and there is no doubt in my mind that the seats in that were softer and there was certainly more support under my legs (I am well over 6 foot) but I appear to have adapted over the course of just a couple of thousand miles in the G20 - in fact I hadn't even thought about it for weeks.....until I read your thread.

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.

Sorry, I hope you don't suddenly find that you're not sitting comfortably haha.

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.

[BeagleKCH]

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.

[Tengocity]

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.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by BeagleKCH

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.

That's a high spec! Kit aside, do you prefer it to the A4?

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

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.

That does make a lot of sense. I went from 3 BMW's, to 1st gen A5 which at that time felt Audi were miles ahead. Had two more A5's both of which were probably the benchmark cars for me (both were the previous gen to the current one), the A4 then felt like a step backwards in ride, performance and gearbox. But I guess after 4 years with that I got used to it. It is early days and it is growing on me, just that adjustment period.

Really appreciate everyone's feedback, it's always helpful to have other owners opinions and input

[kiwirick]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

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.

Well said. I'm in exactly the same camp. I was seduced to the dark side about 18 months ago when I bought a C class. However after living with it for a while I became increasingly disenchanted with a number of things about it : the indifferent ride on run-flats, the coarse four-cylinder motor, and a few intermittent creaks and rattles which defied location and fixing. Otherwise it was a perfectly good car, but I never really gelled with it, so it was a poor choice for me. In particular, I missed the creamy 6-cylinder motor of my former BMW 528i (E39). Your comment "felt like home" matches exactly my feelings when I bought my M340i. Although mine has run-flats again, the ride is firm yet supple on the adaptive suspension. Good to be back with BMW.

[BeagleKCH]

Originally Posted by Andy-1878

That's a high spec! Kit aside, do you prefer it to the A4?

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.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by BeagleKCH

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.

Ouch! Hope you were OK after your meeting with a ditch!

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.

[BeagleKCH]

Originally Posted by Andy-1878

Ouch! Hope you were OK after your meeting with a ditch!

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.

I was fine after the ditch. Every airbag went off and the only bruise came form the seatbelt clasp. In fact, only today have I noticed some peeling paint under a parking sensor on the front bumper. I'm presuming peeling paint is not part of the 'Paint Package' and so I'm going to press for the dealership to put it right. When it's in for that I'll ask them to update the software.

[Andy-1878]

Originally Posted by BeagleKCH

I was fine after the ditch. Every airbag went off and the only bruise came form the seatbelt clasp. In fact, only today have I noticed some peeling paint under a parking sensor on the front bumper. I'm presuming peeling paint is not part of the 'Paint Package' and so I'm going to press for the dealership to put it right. When it's in for that I'll ask them to update the software.

That's good they the safety features did their job well!

Ugh, that's a pain, hopefully they'll sort it,and the software for you too.