430d MSport

The car is very pretty it's the reason I changed a perfectly lovely 3 year old low mileage 330d MSport for it.

The 430D MSport is a much more comfortable ride that its forebear and has taken a little getting used to. In fact it rides much more like an E39 530D MSport I owned. The aggressive and slightly rough edge of the 330D is gone. This maybe due to the 5% increase in the wall height of the Run flat tyres or the slightly longer suspension and axle. I suspect the unsprung weight has been reduced as well all of which will contribute to greater smoothness. The fact mine has optional adjustable dampers may also be a reason - it's an option you should choose.

On the subject of weight - the kerb weight of my 330D MSport auto - with BMW's 75Kg person and 90% full fuel tank in quoted as 1840 Kg in the owners' manual. The kerb weight on the 430D MSport in the owners' manual is quoted at 1615g. This loss of over 200Kg doesn't seem credible to me and poor proof reading maybe to blame. The apparent weight loss and increase in both Torque and Power in the 430D over the 330D might account for the half second or so improvement in the 0-60 time, but so then might the very nifty 8 speed auto and perhaps the use by BMW of the "launch control" which comes as standard on the MSport. (You are warned in the Owners' manual about the wear that results from use of this feature).

The Brochure for the 430D MSport is, in part, a work of fiction. The excuse for this is typed in very small print on the base of the back cover where the likelihood of you reading it as a prospective buyer seems quite remote. This hidden get-out clause explains that the huge array of glossy and seductive photographs in the brochure, which are not at all hidden, show only the German Market model and that others markets maybe different.

So BMW have deleted the driver side glove-box and have not told their dealers or their UK customers. Presumably because this clause allows them to do so. Be careful they don't delete the leather of the windscreen! They have also deleted the passenger foot-well power socket and the rear passenger power socket which are shown as standard fittings in the Owners' manual, as indeed is the now removed driver-side glove box.

What's even more surprising is that BMW keep their dealers in the dark too - I was assured before purchase that the power sockets were present. BMW it seems like to grow mushrooms

The loss of these two items has disproportionately spoiled initial joy of ownership, but I pursue the power socket still.

The car drives very nicely indeed the changes made - whatever they are have made the "Comfort" mode just that - but the performance is still available. Such cannot be said when in "Eco-Pro" mode which should probably be reserved for town driving when just going slowly. The "Sport" mode brings back something of the firmer ride I was expecting and I like it a lot - the responsiveness and sharpness of the car really comes out. Quite why anyone would pay so much for a car with expensive fitted systems that are specifically intended to stop the back end from doing anything but stay on track and then turn the systems off or partially off I don't know - this is apparently the "Sport+" function's job and remains untried in my car.

In both Comfort and Eco mode there is Auto engine stop-start. Personally I find this beyond irritating and not primarily for the obvious reason of waiting half a second for the engine to re-start, nasty as that is, but for the notion of substituting fuel economy for wear and tear on the starter and battery system. All the extra starts must use up mechanical and electrical credit - I just don't have the skills to compute the sum. It seems to me that you are moving current expenditure on fuel to capital expenditure on starters and batteries - but maybe I'm wrong. The function can be turned off but the cat doesn't seem to remember that preference although it does remember your radio volume preference

Another little oddment is the oft repeated nonsense that the 430D is lower than the previous coupe. I can say that this is definitely not the case with MSport to MSport. My 330D MSport is 1375mm high and the 430d MSport I have is higher and higher than the 1377mm quoted in the Owners' handbook. So reviewers get your facts right - relying on BMW specs, as we have seen, is dangerous. Perhaps the height claim is true of German market models.

The reversing camera is a definite yes, although in use it seems to take more getting used to that on other vehicles I have driven with one fitted. Visibility is good all round out of windows and mirrors so some will see the camera as an indulgence but then the whole car is that!

The sports seats are comfortable and I am a convert to heated seats - which come as standard on the 430D MSport. They are slightly "refined" over the 330D MSport seats though with a lower side cushion. This does make entrance and egress easy but also alters how firmly you are held which is the point of "Sports Seats" isn't it or have I missed something. The electrical adjustments are excellent and I might be regretting not have the additional lumbar support option!

On the 430D MSport there is no where for the key fob to fit into the dash. It just needs to be on your person or in the car. I can't say I like this. I can see that it obviates the silliness of the previous 330D arrangement where the key was inserted into the dash and then you had to press start. This clearly irritated a time & motion man at BMW. The new system requires you only to press start. However if you left the radio on or music playing this promptly starts as you open the door, you might like this you might not. There's always the risk on leaving the fob in the car if you don't keep it in pocket or bag I suppose. I am told by a BMW instructed salesman that the car will refuse to move even if the car engine is running is the fob is not in the car. So early morning running to defrost the car interrupted by that last gulp of coffee can't result in insurance-less theft of your car. However I maybe tempted to test that before I relied on it given BMW's failure to grasp the art, subtlety and importance of accuracy in specifications.

Bearing in mind that running is required for 1200Km where the engine speed should not go above 3500 RPM I haven't exploited the full potential of the car yet but its early promise suggests fun lies ahead. The forward progress is rapid even whilst running in, but it is almost characterless or at least the subtleties I have yet to experience. The 330D MSport seemed to me to be in your face straight away and was on it! Perhaps it's that experience that has yet to be forgotten to fully enjoy the 430. I look forward to the experience. I know it seems a bit harsh criticising a car for refinement but I'm not sure I bought a sporty coupe for that sort of experience, maybe the 2 series would have been the better choice - I don't know.

I've had the car for a week and I really need to wait a while before I come to any firm conclusions which is exactly what I intend to do.