My new E91 330xd : first impressions

Belgian · 11-09-2006, 03:00 PM

Hi all,

Yesterday I received my new BMW Touring 330xd.

- Monaco Blue
- Manual Transmission
- 161 Rims
- Nav Professional
-LOGIC 7
- Panoramic Sunroof
- Xenon
- PDC
- Sport seats
- ...

My previous car was a Volvo V70 D5 AWD with automatic gearbox.

As I have used this forum to chose the color, browed almost all photos... the least is to share my first impressions with you.

- The car is... beautiful.
- Quality is very good. Another category than volvo... for sure.
- The car is much more "physical" than any other car I have ever driven (Steering Wheel, Clutch, suspension).
- The engine... wow... I tested a 330d with a auto gearbox but with the MT it is ... wow... I understand why the cruise control is default with this engine.
There is so much torque (? couple)... VERY powerful. I don't dare to think what a 335d does...
- The gearbox is much harder than the one I tested on a 320d. Putting the 1st and 2nd gear is not that easy. In first gear I always have the impression the gear is not correctly selected. And switching to 2nd is slow for a car considered as a diesel sport car.
- I must say that with the previous point said the car is not that confortable to drive in slow traffic.
- Insonorisation is very good.
- The brakes are really powerful compared to my previous Volvo. What a difference! The hill hold assistance is really practical.
- Xenon light are less powerful than the volvo, the volvo was lightning a longer distance.
- The idrive is really something not to use during driving unless you want to prematuraly change the car because you crashed it during a "i-drive session". Unergonomic, complicated... WHY do you have to use a sub menu to select the play option on a MP3 file ?!!! Why not do like for the audio CD... you select the file and it plays...
- Navigation ... well ... except the reception (the GPS is receiving even in my garage closed)... hmmmm... not that good compared to my Mio C710... Next BMW will be without nav and idrive... for sure. But of course integrated nav is more practical even it is less powerful. A question : how do you cancel a navigation without having to stop the car trying to find an option that finally I have not found... A tip is welcome!
- Even I had tested it before buying... my REAL disappointment is the LOGIC7 audio... the one in the Volvo is MUCH better. Really... don't spend your money in this. This is ripoff.
- The car is really agile. Even it is heavier than my volvo there is a world of difference.

So, the car is really not the same kind of beast I had before... I changed because I was bored to drive a "truck". Now I have to re-learn to use a car "to drive".

I hope the gearbox just has to "break-in" and that it will go better in a few 100 kms.

And yes : Photos are following.

KL2DC · 11-09-2006, 03:13 PM

Nice detailed writeup, congrats on your 330xd. The 330d and 335d must be such a pleasure to drive.

Few responses:

-Its been said the MT gets better after a few miles

-xenon lights may need some adjustment, they are set low from the factory to reduce glare to oncoming traffic. You can adjust for longer beams without excess glaring to other drivers.

rob72 · 11-09-2006, 04:21 PM

Hi,

Yes the transmission should become much better after a few 100km, I picked up my E91 3 weeks ago and put 3000km on it in the meantime.

Regarding the iDrive/Navi, I fully agree. Here are my pluses and minuses...

Plus

Nicely integrated into the dash
Large display
Split screen (map+arrows)
Good signal reception
Clearly spoken instructions (in English anyway)

Minus

System is incredibly slow - sometimes just seems to hang for long periods of time
searching POI (Points of Interest) is not possible (just 'browsing')
only one POI category can be displayed on the map at any time, which 'happens' to the the category that you just happened to look at last
switching between Navigation and other iDrive functions (e.g. Entertainment) takes to much time
Aftermarket GPS systems (TomTom, Garmin, etc) have a much better UI
No (official) way to load custom POI (like camera locations)
Does not show true speed like aftermarket systems (a hidden menu exists, but it is not the same)

I am pretty sure I forgot to add some things to this list, but in short if I were to do the order again, I would drop the Navigation.

Zagor · 11-09-2006, 04:21 PM

Congratulations to the car. I was considering the 330d too, but finally got the 330i instead.

The MT loosens up after a while, don't worry. I was surprised too at the stiffness of it at first.

Xenon lights are auto-adjusted, they cannot be adjusted manually.

Regarding Idrive, I fully agree. I tested it thoroughly before ordering, and hence ordered my car without it. My TomTom does everything better, faster and much simpler.

mkeds · 11-09-2006, 06:02 PM

Must be a big improvement from ur volvo

ludo · 11-10-2006, 04:57 PM

Waiting on my e91 330d MT in January. Test drove one with 500 miles on the clock and wasn't that heavy. I found you can easily drive in 2nd from 0 - 40 in heavy traffic anyway so its not really an issue.

KL2DC · 11-10-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zagor

Xenon lights are auto-adjusted, they cannot be adjusted manually.

True the bi-xenons are auto-levelling but the headligt angle can still be manuall adjusted.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6704

remmib · 11-10-2006, 05:09 PM

Congrats, sounds like a great car

Any reason why you got x-drive?

Belgian · 11-10-2006, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remmib

Congrats, sounds like a great car

Any reason why you got x-drive?

Yep I drive in difficult region during the winter and if there is snow I don't want to be stopped and have more traction.

Security is also the reason.

Belgian · 11-10-2006, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j_way3494

Must be a big improvement from ur volvo

Yep this is really a big improvement. Definitively not the same kind of car even I cannot say the Volvo was a bad car.

bronch · 11-10-2006, 09:00 PM

Congratulations on your car! But, let me be the first to say... Post some pics!

Paul330d · 11-10-2006, 11:43 PM

Congrats on your new car. As you're in Belgium, can I suggest you consider going to see this gentleman. You might think you car has a lot of torque now, but wait until he's finished with it

Dante · 11-11-2006, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob72

Hi,

Yes the transmission should become much better after a few 100km, I picked up my E91 3 weeks ago and put 3000km on it in the meantime.

Regarding the iDrive/Navi, I fully agree. Here are my pluses and minuses...

Plus

Nicely integrated into the dash
Large display
Split screen (map+arrows)
Good signal reception
Clearly spoken instructions (in English anyway)

Minus

System is incredibly slow - sometimes just seems to hang for long periods of time
searching POI (Points of Interest) is not possible (just 'browsing')
only one POI category can be displayed on the map at any time, which 'happens' to the the category that you just happened to look at last
switching between Navigation and other iDrive functions (e.g. Entertainment) takes to much time
Aftermarket GPS systems (TomTom, Garmin, etc) have a much better UI
No (official) way to load custom POI (like camera locations)
Does not show true speed like aftermarket systems (a hidden menu exists, but it is not the same)

I am pretty sure I forgot to add some things to this list, but in short if I were to do the order again, I would drop the Navigation.

Hey rob,

maybe you haven't noticed the 'shortcut' in the menu.

Example:

You are in the entertainment section and want to go to the navigation section, simply push the knob to the right longer (>2 sec).

This will take you directly to the last used navigation item, e.g. the map.

This will work in any direction.

Krill · 11-11-2006, 07:50 AM

Dante:
I see you are getting your new car soon, cool!! I bet the wait is a pain!?

I will be getting a new company car in March and it will definately be a 325d!! So I can´t wait to hear your first impressions!

stressdoc · 11-11-2006, 08:04 AM

Nice review, thanks for posting. I agree with everything except your opinion of the Logic7. I have never heard Wynton Marsalis or Bob Marley sound so good. Maybe it's a little different in the E90 than the E91.

How do you (and your rear seat passengers) like the panorama roof?

Dante · 11-11-2006, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krill

Dante:
I see you are getting your new car soon, cool!! I bet the wait is a pain!?

I will be getting a new company car in March and it will definately be a 325d!! So I can´t wait to hear your first impressions!

Yes, the wait is long (ordered in September).

But I still enjoy my current car.

Will post my impressions ASAP! I've been hearing only good thing about it so far!

remmib · 11-11-2006, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dante

Yes, the wait is long (ordered in September).

But I still enjoy my current car.

Will post my impressions ASAP! I've been hearing only good thing about it so far!

Do you know what is different between 330d and 325d other then the power?

Belgian · 11-11-2006, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bronch

Congratulations on your car! But, let me be the first to say... Post some pics!

Here are some first pics taken today. It was raining and dark.

I tested the car on small roads here in the ardennes I know very well. And I must say the car is fantastic to drive on those roads.

I'll try to post more in a few days.

Belgian · 11-11-2006, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stressdoc

Nice review, thanks for posting. I agree with everything except your opinion of the Logic7. I have never heard Wynton Marsalis or Bob Marley sound so good. Maybe it's a little different in the E90 than the E91.

How do you (and your rear seat passengers) like the panorama roof?

Panorama roof is giving a lot of light inside de car. And with the black interior it is great. It gives an impression of space. During summer it will be a bit like you drive a cabrio

Belgian · 11-11-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul330d

Congrats on your new car. As you're in Belgium, can I suggest you consider going to see this gentleman. You might think you car has a lot of torque now, but wait until he's finished with it

Impressive : from 231 to 285 hp and 500 to 610nm...
Is this reasonable? Will the gearbox be able to handle so much torque?

Catscratch · 11-11-2006, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belgian

Impressive : from 231 to 285 hp and 500 to 610nm...
Is this reasonable? Will the gearbox be able to handle so much torque?

Nope.
That's why the 335d comes with steptronic standard

Paul330d · 11-11-2006, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belgian

Impressive : from 231 to 285 hp and 500 to 610nm...
Is this reasonable? Will the gearbox be able to handle so much torque?

The Step' can handle 850Nm, not sure about the manual. You can always ask the guy not to push the figures too much, if you're unsure.

11-09-2006, 03:00 PM	#1
Belgian New Member 2 Rep 16 Posts Drives: 5 serie - F11 - 530D XDrive Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Be iTrader: (0)	My new E91 330xd : first impressions Hi all, Yesterday I received my new BMW Touring 330xd. - Monaco Blue - Manual Transmission - 161 Rims - Nav Professional -LOGIC 7 - Panoramic Sunroof - Xenon - PDC - Sport seats - ... My previous car was a Volvo V70 D5 AWD with automatic gearbox. As I have used this forum to chose the color, browed almost all photos... the least is to share my first impressions with you. - The car is... beautiful. - Quality is very good. Another category than volvo... for sure. - The car is much more "physical" than any other car I have ever driven (Steering Wheel, Clutch, suspension). - The engine... wow... I tested a 330d with a auto gearbox but with the MT it is ... wow... I understand why the cruise control is default with this engine. There is so much torque (? couple)... VERY powerful. I don't dare to think what a 335d does... - The gearbox is much harder than the one I tested on a 320d. Putting the 1st and 2nd gear is not that easy. In first gear I always have the impression the gear is not correctly selected. And switching to 2nd is slow for a car considered as a diesel sport car. - I must say that with the previous point said the car is not that confortable to drive in slow traffic. - Insonorisation is very good. - The brakes are really powerful compared to my previous Volvo. What a difference! The hill hold assistance is really practical. - Xenon light are less powerful than the volvo, the volvo was lightning a longer distance. - The idrive is really something not to use during driving unless you want to prematuraly change the car because you crashed it during a "i-drive session". Unergonomic, complicated... WHY do you have to use a sub menu to select the play option on a MP3 file ?!!! Why not do like for the audio CD... you select the file and it plays... - Navigation ... well ... except the reception (the GPS is receiving even in my garage closed)... hmmmm... not that good compared to my Mio C710... Next BMW will be without nav and idrive... for sure. But of course integrated nav is more practical even it is less powerful. A question : how do you cancel a navigation without having to stop the car trying to find an option that finally I have not found... A tip is welcome! - Even I had tested it before buying... my REAL disappointment is the LOGIC7 audio... the one in the Volvo is MUCH better. Really... don't spend your money in this. This is ripoff. - The car is really agile. Even it is heavier than my volvo there is a world of difference. So, the car is really not the same kind of beast I had before... I changed because I was bored to drive a "truck". Now I have to re-learn to use a car "to drive". I hope the gearbox just has to "break-in" and that it will go better in a few 100 kms. And yes : Photos are following.
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11-09-2006, 03:13 PM	#2
KL2DC Moderator 318 Rep 17,767 Posts Drives: F36 428i,E90 328i, E85 Z4 3.0i Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: DC Metro iTrader: (23) Garage List 2015 F36 428i [0.00] 2011 E90 328i [0.00] 2006 E85 Z4 3.0i [0.00]	Nice detailed writeup, congrats on your 330xd. The 330d and 335d must be such a pleasure to drive. Few responses: -Its been said the MT gets better after a few miles -xenon lights may need some adjustment, they are set low from the factory to reduce glare to oncoming traffic. You can adjust for longer beams without excess glaring to other drivers. __________________ Official DC Metro Registry - Current, New & Prospective Area Members Roll Call!
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11-09-2006, 04:21 PM	#3
rob72 /dev/random 31 Rep 353 Posts Drives: . Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Europe iTrader: (0)	Hi, Yes the transmission should become much better after a few 100km, I picked up my E91 3 weeks ago and put 3000km on it in the meantime. Regarding the iDrive/Navi, I fully agree. Here are my pluses and minuses... Plus Nicely integrated into the dash Large display Split screen (map+arrows) Good signal reception Clearly spoken instructions (in English anyway) Minus System is incredibly slow - sometimes just seems to hang for long periods of time searching POI (Points of Interest) is not possible (just 'browsing') only one POI category can be displayed on the map at any time, which 'happens' to the the category that you just happened to look at last switching between Navigation and other iDrive functions (e.g. Entertainment) takes to much time Aftermarket GPS systems (TomTom, Garmin, etc) have a much better UI No (official) way to load custom POI (like camera locations) Does not show true speed like aftermarket systems (a hidden menu exists, but it is not the same) I am pretty sure I forgot to add some things to this list, but in short if I were to do the order again, I would drop the Navigation.
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11-09-2006, 04:21 PM	#4
Zagor . 11 Rep 141 Posts Drives: 330i Touring Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sweden iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i Touring [0.00]	Congratulations to the car. I was considering the 330d too, but finally got the 330i instead. The MT loosens up after a while, don't worry. I was surprised too at the stiffness of it at first. Xenon lights are auto-adjusted, they cannot be adjusted manually. Regarding Idrive, I fully agree. I tested it thoroughly before ordering, and hence ordered my car without it. My TomTom does everything better, faster and much simpler.
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11-09-2006, 06:02 PM	#5
mkeds Second Lieutenant 23 Rep 242 Posts Drives: none Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: nowhere iTrader: (0)	Must be a big improvement from ur volvo
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11-10-2006, 04:57 PM	#6
ludo New Member 0 Rep 7 Posts Drives: e91, 330d, montego blue Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: England, Manchester iTrader: (0)	Waiting on my e91 330d MT in January. Test drove one with 500 miles on the clock and wasn't that heavy. I found you can easily drive in 2nd from 0 - 40 in heavy traffic anyway so its not really an issue.
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11-10-2006, 05:09 PM	#8
remmib General 1569 Rep 29,202 Posts Drives: 2013 F10 520d M-Sport Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Norway iTrader: (0)	Congrats, sounds like a great car Any reason why you got x-drive? __________________ F10 520d M-Sport Alpine White \| HRE P43SC 20x9+20x11 \| Michelin PSS 255/35+295/30 \| KW V3 Coilover \| M5 Front Sway Bar + M550d Rear Sway Bar \| 3DDesign Front Lip \| BMW M Performance CF Spoiler \| BMW M Performance Diffuser \| BMW M Performance Black Grills \| BMW M Performance Pedals \|
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11-10-2006, 09:00 PM	#11
bronch Waiting for the sun 66 Rep 704 Posts Drives: 2018 M240ix Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tacoma, WA iTrader: (0)	Congratulations on your car! But, let me be the first to say... Post some pics! __________________ 2012 E92 M3- Miss her. 2015 F10 M5- Land yacht, but miss her too! 2016 991.1 GT3- Woohoo! 2018 M240ix- Daily driver. Still Woohoo!
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11-10-2006, 11:43 PM	#12
Paul330d Torque junky 115 Rep 1,688 Posts Drives: Remapped e90 330d Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: France (UK expat) iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330d [0.00] 2005 Fiat Panda 4x4 [0.00]	Congrats on your new car. As you're in Belgium, can I suggest you consider going to see this gentleman. You might think you car has a lot of torque now, but wait until he's finished with it __________________ www.greenkeepers.fr - spécialiste des tondeuses à gazon hélicoïdales atco qualcast ransomes lawnflite
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11-11-2006, 07:50 AM	#14
Krill Second Lieutenant 40 Rep 219 Posts Drives: G30 520d Xdrive - M Sport Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gothenburg iTrader: (0)	Dante: I see you are getting your new car soon, cool!! I bet the wait is a pain!? I will be getting a new company car in March and it will definately be a 325d!! So I can´t wait to hear your first impressions!
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11-11-2006, 08:04 AM	#15
stressdoc Moderator 618 Rep 10,855 Posts Drives: BMW i8; Toy 4runner TRD pro Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Waco TX iTrader: (0)	Nice review, thanks for posting. I agree with everything except your opinion of the Logic7. I have never heard Wynton Marsalis or Bob Marley sound so good. Maybe it's a little different in the E90 than the E91. How do you (and your rear seat passengers) like the panorama roof?
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