BMW 3 Series F30 Launch at Auto Atlantic

[Philip Foglar]

Hi guys,

Here are some photos taken earlier from the new BMW 3 Series F30 Launch at Auto Atlantic in Cape Town. Photos uploaded on Facebook...

My Wife drove the red 320d which was impressive! Much later on I took the 328i for a drive - very very impressive performance!! Pity all cars were automatic though, but very impressed overall with the new 3 Series!! Love the new interior! The engine note of the 328i is something to get used to, but worth getting used I reckon based on the performance - does though have a nice "sporty" growl, so not too bad!

First of all, tribute to the earlier 3 Series models - big shoes to fill!!

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Patiently waiting for my chance to get into the 328i...

Cool display in the 328i Sport!!

 

[v1p3r]

Thanks for the pics Philip! Great shots :thumbs:

 

[Twinz]

Excellent collection of shots...

Nice :thumbs::thumbs:

Did you get a run in the 328?

 

[Raybimmer]

Pity about the front view , remove the badge and its a ....?
New technology , I hope the seats are going to look good in 10 years time !!

 

[WyKiD]

Cool pics...:thumbs:

 

[ASH M]

Like the pics, thanks :thumbs:

 

[Gregmeister]

Shot Philip! Nice to finally put face to name! Drove the 320d. Liked interior and general build quality inside and out. Also was impressed with the performance and high red-line of the diesel. I felt the brakes lacked feel/ progressiveness and steering felt a bit over-assisted to me. Seats were a bit narrow, but supportive none-the-less. Very impressed with ride quality and, having not driven a paddle-shift auto before, I must say I enjoyed the fact that you could override the auto anytime with a pull on the paddles. Sport mode made a big difference to the speed/ response time of the changes. Normal drive mode makes the car feel somewhat lethargic . Overall good package. :thumbs:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Thanks, and you are welcome guys! Going to go through tomorrow again with my father in law.

Excellent collection of shots...

Nice :thumbs::thumbs:

Did you get a run in the 328?

I did, eventually - was worth the wait, just a pitty that all of Cape Town's bad drivers were on queue ready to spoil the run by blindly being in the way, but this meant lots of short bursts of acceleration, so not really all that bad! :rollsmile:

Was really surprised by this engine's performance and willingness - but would love to take one for a proper drive, and maybe a manual for good measure. :thumbs:

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Shot Philip! Nice to finally put face to name! Drove the 320d. Liked interior and general build quality inside and out. Also was impressed with the performance and high red-line of the diesel. I felt the brakes lacked feel/ progressiveness and steering felt a bit over-assisted to me. Seats were a bit narrow, but supportive none-the-less. Very impressed with ride quality and, having not driven a paddle-shift auto before, I must say I enjoyed the fact that you could override the auto anytime with a pull on the paddles. Sport mode made a big difference to the speed/ response time of the changes. Normal drive mode makes the car feel somewhat lethargic . Overall good package. :thumbs:

Yes, was great to meet finally! We drove the same red 320d earlier in the morning, well my Wife drove this one - seemed very similar to the E90 320d that I had for a day some weeks back. In normal automatic mode it does seem quite lethargic and lags a bit, but with the E90, stick it in sport mode so that it can keep the revs up a bit it is like a rocket by comparison!

Also noticed the super light steering that did seem a bit twitchy almost when I took the 328i for a drive. Considering both cars were the Sport models I was especially impressed with the ride - seemed softer or more comfortable than even my 330i which is just an Exclusive! The auto Stop/Start on the diesel is stupid as far as I am concerned - diesels generally use very little fuel when idling, petrols on the other hand... But I don't like the idea of the starter motor being operated like this, so would disable if I had this option.

 

[Philip Foglar]

Went through again today and took a few more pics:

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The new 3 Series that does still have a 6I of sorts! raise:

F10 and F30 definitely share the same genes! :=):

 

[herr bmw]

what do you think of the asking price on the 8 speed auto box?

R18000.

also wanted to drive one with a manual but none availabale and no 320i

 

[petrivanzyl]

what do you think of the asking price on the 8 speed auto box?

R18000.

also wanted to drive one with a manual but none availabale and no 320i

The 8 speed box is so awesome it is easily worth the 18k

 

[Twinz]

Great work Phillip :thumbs:

 

[Philip Foglar]

what do you think of the asking price on the 8 speed auto box?

R18000.

also wanted to drive one with a manual but none availabale and no 320i

The 8 speed box is so awesome it is easily worth the 18k

Generally I prefer a manual gearbox, but... I must say, this 8 speed gearbox is good! Still would love to take the new 328i manual for a drive and also the 320d. I actually reckon the basic 320i once launched is going to be very very popular alongside the 320d of course!!!

 

[herr bmw]

what do you think of the asking price on the 8 speed auto box?

R18000.

also wanted to drive one with a manual but none availabale and no 320i

The 8 speed box is so awesome it is easily worth the 18k

maybe,maybe not.

according to the figures on the 320d,manual gets combined 4,5/100km,the auto combined 4,4/100km

and yes it does depend on how you drive ,but R18000 for 0.1 is steep

if i drove in town driving and bumper to bumper traffic then yes,but i do alot of highway traveling,so the manual would be a better option

 

[v1p3r]

You're not really only paying for a 0.1l/100km fuel saving are you..? It's the convenience of not shifting for yourself - riding a clutch in traffic, the comfort, the speed of the shifts, and it is quite a bit of tech so it must cost a fair bit to build...

 

[petrivanzyl]

You're not really only paying for a 0.1l/100km fuel saving are you..? It's the convenience of not shifting for yourself - riding a clutch in traffic, the comfort, the speed of the shifts, and it is quite a bit of tech so it must cost a fair bit to build...

It's not about the .1l, it is a terrific box. Unbelievably smooth. Almost makes a 320d feels like a 330d and a 328i feels like a 335i

 

[Bayn46]

Dropping gears using the paddles is lightning quick. Again, a great box.

Sent from my HTC Desire

 

[Philip Foglar]

Dropping gears using the paddles is lightning quick. Again, a great box.

Sent from my HTC Desire

Absolutely - just played around a bit with the paddle shifting and it is really quick and precise. Basically makes it very easy to get the most out of these engines at all times! And for no nonsense driving, which the majority of people want, this is ideal in the way it performs!

 

[Robink]

Ahhhh... The 5 series. Best looking BMW imo by far. Thanks Philip!

 

[3V0M-WP]

Nice pics Philip. It was great meeting your folks…. It was also great putting faces to fanatics. Met at least 10.

I went to SMG and Auto Atlantic’s launches on Saturday, and again to AA on Sunday…. Went to SMG for about an hour and Auto Atlantic’s till 5pm. Auto Atlantic’s layout was by far better than SMG’s. The road markings that were for the launch were setup correctly at AA for the F30’s as pit lane’s. SMG’s was setup as a track for the kids.

On Saturday at SMG I drove the 528i while I was waiting for the 328i to be done with the PDI. Everyone else was testing the 320d. The 328i only had 9km’s on it. I prefer the 328i to the 528i, it has a better ride. At AA I drove the 320d…. I couldn’t really test the cars at both dealerships cos of the traffic and road works. At SMG I took the 528i on the N1 till N1 City, and the 328i on the N7. At AA the route was to Marine Drive and back.

On Sunday I drove the 328i again and the 750i. The roads were very quiet that we could test the cars performance properly.

I prefer the F30 to the E90. It has a better ride and performance