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Good job I wasn’t talking about that then isn’t it.
Given this is what the OP is considering buying I'm now lost as to what your point is. Your original point was a reply to a post about the 4 Series interior?
4 Series vs. C-Class
- Thread starter Murf
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Given this is what the OP is considering buying I'm now lost as to what your point is. Your original point was a reply to a post about the 4 Series interior?
I was discussing interior quality of lower series BMWs and responding to a post by SDK^ (about 3 series interiors), which was itself in reply to discussion on the quality of lower series interiors.
You subsequently jumped in and moved it to a discussion about the 4 series only, rather than other lower series interiors being discussed prior to that. Not everything has to be absolutely directly related to the OPs original post.
No I’m not a walking encyclopaedia of BMW models (not do I want to be), I’m just adding my experience and opinion about certain vehicles. I find the interiors of a lot of lower end BMWs no nicer than other non premium brands, and personally prefer the interiors of MB over them after having looked extensively at new vehicles over the last few months.
Edit: to quantify that. I say that because the interior quality is little different. Things like soft touch plastic are available in many brands, along with well fitting nice feeling interiors. As I said before though the general interior style is really not to my tastes, too “old” with the layout, colours and general style. I prefer the style of other brands, such as the new Volvo’s and a few mainstream brands, which are more modern in style.
Anyway, back to the discussion at hand... hope that’s cleared up your misunderstanding.
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The 3 Series and the 4 Series have exactly the same interior - it is effectively the same car.
Soldato
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- 4 Apr 2003
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It's vastly different. Also not everyone wants to or can borrow £25k as a personal loan for a car at 3%. Nor do they always want a S/H car. A 25k loan over 48 months at 3% is c£550pm, a PCP on the same period for a 3/4 series of that value is c£300pm at BMW discounted approved used prices (assuming deposit).
For example, I get a hefty car allowance, a car is a function to me not a personal asset so PCP or lease is the perfect option. If I wanted to use my personal unsecured borrowing up i.e. credit card or personal loan it would be for home improvements etc.
Everyone's circumstances and preferences are different though. In the OPs position, assuming affordability is fine, the new deals are to good to ignore on these.
Well then the interior may not be great either then. As I said earlier I don’t think I’ve acually physically looked at a 4 series in the last few months that I remember. I have physically looked at the 1, 2, 3, 5 and the X1, X3, X5 and X6 however.
Presumably you’ve also been to multiple dealerships and looked at and/or driven vehicles from multiple different manufacturers in the last few months too, so you can make an informed opinion of interiors from multiple different manufacturers? Or are you just arguing against my opinion with no actual physical knowledge of most of the non BMW products?
Edit: To clarify, by “great”, I mean they aren’t much different quality wise than the higher end trims on some other non “premium” vehicles.
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I'm not arguing that the interior of the 4 Series is wonderful. Infact I don't like it either and would not purchase one as a result. It is the primary reason I drive a 5 Series even though I've no need for the extra space offered over a 3 Series.
What I said was:
What I said was:
What do you think the borrowed amount on a PCP is? It's not the total of the monthly payments, you're using the same amount of personal borrowing up.
A £25k loan over 5 years at 3.1% is £450 per month and will cost around £2k in interest. Go check the interest total on a £38k car at the same or similar Apr on PCP over 4 or 5 years. Ability to secure a personal loan is a fair point, though if you can realistically secure a PCP to a higher value, even with the asset linked I'd imagine it's not an issue for most.
Cheapest comparable car is unfortunately a 335i - even an e92 at 6 years old and under 60k is a near £14.5k asking price so you're talking about having thousands of pounds in equity still in the used car after paying off all or even half the term
Again you're totally ignoring the real cost of using the vehicle over the period. It might not even work out THAT differently but all you're doing is thinking about what it costs per month not what it actually costs overall - £500 per month or £350 may or may not be relevant to the overall cost. Affordability of that on a.montjly basis is a different matter but that doesn't seem.to be any issue here.
It's the OP's choice, but because you can secure a favourable deal on PCP does nod mean it is somehow the most financially sensible way to own the same or a similar car. There are always trade offs
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And I’ll reply with my original post, and highlight a key point.
That’s not to suggest that the badge is the only other advantage, that all depends on what you want from a vehicle, as I already mentioned.
You don’t need a premium marque to get a refined, well put together vehicle any more. A fair number of the mainstream manufacturers have narrowed the gap in recent years.
The OP wants performance, but he’s also mentioned hes also interested in the badge, which is a main reason many buy lower end BMWs (not that I’m suggesting th 4 series is lower end, before you say that
).Well for one, you don’t get RSI when using iDrive like you get when using that fiddly Mercedes system. Who thought it was a good idea to hide the scroll wheel under the oversized touch thingy.
Oh yeah absolutely no question Mercedes system is crap
But at least they don't ctrl c ctrl V to the same extent as BMW where buying a 3 series is a slightly lower quality item but designed the same as a 7 series
In this case I suspect Audi are probably producing the best infotainment and interiors at the moment with the a3/a4/A5 and possibly the new A8 as well
I have to agree, having owned one now, 640d M Sport GC I find the interior utilitarian, drab and lacks any style. Without doubt it is very well nailed together, the switch gear quality is superb compared to the competition and the iDrive is fantastic although I'm not convinced about the satnav (sometimes way too slow). I've been looking at the E43 AMG recently with the view of changing the 6 as I realised I'm not a BMW fan and the E class interior in the right combination is superb, so much more modern looking and stylish although some of the switch gear isnt up to the quality I would have liked. I admit my car is pretty much a generation behind but to me the G30 interior hasn't really moved things on.
Sat in an A5, seating position was all wrong. I'm 6'3" and just felt like I was sat on the car so I discounted it on that basis. S5 would be the same problem and about 10k more than a similar specced 440i after discounts.
Yeah affordability is fine. The car payments and all associated costs will be entirely absorbed by a payrise. I'm fully aware the total cost of ownership will be much higher on a new car via PCP than a second hand 1 year old model. However I'm comfortable with that on the basis I get the exact car I want with some very specific option requirements and significantly less hassle. Does that justify the increased total cost of ownership? Probably not but this way I'm getting the car I want and I know it would grate on me if I didn't have the right options. Heart over Head.
100% agree. Inside and out the Mercedes styling is much better. But if it drives worse and is missing 2 cyclinders, then I'll happily accept the BMW interior. Driving position, handling, seating position, options are more important.
Agreed. iDrive (and Audi's system) are great. The Mercedes one seems poor, and looks ridiculous in contrast to the rest of the interior.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 4 Apr 2003
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The interiors of the latest generation C, E and S class offer a very different experience in my view to the 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 series.
All are high quality but they do have a totally different feel and focus. If testing back to back I find you get into the Mercedes and just relax more. BMW offers a much more performance focused feel though from the driver seat.
Whilst a number of other brands offer a great interior and driver experience, the latest generation of premium marques have pulled ahead again.
The baseline benchmark is much higher now though if considering VW, Skoda, Mazda, VX, Ford, Kia etc.
However, they don't offer the same £ for £ performance across the ranges. Also, although looks can be subjective BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes are typically much nicer looking cars.
There is nothing wrong with buying what you want.
The purchase debate on here re financing, leasing, cash etc has been ongoing as long as the forum. As has car choice.
A lot of sensible advice has been given and ignored over the years though.
I recall several members who have bought cars from the 'we guarantee you credit dealers' at some horrendous APRs when really they were struggling to afford to fuel walking to work with a mars bar let alone actual petroleum fuel.
Or those who were really stretching to buy a 10-12 year old 100k mile BMW with no hope of maintaining it and instead a 1.8 petrol Mondeo was the perfect solution.
All are high quality but they do have a totally different feel and focus. If testing back to back I find you get into the Mercedes and just relax more. BMW offers a much more performance focused feel though from the driver seat.
Amp34 said:
Totally agree.
Whilst a number of other brands offer a great interior and driver experience, the latest generation of premium marques have pulled ahead again.
The baseline benchmark is much higher now though if considering VW, Skoda, Mazda, VX, Ford, Kia etc.
However, they don't offer the same £ for £ performance across the ranges. Also, although looks can be subjective BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes are typically much nicer looking cars.
There is nothing wrong with buying what you want.
The purchase debate on here re financing, leasing, cash etc has been ongoing as long as the forum. As has car choice.
A lot of sensible advice has been given and ignored over the years though.
I recall several members who have bought cars from the 'we guarantee you credit dealers' at some horrendous APRs when really they were struggling to afford to fuel walking to work with a mars bar let alone actual petroleum fuel.
Or those who were really stretching to buy a 10-12 year old 100k mile BMW with no hope of maintaining it and instead a 1.8 petrol Mondeo was the perfect solution.
My dad used to swear by estate cars, he now drives a hatchback for this very reason. His 2010 Astra Hatch is longer than the 2000 Astra Estate it replaced.
Well, after a couple more test drives I landed on the 4 Series 440i Gran Coupe. Order placed, expecting delivery early March. Very excited. It will be the first car I've owned (well, it's on PCP but let's not get into that debate again ) and the first 6 cylinder car I'll have driven (barring test drives) on public roads. Should be awesome.
I added the M Sport Plus package, adaptive dampers, and a whole host of other options. I think I've ticked off all of the important ones though.
) and the first 6 cylinder car I'll have driven (barring test drives) on public roads. Should be awesome.I added the M Sport Plus package, adaptive dampers, and a whole host of other options. I think I've ticked off all of the important ones though.
