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Father in Law has just taken delivery of his new 330i in Montreal Red. Sharp looking saloon with an ivory leather interior. Engine is a 4 cyl 254 bhp 2.0 litre - despite being a 4 pot it is very smooth and quiet, apparently there's a 6 pot 4.0 litre on the horizon. The car is slightly bigger than its predecessor. Interior has had some dramatic changes. The dash now is TFT - which to me is a change too far, although it apes the original mechanical instruments and seems really clear. The rest of the dash is dramatically more modern (in a good way) and made mine feel very old fashioned when I got into it later. The rotary light switch has been replaced with a multi-button affair (albeit with a contrasting "off" button) - to me, the rotary light switch is far more intuitive and easier to located the right position. Start button has migrated to the console and the computer knob and switches have been re-hashed - odd change is that the double pull door-handles have been changed to single pull. Cabin feels premium and very comfy.
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Can't believe you put a BMW post up without giving the proper model number..... Zero will be after you!!
I might be joining the F48 club in next few weeks.
Arnold Clark were advertising last model 3 series earlier today with savings of £18k over list price but I can't find the advert now...
edit here it is
www.arnoldclark.com/nearly-new-cars/bmw/3-series/320d-se-4dr-step-auto/0/ref/blk_ptcgco8duo9no1wq
Last edited by: Bobby on Sun 26 May 19 at 22:31
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>> Can't believe you put a BMW post up without giving the proper model number..... Zero
>> will be after you!!
Its the G20. He even got the 6 cyl engine wrong, It will be a 3.0l straight 6
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 26 May 19 at 23:25
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>> He even got the 6 cyl engine wrong, It will be a
>> 3.0l straight 6
>>
Dream on! At least it's better than Audi - the 30TFSI in the A4 is a 1.4. In the A1 it's a 1 litre 3cyl!
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Hi Bobby
Nothing spectacular about £20K for an 2018 SE - other garages offering 320 M sport for just over £21K. Much better car for £1000 and easier to sell on with the "toys" inc in the Msport.
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I am currently looking at an F48 (a 2016 X1 to you and me) that has lots and lots of toys!!
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Back to RP’s opening post: I wonder why they move buttons & switches around on new models? Were the old ones ergonomically awful, or is it just change for changes sake I wonder? BMW not the only guilty manufacturer of course.
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I was admiring one in a nearby car park at the weekend. Just a 320d, but I think it's a really elegant, well proportioned car. The interior is a massive step up from the F30.
I had two F30 320ds which were brilliant all-rounders, but definitely had room for improvement in terms of interior quality and refinement. Dynamically a bit stodgy without the optional adaptive suspension as well.
My only gripe with the new one is the wonky exterior door handles. Once you notice it, you can't un-notice it :-)
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>> Back to RP’s opening post: I wonder why they move buttons & switches around on
>> new models? Were the old ones ergonomically awful,
Yer they were, still are a bit on my G31. Climate, audio ancillaries all stupidly small, badly arranged, and badly marked same as old 3 but a full LCD display for instruments not same as old 3.
My new model 5 is a kind of halfway house between the old and new 3 with respect to controls and dash. Luckily audio control can be handled by voice, some car functions can be but others cant.
For example voice control of tyre pressure monitor, but not of climate control.
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I've always thought the switches on my F31 were well placed - Volvo started to move secondary controls to the TFT screens, they were very logical in my old V40 for instance. My only really real gripe is the light switch
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>>Volvo started to move secondary controls to the TFT screens, they were very logical in my old
>> V40 for instance
I really dislike that trend because it takes time to learn how the TFT system works as each marque has a different style and there are also differences between models.
It is also much more difficult to find the functions without looking for them, at least with switches and knobs one can just feel for them.
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>> It is also much more difficult to find the functions without looking for them,
>> at least with switches and knobs one can just feel for them.
>>
Rover 2000 P6 ?
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I was actually thinking of the P6 when I was in the new BMW. Lovely dash set up.
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By and large pretty much anything one remembers as being good in an old car was only really good a the time.
This guy clearly likes the dash, but then there is the last paragraph. Different demands and expectations today.
driventowrite.com/2014/12/04/rover-p6-dashboard/
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The latter P6 dashboards with dials... 2200TC and 3500 V8 versions... were nice... I hated the basic strip one though.
Probably my favourite for layout and clarity from the late 60s was the early Audi 100GL & Coupe. Dash shown from 34sec on in this video...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwJ0WmO34dc
All the info you really needed and so easy to operate the light switch, hazards and heater controls by feel.
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Finding a physical switch which is always there is always going to be far easier than finding a function buried in a menu, however 'logically'.
The MX-5 is pretty poor. It has a touch screen that isn't a touch screen at >6mph, when the controller knob has to be used to select menu options. Fortunately the screen and the knob have no role in controlling the ventilation system. I still haven't worked out how to turn off the wireless, only how to mute it.
Once there is a microprocessor (or several) and a screen, the marginal cost of adding dozens of extra menu options is negligible - so they do, and ruin the usability in the process.
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>> The latter P6 dashboards with dials... 2200TC and 3500 V8 versions... were nice... I hated
>> the basic strip one though.
If anyone is considering a P6, I cant comprehend why you would choose anything other than the 3.5 V8
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True.
The big "which shall I have" choice in the 60/70s was Rover P6 vs Triumph 2000/2500. The lovely 6cyl Triumph engines made the Rover 4cyl 2000/2200 seem very coarse.
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BMW - 2019 3 Series. - Bobby
