Anybody with late model BMW 4 cylinder cars?

Folks,

I'm looking at a late model 328iX wagon as a new DD. It's a 2015 with the 2 liter gas turbo (N20) motor. They've been out since 2012, so hopefully someone with more than a few miles can enlighten me on what to expect for service as time goes by.

Does anyone have any experience with this mill?

Not much help regarding the engine but I have a 2014 328dX wagon. If you have any questions regarding the car itself, let me know.

Care to post some general impressions? I'm contemplating this or a VW Sportwagen for a Mazda3 replacement. What I really want is a Golf R Sportwagen, but that's not coming here. Yet? They're making AWD Sportwagens in Mexico for the States now, so maybe it's a possibility. But seriously, the wagon market is lean nowadays.

My dad has a '14 3 series with that motor. It's interesting in that it makes pretty good hp, but he averages about 38mpg in mixed driving. No real issues to speak of. It did have a turbo replaced under warranty at around 30k miles, but no other issues. It has around 40k right now. Steering is pretty numb for a BMW, and it doesn't feel as sporty as his previous 5 series, but it is a seriously nice car.

Not to hijack but does anybody know how the 2L N20 compares to the 3L N54 twin turbo seat of the pants performance wise?

I see the N20 made Ward's 10 Best, decent HP and good torque numbers for a 2L. I still ain't crazy about displacement downsizing.

All I have heard is that lots of fuel pumps and turbos have been replaced on the ones at the office.

fasted58 wrote: Not to hijack but does anybody know how the 2L N20 compares to the 3L N54 twin turbo seat of the pants performance wise? I see the N20 made Ward's 10 Best, decent HP and good torque numbers for a 2L. I still ain't crazy about displacement downsizing.

I can't quote you hp numbers, but by seat of the pants driving it is quick. Not M3 quick, but way quicker than its 2L would lead you to believe. It's faster than his previous 3L straight six.

As to the turbo replacement, it was blowing a bit of smoke on cold start up. The dealer diagnosed it as a turbo seal on one of the two turbos and replaced it under warranty. I would have thought more in the line of valve seals, but it did stop smoking after that. No other issues to 40k.

turtl631 wrote: Care to post some general impressions? I'm contemplating this or a VW Sportwagen for a Mazda3 replacement. What I really want is a Golf R Sportwagen, but that's not coming here. Yet? They're making AWD Sportwagens in Mexico for the States now, so maybe it's a possibility. But seriously, the wagon market is lean nowadays.

It was mostly a pleasant surprise. In the half hour or so I was in it I thought:

1. Pretty quick, torquey, nice gearbox for an auto & what the hell is with that fake intake noise? Seems exactly the same sound as a VW GTI. Pretty out of place on a ~$50K car. I blame Bosch...

2. Drives lighter & tighter than expected. Nice. This is what impressed me most, like all 3 series (only a couple really) BMW's I've ever driven.

3. Didn't think I'd ever use the flappy paddles but found myself downshifting a gear or 2 on a regular basis when it was in anything but sport mode.

4. The "Dakota Leather" is a great imitation of cheap vinyl. The plank flat standard seat bottoms are uninspiring as well.

5. The standard sound system is not very good.

All in all, I really liked the driving dynamics and can overlook the other shortcomings. We drove the previous generation ~5 years ago and found the 3.0 six to be a dog in the wagon. Found the A4 Avant much better at the time & bought one. It makes for a nice comparison to the newer Bim. To me the Audi has a better interior and features, similar but smoother/better sounding powerplant & the same gearbox. The Bim's sportier, quicker & a notch above in chassis control and rigidity.

I think I'd be durn happy to have one of each.

racerdave600 wrote:

fasted58 wrote: Not to hijack but does anybody know how the 2L N20 compares to the 3L N54 twin turbo seat of the pants performance wise? I see the N20 made Ward's 10 Best, decent HP and good torque numbers for a 2L. I still ain't crazy about displacement downsizing.

I can't quote you hp numbers, but by seat of the pants driving it is quick. Not M3 quick, but way quicker than its 2L would lead you to believe. It's faster than his previous 3L straight six. As to the turbo replacement, it was blowing a bit of smoke on cold start up. The dealer diagnosed it as a turbo seal on one of the two turbos and replaced it under warranty. I would have thought more in the line of valve seals, but it did stop smoking after that. No other issues to 40k.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's a single twin scroll turbo. One turbo with two inlets and different pitch impellers. Good thing it was under warranty.

Slippery wrote: Not much help regarding the engine but I have a 2014 328dX wagon. If you have any questions regarding the car itself, let me know.

What are your favorite features and what if anything did you shop it against?

Dashpot nailed it pretty much. I would try and find one with the sportline package, the seats alone are worth it.

The car is bigger inside than the e9x series. Much more rear legroom.

I was amazed when manually shifting, it is as fast as my previous e93's M3 DCT. Its the fastest shifting auto transmission I have ever driven. With the 8 gears and torquey diesel engine, there is no need to manually shift though.

Only things I wish mine had are the LED headlights and a better sound system.

Here is a couple of pics of mine:

Dashpot wrote:

Slippery wrote: Not much help regarding the engine but I have a 2014 328dX wagon. If you have any questions regarding the car itself, let me know.

What are your favorite features and what if anything did you shop it against?

Just to clarify, this is my wife's dd but I put quite a few miles on it. Her only request was a back-up camera (she did not get it lol)

I shopped it against:

Volvo V60. I thought the dash was outdated. Sounds dumb, but I did not feel like buying a car that I felt would be redesigned anytime.

Audi Allroad. I felt this was a great buy, but it had a tighter back seat. I have three kids and they were not happy back there.

VW Sportwagen TDI. It got pulled out of the market the week after I test drove it.

I ended up with the BMW probably because I am so used to the brand, the car just felt right to me. I love being able to open the back window and not the whole tailgate. I like the seats and also the free maintenance at least until the warranty runs out. This thing sips gas, or diesel. The heads up display is also something I never thought I would care for but works really well, especially while using the GPS.

I wish it had a spare, but my experience being stranded on the side of the road while driving an A4 Avant tells me those dont have one either. This is where the Volvo had an edge with a full size in the trunk. At least the BMW has runflats.

wearymicrobe wrote: All I have heard is that lots of fuel pumps and turbos have been replaced on the ones at the office.

Do you know if any of those cars are post-warranty?

I know that the early cars had some timing chain issues that were addressed with a design change for '15. It would be nice to know if there was an update to the FP/Turbo issues.

My wife's daily driver has the N20, and she's had zero trouble with it in two years. Not much time, I know.

I'm a huge fan of the N52 (6-pot predecessor) and I still have two of them in the family fleet/virtual used car lot. I'm an even bigger fan of my S65, but that's another story.

There are a handful of different configurations for the N20 with various HP levels and I think I have driven them in a ton of current BMW models as loaners (2 sedans,3 sedans, 5 sedans, X1, X3). Seems capable and powerful. A little louder than I'm used to for BMWs, and a little busy compared to the inline 6-pots (which I find unbelievably smooth).

In reply to Slippery:

Thanks again for your thoughts & you've got a real nice one there.

In reply to JBasham:

Thanks for your experience as well. Do you know if the intake noise generator thingy is configurable/can be turned down?

Slippery wrote:

Dashpot wrote:

Slippery wrote: Not much help regarding the engine but I have a 2014 328dX wagon. If you have any questions regarding the car itself, let me know.

What are your favorite features and what if anything did you shop it against?

Just to clarify, this is my wife's dd but I put quite a few miles on it. Her only request was a back-up camera (she did not get it lol) I shopped it against: Volvo V60. I thought the dash was outdated. Sounds dumb, but I did not feel like buying a car that I felt would be redesigned anytime. Audi Allroad. I felt this was a great buy, but it had a tighter back seat. I have three kids and they were not happy back there. VW Sportwagen TDI. It got pulled out of the market the week after I test drove it. I ended up with the BMW probably because I am so used to the brand, the car just felt right to me. I love being able to open the back window and not the whole tailgate. I like the seats and also the free maintenance at least until the warranty runs out. This thing sips gas, or diesel. The heads up display is also something I never thought I would care for but works really well, especially while using the GPS. I wish it had a spare, but my experience being stranded on the side of the road while driving an A4 Avant tells me those dont have one either. This is where the Volvo had an edge with a full size in the trunk. At least the BMW has runflats.

VW did you a favor. The BMW is a much nicer car (though I know more expensive).

Any other insights? Storage space, daily usability between the current BMW wagons and the Golf Sportwagen? I see that BMW is dropping wagons for the next gen cars, so the current automatic AWD 4 bangers are it. No room in the lineup for a wagon, need to have all those GT 3er/5er cars and the x1/2/3/4/5/6! It's funny how the internet can shape perceptions. You'd think from forums and YouTube, etc that wagons would be in as big of demand as air cooled 911s, NSXs, Elises, and everything else that has blown up in the last few years, but apparently not.

Yeah, you can turn off the ASD with a code (or change it to a different engine -- M5, anyone?) Google around to find the procedure for your particular model.

wearymicrobe wrote: All I have heard is that lots of fuel pumps and turbos have been replaced on the ones at the office.

This was true of a lot of early-production N-series engines. The turbo and HPFP longevity issues have been addressed mostly across the board and under warranty, even when cars are 'technically' not under the factory warranty terms.

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy an N20 equipped vehicle, just do your homework on used offerings. Demand dealer service records, and be sure to run a VIN decode at the dealer to see if it was affected by some of the early production woes, and if those issues have been addressed.

I love the crap out of BMW's. I own a bunch of them, and have sold a bunch more. But I'd be extremely hesitant to buy a late-model used car without a near flawless dealer service history. They can be very troublesome when not properly maintained. Much moreso than your average domestically manufactured appliance.