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2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited September 2014 in BMW

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  • joefrompajoefrompa Member Posts: 64
    Glad to hear all is well Dan.

    Can you expound on your comments on seat comfort? I believe you have the M-sport package & sport seats as a result - was the bolstering too much? No lumbar support? Too narrow of seats for you? Not enough leg support?

    What'd you think of the road noise, wind noise, overall ride feel?

    How'd you do on fuel economy?

    Any thoughts on the sound of that 4-cylinder after 6+ hours of driving?
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    also glad to hear things are okay. Is it just me getting older or are seats today overall less comfortable on long drives compared with cars from 10+ years back?
  • actualsizeactualsize Member Posts: 451
    I'll touch on other subject in subsequent posts. I learned a lot about this car in a short time and I intend to spread it out in multiple posts. As for the sport seats, they mainly felt hard and thin on the bottom cushion. I drove with my wallet in the console, but that didn't help. And the extendable thigh support didn't really help and I was bothered by the gap midway along the thigh; I could feel that even if I didn't pull it out to make the lower cushion longer. It wasn't a question of being pinched by bolsters along the ribs. That was fine. And the backrest and lumbar was OK. Seat issues are personal. Someone else may feel differently. That said, I can usually tolerate just about anything. But this car was literally a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] for me.

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  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    Methinks thou dost protest too much with all the Tesla equivocating. You basically say that if you had the extra time, the Tesla would have been OK to take, but this sounds like it was a family semi-emergency, and I think, and I think YOU think, that at this point in your experience the Tesla is purely and simply not dependable enough to take on a 2000-mile road trip of some importance, regardless of the time frame. When you can play games, a $100,000 electric toy is wonderful to have, but when you absolutely, positively HAVE to be there overnight (to steal the old Fedex advertising slogan), you take an ICE vehicle.
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    Glad to hear that things are "ok"

    This seat experience sounds very similar to that of my 2006 330i with sports pkg. Seats got uncomfortable after about 90 minutes.
    Funny thing is the much plainer looking seats in my 2012 Jeep Wrangler are all day comfy. At the end of an all day trip I realize that I didn't think about the seats at all.

    p.s. I am a skinny dood before someone claims that the BMW's seats were too snug. No issues at all w the seats in an x5 or 5 series.
  • tenschamp2tenschamp2 Member Posts: 15
    Glad to hear everything is okay as well.

    In regards to the post, 'You'd have to leave your Tesla at home in such circumstances, as we did. But this isn't necessarily damning news for the Model S. Anyone who has the coin to own one probably owns a few gas-powered cars they can choose from. Or they should, at least.'

    The other option would be for someone to rent a car when a trip like this is needed. Your could probably rent a car at your local Avis/Hertz/Enterprise for ~$30/day with unlimited miles. Given the need for this kind of trip only happens maybe once a year, that'd certainly be a more fiscally responsible option than owning a second car, and I don't think going through the rental car process wouldn't have added too much more time.
  • tenschamp2tenschamp2 Member Posts: 15
    And I'll reiterate the need for an edit button...sorry for the errors in that one.
  • 7driver7driver Member Posts: 145
    I would like to point out that even if you don't have the coin to own a gas powered car in addition to a Tesla Model S, renting might also be an option.
  • ericisamazingericisamazing Member Posts: 10
    I have the seats and drove from dc to Houston with no problems, so I guess it's just personal
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    I find BMW's sport seats fairly comfortable with seat heaters. Hint: they're not just for cold weather driving, they're for keeping your backside muscles relaxed on all-day drives.
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    Agree with @tenschamp2-- If a plug-in electric vehicle works as your daily driver 50 weeks out of the year, do it. You can rent a gas powered highway cruiser for the few times when you need it.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    @fordson: I think you are projecting. Dan was quite clear in his posts from the Oregon trip that he really enjoyed using the Tesla; it forced him to rethink his trip and as a result he enjoyed it more. His only point in this post re the Tesla was that the
  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    I'm glad all is well Dan. As someone who has a long commute and drives close to 30k miles per year, seat comfort is high on my list of requirements. I have found BMW seats are just not that comfortable. I'm average sized and pretty fit, their sports seats are nice for short enthusiastic drives, but their regular seats just don't work for me. Back support, especially mid back seems lacking. Saabs generally had the best seats, I like Lexus seats and LOVE the new Altima seats. Not enough to buy one, but they are nice.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    @bankerdanny: you are certainly welcome to your point of view. Dan's posts from his Oregon trip and how happy he was with the car and the pacing of the trip all happened before the Tesla's second drivetrain replacement. The first replacement, at just o
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