[le tchetche]

Hi there from France !

I’ve been following the forum for a few months (much more interesting than most French BMW forums…) and just got my new F31 delivered on Tuesday, so time for a first post !

I had been driving a E92 LCI 325d M-Sport MT for 5 and a half years and had a lot of fun with it.
Now that I have 2 small kids, I was looking for the same driving experience but with 2 more doors
I was really attracted to the 4 gran coupé, but was sooooo disappointed when test driving one : absolutely terrible steering with VSS which is mandatory with M-Sport in France (much too light, no feel and horrendous “fluffiness” around the central point) => no go.
I also considered Mercedes C300h, liked the power & torque, the silent electric driving and boost, but didn’t like the slow AT box and how it behaves on curves and corners : zero fun => no go.
I then test drove a 3 Series LCI : revelation !!! They made the steering right again, precise, consistent and communicative => go go go !

My company limits the CO2 emissions to 130g/km for Diesel, so 30d was unfortunately not an option (131g for F30, gngnngngnnnnnn). I will miss the 6 cylinders for sure…
Being a Manual Transmission addict I hesitated a lot between 20d MT and 25d 8AT. Then I tried a 3 Series with the famous ZF… And to my huge surprise, found it quite good.
So it will be my first Auto box !

That is how I made my choice for a F31 325d 8AT M-Sport in Estoril Blue and Alcantara interior (don’t like leather, cold in winter, sticky in summer…) and following equipment :
- Full LED headlights
- 18” 441M Ferricgrau wheels
- Adaptive Suspension
- VSS
- M brakes
- Pano roof
- Confort Access
- Electric seats
- HK
- Connected Drive package (Pro nav, extended BT, RTTI, etc)
- HUD
- Rear camera & Surround view
And also following accessories :
- Removable tow bar (didn’t like the stock one which sticks out from the rear bumper when retracted)
- M Performance exhaust system Active Sound !!!! Will be available in March 2016, I hope it is nice as I didn’t read any feedback on it yet.

First good impressions (100km) :
- Wow it looks fantastic !!!!
- Feels as quick as my E92 and more nimble
- Feels less front heavy than my E92 (at least 1 good point for the 4 pots)
- Steering feeling from my initial test drive is confirmed : feels really right
- VSS makes the car very agile at low speed, very nice
- Getting used to the Auto box, it seems to read my mind and also like the quick “kick ass” effect when shifting with the paddles in Sport mode
- Getting the album covers over BT, cool
- Engine noise at revs higher than 2k is rather ok

And bit less good impressions :
- Engine noise at low revs… Happy when the stop/start kicks in
- HK seems less “clear” and punchy than on my E92 with the same settings, will need to finetune
- How come the trunk cover doesn’t come up & down automatically with the door ?
- Where is the “Dual” button for climate control ??? WTF ?
- You need to have your smartphone connected with USB to get the BMW Apps running => useless for me, will keep BT streaming
- Door storage areas with hard plastic = all the stuff is moving and making noise at every corner… Was all padded in the E92.

In short, love it so far, I’m happy !

Ok now a few photos (when arrived at dealer and at delivery)… Will add more later.

Cheers,

[SkyJawa]

Welcome aboard Good to see another EBII hearse owner

And yeah, shame about the dual button, and the trunk cover - damn you BMW

[Rukka]

Love those seats. I'd take them over leather any day.

Congrats on the car

[bodtwo]

Very nice, the trunk cover thing, that did surprise me as did the climate all button, the sales rep seemed embarrassed when i quizzed him about it.

Enjoy.

[Scottiedog]

You guys still get 325d in Europe? Lucky you, they dropped it in uk. Great blend of performance vs economy. Lovely car by the way

[Herr Dreier]

Originally Posted by le tchetche

- How come the trunk cover doesn’t come up & down automatically with the door ?

Nice car - good choice!

The automatic "trunk cover" is the biggest thing I miss from my old 5 series. How many times have I forgotten to put it down, then got in the car and realised that I can't see anything out of the back.

[kemiksiz]

Very niceeee

[Andy30D]

Oooooo it's so pretty! Best colour OP very nice.

One observation...steering wheel is on the wrong side? :

[Wills2]

Loving the seats!

[simon.]

Bonjour & very nice

[sweels]

Some people feel the hk takes a few hours of usage to fully bed in (bit like running-in on the car itself), so even if the settings are already good, the sounds from the speakers may improve over the first few weeks.

(Having said that, I went from an e91 with standard sound into an f30 with hk so it sounded like a revelation!)

[JustChris]

Zut alors!

Great car & great write up (in 2nd language? better than some of us manage in our first ).

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by Scottiedog

You guys still get 325d in Europe? Lucky you, they dropped it in uk. Great blend of performance vs economy. Lovely car by the way

Tell me about it !

Was considering a change next year, but if I want a manual box it's either 320d or joining NTG with the petrol, and going all vicious on the rest of you !

[Rbrown]

Good to get another hearse driver from France! Welcome! Great looking car!

Will you be getting winter tyres for it? Interested to hear how you get on if you are heading to the hills over winter!

[dubdemand]

Nice! There will be more tourings on the road than the sallons very soon

[FSE23]

welcome and enjoy. I think Alcantara is not available in UK, is it?

[....,,,,..,,..]

Looks great and welcome to the F31 Tourer forum.

There are a few other models but not many

Yes the 8AT is a brilliant box, matches everything really well.

[Daftasabrush]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Loving the seats!

They're good them are

Lovely motor!

[mattyrallye]

Originally Posted by piono

welcome and enjoy. I think Alcantara is not available in UK, is it?

Yep they are

[FSE23]

Sorry, I can't see it in configurator neither on sport or msport models. Must be special order though.

[Joe_Easy]

The wheels look very nice. I've ordered the same on my new 3er - not really liking the 442M and have the 403M on my current, so fancied a change...delivery expected in 12 days.

[edz_f06]

congrats, looks fab. Liking the wheels and seats a lot