My first week with the 328i Xdrive GT
roadddog53
Member Posts: 7
Loving it so far. Put on about 250 miles of varied driving. Averaging about 22 mpg. Longest was a 70 mile round trip, mostly all highway, 26 mpg. Otherwise, it was stop and go, all city/local driving, or driving in rush hour traffic. Might have been around 18 mpg then.
I initially went shopping for the BMW X3, which was mostly because it was similar in size to my outgoing 2003 BMW X5, and more fuel efficient than the 16 mpg I was getting with my 11 year old car. What I found out was that the trunk was not very big, and the rear leg room wasn't great either. Parked next to the X3's in the lot were the 3 series GT. I had no idea this car even existed until 2 weeks ago. The trunk "looked" bigger to me, the rear passenger leg room was tremendous, and it came standard with all wheel drive (xdrive) and a panoramic moon roof. I was immediately sold. It was everything I was looking for, in a more modern and pleasing profile. (I'm a huge fan of the hatchback X6, which is my dream car).
So 5 days later, I got the Mineral Gray M-Sport with black dakota and the aluminum hexagon accent interior. It doesn't drive as tight as a 3 series sedan/wagon, but this guy racked up a grand in tickets in 2012, and I've been a more casual driver ever since. The 328i turbo 4 still has plenty of kick even with the heavier curb weight, and the 8 speed automatic shifts so quickly/smoothly, I found a goofy grin on my face the other day when I had a moment of driving clarity and realized how amazing it was. My only complaint so far is that there isn't enough storage up front for the driver.
rant: The front map pockets are slightly shallow, and the 2 cup holders in the front of the center console (that do double duty as cell phone/sunglass holders) push the limits on comfortably holding a taller drink (like a venti Starbucks or a 20 oz. McDonalds soda) as the dash gets in the way. A tall or Grande from starbucks fits just fine, but a 32 oz soda is definitely tipping towards the driver due to pressure from the dash). The one cool thing is that the cover tray that hides the cup holders can be removed, and there is a elastic net secured to the ceiling of the glove box that will stow away the tray neatly).
The storage under the armrest is very shallow as well. I have enough room in there for sunglasses, a couple phones, a pen or two, and a charger. It might hold my wallet in addition to that, but definitely not a George Costanza sized wallet. I did put the owners manual in the trunk (perfectly slotted in the right rear corner and held with a cargo net) so my glovebox is freed up. The one negative part about cars being designed now in a world that frowns on tabacco use? I do miss having an ash tray to hold all my spare change. lol
That's it for now. I'm definitely having more fun behind the wheel in this car. It is an amazing ride.