jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 Despite my wife believing my E39 is the 'other woman' she very thoughtfully entered a competition to win a new 3-series tourer for a month... And won! Can't wait but it's going to make my E39 feel a little bit old fashioned when I have to give it up in a month!! Will review and photograph in due course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 Hahaha, I see the comp organizers thoughtfully fitted rim protectors to the car Nicely done, are they paying for your fuel too? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 must be a track day coming up surely Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 Sure is ... 29th bring it along. PS. Good stuff, will be nice to get a full review on here + photos. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 AWESOME! lucky bugger! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 (edited) Nicely done, are they paying for your fuel too? Not sure! Will find out Monday I think. I'll be in Aus for a few days so the missus will get first dibs on it.must be a track day coming up surelyhehehSure is ... 29th bring it along.Wouldn't that be awesome... Though I suspect it'll be an auto - not sure what the competition rules say about tracking the car! :ph34r:haha Be fun to come to the track day anyway though and happy to bring it. Hampton Downs? Edited March 8, 2013 by jeffbebe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 That car is too black. Needs some contrasting chrome trim IMO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 That car is too black. Needs some contrasting chrome trim IMO.No idea if that's the one we'll get - it was the pic on their Facebook site - I quite like it but wouldn't be my choice if I was buying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMWTouring 20 Report post Posted March 8, 2013 Awesome man congratulations, i've spent a bit of time in the new 3 touring now and its an awesome machine you'll love it!! Also, they arent rim protectors, they have a red stripe around the wheels. they're 20" and a $7k option !! Enjoy!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted March 9, 2013 Congratulations Jeff! I entered that comp too, very smart looking wagon, you may have to trade up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 9, 2013 Congratulations Jeff! I entered that comp too, very smart looking wagon, you may have to trade up! Thanks! Would love to but will need to win another lotto-shaped competition before that's possible. It's going to make my E39 feel a bit careworn, that's for sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted March 9, 2013 Awesome!!!! The most I've ever won was $60 on an instant kiwi!! Gonna be mighty hard to give up the keys after the month I am sure!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted March 9, 2013 Also, they arent rim protectors, they have a red stripe around the wheels. they're 20" and a $7k option !! Enjoy!! Well I'll be buggered! Looks quite rice for BMW, figured they were just Rimblades. Either way, beats the hell outta what I'm driving! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 9, 2013 Awesome!!!! The most I've ever won was $60 on an instant kiwi!! Gonna be mighty hard to give up the keys after the month I am sure!! That's about $60 more than me, Tom! Might have to hide the keys when they want them back!! hah Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted March 10, 2013 Did I see this on Parnell Rise this morning? If it wasn't you it was identical! Looks DAMN good. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 10, 2013 Might have been the same car... But not me driving. It's getting dropped off to us tomorrow. Unfortunately, I've got to go to Sydney early so won't get to play around with it until Wednesday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 11, 2013 So my better half just sent a picture of it... Silver. Pity I can't enjoy it 'til I get back to NZ on Wednesday! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 15, 2013 Off to pick this little devil up... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 15, 2013 (edited) Just been out to BMW HQ to pick up the tourer - an M-sport 320i - can't complain the turbo'd engine has a fair bit of poke and first impressions of the car are excellent. Will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the 320d sedan we had last year.Full write up to follow. Must be company policy to park tail in at BMW HQ - bet that rule was introduced when the E60 hit the showroom! Edited April 8, 2013 by jeffbebe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 17, 2013 Did a fair bit of driving in the new 320i touring over the weekend and it was an absolute pleasure. Too many gadgets to talk about though! iDrive is excellent and much more intuitive then previous iterations (at least the ones that I've had a play on). The sat nav is a bit tiresome (you select letters with a dial on the center console) but considerably safer than touch screen versions as you don't need to take your eyes off the road thanks to the absolutely awesome HUD. Sorry about the pics - only had my phone handy and will take better ones soon - but you can just about make out that the speed limit here is 50, I'm at a standstill and selecting a radio station. Very cool. The car has four driving modes - Eco, comfort, sport and sport plus. Eco's dull, slow response, and not much get up and go but apparently minimises fuel use. Great for stop/start driving in traffic or for long journeys. Comfort's the standard mode and the car always starts in Comfort. It's a pretty good balance between slow, steady and cheap and enough get up and go to overtake when needed but Sport and Sport+ are where the fun begins. The only difference between Sport and Sport+ as far as I can tell is that the DSC is switched off in Sport+ so, if you know how, you can get the car sideways a bit. There's a noticeable difference. You get a lot more feeling in Sport+ and it feels pretty loose but I'm not a good enough driver to put it through the its paces. It's pretty amazing when we you re-engage the stability control; the car suddenly feels very tight and the grip is amazing - even on the wet and oily roads this weekend. The 4 cylinder, 2L turbocharged engine's pretty punchy, putting out 180 odd BHP (not far off what I get from my older 2.8L straight six and this car's quite a bit lighter). I reckon a lot of driver's would struggle, particularly in the wet, to keep it on the road without the DSC, so Sport mode's the way to go if you want a fun drive with virtually no chance of getting sideways. Sport mode lets you rev higher in each gear and the pick up is much quicker than Comfort or Eco making the car really fun to drive - I can imagine the 335i would be insanely fun but terrifying without the stability control on unless you're an extremely competent driver. We've got the M-sport version which looks very tidy. In general the styling's great both inside and out; the 19" (I think - will check) low profile wheels look excellent, if a touch large for the car and the interior is well designed and feels less 'plastic' than the 320i Sedan we borrowed last year. I guess this is a slightly more expensive model. The sport seats are good, though not as comfortable for an old bugger like me as the comfort seats in my E39 (which still looks pretty good next to the 320i IMO). It has all of the latest bits of kit - reverse cameras, PDC (with sound and visual components), iDrive, self-adjusting xenon headlights, leather interior, electric everything - even the boot! Plenty of space in it too, though not a patch on the five series. Will take some proper pics soon. Don't want to give it back and neither does my little lad who takes any opportunity to hop into a Bimmer... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
viettt 1 Report post Posted March 17, 2013 Damn, that looks sooo nice. Love the silver!! Interior photos?!?! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2957 Report post Posted March 18, 2013 We've got the M-sport version which looks very tidy. In general the styling's great both inside and out; the 19" (I think - will check) low profile wheels look excellent, if a touch large for the car and the interior is well designed and feels less 'plastic' than the 320i Sedan we borrowed last year. I guess this is a slightly more expensive model. The sport seats are good, though not as comfortable for an old bugger like me as the comfort seats in my E39 (which still looks pretty good next to the 320i IMO).Yup, the wheels are 19"s, staggered 8J front 8.5J on the rear, same as I have on my sedan, they are the standard wheel in the M-sport pack for NZ, along with the sports brake package as well.I can't remember which 320d you borrowed, I think it was an F30, in which case the interior should be very similar. The sports seats and steering wheel are possibly difference, as again these are M-Sport specific, with different trim finisher inserts, the rest should be the same. This car is specced with the standard suspension, the M-Sport suspension is a bit hard for many, especially around town on the crap road surfaces. You missed the best bit about the "Sport" mode, the red torque and power dials that you can get up on the display screen (Very Play-Station)!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted March 18, 2013 Wow another Bimmersport member living there. Has been a few over the years. Is the mint old 635/M6 still around the other side from you? Next to the old Ferrari? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 18, 2013 Damn, that looks sooo nice. Love the silver!! Interior photos?!?! Yep, will get the proper camera on to the job as soon as possible. We've got it for a month so have some time to take some decent pics. Yup, the wheels are 19"s, staggered 8J front 8.5J on the rear, same as I have on my sedan, they are the standard wheel in the M-sport pack for NZ, along with the sports brake package as well. I can't remember which 320d you borrowed, I think it was an F30, in which case the interior should be very similar. The sports seats and steering wheel are possibly difference, as again these are M-Sport specific, with different trim finisher inserts, the rest should be the same. This car is specced with the standard suspension, the M-Sport suspension is a bit hard for many, especially around town on the crap road surfaces. You missed the best bit about the "Sport" mode, the red torque and power dials that you can get up on the display screen (Very Play-Station)!! Yes! That is a cool feature. Pretty certain the interior door handles, arm rest, etc were vinyl/plastic in the 320d we had but most of that is leather in the touring. Or maybe, the car's just grown on me more since then! Wow another Bimmersport member living there. Has been a few over the years. Is the mint old 635/M6 still around the other side from you? Next to the old Ferrari? Not sure where 'there' is. This is my office car park - though no doubt it looks a lot like a few other car parks around the place. Can't see any M6s or old Ferraris in there Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted March 18, 2013 Not Lighter Quay then. Same piece of Plywood wall and numbers if I remember correctly. Mind you they do all look the same. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
