BMW 430D/330D, opinions?

maddness

Thinking about buying either a 430D or 330D and was wondering if anyone here has either and might be able to give some insight.
I’m looking at 15/16 plate and either from the Uk or buy one locally.
Anything particular to look out for?

bazz26

I don't own either but my opinion would be go for the 430d assuming your talking about the 4 door gran coupe version? They are pretty much identical mechanically but the 4 Series is a better looking car, has slightly better handling, the interior feels a bit more upmarket and standard equipment on them is better than on the 3 Series. The boot on the 4 Gran Coupe is bigger and more practical too. The only disadvantage of the 4 Series over the 3 Series is that the 4 Series being a coupe, sits lower off the ground and has a lower roofline meaning headroom might be a problem if you or your passengers are very tall.

What trim level are you looking at? Both look best in M Sport.

ongarite

Incredible engine mated to an equally great 8 speed automatic.
Tons of power, very smooth and quiet.

bazz26

Yep, have that engine and gearbox in a 530d myself and both are great.

maddness

I’m leaning more towards the 430 and am very familiar with the specs but just curious about the engine. There is also the possibility of a 435D which looks very good but more expensive to buy and run.

bazz26

Yeah the 435d tend to cost a good chunk of change more. They sit slightly higher too being XDrive.

James Bond Junior

We have a 420d luxury spec eg an SE. Very nice car but I feel it is slightly lacking in power. Good to drive but I can't warm to it 100%. I'd actually rather a 3 so test drive both. If you carry rear passengers, be aware that it is pretty tight in the back and getting in and out requires you to sit in arse first and then turn your body in. The boot is great to swallow loads and the powered tailgate is cool.

useless

I have a 430d GC. Its fast, well equipped & I think it looks good. Things to look out for- not much in my experience so far, mine is an early 16 car that I’ve had for a year.
Ride is harsh enough with 19in runflats- I might replace with non runflat when they need replacing. Seats are a small bit tight if you’re a big chap but are very adjustable. I’m getting 30mpg ish with a mix of mostly city and motorway driving. My annual mileage is low so no big deal, but it’ll hurt your wallet if you’re commuting long distances in it.
Early 16 cars can’t have CarPlay added without a HU change, there’s a different one for the later ‘16 cars onwards.
There’s a number of small odd annoying things as standard that can be fixed with 10 mins coding eg the button in the footwell to open the tailgate doesn’t also close it(!) and the digital speed display doesn’t appear as standard.
Im really nitpicking with these issues though. It’s a great car to drive. Only other advice I’d have is think about spending an extra few quid on an AUC because the parts & labour are expensive.
New G20 3 Series will hopefully bring the prices of 15/16 versions down for you too. Good luck!

useless

maddness wrote: »

I’m leaning more towards the 430 and am very familiar with the specs but just curious about the engine. There is also the possibility of a 435D which looks very good but more expensive to buy and run.

If you got a 430d you could consider the M Performance Power Pack which is a BMW dealer fit new ECU, bigger intercooler and brakes, with c.25 more bhp and more torque. Doesn’t affect BMW warranty but you’ll need to tell your insurer. A halfway house between a 430 and a 435!

http://www.matlawrence.com/images/bmw/powerkit.pdf

https://www.kearysbmw.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&externalID=20993&parentid=2891

maddness

useless wrote: »

I have a 430d GC. Its fast, well equipped & I think it looks good. Things to look out for- not much in my experience so far, mine is an early 16 car that I’ve had for a year.
Ride is harsh enough with 19in runflats- I might replace with non runflat when they need replacing. Seats are a small bit tight if you’re a big chap but are very adjustable. I’m getting 30mpg ish with a mix of mostly city and motorway driving. My annual mileage is low so no big deal, but it’ll hurt your wallet if you’re commuting long distances in it.
Early 16 cars can’t have CarPlay added without a HU change, there’s a different one for the later ‘16 cars onwards.
There’s a number of small odd annoying things as standard that can be fixed with 10 mins coding eg the button in the footwell to open the tailgate doesn’t also close it(!) and the digital speed display doesn’t appear as standard.
Im really nitpicking with these issues though. It’s a great car to drive. Only other advice I’d have is think about spending an extra few quid on an AUC because the parts & labour are expensive.
New G20 3 Series will hopefully bring the prices of 15/16 versions down for you too. Good luck!

Thanks but what’s an AUC?

James Bond Junior

maddness wrote: »

Thanks but what’s an AUC?

Approved used warranty.

mickdw

430d or 435d seemed to be the perfect car for me. I looked at a 2015 msport and to be honest I thought the interior was woeful. Just couldn't live with it at all.
It seems to be a only me as I don't hear many complaints but it was dull, old fashioned and just seemed to be well behind my current audi which is many years older.
5 6 and 7 series of same era are beautiful though.

useless

Sorry. BMW Approved Used Car. 2 year used car warranty from BMW. I think they’re transferable from UK dealers to Irish ones too, so if you buy one from the UK, the warranty will be honoured by the Irish dealer network.
When I got mine there was a roughly €1.5k difference between buying one from an Irish dealer and importing one myself from the UK. I ended up buying one in Dublin as it was the exact spec I was looking for- with a little bit extra as well

JoeA3

mickdw wrote: »

430d or 435d seemed to be the perfect car for me. I looked at a 2015 msport and to be honest I thought the interior was woeful. Just couldn't live with it at all.
It seems to be a only me as I don't hear many complaints but it was dull, old fashioned and just seemed to be well behind my current audi which is many years older.
5 6 and 7 series of same era are beautiful though.

I do think spec and colour (of the interior trim) makes a huge difference. With the right spec combo there's not much wrong with the interior imo, it's certainly well up there with last generation Audi's, obviously not in the same league as current Audi's.

Was the interior of the one you looked at all black? They look an awful lot better with the oyster leather imo. Some of them have terrible trim on the dash too, blue/red plastic strips across the dash, looks cat.

James Bond Junior

JoeA3 wrote: »

I do think spec and colour (of the interior trim) makes a huge difference. With the right spec combo there's not much wrong with the interior imo, it's certainly well up there with last generation Audi's, obviously not in the same league as current Audi's.

Was the interior of the one you looked at all black? They look an awful lot better with the oyster leather imo. Some of them have terrible trim on the dash too, blue/red plastic strips across the dash, looks cat.

We have oyster leather and it looks the bees knees, it is the second bmw we have had with oyster and if you keep a pack of leather wipes in the car it is remarkably easy to keep clean. We also have a gloss black wood effect trim and it is dire for reflecting bright sun directly into your eyes.

mickdw

JoeA3 wrote: »

mickdw wrote: »

430d or 435d seemed to be the perfect car for me. I looked at a 2015 msport and to be honest I thought the interior was woeful. Just couldn't live with it at all.
It seems to be a only me as I don't hear many complaints but it was dull, old fashioned and just seemed to be well behind my current audi which is many years older.
5 6 and 7 series of same era are beautiful though.

I do think spec and colour (of the interior trim) makes a huge difference. With the right spec combo there's not much wrong with the interior imo, it's certainly well up there with last generation Audi's, obviously not in the same league as current Audi's.

Was the interior of the one you looked at all black? They look an awful lot better with the oyster leather imo. Some of them have terrible trim on the dash too, blue/red plastic strips across the dash, looks cat.

Ya black with that blue highlight. You are right re the oyster. I favour bright interiors anyway but the 4 just seems old hat.

GustavoFring

4 series do tend to have better spec. Definitely go for an M-Sport.

Have a 330d touring, mainly N roads and get low 40s to a tank. Increases a lot on longer journeys, decreases a lot in traffic or when pushing it hard.

Engine and box are a great match to be honest. Blurs everything into the background on the commute, decent shove in any gear. Sport mode improves the kickdown when you want it.

maddness

Cheers for the information, I’m pretty much decided on the 4GC and just need to see if I can stretch to a 435.
I want M Sport Plus and Oyster leather at the minimum

Wailin

Go for the 435d if you can afford it and find one. Not much heavier on fuel compared to the 430d but very noticeable jump in power and torque, especially low down in the rpm range. Less lag too with the twin turbos.

bambam

I highly recommend going for the 435D, bags of torque and 0-60 in 4.7s :-)
And you can get 50mpg if you care to drive carefully.

The one option you need to get is the adaptive suspension. The mandatory x-drive on the 435D means you can't have the sport suspension. Thus it's sits high and is a bit wallowy in the corners.

One thing which bugs me is the Standard LED lights, they're not great to be honest. Best try and get the Adaptive LED ones, they have twice the actual LEDs apparently.

And do try and get one with the upgraded harman kardon hifi, as the base one is a bit rubbish