[sharathv6793]

Ordered and installed this fan for the rear seat. My mother was complaining about the poor AC back there. I have sun film installed from 3M on all sides, mind you. Still doesn’t cut it - this seems to do the trick though. Also has some nice lighting which makes it feel “not-so-jugaad”.

Any other tips to improve the cooling in the back seat?

[sunikkat]

Update after 2500kms:

So got a long weekend and went for a quick Kerala trip in my new 330Li. The main purpose was to do vehicle pooja from Guruvayoor temple as I had done for all my previous cars.

With this trip the Odo stands at 2600 kms and I have completed the much awaited break in period. Before getting in to the detailed observations based on my 1 month and 2600 kms experience, a brief background about my decision process.

Before I start I really want to call out the sales person Sreehari (Mobile 8951765491 - @Mods: hope it doesn’t violate the rules here) from Deutsche Motoren. He is the best sales guy I have ever interacted and he is very helpful even after the sales. Really recommend him for prospective customers.

My Octavia TDI MT (2016 model Ambition model) was running perfectly fine at around 1 lakhs kms. It had a stage 1 tune, Bilstein B6 suspension, 17th inch wheels and few other mods. I have been evaluating many cars across segments (for the sake of checking) and none of them really felt like an upgrade. There was actually no reason for changing other than the itch of new car and the most important factor of safety. Since mine was an Ambition it came only with 2 airbags and this was always playing in the back of my mind. Finally decided to take a plunge. Seriously Octavia was a gem of a car.

Now being a BMW guy since childhood I always wanted a 3 series, so to that extent my choice was less. Still I checked Audi and Mercedes.

Audi - A4 did not even feel like an upgrade to Octavia and A6 (though could have had at around 330Li price) did not get me excited. Also it’s more luxury and a formal than being sporty. Also I did not need such a big car.

Mercedes - I like C300D when it was available earlier, but though interiors looked very upmarket there were many hard surfaces which I did not like much. Also still the fun to drive was missing compared to 3 series. Did not check 220D or 200P. Also missed checking new 300P, but I was sure wouldn’t have gone at that price for the engine which is on par with 330Li

Others - No other cars were even in contention as I wanted brand this time and was not okay for BYD or other electric cars which have faster 0 to 100 and available at much lower price and VFM. As such I am not ready to put that much money in an electric car at this stage. Also after owing an European I don’t think I can go to a non European brand ever as my primary car.

BMW - That’s where the confusion kicked in. My choice was always 330i. Considering the extra money that I have to pay for a new car over Octavia, I did not feel the value and wanted to try used car. I wasn’t very keen on buying directly from dealers or did not have the patience to check OLX and meet multiple owners to find the right one. As such there were hardly any 330i available in Bangalore and even if it was priced very high.

Finally decided to check with BMW dealers directly. Again 330i / 330Li’s were not available. Checked a 320 Ld 2021 luxury line with 17k kms which was quoted at 48 lakhs which I could negotiate to 45 lakhs. However the 17 inch alloys and the luxury line trim was a turn off. I was sure I would spend another 5 lakhs extra on that car including insurance to atleast get it to my level of satisfaction. And that’s when I realised with the offers going on in August for limited stock with the dealer I could have a new 320Ld for ~ 20 lakhs extra which I felt is more value. Since my preference was always petrol this time, decided to go with 330Li. Then I compared MSport and MSport Pro and I was totally sold on MSport Pro though it costed apprx. 3 lakhs more for the added features.

Meanwhile I also checked a 2021 model 27k kms run 530D MSport with one of the premium dealer in Kerala. They were quoting 67 lakhs for this TN registered car. From a performance wise I found 530D and 330 Li more or less same (also the earlier test drive reports of autocar was suggesting same) but 530D has much better snob value and luxury. And the biggest advantage of Diesel economy. But spending 65 lakhs (after negotiating) for a 3 year old car was not something family would approve too as they always wanted a new one. Another issue is it’s a TN registration which I will be using in Bangalore.

With all these rejections one would think the decision was easy. But no, here comes the biggest confusion in the form of M340i. After booking 330 Li, I started pondering more on M340i. With the then discounted price, for another 11 lakhs I could have had M340i. Now that’s another beast, once in a lifetime car which is on another level of performance. But mistake I did was I took my family for test drive and everyone were just hung on 330Li for the space, more premium looking interiors and the colour theme and that huge panaromic sunroof. Finally have to give in for 330Li, as I also found 340i lower even for my taste and the stiffer suspension which would have made my family crib in all the drives. Also, I don’t take the car for tracks and day by day highways are getting restricted on speed. Infact while selling my Octavia I had around 12k fine in Kerala for over speeding (there the speed limits are even low). With this I wouldn’t be able to explore the potential of 330Li itself, let alone 340i. Also I started with a budget of 40 lakhs and extended to new 330Li, with 340i another 11 lakhs needs to be extended which would have been a bigger burden. But still…… hope I made the right decision there.

Now coming to experience of living with 330Li for 1 month. Few of the earlier dislikes have changed now.

Likes:

• The performance from this engine is simply mind blowing. It reaches insane speed in no time and without even realising. It definitely feels like an upgrade on performance from my tuned Octavia
• Well I never thought I would say this as I always loved stiffer ride of cars, but this one is so smooth with some underlying stiffness. Everyone who got in to the car is in praise of the ride quality.
• The high speed stability and handling is excellent. I expected it to be compromised, but does well like a proper BMW.
• I just love the interiors, the bigger screen, cognac leather trim (real leather) soft touch points every where etc. Feels proper luxury.
• Steering feels great to hold too.
• Panaromic sunroof is another thing I would have missed in 340i
• It’s very spacious, mainly at the back, though I never sit there. Family is happy. Infact I felt this is more spacious than 530D that I checked, might be wrong.
• The MSport Pro elements, dark grey upholstery, blackened exteriors (with zero chrome), alloy wheel design etc. makes the car a looker.
• More than enough features that I could ever ask for.
• No need to mention here, but the build quality as expected from any German car.

Dislikes:

• Boot space, after being used to Octavia this was a major concern in the last trip. Mainly due to the auto close of boot which requires a proper packing. Need to get more disciplined on packing here.
• On some of the expansion joints, car tends to float a bit for a second. I believe this was managed better in 330i and my Octavia with B6 suspension. Something to look for in future.
• The front seat seems to be a bit narrow. I feel Octavia had a wider front seats and more comfortable. The rear seats are really good.

Neutral:

• The mileage even on highways is around 10, might be to do with the driving. Makes a big difference coming from a diesel Octavia. But then I had signed for this knowingly.
• The absence of rear sun blinds is no more a concern now considering the VKool sunfilm is doing a great job. But still it’s a big miss.
• Lack of ventilated seats is a miss, but then not a concern for me. Also I like the plain leather seats than perforated that comes with ventilated seats.

With all the things mentioned and based on my priorities, I think I got the right upgrade for my Octavia. There is no other car that would have made justice. Only other car I felt I could have considered is 340i, mainly when I see one on road. But I think for my use case 330Li makes more sense. If I have to go for a decision again now, I would have still gone for 330Li as I am absolutely in love with the luxury feel which was missing in 340i and also the only other car in my garage is an i20 IVT which means bimmer is my main car for long drives, where family wouldn’t have been happy with 340i. So some reasons to convince myself

Couple of pics for now. Indeed, what a beauty

[stillweriselh44]

Originally Posted by sharathv6793

Ordered and installed this fan for the rear seat. My mother was complaining about the poor AC back there. I have sun film installed from 3M on all sides, mind you. Still doesn’t cut it - this seems to do the trick though. Also has some nice lighting which makes it feel “not-so-jugaad”.

Any other tips to improve the cooling in the back seat?

Do you use a lot of the eco pro mode by any chance and was it the active mode when your mother was complaining? My mother was complaining about the air conditioning not being good enough few days ago. I was baffled and annoyed at the same time. It so happens that apparently eco pro mode nerfs down the AC performance. I switched to comfort mode and it felt rather pleasant and cooler at the same temperature settings. I know it might seem confusing but at least that's what I observed. Probably a stupid tip but just sharing what I stumbled upon.

[sharathv6793]

Originally Posted by stillweriselh44

Do you use a lot of the eco pro mode by any chance and was it the active mode when your mother was complaining?

Totally a valid point! But I actually was alternating between Comfort / Sport mode. I had heard of this and experienced this as well - ECO PRO does weaken the AC so I avoid it unless I’m travelling alone in peak city traffic or am running low on fuel.

For now, even with the sunfilm installed, I still have to have the fan on full mode, rear AC turned on and sunroof closed for the rear passengers to keep cool. Yet to experience the summers so unfortunately, things are probably going to get worse. Also given that she was spoilt by the Fortuner’s roof mounted AC before this, I don’t blame her. Maybe I’ll find a good pair of rear sun blinds as well then. Some necessary sacrifices to owning this beauty I guess.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by sharathv6793

Totally a valid point! But I actually was alternating between Comfort / Sport mode. I had heard of this and experienced this as well - ECO PRO does weaken the AC so I avoid it unless I’m travelling alone in peak city traffic or am running low on fuel.

For now, even with the sunfilm installed, I still have to have the fan on full mode, rear AC turned on and sunroof closed for the rear passengers to keep cool. Yet to experience the summers so unfortunately, things are probably going to get worse. Also given that she was spoilt by the Fortuner’s roof mounted AC before this, I don’t blame her. Maybe I’ll find a good pair of rear sun blinds as well then. Some necessary sacrifices to owning this beauty I guess.

That’s a bit strange. For our usage I find the AC to be working just fine. No complaints from anyone even the back seat passengers. This also includes my travelling to Kerala and parking it under hot sun few times. As said the previous benchmark is roof ac from Fortuner might have spoiled.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sharathv6793

For now, even with the sunfilm installed, I still have to have the fan on full mode, rear AC turned on and sunroof closed for the rear passengers to keep cool.

Surprised to hear of your predicament, and that too in BLR autumn! Suggest you ask your dealer for a fresh test-drive of their 330Li, and check cooling at the back on a longosh TD.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no real rear cooling unit (i.e. a proper 3-zone AC with a separate cooling coil) as such; it's just a blower.

[sharathv6793]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

That’s a bit strange. For our usage I find the AC to be working just fine. No complaints from anyone even the back seat passengers. This also includes my travelling to Kerala and parking it under hot sun few times. As said the previous benchmark is roof ac from Fortuner might have spoiled.

Agreed. To be honest, I may be making it sound worse than it is. We are a bit more sensitive to warm temperatures than most so that could also be a contributing factor apart from the Fortuner AC spoiling us.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Surprised to hear of your predicament, and that too in BLR autumn! Suggest you ask your dealer for a fresh test-drive of their 330Li, and check cooling at the back on a longosh TD.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no real rear cooling unit (i.e. a proper 3-zone AC with a separate cooling coil) as such; it's just a blower.

Interesting! I wasn't aware there was no rear cooling unit - temperature adjustment settings for the rear seat had me thinking otherwise. I did take a TD with myself in the back seat before my purchase. The dealer was pretty smart and had the front-center AC vents on full blast directed towards the back seat - but I had made an observation that the rear vent by itself wasn't very powerful. Like I said above, we may be a little more sensitive to warm temperatures than most but didn't think it would be so ill received.

Will still get it looked at when I hand it over for the first service given that most aren't having this problem. Thanks!

[sircar]

I recently purchased a 330Li and plan to drive the car from Kolkata to Bangalore. We will travel fully loaded with four adults and a full boot. Though on city roads, I have tested with 3 adults and never had the underbelly scrapped, I am a little worried about how this will fare on some of the bigger humps that come up near construction zones on highways, especially with the fourth adult and a full boot. I wanted to check if anyone has tried this and what your experience has been.

I need to decide between driving the car to Bangalore or putting it on a trailer. The latter would be such a shame, especially since I love driving and beemers are meant to be driven.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by sharathv6793

Interesting! I wasn't aware there was no rear cooling unit - temperature adjustment settings for the rear seat had me thinking otherwise. I did take a TD with myself in the back seat before my purchase. The dealer was pretty smart and had the front-center AC vents on full blast directed towards the back seat - but I had made an observation that the rear vent by itself wasn't very powerful. Like I said above, we may be a little more sensitive to warm temperatures than most but didn't think it would be so ill received.

Will still get it looked at when I hand it over for the first service given that most aren't having this problem. Thanks!

I'm not sure if your car has a separate blower in the back or not, but in the previous gen 3 series (F30) with no rear A/C controls, the rear vent was connected to the driver's vents. If I partially closed the front driver's vents the rear vent would get a lot stronger flow of air. Maybe you could experiment with partially closing the front passenger and/or driver vents to see if the rear airflow gets stronger in your car too.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sircar

I recently purchased a 330Li and plan to drive the car from Kolkata to Bangalore. We will travel fully loaded with four adults and a full boot.

Although my experience is with a SWB 330i, I feel it may not be a showstopper. Ensure the tyre pressures are at (or marginally lower than) BMW ‘s fully loaded recommended pressures.

Further, crab over speedbreakers taking plenty of time, and requesting other drivers to bear with you.

[sircar]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Although my experience is with a SWB 330i, I feel it may not be a showstopper. Ensure the tyre pressures are at (or marginally lower than) BMW ‘s fully loaded recommended pressures.

Further, crab over speedbreakers taking plenty of time, and requesting other drivers to bear with you.

Thanks @itwasntme. Definitely sounds like good advice

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sircar

Thanks @itwasntme. Definitely sounds like good advice

Dont worry, the overwhelming majority of drivers stop and eagerly wait the beaching of a fully loaded German sedan. Give them a little wave and ensure your Insta moment.

Thankfully, I was spared the same here:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...ml#post5342150 (The Anmod Car Breaker | Review of the infamous Anmod ditch)

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by sircar

I recently purchased a 330Li and plan to drive the car from Kolkata to Bangalore. We will travel fully loaded with four adults and a full boot. Though on city roads, I have tested with 3 adults and never had the underbelly scrapped, I am a little worried about how this will fare on some of the bigger humps that come up near construction zones on highways, especially with the fourth adult and a full boot. I wanted to check if anyone has tried this and what your experience has been.

I need to decide between driving the car to Bangalore or putting it on a trailer. The latter would be such a shame, especially since I love driving and beemers are meant to be driven.

I just had a drive from Bangalore to Kerala (and back) with 3 adults and a 7 year old with full luggage, and some of the highways in Kerala is under construction and the car did not scrape once. I have also taken multiple trips in Bangalore with 5 adults and gone through big humps but it cleared just fine. Obviously, you need to consider it’s a low sedan and treat it accordingly and also take some of the bigger humps diagonally.

[SupahN00b]

Originally Posted by stillweriselh44

(...) It so happens that apparently eco pro mode nerfs down the AC performance. I switched to comfort mode and it felt rather pleasant and cooler at the same temperature settings. (...)

Try customizing Eco Pro (Eco Pro Individual), and disable Eco Pro mode for Climate Control.

visual reference (YT)

[stillweriselh44]

Originally Posted by SupahN00b

Try customizing Eco Pro (Eco Pro Individual), and disable Eco Pro mode for Climate Control. visual reference (YT)

Aware of this option but I have stopped using eco pro mode all together anyway. Thank you for sharing the information though. I personally find the throttle response in eco pro mode very annoying. Hence the preferential use of comfort mode most of the time. 😅