02-20-2014, 10:02 PM | #1 |
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Impressions of 228i - Test Drive
Received a call from BMW of Pleasant Grove Utah today informing me that they received a 228i that I could come in and drive. The car was black, and aside from the premium package it was pretty bare bones. Automatic tranny, with no paddle shifters. The exterior did not grab me, probably because it was still partially covered in the shipping wrap, but my sales guy had it pulled off and out front ready for me to drive in no time.
I will say, a base model in black is rather unremarkable, and stock headlights did not help the case, however the interior felt very upscale BMW even with just the standard 6.5 info screen, I would likely be happy with that stock screen if the unit supported bluetooth audio. The lack of that alone will force me into upgrading. I was however rather unimpressed with the premium leather in the car. Felt cheap, and looked cheap as well. The leather in the Mini Cooper is far more luxurious than what was in this car, and it surprised me they would cut corners here. I would much more prefer the Alcantra cloth seats over the premium leather. We took the car on what I assumed was their typical demo loop, a mix of highway and some back road twisties. Keep in mind, I was not going to put a car that just had the plastic wrap pulled off it through any redline driving so I cannot comment on how this car handles at its limits. I did get a sense of its acceleration and handling. It was pleasant, well put together and again rather unremarkable. All in all, it felt like a cramped 3 series soaking up rough roads admirably, and holding the line in a round about with ease. No noticeable exhaust growl or burble, and the engine sound was a predictable 4 cylinder song. Putting the car into sport mode tightened things up a bit, but largely still remained a mild mannered Clark Kent. The test drive left me feeling a bit tempered from the excitement I had earlier felt about this car. Looks were meh, driving was to be expected for a car costing around 40k, and truthfully I think there are more exciting/practical choices in that price range. Maybe with the sport line package, xenons and a better color I could have been a bit more aroused but presently todays test drive cinched any thoughts of going for a 228. |
02-21-2014, 04:44 AM | #3 |
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Thanks for the feedback. On the leather - the M235 at the Toronto show had the Dacotah leather and at first I thought it was some heavy-duty pleather is was so tough and hard. (Didn't really smell like leather either.)
While the tactile aesthetics of it may be poor I could see this hide taking a great deal of abuse without suffering significant damage and that is a tradeoff I am happy to make if required for durability. |
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02-21-2014, 10:43 AM | #5 |
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^^ Hardly a review, it's a sales guy showing a few features of each model. Whoever is holding the camera here seems to have advanced MS, the camera shake gave me motion sickness. Sales guy did not have a clue what the M meant in the car's name.
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