Car review: BMW 328d (d is for diesel)

[LVSteve]

Bought one of these for my wife. Her latest post requires cruising around Vegas for which she gets some mileage, but her Cadillac SRX just wasn't the vehicle for that kind of work. Besides, I disliked the Cadillac for a number of reasons and the purpose for which it was originally bought never materialised. See here. Cadillac SRX ownership wrap up (Long)

Here are the BMW specs from 2014 courtesy of Car And Driver.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve diesel inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 122 cu in, 1995 cc
Power: 181 hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 280 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.6 in
Length: 182.2 in
Width: 71.3 in Height: 56.5 in
Curb weight: 3465 lb

Exterior
The shot below comes from Wikipedia. Ours is silver and can be seen in this thread. smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/566812-got-my-wife-new-car.html?

First thing to note is that this isn't the 3-series of my youth. It's the same size as a 1988 5-series, for goodness sake. Still, it's a good looking beast with the blacked out trim know as Sports Line in BMW speak. The wheels are 18" with the dreaded runflats, which turn to be better than expected. See later. This car came with the "lighting package" with Xenons in all four locations. These headlights are first class, apparently hugely better than the standard halogens that were recently panned.

Interior
The interior was one of the reasons we bought this particular vehicle. This car has the upgraded seats with red leather and black trim with some wood accents. Very different from the tan/gray/black offerings. The seats are heated with lumbar and seat wing adjustments. The cushion is also manually extendable for those with loooong legs. There is space for four inside so long as the driver and front passenger are not too long in the leg.

Storage space is OK, but no more. The cupholders are tucked in front of the shift lever which means your Big Gulp won't fit. Yep, the Germans still don't get the drink/drive habits of the US.

One thing that is very noticeable from the driver's seat is that you can see out. What a concept! Conversely, the mirrors look small after driving a truck or SUV. The iDrive telematics system is so superior to the GM CUE system it's just not funny. There are all kinds of customization that are linked to the key. The HVAC system has proper knob and button controls and it actually works well.

More in the next post.

 

[LVSteve]

Engine and transmission
Take a look at those engine specs. An all ALLOY diesel is not something you see everyday. The InterWeb reveals no longevity issues, so I'll carry on. The power is not huge, just 180 BHP like the gas 320i. Actually, in Europe our car is known as a 320d with a higher output model (not available here) called the 328d. While we buy horsepower, most of us drive torque. This motor has that in abundance. 280 lb-ft is a bunch in a car of this weight, and combined with the seamless shifts of the 8-speed ZF it is easy to find yourself going way faster than you thought.

Diesel clatter? Not much. Vibration? By and large none. It's WAY more refined than the four cylinder diesels in the Jaguar XE or Mercedes E-class. BMW have the refinement thing whipped.

The cruise control has a nifty feature where if you press through the detent, the speed goes up to the next 5 MPH increment. Loving that.

Fuel mileage
You own a diesel in a car for great mileage. How does averaging 37 MPG in mixed driving around Las Vegas sound to you? I drove it back from the alignment shop last week almost all freeway and it registered over 46 MPG on the trip meter pulling a lot of uphill at 65-70 MPH on the cruise control. Wow.

Yes, I can hear the cries of "but diesel is very expensive" and that may be true in your market. Here it is about the same price as mid-grade. Sure, the Cadillac ran on 87 octane, but it used twice as much and the fuel is only 12% more expensive. For what my wife is doing right now, there is no contest.

Ride and Handling
BMWs are renowned for good handling. All I can say is that on curved ramps the car has more grip than I am brave. BUT, the the gripe has been that when BMW went to electric steering they lost all feel and feedback. Sadly, I have to agree. That said after a realignment the car steers and tracks accurately, just don't expect much tactile feedback.

As for the ride, I am stunned. The 18" wheels are the bigger option and are shod in runflats. Even so, the ride is superb. It may be better over certain bumps and Botts dots than my Jaguar XJ.

Pros and cons in the next post

 

[LVSteve]

Pros
Good looks
Rich interior
Great ride
Mostly very quiet when cruising (see below)
iDrive is a brilliant interface

Cons
BMW service costs will be pricey
Diesel availability in some areas
Cabin is not for oversize Americans
There is a drone 55-65 MPH which is almost certainly aerodynamic. Web research suggests it one of the covers underneath the engine drumming.

 

[johngalt]

Congrats! Since it is 4 years old, is there any warranty left?

The electric steering - yes, it definitely lost something compared to the old hydraulic system. In the one I test drove, it wasn't too bad at highway speed. The assist is mostly shut off. At slow speed, it got very vague and weird. I test drove a 5 series once that had the optional dynamic steering, that felt really weird.

Interesting about the aluminum engine. Most can't handle the compression.

 

[jrm53]

I got a new 318I in 84 and as best as I remember they had a 528 turbo diesel but it seemed like it was in a 5 series I got a hand out for it and I remember that the same motor was in a small Lincoln sedan. I dont think either car sold very well, I have only seen one Lincoln with the BMW motor. Jeff

 

[LVSteve]

A coworker test drove a 2014 328d this weekend and said he was blown away by the engine's torque and refinement. His wife said point blank she would get in trouble driving it.