2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupé
Discussion
Having had various 'mass market' cars over the years, varying from a Volvo 340, Rover 214i, Peugeot 306 GTI-6 and a Seat Leon Cupra 180 as well as my last car, a Mk.3 Ford Focus 1.6 Ecoboost 182 I'd never gone fully German, although some would say the Seat is German in a Spanish dress. That is until now.
A Parental offer of a fat wedge after one of their investments matured together with £2.5k in the bank and £4k in my Focus put me on the hunt for something a little bit up market. First I was looking at Renaultsport Megane's but I test drove one and it didn't really feel special enough, although the test drive was limited due to traffic and a stern warning not to exceed 50MPH on the trade plates! I even considered a Lexus ISF but figured perhaps a 5L V8 might be pushing the boat out a little bit far!
I'd always liked the BMW 4 series and the Gran Coupe especially. I actually think the GC looks better proportioned than the standard 3 door coupé. I test drove a BMW AUC manual 420i Auto and it certainly gave me that prestige feeling I was after but I was also after a step up in performance which, compared to my Focus 182 just wasn't there in the 420i. I then test drive a standard Coupe 428i Auto which scratched the itch much more, but I still wanted a GC so the search was on for a 428i GC Auto in M Sport guise. And, it turned out, they're like rocking horse s
t. There were three in the country in my price range when i first looked. One had 88,000 miles (no thanks, that was more than my 2012 Focus!), one was a Cat S which, after paying for a VCheck was flood damage. I doubt the car and electrics would ever be right again TBH so avoided that like a Home England game after the pubs have been open for 10 hours on a warm summers day. The third was a Luxury version and I had my heart set on a M Sport.Three weeks later this one popped up in Ipswich at Hammond Cars. I'm, lets just say, very not in Ipswich. There was another in South Wales too which was £1k cheaper but had 7k more miles. A quick discussion about the price via email, both for trade in and the price for the car itself and a deal was struck. £17,750, down from £18k on the button), £4,250 for my car sight unseen but it was well looked after, 4 good Continental Premium Contact tyres, recently serviced in April, new Battery in May, even brand new floor mats all round earlier this year too and MOT end of September and on arrival they honoured my price.
Everyone was happy, deposit paid and I drove down last Friday. I left Central Scotland at 8AM, down the M74 then across the A66 which, in hindsight was an error. Traffic was a nightmare on this section and there were quite a few roadworks on the A1M as well but I got to Ipswich just after 4pm. Quick look round the car, exactly as described and utterly spotless. paperwork signed, money transferred via phone app and I left there about 5pm.
Filled up at the Asda just round the corner, a small disaster, the tether for the fuel cap snapped in two. Not a huge issue and nothing I was going back to the dealer to complain about, the cap still sits in it's resting place on the door so no harm done. It was likely softened over the years by Petrol fumes.
I didn't count the mileage as the long run home isn't really my typical use and the car took nearly £60 to brim so clearly a much bigger tank than my Focus. I decided to follow the A14 across the Midlands and hit the M6 instead of back up the A1M with all the roadworks. I've been up and down the M6 dozens of times so know the road well. The car performed faultlessly as you'd expect. The seats gripped me in places I wasn't used to and I had to play around with the seat and wheel a little as the journey up i felt I was 'hanging on' to the wheel rather than holding on to it. The Cruise Control was put to good use and actually being able to play music through the car from my phone was a revelation!
I arrived back at 1:20AM having, er, done the speed limit all the way up the M6 in case any police are reading. Traffic at that time of night was mostly trucks so it made for easy progress. The 8 speed gearbox is a revelation, 70MPH was only 1,900 RPM compared to about 2,600rpm in my Focus. It even did a very impressive 46MPG.
Anyway, I've filled up once since then but hardly been anywhere, my parents and the shops so only about 15 miles since that fill up. It's a car I plan to keep for a good while, 5 years at least so I'll try and keep this up to date. I noticed there were a few 4 series GC threads started but they all petered out after a year or so, perhaps they were leases or got sold on. Anyway, last fill up was £58.51, 45.39 Litres at 128.9 per litre and at 30,917 miles.
Edited by MissChief on Saturday 11th June 17:37
Roboticarm said:
There's a 420 near me in the same colour and I often walk past and thing how good it looks.
I'm a huge 3 series fan (drove my parents E36 when it was nearly new and I was 17) but being a dog owner I could never get on with a saloon, the GC is a great solution to that
it wouldn't really suit having dogs, the boot cover is, AFAIK non-removable without tools. I'd need to have a proper look but with the boot lid down the rear is completely enclosed.I'm a huge 3 series fan (drove my parents E36 when it was nearly new and I was 17) but being a dog owner I could never get on with a saloon, the GC is a great solution to that
slicknic said:
Very nice car. I have a black GC too, and like mine very much. I’ve had it 3 years, with no problems, apart from a small amount of corrosion on the diamond cut alloys.
The parcel shelf panels do pull out easily.
Useful to know, thanks. I’ve noticed the top of the bumper gets really dirty really quickly, the water running off the roof collects there and dries leaving dust and muck! Also the roof seems to get dirty really quickly. It’s getting a wash tomorrow though!The parcel shelf panels do pull out easily.
Car is absolutely filthy, seems even worse on this car compared to previous black cars tbh.
First fill up, 38.05l at 1.32.9 per litre (
) so 33.1MPG. Was just under 1/4 of a tank left when I filled up. No expenses yet but I have kerbed an alloy thanks to another impatient driver who wouldn’t wait behind some parked cars on their side and came through. Not a bad gouge but bad enough.
First fill up, 38.05l at 1.32.9 per litre (
) so 33.1MPG. Was just under 1/4 of a tank left when I filled up. No expenses yet but I have kerbed an alloy thanks to another impatient driver who wouldn’t wait behind some parked cars on their side and came through. Not a bad gouge but bad enough.Edited by MissChief on Saturday 31st July 21:52
So just over a month in and.....nothing to report. The birds love stting on it, not sure if that's just due to the long bonnet and overall size of the car but there's at least one 'pie' on the car every time I go out to it.
It's black so looks dirty about 0.25 seconds after I wash it. One fill up all month as I really don't go very far. Oh, I used the manual paddles once last weekend! Otherwise it stays on D and Comfort which I find perfectly fine for every day use.
tting on it, not sure if that's just due to the long bonnet and overall size of the car but there's at least one 'pie' on the car every time I go out to it.It's black so looks dirty about 0.25 seconds after I wash it. One fill up all month as I really don't go very far. Oh, I used the manual paddles once last weekend! Otherwise it stays on D and Comfort which I find perfectly fine for every day use.
And....nothing exciting has happened. It's been absolutely faultless. The Heated seats are coming into their own and even the front window demist works quite well considering I've come from a Ford with their Quick clear front demister.
It's on 33,600 miles and still feels like new. And still gets very dirty very quickly.
13 full ups so far, although not always from empty. 422.35 Litres used at an average of 31.29mpg. Best is 36.25mpg, worst so far is 27.56mpg. I run it on standard E10 Unleaded, usually from Morrisons as they're cheapest locally. Other than that nothing has gone wrong although I am noticing the terrible state of our roads more thanks to the bigger wheels and low profile tyres. Bigger potholes make such a loud bang compared to my previous cars.
I have noticed if I drive for extended periods I get a pain in my right ankle which flared up to shooting pains a couple of months ago but this has cleared up. I think the pedals are ever so slightly offset and this is the first floor hinged accelerator pedal I've experienced. I'd also have liked somewhere for my right foot when engaging in the Cruise Control. The Service and MOT due in February and the Tyres are holding up well and everything else has a massively long life according to the OBC with even brake pads and fluid out into 2023 although I'm sure that'll change. I'm not a heavy braker (my dad is the last of the late brakers, drives me crazy!) so my pads and discs have always lasted me a good while on previous cars.
It's on 33,600 miles and still feels like new. And still gets very dirty very quickly.
13 full ups so far, although not always from empty. 422.35 Litres used at an average of 31.29mpg. Best is 36.25mpg, worst so far is 27.56mpg. I run it on standard E10 Unleaded, usually from Morrisons as they're cheapest locally. Other than that nothing has gone wrong although I am noticing the terrible state of our roads more thanks to the bigger wheels and low profile tyres. Bigger potholes make such a loud bang compared to my previous cars.
I have noticed if I drive for extended periods I get a pain in my right ankle which flared up to shooting pains a couple of months ago but this has cleared up. I think the pedals are ever so slightly offset and this is the first floor hinged accelerator pedal I've experienced. I'd also have liked somewhere for my right foot when engaging in the Cruise Control. The Service and MOT due in February and the Tyres are holding up well and everything else has a massively long life according to the OBC with even brake pads and fluid out into 2023 although I'm sure that'll change. I'm not a heavy braker (my dad is the last of the late brakers, drives me crazy!) so my pads and discs have always lasted me a good while on previous cars.
Good write up. I've been looking at one of these to replace my 3 series touring, as I think it would be just as practical.
I've been looking at the 435i as I think it's just the thing for a middle aged hooligan like me. Is the ride good with the msport? My wife's z4 msport is pretty harsh, so I'm wondering if the luxury may be more forgiving.
Only problem is that they so rare it's difficult to get the right one.
I've been looking at the 435i as I think it's just the thing for a middle aged hooligan like me. Is the ride good with the msport? My wife's z4 msport is pretty harsh, so I'm wondering if the luxury may be more forgiving.
Only problem is that they so rare it's difficult to get the right one.
tintopracer said:
Good write up. I've been looking at one of these to replace my 3 series touring, as I think it would be just as practical.
I've been looking at the 435i as I think it's just the thing for a middle aged hooligan like me. Is the ride good with the msport? My wife's z4 msport is pretty harsh, so I'm wondering if the luxury may be more forgiving.
Only problem is that they so rare it's difficult to get the right one.
I've got an F33 (i.e. convertible) 435i and I'm very happy with it. I don't thrash it much, mainly just waft, and it's pretty decent on fuel (30mpg average on a pretty balanced mix of city and motorway). It's not a precise, raw performance experience but it certainly shifts when you give it the beans. Came into it's own on the autobahn.I've been looking at the 435i as I think it's just the thing for a middle aged hooligan like me. Is the ride good with the msport? My wife's z4 msport is pretty harsh, so I'm wondering if the luxury may be more forgiving.
Only problem is that they so rare it's difficult to get the right one.
It's an M-Sport and the ride is... ok. I used to have an E85 Z4 (on sport suspension) and a then an M-Sport E88 1 Series. The F33 is a lot better ride than those, certainly doesn't crash or buck around like they did. Paricularly composed at speed.
Life with a modern BMW can be kind of dull. Absolutely nothing of note has happened or gone wrong. I had to put more air into the rear tyres once to satisfy the OBC and it's over zealous monitors. I've filled up the screen wash a couple of times but other than that it's been faultless. MOT time on Thursday but I'm not expecting anything untoward at all.
Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
MissChief said:
Life with a modern BMW can be kind of dull. Absolutely nothing of note has happened or gone wrong. I had to put more air into the rear tyres once to satisfy the OBC and it's over zealous monitors. I've filled up the screen wash a couple of times but other than that it's been faultless. MOT time on Thursday but I'm not expecting anything untoward at all.
Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
Despite being a tad boring, I'm glad you haven't had any trouble with it - sounds like it was a good buy. Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
The MPG figures sound about right as when I was looking, a 430i was hovering close to the shortlist so was looking at the specs/reviews etc. But I really wanted a 6 cylinder and I'm glad I stuck to that as the 440i returns an average of 29mpg without trying (it gets well exercised) which I find pretty impressive.
MarkJS said:
MissChief said:
Life with a modern BMW can be kind of dull. Absolutely nothing of note has happened or gone wrong. I had to put more air into the rear tyres once to satisfy the OBC and it's over zealous monitors. I've filled up the screen wash a couple of times but other than that it's been faultless. MOT time on Thursday but I'm not expecting anything untoward at all.
Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
Despite being a tad boring, I'm glad you haven't had any trouble with it - sounds like it was a good buy. Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
The MPG figures sound about right as when I was looking, a 430i was hovering close to the shortlist so was looking at the specs/reviews etc. But I really wanted a 6 cylinder and I'm glad I stuck to that as the 440i returns an average of 29mpg without trying (it gets well exercised) which I find pretty impressive.
MissChief said:
Life with a modern BMW can be kind of dull. Absolutely nothing of note has happened or gone wrong. I had to put more air into the rear tyres once to satisfy the OBC and it's over zealous monitors. I've filled up the screen wash a couple of times but other than that it's been faultless. MOT time on Thursday but I'm not expecting anything untoward at all.
Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
I have had my 2015 528i for nearly a year now, and same as your nothing has gone wrong. It has done 34k miles now so low mileage.Average fuel consumption has been 30.344MPG and with the price of Petrol life with a 2.0 Turbo is proving expensive at £141 spent last month. The Shift to E10 and a circa 10% loss in MPG doesn't help. It's due a service in March but I may stretch that out a little, I've only done 5k miles since I bought it and about 10% of that was the journey from picking it up and driving it home.
I love the ZF gearbox and the engine is very quiet for a 4 pot when cruising but snarls nicely on full revs. I very rarely check my fuel consumption but the OBC had 36.2mpg average when I bought it, 5k miles ago, and last eek it said 35.9mpg. I assume these read a bit high.
The only slight annoyance is the tyre pressure monitoring which has pinged about 4 times when the temp drops below 3C. It is very sensitive to slight changes in tyre pressure. I just do a reset without putting any air in and all is well again.
When the temp warms up again the tyre pressures are showing back to where they should be.
I have had one oil and filter service plus a micro filter which cost me £230 and it is in for an MOT in two weeks. Just ordered two more Bridgestone RFT's for the rear, they seem perfectly ok to me in terms of ride , noise and handling so have decided to stick with them at £122 each from Black Circle.
I suppose you could call that boring, but I like boring.
I love mine and will be keeping it for as long as possible.
Monkeylegend said:
I have had my 2015 528i for nearly a year now, and same as your nothing has gone wrong. It has done 34k miles now so low mileage.
I love the ZF gearbox and the engine is very quiet for a 4 pot when cruising but snarls nicely on full revs. I very rarely check my fuel consumption but the OBC had 36.2mpg average when I bought it, 5k miles ago, and last eek it said 35.9mpg. I assume these read a bit high.
The only slight annoyance is the tyre pressure monitoring which has pinged about 4 times when the temp drops below 3C. It is very sensitive to slight changes in tyre pressure. I just do a reset without putting any air in and all is well again.
When the temp warms up again the tyre pressures are showing back to where they should be.
I have had one oil and filter service plus a micro filter which cost me £230 and it is in for an MOT in two weeks. Just ordered two more Bridgestone RFT's for the rear, they seem perfectly ok to me in terms of ride , noise and handling so have decided to stick with them at £122 each from Black Circle.
I suppose you could call that boring, but I like boring.
I love mine and will be keeping it for as long as possible.
Indeed boring is absolutely fine by me!I love the ZF gearbox and the engine is very quiet for a 4 pot when cruising but snarls nicely on full revs. I very rarely check my fuel consumption but the OBC had 36.2mpg average when I bought it, 5k miles ago, and last eek it said 35.9mpg. I assume these read a bit high.
The only slight annoyance is the tyre pressure monitoring which has pinged about 4 times when the temp drops below 3C. It is very sensitive to slight changes in tyre pressure. I just do a reset without putting any air in and all is well again.
When the temp warms up again the tyre pressures are showing back to where they should be.
I have had one oil and filter service plus a micro filter which cost me £230 and it is in for an MOT in two weeks. Just ordered two more Bridgestone RFT's for the rear, they seem perfectly ok to me in terms of ride , noise and handling so have decided to stick with them at £122 each from Black Circle.
I suppose you could call that boring, but I like boring.
I love mine and will be keeping it for as long as possible.
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