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      09-11-2012, 06:18 AM   #1
manteroo
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Drives: 2012 BMW F20 118i Auto
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Cape Town

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F30 320i vs F20 118i

Hi

For those of you who are interested, I own a 118i Auto F20. Had it for 7 months now and was interested to see how it compares to the new F30 320i.

Took a 320i out for a spin in the glorious Cape Town sun this morning. Impressions...........

Exterior - -

Much improved over the E90 even though the changes from the side are subtle. The fornt is very nice and aggressive looking. Really neatly finished off and not as chunky as the E90 was. You cannot compare the F30 to the F20 here as they are different cars, sport vs sedan.

Interior - -

The F30 is almost identical to the F20 in trim and finish. I have the aluminium finish with black leather. This was the same in the F30 I drove. The F30 is a little wider and there is a bit more leg room at the rear. The boot is much bigger than the F20 but not massive by any means. Overall I flet that the F20 cabin was more talored around the driver - that "hug" kind of feeling, whereas the F30 was more "flat" if that helps at all. It is very nice though and light years ahead of the old E90 interior.

Performance - -

This is where things get a bit hairy. The ride is smooth, I was very ciritcal and found it to be as smooth as the F20 1'er. I purposely drove over some road surfaces that I find a bit rough in the F20 and I found the same on the 320i. There was also a bit more tyre rumble from the 320i but I am not sure what tyres were fitted. I have Bridgestone Potenza 17's on my 118i and I find them very comfortable.

Acceleration on the 320i auto is much much better than the old E90 320i. The car picks up speed quickly BUT with a fair amount of engine noise. Lots of revs in Sport mode BUT did not seem as quick as my 118i. If you look at the official spec on BMW website you will see that the F20 118i Auto is about 0.5 secs quicker to 100 than the F30 Auto 320i. This is evident when you drive the 2 cars. Power to weight ratio must come into play here.

Verdict - - -

I like both cars, very much. I just like the F20 that little bit more. It's a sports car and the 320i is a family sedan. The experience in the 118i is more intimate - you feel more "at one" with the car. The 118i also seems to handle a bit better around corners - I suppose it would as the car is more squat on the ground, especially with the 17 inch rims. I think the 328i F30 is probably a different animal all together but then again, the F20 125i or 135i will take care of that !

Hope you enjoyed.
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