Ownership Diary - F22 228i M Sport (pre-LCI)

So here we go - another Spuffington ownership blog to pepper these pages with!

Here we have my 2016 F22 228i M Sport which I collected on 4th November from Barrets BMW in Ashford as an AUC with 41,642 miles on the clock. For tech boffins, the engine is the 2 litre, turbo'd inline 4 cylinder N20 which is also found in the 220i. In this car it's in a higher state of tune. Some 242bhp which is good for around 5.8secs to 62mph in the manual (slightly quicker in auto form). I wasn't expecting more than peppy performance, but I have been proved wrong and I'm very impressed by the powerplant in this car.

I'm the 3rd owner - the last owner was the Father of the Manager of their Used Car Team who had the car for the last 4yrs. It's a bit of a unicorn car both in terms of spec but also the Service History which has seen it in the BMW network within the same week, ever single year since its first service was due.

For those of you who didn't read my other thread, the brief was simple for this car:

- Budget of up to £15k (I nudged over that by £250);
- 4-5 seats, 4 OK as it's the second car;
- Fun, practical, cheap to maintain & run (it's all relative against the enormous running costs with our Discovery 5)

After looking at a lot of different vehicles, I kept coming back to the 2er. I'd had a F20 118d several years ago which was pretty good fun, an F48 X1 20ix which my wife loved up until recently and the 2er seemed like a nice sporty looking mix of those. In some ways I was right, but in a lot of ways completely wrong - it's actually way better than I could have hoped for.

This car stood out mainly for its spec. There were no photos on the AUC site when I came across it (was still in prep) but its lengthy option list was very attractive, if not initially the manual gearbox which seemed at odds with the high spec. But after a number of days of sleeping on it (and getting close to buying a M135i and considering track days! ) I was just about talking myself into the manual, when I saw the photos of the fully prepped car go live. It's in stunning condition for an 8yr old car; clearly very well looked after. That, together with fully refurbed wheels and brand new (matching) Bridgestone OE RFT's had me on the phone as soon as they opened that day. A quick phonecall, video and deal (only got £750 off, but happy) and I paid my deposit and scheduled collection.

Collection was very straightforward, if not a bit of a hoik. I left home at 0530, got four trains down into and across London and down to Ashford. Then embarked on the 1.8mile walk to the dealership through absolute sh1tville since it seemed no taxis wanted to rank up. With my 12k steps in the bag for the day by 0900, I got to the dealership, signed the last of the paperwork, paid for the £255 12m VED and hopped in. After demonstrating to the handover chap I knew more about the car than he did, he let me on my way after pairing my phone and my only job then was to avoid stalling it as I set off in a manual for the first time in 8yrs!

After a quick stop on the M20 for a Conference Call and cheeky breakfast, I got home by midday having covered the 85miles home at around 43mpg. That night I filled it with petrol (seems like a 55-60l tank) giving c. 400mile range according to the computer and then set off at 0430 for Heathrow's T5. By the time I arrived there I had covered the trip at an average 44.2mpg! The following day saw a similar journey back at around 41mpg and after a bit of local driving since, the "longterm" average which accounts for now between 250-300miles is sitting at 39.9mpg. Pretty impressive for a car with such poke.

So I mentioned spec, this car is fitted with the following (deep breath....):

- Media Pack Professional - BMW Navigation Pro, Connected Drive
- Visibility Pack - Adaptive Xenons, High Beam Assist - I'm actually surprised about this. It isn't the old-style HBA, but the dynamic one which shapes the beam for oncoming traffic. It's very good.
- M Sport Pro Pack - M Sport Spoiler, 18" M double-spoke 461M Ferric Grey alloys, Sun Protection Glass, M Sport Brakes with Blue Calipers
- Interior Comfort Pack - Additional Interior Lighting, Extended Storage
- Driver Comfort Pack - Electric Memory Seats, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Ext. folding & dimming mirrors, Park Distance Control - front & rear
- Harmon/Kardon Surround Sound System
- Windscreen with grey shade band
- Fineline Stream Wood interior trim
- Coral Red Dakota Leather

I must say, the combination of all of those options make it feel like a very grown up car and it's a lovely place to spend time. From the exterior, the car reminds me strongly of my E46 coupe in terms of its proportions and stance. It's a handsome looking thing and in a lot of ways a world away from the 1er and incomparable to the 2-er Active Tourer with which it shares it 2-series badging. My Wife thinks it looks like a mini-sports car and almost fulfills the mid-life-crisis type brief for which there is currently a hole in the fleet! In fairness, she has a point. I bought this as a semi-practical, nice-looking car to be the back-up second car or station car. Just by looks alone, I want to drive it more than I thought I would and when I am driving it, I'm absorbed in its lightness, flickable handling, revvy and fun powerplant and the personal challenge of deriving buttery-smooth shifts from its lovely, snickety six-speed manual box. I'm very surprised at how much I like it - I like looking at it, driving and contemplating driving it!

In terms of that engine, it's not particularly soulful either on startup or in normal driving. It's actually very hushed. It doesn't sound clattery like some 4-cylinders do. 1st gear is a little too short to do anything other than get off the line, 2nd similar but get it into 3rd and give it a bootful and the thing shifts very, very well indeed and provides a nice auditory accompaniment which puts a smile on your face. Booting through the 3 gears leaves you with a bit of buffer below the national speed limit and the diminutive size of the thing and relative lack of insulation makes 60mph feel a lot quicker than it does in most other modern machinary (particularly my rather robust Disco!). I can actually see me taking to the track in this in the future. It's got a lovely balance to the chassis, turn-in is predictable and quick and whilst not the quickest thing in the world, pretty good fun.

Anyway, that's enough from me for now. I'll obviously provide updates as I go. So far, cost-wise I've incurred:

- £15,250 for the car itself;
- £255 VED;
- £320 insurance

Pending is the transfer of my private plate once the V5c is through and a set of roofbars from Cotswolds in order to carry my MTB.

So far, extremely happy with my acquisition.

 

Thank you - that's an amazing tip as it's really the only thing missing to make it much more live-able. My daughter hates the car - suspect it's less to do with the SUV height that she says aloud and more to do with the fact it doesn't have Spotify! I'll take a look at the site there. Thank you.

 

Sadly Rusty has just confirmed that I have the older version of headunit & screen, therefore not compatible unless I upgrade (which I won't). So just a map upgrade for me (especially given my road isn't even shown on the existing nav software!). A little disappointing but not the end of the world. My daughter will just have to get familiar with my iPod Nano I'll leave plugged in!!

 

So in spite of my wife saying she’d likely use the 2er for short journeys, she’s headed off in the Disco into town this morning. Therefore the coupe has been readied for kiddy service…..quite astonishingly with a bit of room behind the seats to spare! There’s more room there than with the Macan, F48 or E60! The issue is more the getting them in and out and plugging them in. But a worthwhile compromise for the aesthetics and driving quality.

Haven’t yet washed it but noticed some light scratches just now in the light so it will benefit from a good machine polish that can wait until spring.

Need to get the CTEK on to it given it rarely stop starts (not that I tend to use it but more a case of remembering the alternator isn’t on all the time and the battery will suffer). However as I was about to plug it in, I remembered I’d lent it to a friend who was suffering odd fault codes so that bit of conditioning will have to wait also.

Anyway, a few pics:

 

I could well be interested, thanks. Moneys a bit tight after buying it and waiting for van to sell but DM me with what you’re looking for and any details you have. Certainly will mull it over.

Yes, it’s certainly a unicorn. And it’s getting under my skin.

It was weird taking all three kids out yesterday in it. Kinda nice but it’s amazing how vulnerable I felt with them all packed in given how imperious you feel in the Disco. Made me feel very timid even though, as you say, a million times safer than the Mini you had in similar circumstances.

 

Maps updated today and I also upgraded the nav to RTTI given I cannot support Apple CarPlay. I was surprised at how seamless the latter was with it updating over the airwaves post-purchase and even the map update with the USB stick didn't take too long inside the car. Nice to have the updated maps as it actually now shows my street!

Found a second-hand (but unused) set of roofbars (sorry @Cotswold BMW) for a very decent price indeed so they're on their way.

Now the car is on the drive since the motorhome has been moved into storage, I was about to stick the car on the CTEK. Then realised I'd lent it to a friend of mine the other day after their car threw a few odd fault codes when I plugged in my Carly. Need to get that back as I'm conscious the weather is colder, I've had a few short journeys and I'm loving how quick the heated seats and steering wheel reward you with their warmth, so there's a good load on the battery/alternator even on short journeys.

Although the wife hasn't yet driven it, it's feeling like part of the family already and just ticked over 42k miles.......nearly 400miles since I bought it a week ago. Average economy now at 36mpg (had to leave it idling for about 40mins locked in order to do the maps update).