3 Series (F30/F31/F34/F35) [Official] BMW F30 3-Series LCI [2015-2019]

[Zafiro]

And then you read Autocar review about the new X1

The optional electro-mechanical variable-rate Sport steering system fitted to our test car proved responsive and communicative, endowing the new X1 with eager turn-in properties and typically firm weighting. Depending on the driving mode chosen, the outright body control ranges from family-car respectable to sportingly taut. Grip levels are ample, allowing you to carry decent speed up to the apex without any concern of a loss of purchase. Thanks to permanent four-wheel drive on the model we drove, traction was never in doubt.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/first-drives/2015-bmw-x1-xdrive25d-review

or Autoexpress

The steering is direct, and body control is good, allowing you to push on with confidence when the roads allow.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/x1/92185/new-bmw-x1-2016-review


So X1 got better steering than F30 even if both comes with Variable sport steering?

 

[SCOTT27]

Seems it is night and day.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/bmw/bmw-340i-2015-review/

 

[bimmerjph]

Seems it is night and day.

That's not possible. The 3-Series was already perfect.

...there’s perhaps a little more tendency for the front wheels to follow the road’s cambers more eagerly but it’s no deal-breaker.

Mmmmm... Yes, very night and day.

 

[Osnabrueck]

Was hoping for a better spiff'ed interior. Am seriously considering switching to a F31 as the B8 Avant is about to go off warranty - But the interior feels like such a step down from my B8 S-Line not sure if I could go for it.

 

[Centurion]

I'm still not convinced that they have made the handling and steering more sporty. The jury is still out though and we'll soon get some honest reviews and back to back comparisons with pre-LCI. I have been invited by my dealer to test the new 3er next weekend during a premier.

 

[Tarek]

A lot of Pre LCI owners will be updating their tail lights..

 

[Rainer271]

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[Rainer271]

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[Centurion]

A lot of Pre LCI owners will be updating their tail lights..

It think it utterly pointless given how minimal the difference is. Only fellow F30 owners tailgating you at night would know that you are driving an F30 LCI.

 

[martinbo]

The Transmission tunnel plastics are now softer to the touch.

Liar, liar pants on fire.

Ok, so I've just had a good old prod around the LCI F30 interior and all quality-related manifestations are as per what we'd worked out in this thread yonks ago.
The HVAC surround trim is the primary quality-driven improvement; fewer separate trim pieces make for sturdier fitment and for all intents and purposes this does seem to be an improvement. Give it a good prod and whilst there's minor give and a tiny bit of "crch" it's rather better than in the pre-LCI. Aluminium-look inserts in the air vent surround trim jazzes the sombre cabin up a bit and the ambient lighting lends the interior a premium aura for night-time driving.

Trough of Disillusionment Issue #1: The sad, bad news is that the F30's biggest interior bugbear - the cardboard-like transmission tunnel console plastics - is exactly as before and constitutes the single biggest opportunity lost moment for the LCI. I cannot believe that BMW did not address this area in the light of all the criticism it has faced from the press and customers alike. It's a separate molding - surely they could have done something different - a bit of PU never killed anyone?

The new front and rear light units are cute: perfect to satisfy the inner exhibitionist in you - especially if you go for the LED option headlights. And therein lies Trough of Disillusionment Issue #2: The LED option price on the options list is more than double that of Xenons on the pre-LCI price list. So, if you don't want crappy halogens (what private buyer does? - who gives a shit about the fleet buyers, BMW could offer halogens on a price-reduction basis to fleet buyers) then get ready to add a considerably higher cost item to your new BMW 3er purchase.

I await this afternoon's test drive with interest.

 

[slicknick]

I await this afternoon's test drive with interest.

Which variant will be you be driving,Martin?

 

[martinbo]

Which variant will be you be driving,Martin?

Not sure - probably a 320i - as demand for test drives is pretty high at the moment.

 

[klier]

It think it utterly pointless given how minimal the difference is. Only fellow F30 owners tailgating you at night would know that you are driving an F30 LCI.

If we go that route, I bet most people don't even know my E90 is different from F30.

 

[Centurion]

If we go that route, I bet most people don't even know my E90 is different from F30.

What I was meaning to say that the mid-cycle update for the F30 was much more subtle than the one for the E90. While the F30 LCI only updates the light technology in the headlights e.g LED, the E90 LCI looks fresher due to more noticeable cosmetic changes such as bonnet lines, tail-light shape & graphics, bumpers designs.

 

[martinbo]

Ok, so my servicing dealer didn't have a car available for me to drive so I ended up at the dealer in closest proximity to my offices.

So, any Jozi citizens looking to test drive various 3 Series LCIs - Cedar Isle Auto has seemingly the best selection of demo models to evaluate. Except... a 320d Luxury so that I could compare apples with apples. Anyhoo - I ended up in a 320d M-Sport Sport Auto 19" Non-adaptive suspension and the brief but familiar test route was over less-than-smooth tarmac interspersed with speed humps.

My first impressions:

• steering is lighter and even more insulated than in the pre-LCI - so expect the 3er LCI to lose points in those head-to-heads in this department. Too light and a glassy feel is what it is.
• Perplexingly, the M-Sport ride is softer, smoother (and less ragged) than on the pre-LCI which feels terribly harsh on rough tar. I'd go so far as to say that BMW have narrowed the suspension kinematics envelope between stock and M-Sport springing - could someone legitimately in the know confirm if this is the case please?
• The B47 2.0 D is a gem for a four-pot oil burner. It's smooth, free-revving (in the context of diesel) and much less obtrusive than the outgoing engine. This car was new so a tight engine meant that all 140 kW and 400 Nm didn't quite come off as such. Still pretty rapid though, fuel consumption considered. 4500 rpm happens easier than expected.
• Upgraded iDrive - better than ever and that's all that needs to be said.
• Interior - properly solid instrument panel (as always) fitment now with firmer fixtures in the interior trim department. Trim panels are definitely better: less flexible and more solid. Transmission tunnel console plastics: same same.
• Sport Auto transmission is better than ever - even if it is minutely so.
• Overall handling seems much the same - improved ride quality not withstanding.
• Dynamically - as good as it ever was as the class leader* with a nice veneer of refinement chucked in. * I have yet to drive the new Jaguar XE.

The best-balanced spec 3 Series where fuel consumption is a secondary purchase criterion in my opinion:
330i Sport Line
Sport Automatic
19" Wheels
Adaptive M Suspension
LED Headlights
Front and rear PDC

 

[Zafiro]

I simply can't stop thinking why BMW can't get the steering right. Either they do not know-how-to or they don't care anymore. I hope it's neither...

 

[martinbo]

I simply can't stop thinking why BMW can't get the steering right. Either they do not know-how-to or they don't care anymore. I hope it's neither...

I can tell you why: modern day motorists misperceive "talkative" steering a.k.a. steering feel as being lacking in refinement. The modern luxury motorist wants to be isolated from the road in a cocoon of false security. There are very few of us left who want that steering nibbles away at changes in coarseness, loads up at varying degrees of lock and tugs away at changes in camber.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

It took me a few seconds to remember that the 330i has an inline-4 and not an inline-6. Old habits...

 

[klier]

They should just go back to hydrolic steering and be done with it.

 

[W201]

Now that manufacturers are obsessed with efficiency and emissions? I don't see that happening.

However, they should stick to hydraulic in cars such as M3 - where efficiency is not a primary concern.

EDIT: Give them time - they'll master it eventually