[Tengocity]

So after much moaning about long wait for delivery, we eventually got our new tourer at the weekend! Collected in Perth and now arrived back home in Herts, so got half the running in period over with now.

The car is Estoril Blue with Black dakota leather- not very original, but it's a nice colour and the black was chosen for practical reasons!

Spec as follows:

MSport plus pack
Interior comfort pack
Prof Media plus Enhanced Bluetooth
Visibility pack
Head up display
Panoramic sunroof
Towbar
Folding mirrors
Sliding armrest
Electric memory seats, with lumbar control and heating
Active cruise control with Stop and go
Adaptive M sport suspension
Variable sport steering
Reversing camera
All badges deleted

So a few toys to get to know. Plenty of reports on these to come...

I bought a set of 18" wheels with Pirelli winter tyres and have had them installed from delivery - a couple of pics showing both. I will try to wash the car tomorrow and get some better ones, though most folk have seen plenty EBII cars by now!

Venture shield is getting installed on Thursday and then next week it will get a full new car detail done.

First comments though...

Not being overly slow during running in period, just waiting till engine is plenty warm, and once it is then boy is the car fast!!! Quite different to previous diesels, in that it seems very linear and not "boosty" at all. It actually makes it seem deceptively fast though. Compared to an E90 and our Z4 the ride comfort is exceptional. The handling in comfort is fine for everyday driving and the gearbox is responsive enough, really haven't felt the need to resort to using the paddles. When going for it though, and in Sport mode the handling is neat and tidy, body control is good, and the car is always in just the right gear. My first proper drive was on Scottish A-roads, in the dark, at about 2 degrees.... quite frankly I found the ground covering ability quite astonishing!

The car is just so sure-footed and the traction coming out of corners is laugh out loud funny! I think though, the body control and drive train refinement at speed have you driving everywhere at 20mph more than you think! No doubt this was perfect conditions for xdrive to offer a clear advantage, but I was pleased that the handling still felt like a rear driver!

Having said all that, what I do feel so far is that it doesn't feel so much like a "sports car" (clearly it isn't), and I'd still much rather use the Z4 for a drive just for fun, even if it is slower! Not sure quite why, possibly the lighter steering, possibly the linearity of the thrust makes for less drama... perhaps the diesel just doesn't have the noise or throttle response... or perhaps it's an estate weighing 1700kgs. No doubt it's a bit of all of that. That's fine for me, and I've no doubt it will be the car we need it to be. Fast, practical, comfortable, (reasonably) economical, long distance family car, which is good to drive.

The fuel consumption so far hasn't been great, well below 40mpg so far, even after a long, steady motorway journey back down south, so hoping that improves with some miles.

I'll add some thoughts on various bits of equipment with later posts.

[DazC]

Love it mate. I really like the shape of the F31.

Love EBII and happy motoring in the new year!

[dopper99]

Blimey, you bought a 5 year old!

Only joking.

Congrats on you new motor and Happy New Year.

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Blimey, you bought a 5 year old!

Only joking.

Congrats on you new motor and Happy New Year.

Indeed! Going for the uber stealth look!

Having chinese mother the 8 brings me luck apparently... and 63 is such a dull number!

[NISFAN]

Nice one..............there is something really special about EBII, they always catch my eye going the other way on the motorway amongst the sea of bland, blacks, silvers and greys. Best colour choice IMO.

[Fazerfahrer]

Hi,

Realy nice car, choosen a good combination of 335d and Z4. We have nearly the same, 330d touring and z4 sDrive 30i.

Just share a picture of your Z4.

[Tengocity]

Thanks, yes between the two cars I think we have a good mix to cover most drivers needs! Z4 pic for you...

[Steve_M_Sport]

Nice car but have you noticed the wheels are different on the near side from the offside ?

[alibonyad]

Originally Posted by Steve_M_Sport

Nice car but have you noticed the wheels are different on the near side from the offside ?

Waiting for someone to fall for this in the morning...

[Bens3T]

Lol...

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by Steve_M_Sport

Nice car but have you noticed the wheels are different on the near side from the offside ?

It's how I'm trying to decide on whether to go with 18's or 19's

[Fazerfahrer]

Hi,

also the Zett looks nice with 19" rims. I just would replace the long car antenna by a short version of a Peugeot 607, fits perfect and looks good.

[DazC]

Lovely Z4 too.

[Apl440i or 335d?]

I just love EBII

Enjoy the new car!

[Pablo68]

Congratulaitions, lovely car.

And love the Z4 (s)

[Finnie]

Lovely but I would say that. Glad you have the car now and are enjoying it as much as i am. Its a shame grassicks dont have a new car presentation booth isn't it.

[steddyman]

Wow, beautiful car. It amazes me how great the F31 looks. Never really liked any other estate car.

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by Finnie

Lovely but I would say that. Glad you have the car now and are enjoying it as much as i am. Its a shame grassicks dont have a new car presentation booth isn't it.

Yes that would be nice, especially on a pissing wet day in late December!

I also wish they had a bit more parking.. though I think every single dealership is like that.

Enjoying the car very much, though now now just parted with it for a few days so it can get the ventureshield installed!

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by steddyman

Wow, beautiful car. It amazes me how great the F31 looks. Never really liked any other estate car.

Thanks. Yes, as estate cars go, it certainly is one of the best looking. Originally the other half was not keen with the idea of an estate, but then she had boxy volvos in mind, soon came round when she saw the F31 in the flesh. And the reversing camera sealed the deal!

[Finnie]

You must give us some close ups of the venture shield. It's still under consideration

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by Finnie

You must give us some close ups of the venture shield. It's still under consideration

I will get it back on Monday so will probs be the following weekend till I can wash it and get some pics. I may try to squeeze in the new car detailing work before then too (nano-tech sealant etc).