With most of the F20's seeming to be of the "Sport" "Urban" variety, (in the UK), here are a few pics of the SE...
Mineral grey with Oyster interior was the combination on car that my local dealer had for their closed viewing prior to launch and I thought it looked a nice contrast. The Oyster could be troublesome in the winter but with the leather coated with protector and the mats with Scotchguard i'm hoping with a little regular maintenance it shouldn't be too bad. I will however be replacing the removable mats with black ones shortly...
Spec is as follows...
F20 118d SE Automatic in Mineral Grey Metalic
Comfort, Driver and Visability packs with option of front parking sensors
DAB, Full leather interior, (oyster), with Heated Sports front seats
Full black panel Display, Sports steering wheel, Fineline wood trim and HK audio system...
Observations... I've never had Xenons before and i'm very impressed with what is fitted here... The adaptive operation is very good especially when on country roads and the fog lamps assistance when they switch on at junctions and move with the wheel is useful too. Think I can live without the automatic low/main beam utility as it gets confused when confronted with a high vis reflective road sign ahead and dips the beams which can be a pain when you dont expect it...
Had the front parking sensors on my E87 and found them very useful, the display on the lcd is a bit of a gimick though imo...
The DAB reception, (in my area Nth Herts), is very good and combined with the HK speaker system makes for some impressive sound levels and good quality audio. I had the Alpine upgrade on my previous car, the HK is certainly louder than the Alpine option, the rear speakers, (not amplified with the Alpine option), sound much better too and certainly contribute to the improved quality. As far as, "HiFi" is concerned, the HK system is not upto the best available and the lack of anything but basic bass & treble for fine tuining leaves something to be desired but I believe it's better than one could achieve if you spent the cost of the option on after-market kit.
The auto box is a bit of a mixed bag... When accelerating it is smooth and quick, however at times it seems to get a bit confused. For instance, when braking for a roundabout and not having to stop, when the power is re-applied, the box hesitates and there is most times an uncomfortable jerk when the correct gear is engaged... I guess this is due, in part to the fact that there are 8 speeds to choose from. Apart from that, it's a gem...
In my E87, I fitted an, M-Sport interior as the std seats in the E87 SE were little better than a park bench, in comparision, the sports seats as an option in the F20 are not quite as extreme with less deep side bolsters on the seat and backrest but are very comfortable nether the less. The heated option is a real necessity with leater imo and it seems to work well with three levels of intensity.
The Full Black Panel display is nice but if it was any more than the £95 I paid I could have done without it... I know its a personal thing but I believe that the driver can sometimes be presented with, "too much" information and together with the separate display in the dash this is borderline for me...
The optional Sports steering wheel in the SE is a a defo for me as the std one is so thin there is a danger it would slip though my hands. Again, I had the M-Sport wheel in my old 1'er and may well upgrade when funds allow as the M is again that little bit thicker and comfortable.
Here are some pics....
