[g30rge]

I've ordered a new company car, due for delivery late Feb.
Due to company car tax and fuel prices the ED model was the only choice.
I should be about £65 per month better off than with my current 1.9 5speed Passat Estate.

Below are my optional extras selected to a budget (in brackets why I went for them).

I'd be interested to know what you guys thought?

• Crimson Red (has to pay extra for metallic, red is a rarer car colour these days, always had black for far, no way do I want white)
• Vertex Cloth - Anthracite (nice and dark to hide the stains)
• Hi-fi loudspeaker system (wanted a better sound than the standard, dealer advised there's very little difference compared to the Harmon/Kardon)
• Run-flat tyres (30k per year, mostly motorway so safety a big factor here, also 16" wheels mean taller sidewall so possibly not as poor ride/ handling many have complained about with rft on the bigger wheels. Also according to many i'll need snow tyres for 3months a year anyway, so could get non run-flats M&S for winter and compare)
• Cruise control (for the journey)
• Rain sensor + automatic driving lights control (for the technology)
• USB/audio interface (for the USB jukebox, wahey!)
• Storage Compartment pack - 3 Series Saloon (kids cupholders, man that's dear!)
• Heated front seats (for the comfort)
• Driver + passenger electric lumbar support (fine tuning, most of my journeys are over 1hour)
• 3 spoke sports leather steering wheel (the standard looks too thin)
• Four 12V sockets in cabin (for the gadgets)
• Split folding rear seat (I've gotta pay for this, c'mon, what's the point of a big car if I can't goto ikea with it?)
• Smokers pack (I don't but it's free and includes a little cover to hide stuff rather than an open tray)

[Mani59]

Great choice on the colour! Hardly any red E90's around.
Make sure you post some pics when you get it!

[edowen]

having had our ED for a few weeks, and previously an M Sport I would have spec'd sports seats.

Good choice though!

[Spoonhead]

Good Choice for the colour.

My order spec is:

Crimson Red

Not a great lover of white, and black just looks dirty all the time. And its a nice and rare colour on a BMW.

Half Leather
Sport Seats
Heated Seats

Full leather is just a little too expensive so a happy compromise. Coming from an m-sport the sport seats are great for adjustment and getting comfortable. Heted seats was something my wife has in her car and they've come in handy this winter.

Professional media pack
Business speakers
USB interface

Really impressed with this set up in a courtesy car I had the other day, and I love my iPod, so needed the USB. In my current car I added the tweeter and speaker upgrade myself, but this time I thought sod it, lets pick it from the off.

Visability pack


I've got xenons on my current car, and had them on the Focus ST before, they add so much visibility at night, I don't think I could have a car without again. Wanted the rain sensors as well, so by the time I had added those, for an extra £110, the pack made sense for adaptive headlights and high beam asist

Finally

Extended storage for nets on the seats and a couple of cup holders

Oh, and model designation deletion. on my 123d it makes it a stealth car

but it also keeps the back symetrical and tidy.

See you're getting yours pretty quickly, mines looking like mid to late April.

Gazza

[kaishang]

You got RFTs? I thought the non RFTs which come standard on the ED model are required to achieve the advertised fuel economy? AFAIK with non standard run flats, you will use more fuel.

[Oli]

....and ruin what is one of the better handling 3 series out there!

[Lightsab3r]

Mods, can we merge with the other main thread on the ED? Would be interested in seeing pics of the crimson red.

[wibster]

Sounds great, great car and a good spec. Welcome to the ED club

[g30rge]

Cheers for the comments, I'll sort out some pics when it lands.

Re: the RFT's

I expected the fuel figures to be best case etc, (tax / emissions should be adjusted for non special tyres I suppose but they weren't).

Still looking forward to pushing for 70mpg!

The thought of "low resistance" tyres just doesn't seem right, I like the idea of having tyres that resist the cars momentum from taking it where the driver doesn't want to go ;-)

[Sportplus]

Good spec on the car, look forward to seeing it in colour

I've got a 318D m sport plus touring and thought i would get 850 miles to a tank lol. The best I can get is 50 mpg on a long run (Heavy Foot) sit at Mway cruising speeds.

[kaishang]

Originally Posted by g30rge

The thought of "low resistance" tyres just doesn't seem right, I like the idea of having tyres that resist the cars momentum from taking it where the driver doesn't want to go ;-)

That's low rolling-resitance tyres on the ED.... they are still quite resistant to letting you slide off into a ditch.

[Falmouthboy]

The only big mistake you have made is to spec run flat tyres - when you read how much effort people on the forum expend in ditching run flats I would have thought this was a 'no brainer'. Low rolling resistance doesn't equate to low grip, and in any case, when they wear out you can put on any tyres you like in what is quite a common size.

Other than that, good spec - I would perhaps have gone for sports seats rather than the lumbar support though - on balance more comfortable and to be honest I find the electric lumbar support on mine more trouble than it's worth. Without leather, the heated seats are probably wasted though.

[wibster]

I've just got 64.1mpg on a return trip from Mid-Wales to Reading and back, only approx. 35 Mway miles, 35 dual carriageway miles and the rest twisty A roads. Combined mileage was around 380, so pretty good economy for an engine with less than 1000 miles on the clock

[edowen]

leave the standard tyres - ride and handling is fantastic with them.

[g30rge]

The sports seat were too much extra £ and I didn't test drive any - some sports seats are a bit too wrap around for long journeys.
It was standard seats in the demonstrator I got and they were fine, the lumbar support is just for that little bit extra adjustment.
I'm sure the heat elements will be fine even though it's cloth, I don't have leather bed sheets and the electric blanket is still great!

[mjh93sa]

Looks like a decent spec. and sound reasoning.

Whilst others are focussing on the RFT selection, the one mentioned briefly by gazzared_typer would be my only concern.... the lack of Xenons. The standard candles are rather poor by comparison, though it is partly a case of experiencing them 1st. Almost all never want to go back to halogen once they have had them on a car.

[Sportplus]

Originally Posted by wibster

I've just got 64.1mpg on a return trip from Mid-Wales to Reading and back, only approx. 35 Mway miles, 35 dual carriageway miles and the rest twisty A roads. Combined mileage was around 380, so pretty good economy for an engine with less than 1000 miles on the clock

What sort of speed's were you doing?

[ss134]

I would also advise on not speccing the RFT - there is a reason why M Gmbh refuse to fit them on their cars. Go with the regular tyres - definately. Great spec on the car - enjoy

[wibster]

Originally Posted by Sportplus

What sort of speed's were you doing?

As the car still had well under 1000 miles on the clock motorway/DC driving was 70mph, and the A roads and twisties 40 - 60mph

I've also just done a round trip to London, from Mid-Wales, approx. 480 miles, reset the OBC before starting and got 65.7mpg. Most of the journey was motorway, with only about 100 miles a roads. Motorway miles was around 75mph, apart from the big stop start miles on the M1 for the roadworks

All in all, very happy

[paulf]

Originally Posted by g30rge

I've ordered a new company car, due for delivery late Feb.
Due to company car tax and fuel prices the ED model was the only choice.
I should be about £65 per month better off than with my current 1.9 5speed Passat Estate.

Below are my optional extras selected to a budget (in brackets why I went for them).

I'd be interested to know what you guys thought?

• Crimson Red (has to pay extra for metallic, red is a rarer car colour these days, always had black for far, no way do I want white)
• Vertex Cloth - Anthracite (nice and dark to hide the stains)
• Hi-fi loudspeaker system (wanted a better sound than the standard, dealer advised there's very little difference compared to the Harmon/Kardon)
• Run-flat tyres (30k per year, mostly motorway so safety a big factor here, also 16" wheels mean taller sidewall so possibly not as poor ride/ handling many have complained about with rft on the bigger wheels. Also according to many i'll need snow tyres for 3months a year anyway, so could get non run-flats M&S for winter and compare)
• Cruise control (for the journey)
• Rain sensor + automatic driving lights control (for the technology)
• USB/audio interface (for the USB jukebox, wahey!)
• Storage Compartment pack - 3 Series Saloon (kids cupholders, man that's dear!)
• Heated front seats (for the comfort)
• Driver + passenger electric lumbar support (fine tuning, most of my journeys are over 1hour)
• 3 spoke sports leather steering wheel (the standard looks too thin)
• Four 12V sockets in cabin (for the gadgets)
• Split folding rear seat (I've gotta pay for this, c'mon, what's the point of a big car if I can't goto ikea with it?)
• Smokers pack (I don't but it's free and includes a little cover to hide stuff rather than an open tray)

Hiya, just ordered my new 320 ed comp car, let us have your thoughts/pictures when it arrives. BTW decent list of options, some you cant live without!!

Cheers

[g30rge]

Been a few delays but now told its registered and delivery is arranged so should be here next week. Will post pics soon.

I did seriously consider the xenons and would have gone for them with the visibility package if it was my own money but as it's a company car with a limit on the budget I had to miss out on something.

[g30rge]

Here are the pics in red....

Loving the car so far, very pleased that I went for the upgraded hifi.