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

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in BMW

image2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

The Editors of Edmunds spend 12 months and 20,000 miles with the all-wheel-drive, four-cylinder 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo.

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Comments

  • bassrockerxbassrockerx Member Posts: 24
    if it was me i would get the harmon kardon stereo, cold weather package, premium package, dynamic handling package and the m sport brakes. the technology package just seems gimicky i guess i will need a review of the "bmw apps" t osee if its really worth it. and the M sport package is just a body kit and wheels and.. well it doesent make it look any more pretty so whats the point? if i had to spend 55k i would save the extra money on the technology and m sport package and just get the 335 upgrade.

    the way i see it the 3GT is very practical and it has more room than the 5 series sedan so you if you like big cars its kinda like a cheap way to get a 5 series. and you get the benifits of a smaller footprint so its overal easyer to manuver/park.
  • mcesarey_mcesarey_ Member Posts: 2
    I love BMWs but 55 grand is MIGHTY steep for a 3 series with the base engine.
  • joner800joner800 Member Posts: 80
    man, this thing is so fugly..!
  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    55K for a 3 series. I am amazed at the prices BMW gets for it's cars.
  • markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    Ugh. Every time I see someone in a 5 Gran Turismo, I wonder whether they just got "sold" by the BMW salesman that this would be some kind of new trend and they'd be near the fore-front of a new trend, while the salesman breathes a serious sigh of relief that he just unloaded one of the "unsellable" vehicles that's been sitting in inventory way too long. JMHO.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    Honestly it look more like a fastback body style to me at least. Also it would seem that Edmunds STILL hasn't fixed the comments for these intros as you still have to comment first just read the updates unless you want to type in manually the html address to get to the comments page.
  • lowprofilelowprofile Member Posts: 7
    The BMW Crosstour. No really, I've seen it in real life.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    Just once I would love to see you get a truly entry level BMW or Audi, one that stickers within a couple grand of base rather than one with options that add 29% to the price like this one. Or at least get a car with the base suspension and tires. You've long-term tested many many BMW's with sport suspensions and larger wheels and summer tires. How about telling us if living with a base suspension and 17's with all-seasons really degrades the day-to-day ownership experience.
  • cbrandi_cbrandi_ Member Posts: 40
    Amazing, $55,000 for a 4 cylinder hatchback. Who'd be crazy enough to buy one?
  • carfreak8394carfreak8394 Member Posts: 0
    So, just to be clear... This is a $55,000 BMW 3 Series without a backup camera or xenon headlights?...
  • vroom2vroom2 Member Posts: 3
    Those things are so ugly they may as well hand them over to the press in the hope they say something nice about them.
  • evodadevodad Member Posts: 135
    These things are so goddamned ugly. Everytime I see one of the 5 series GT's I wonder what the idiot driving it was thinking when they bought it, perhaps they finally traded in their beloved aztek or something.
  • diigiidiigii Member Posts: 156
    At 42K, but no HID headlights? I'm not a fan of HID headlights but at this price range, it's a glaring omission. No pun intended.
  • mnorm1_mnorm1_ Member Posts: 17
    After reading the introduction, it comes down to: $55,000 for this, really, $55,000 for this? The phrase attributed to PT Barnum is correct.
  • lmbvettelmbvette Member Posts: 93
    Let me be the first to say "Is it April Fools Day already?"

    Seriously, this is one of the most awkward vehicles on the road today. Right up there with the 5 GT and the X6, and that is really saying something. The sad thing is that I really love hatchbacks, and this car leaves me cold.

    They have one of these parked/displayed at a swanky higher-end retail/restaurant plaza near where I live. It has been parked there for over 6 months. I'm not surprised that the dealership does not want it sitting on their lot. LOL

    Also, 55k for the 4 cylinder is just ridiculous.
    Don't worry about what other people think. Drive what makes you happy.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    "We know this 2.0-liter produces good power, but is it any fun with the mandatory all-wheel drive? Is the slopeback body style an effective compromise between wagon and sedan, or would we have been better off going for either of those?" Is it any fun being over four thousand pounds and with a hip point about 5 inches higher than a regular 3 series? Is it any fun driving around in a car that's ugly as sin? I mean, since you asked...
  • masanori4585masanori4585 Member Posts: 3
    $55,000 and it doesn't have HID headlights?!? My ten year old Mazda3 has those...
  • stineystiney Member Posts: 28
    Well, I sure don't see BMW as a value. For the price of this "bottom rung" 3 series Gran Turismo you could buy a well equipped Mazda6 AND a nice Mazda CX-5. Both excellent, efficient and dynamically well-sorted. But, as PT Barnum has been known to say: "there's a sucker born every minute".
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    "Of course, we could've gotten BMW's slick six-cylinder 335i xDrive Gran Turismo for only $5,400 ......Sometimes you've gotta make grown-up decisions."

    And then you load up the 328 so it is about $5k more expensive than the 335. Bravo.
  • legacygtlegacygt Member Posts: 599
    $5400 for the upgrade to the 335 seems a much better value than nearly $4000 for the M Sport package which is a really a lot of nothing.
  • markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    Where did the comments go?
  • fsunolefsunole Member Posts: 25
    $56K and no HID headlights and if my eyes are correct, no backup camera either.

    BMW has gone crazy with the new 3's pricing. You could get a loaded E90 335 brand new for $47k only a few years ago.
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    ?
  • jps429jps429 Member Posts: 8
    I know this vehicle was provided to you by BMW and all but, at 55k this car not having xenon lights is 100% RIDICULOUS.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    Options are $13,000 but the lifetime supply of Kool-Aid is free of charge.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    Yeah - the only way to see comments is to add another comment. Beautiful system.
  • tacomamudpittacomamudpit Member Posts: 65
    Interesting article indeed - Total cost, including a $925 destination and delivery fee is $55,500 @ BMW provided this vehicle for the purpose of this long-term road test. I'm 'guessing' since it was provided from BMW (loaner so to speak) no sales tax? I still get can't over the thought of dropping $60,000 thousand dollars ($55,500 + Sales tax) on any 4 cylinder, 240 HP vehicle! Just say'in.
  • horsepwr1horsepwr1 Member Posts: 9
    It is incredible how bad looking the BMW Gran Turismo's are. Who would drive that at a premium price?
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    Once upon a time the way to get a bigger 3 series was called the 5 series, and the way to get hatchback functionality without an SUV was called a wagon. There's a novel idea-- a 5 series wagon.
  • mnorm1_mnorm1_ Member Posts: 17
    Still prefer the inside line version, the new site/software isn't so good
  • idoc2idoc2 Member Posts: 78
    I looked at this vehicle and though it was a well thought out package of function and performance. A few qualms. Perhaps a bit to reminiscent of the Pontiac Aztec but that's a matter for taste. For me as a New England resident the deal breaker was the way the frameless window glass slips up into the roofline. In order to open the door, as you pull the handle the glass automatically retracts approx. a 1/4 inch to disengage it from the roof. How is this going to work in an ice storm or even after snow lands on your still warm car, melts and then refreezes in a parking lot. BTW I keep my ice scraper IN my car. The puzzled salesperson said they'd call BMW and ask. Seems like a paradoxical design in a car equipped with all-wheel drive. Additionally, how do you open a door if the battery dies? Then how do you gain access to the terminals to recharge the battery. I suppose in both cases you could get in through the rear hatch. Hmmm.
  • 500rwhp500rwhp Member Posts: 99
    $55k for an ugly 4 cylinder BMW? Wow. The price some pay for vanity.
  • velocity_xvelocity_x Member Posts: 10
    How much more rear seat legroom does this body style have over the sedan or wagon?
    And how does Insideline/Edmunds measure rear seat legroom ?

    I know some publications set the front seat to 40in (length from drivers ankle to seat-back) and then measure the available rear legroom. Other seem to position the front seats as near as possible to the steering wheel and then take the rear measurement….thus yielding rear leg room numbers that are unrepresentative of the actual space available with a 6ft driver with a 60% leg 40% torso height distribution.
  • ghillsghills Member Posts: 1
    It's unlikely there has been a butt-uglier car conceived since the Pontiac Aztek.

    $55 grand......

    wow.
  • velocity_xvelocity_x Member Posts: 10
    .
  • mnorm1_mnorm1_ Member Posts: 17
    have to post to see comments?
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