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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Most worth-it boxes to tick for a 330i?

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      03-07-2020, 05:43 PM   #23
StevenX94
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy View Post
If power is your priority. If not, the 330i has plenty of power, is lighter and according to some reviewers, has better steering / handling as a result -- and you can save about $8k by getting a 330i MSport with same options. Just depends on what's important to you and your budget. In my case I wanted the semi-auto driving options and the xDrive for winter weather more than more power... and thankfully no regrets.

If I made a counter-argument to myself, it would be that enjoying the extra power has no learning curve, while all the advanced options take some time to get used to. If money's no object, get a M340 and load it up!
True that. I valued power thats why I went with the 330i and not 320i, if I had the money I would have gone m340i maybe. Its true the 330i really has more than enough power and here its hard to even use all power it has because of speed limits.
I think M340i is super rare here, because the petrol needed for it would cost very very much.
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      03-07-2020, 06:43 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by StevenX94 View Post
True that. I valued power thats why I went with the 330i and not 320i, if I had the money I would have gone m340i maybe. Its true the 330i really has more than enough power and here its hard to even use all power it has because of speed limits.
I think M340i is super rare here, because the petrol needed for it would cost very very much.
Also forgot to address one of your questions directly. The HK stereo sounds great to me, and I don't regret the extra $875 (less after discount of course).
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      03-08-2020, 10:25 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by Mazman View Post
Tjena!

M-sport --> a must
HUD --> a must
Comfort opening --> a must
Adaptive M suspension --> a must
Adaptive cruise control --> a must
HK sound system --> a must
Extended shadow line black
The OEM window tint is rather nice in my opinion

So all boxes more or less
I have a video on my YouTube channel in which I do a walkthrough of the stuff I did opt for
That is essentially what I did for my 530e. I omitted the alcantara headliner (I don't look up often and I think the plastic looks fine) and the fancy gear shifter. Definitely wanted to upgrade the upholstery.
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      03-08-2020, 11:21 AM   #26
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I live in Croatia so M340i is also very, very expensive.

What I wouln't opt 330i without is:
- Msport
- adaptive suspension - this is a MUST for me
- H/K
- digital tacho
- heated seats and steering wheel
- auto dimming mirrors
- driving assistant, at least basic version, because of security features

Nice to haves are:
- leather (very, very good imho)
- laser lights, but it depends where you live, if you live outside of town and drive a lot on outside roads, it's worth it
- parking assistent plus (or professional, how's it called?)
- LSD, adds an extra touch to the driving performance
- full leather dash, it's expensive but looks and feels fantastic, it also adds extra luxury touch to the car

What I purposely avoided:
- comfort access - I just don't trust it; I want to be in direct charge of locking my car
- HUD - because I believe it doesn't work with polarized sunglases, which means I could use it only during the night

What I avoided and would add now:
- driving assistant professional - I had no idea it would be this good (I bought one of the very early cars)
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      03-11-2020, 07:55 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klokan View Post
I live in Croatia so M340i is also very, very expensive.

What I wouln't opt 330i without is:
- Msport
- adaptive suspension - this is a MUST for me
- H/K
- digital tacho
- heated seats and steering wheel
- auto dimming mirrors
- driving assistant, at least basic version, because of security features

Nice to haves are:
- leather (very, very good imho)
- laser lights, but it depends where you live, if you live outside of town and drive a lot on outside roads, it's worth it
- parking assistent plus (or professional, how's it called?)
- LSD, adds an extra touch to the driving performance
- full leather dash, it's expensive but looks and feels fantastic, it also adds extra luxury touch to the car

What I purposely avoided:
- comfort access - I just don't trust it; I want to be in direct charge of locking my car
- HUD - because I believe it doesn't work with polarized sunglases, which means I could use it only during the night

What I avoided and would add now:
- driving assistant professional - I had no idea it would be this good (I bought one of the very early cars)
That's a sensible list. The only thing I'd change is I'd get HUD and non-polarized sunglasses. I guess hud is something you can do without until you've used it for a while. Then you realize the utility it offers in daily driving.
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      03-11-2020, 09:24 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenX94 View Post
M340i is super rare here
I will make it a just a bit more common when I take delivery.

Did you consider buying a dealer stock or demo car? You could probably get a good deal.
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      03-11-2020, 11:21 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenX94 View Post
Great recommendations! Appreciate this alot. Ok then I will check the Sport Plus if it is there, and see If we could get pops and crackles here.
For the LEDs, I will check if the shape is different at least for the adaptives. Would love to have something so close to the Angel eyes lights as possible.
Will probably go for Harman Kardon as well. As for the HUD, I have never had a car with it so I dont really know how important of a differenece it would make? It is not a cheap option to add....
I have a G30, not a G20 so the HUD might be slightly different. But mine shows me the speed I am going, the speed limit, if my adaptive cruise control is on, and excellent navigation. If I scroll through the presets on the radio, the scrolling shows up on the HUD. All this happens with my never having to take my eyes off the road.

Everyone is different but I would not buy another car without a HUD.
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      03-12-2020, 09:10 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klokan View Post
I live in Croatia so M340i is also very, very expensive.

What I wouln't opt 330i without is:
- Msport
- adaptive suspension - this is a MUST for me
- H/K
- digital tacho
- heated seats and steering wheel
- auto dimming mirrors
- driving assistant, at least basic version, because of security features

Nice to haves are:
- leather (very, very good imho)
- laser lights, but it depends where you live, if you live outside of town and drive a lot on outside roads, it's worth it
- parking assistent plus (or professional, how's it called?)
- LSD, adds an extra touch to the driving performance
- full leather dash, it's expensive but looks and feels fantastic, it also adds extra luxury touch to the car

What I purposely avoided:
- comfort access - I just don't trust it; I want to be in direct charge of locking my car
- HUD - because I believe it doesn't work with polarized sunglases, which means I could use it only during the night

What I avoided and would add now:
- driving assistant professional - I had no idea it would be this good (I bought one of the very early cars)
You are driving an expensive luxury car and the requirement to purchase a pair of tinted but not polarized sun glasses drives your decision making? It works great with my tinted sunglasses!
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      03-14-2020, 02:26 AM   #31
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I highly recommend the Parking Assistance Package for $700. The 360 surround view camera is fantastic
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      03-18-2020, 02:09 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinArizona View Post
You are driving an expensive luxury car and the requirement to purchase a pair of tinted but not polarized sun glasses drives your decision making? It works great with my tinted sunglasses!
LOL. I WANT polarized sunglasses. I don't want to have them otherwise because I find a lot of value in having polarized filter.

If sunglasses are not polarized, I'm not considering them. If car accessory doesn't work with polarized glasses, I won't buy it.
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      03-18-2020, 03:24 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmcbmw View Post
I highly recommend the Parking Assistance Package for $700. The 360 surround view camera is fantastic
Agreed. I bought a 3 month old ex-demo car (like all the BMWs I have owned) and searched high and low for one that had this - it was a must for me and bizarrely not easy to find on nearly-new cars in the UK. So much so that I compromised on electric seats (only I drive the car).

Aside from the gimmicky bit of being able to see what your car looks like from the outside, one of the things I really like about it is that it shows you if any of your doors are likely to hit something if you open them fully.

May sound daft, but when you have 2 kids in the back, I prefer to say "Boy, can you get out on girl's side please" rather than hear "Sorry Dad, I didn't mean to smash the car door against the lamp post"...

Oh. And being able to see the car view on the Connect Drive app is fun too.
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      03-21-2020, 08:28 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klokan View Post
LOL. I WANT polarized sunglasses. I don't want to have them otherwise because I find a lot of value in having polarized filter.

If sunglasses are not polarized, I'm not considering them. If car accessory doesn't work with polarized glasses, I won't buy it.
I too prefer polarized glasses, but I'm very glad I opted for the HUD. It is tremendously useful, especially if in a large city you're unfamiliar with and navigating on route that has lots of non-intuitive exits and crazy drivers.

I just bought some non-polarized glasses. The HUD is still visible with polarized glasses, just much dimmer. I'd have to say that driving on a bright day, safety is better overall with the HUD + non-polarized glasses versus letting go of the HUD and benefiting from the better glare reduction of polarized. Plus non-polarized plays better with the other car displays as well as my phone.
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      03-21-2020, 09:19 AM   #35
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Two essentials for me are a HUD and adaptive cruise control. But that is me.

More important, the forums are filled with folks who love a particular seat and others who hate the same seat. Go and do an extended test drive in a car with the seats you are considering; even better, do such test drives with the different seat packages. Make sure that the seats you select work for YOU.
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      03-22-2020, 11:25 PM   #36
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Last go round so many guys opted for a stripped M3 over a loaded up 335 or 340.

After driving the M340 for a few days.... forget about optioning up a 330. The 340 is freaking awesome. Smooth, taunt and wickedly fast. Get the adaptive suspension, upgraded wheels and you need nothing else. You will not be sorry.
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      03-23-2020, 09:39 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewM3driver View Post
Last go round so many guys opted for a stripped M3 over a loaded up 335 or 340.

After driving the M340 for a few days.... forget about optioning up a 330. The 340 is freaking awesome. Smooth, taunt and wickedly fast. Get the adaptive suspension, upgraded wheels and you need nothing else. You will not be sorry.
Would love to order the M340. But its so expensive here that even an almost fully loaded 330i is still about 15,000 Euros cheaper than a completly stripped M340. It's crazy how big the price difference is....
I think in the US it is not like that? If true, you guys are so lucky
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      03-23-2020, 11:47 AM   #38
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ambient lighting, maybe it is childish of me but i didn't get mine with it thinking who needs that little 300 dollar option, and my car interior now seems lacking of interior personality ever since i sat in my friends ambient lighted g20
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      03-23-2020, 05:54 PM   #39
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One area you can save, IMHO, is on the seat material. Unless you are opting for the Nappa (which I did and love), I would go for the sensatech imitation leather over the Dakota. To me, the Dakota feels like cheap imitation leather. That will save you a few Krona which you can use on the HUD (which I strongly urge you to consider).
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      03-23-2020, 06:22 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinArizona View Post
One area you can save, IMHO, is on the seat material. Unless you are opting for the Nappa (which I did and love), I would go for the sensatech imitation leather over the Dakota. To me, the Dakota feels like cheap imitation leather. That will save you a few Krona which you can use on the HUD (which I strongly urge you to consider).
Exactly! The sensatech now is almost indistinguishable from real leather. A big improvement over the Dakota I have in my F10.
I decided to use the savings on other options such as the surround cameras, ambient lighting and power trunk.
And yes, I did get the premium package as well mainly for the HUD.
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      03-23-2020, 06:25 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenX94 View Post
Would love to order the M340. But its so expensive here that even an almost fully loaded 330i is still about 15,000 Euros cheaper than a completly stripped M340. It's crazy how big the price difference is....
I think in the US it is not like that? If true, you guys are so lucky
With a fully loaded (minus laser headlights and gesture control) 330i x-drive m-sport, at the time I bought it, the OTD difference between the car I bought and a similarly equipped M340 would have been in the 8,000-9,000 USD range. If I could live without all the options on the M340 they would have come out to around the same price. But, I wanted the tech and after driving both, I was wowed by the performance of the 6 cylinder but I thought "where and when would I actually get to use that much power??"... not during my daily driving and certainly not very often. Then there was the fact that I actually liked the grill style of the 330i better. For me, having had my first bimmer in the 80's, the BMW pedigree is part of what adds coolness to the car, so I prefer the more traditional look of the vertical grille slats...yeah I know it can be changed, but I think modern grille designs are headed down an increasingly ugly path and there just wasn't anything cosmetically about a M340 (except for the nicer exhaust tips which is minor) that grabbed me enough to want to pay extra for it. Not that the M340 looks worse mind you, it's just that minor improvements like the tips couldn't be the reason for me to upgrade, only the engine could and I didn't think I'd get enough use out of it -- only use more gas going the same speeds.

I used to say I would never own another 4 cyl again, and that's been the case for the past 20 years of car purchases for me. But then I drove the 330i xdrive. Launches like a rocket, sounds like a 6 (although definitely not as good as the M340), has fuel economy that is remarkable. Engine noise is one of the standout features of the M340 -- way better than the 330... but not enough of a difference to get into my wallet as I tend to spend my time listening to music (cha-ching I'll take Harmon Kardon for 700 Alex).

One of the things I always hated about 4 cylinder engines is they seem to get noisy and clacky sounding with age. If this one ends up the same way in 4-5 years, then I may swear off 4 cylinders again, but BMW did such a nice job keeping the engine quiet (minus the opt-in active noise), that I have high hopes. The other reason was just normal engine noise from high revs, and always feeling like the engine was working too hard at highway speeds. However that's so not the case with this engine / transmission combination -- it gives me everything I liked about 6 cylinder engines.
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      03-23-2020, 06:40 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinArizona View Post
One area you can save, IMHO, is on the seat material. Unless you are opting for the Nappa (which I did and love), I would go for the sensatech imitation leather over the Dakota. To me, the Dakota feels like cheap imitation leather. That will save you a few Krona which you can use on the HUD (which I strongly urge you to consider).
Doesn't the G20 have Vernasca, not Dakota leather? In my opinion the Vernasca leather is better than Dakota, although nowhere near Merino.
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      03-23-2020, 08:05 PM   #43
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Doesn't the G20 have Vernasca, not Dakota leather? In my opinion the Vernasca leather is better than Dakota, although nowhere near Merino.
Yes and yes.
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      03-24-2020, 11:04 AM   #44
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Yes and yes.
I haven't lived with the Vernasca but I have sat in it. It does seem better than the Dakota but not sufficiently better for my needs. But everyone is different.
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