2014 BMW 328i 1500 Mile Review

Finally Named the New BMW 328i.

Elle as in Elle Driver from Kill Bill.
 

The 2011 xDrive was Alex Forrest - a tempting, slightly wild seductress. Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct) and Matilda Ratched (One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest) were high on the list. 

We'll get to the reason for our selection a bit later. 

Click for larger image.

Previous Posts: 

• The First 100 Miles
• The First 500 Miles 
• Tech: BMW 328i - and MS Outlook Contacts (Part 1)
• Tech: BMW 328i - Outlook Contacts (Part 2) 
• 2011 BMW 328i XDrive Farewell 

2014 BMW 328i 1500 Mile Review

The Good

The fuel economy is phenomenal - up from Alex's 30 months average of 20.6 to nearly 26 mpg. On Friday we did a loop from Round Rock to Anderson (College Station) and back -- over 30 mpg. Acceleration is solid, turns are a bit soft, but well controlled, and braking is excellent. She pulls with gusto from the line, and a hard press on the accelerator will always deliver a bit more. I was worried about all of the shifting (horrific in Eco mode, tolerable in Comfort mode), but in Sport mode, Elle was in the right gear most of the time.     

The Bad

The only way to have fun is to drive in Sport mode or Manual, and to drive well over the speed limit. Not that I haven't tried, but Elle performs under normal conditions without complaint. It's almost tragic - her good manners (cool professionalism) belie her skill. 

The Ugly

The double-tap to turn off the accessories does not work well. ECO-mode makes politicians happy, but I can't imaging anyone else liking this feature.  The Auto-Stop Start (or AS/S) is rough on the restart. 

The Bottom Line

The 2014 BMW 328i is Elle, cold, efficient, professional. She is not the super hot, sultry Catherine, or the super-controlling Nurse Ratched. Deep down inside you know she is trouble. 

“It's the first villain [Elle Driver] that I've played in a movie that has absolutely no vulnerability and no innocence, nothing whatsoever that is like-able about her, other than she's so bad. All the other Deadly Vipers have some empathetic quality: O-Ren Ishii has this horrible past, [Vernita Green] just wants to be a mom, the Bride has been abused, but my character is just bad all the way through, there's nothing to like about her, and you're going to hate her so much.”
–Daryl Hannah (on Elle Driver) from the Kill Bill Wiki. 

The first road trip: Hwy 79, 6, 30, 21, 77, 112 - none of them posed the slightest challenge. Next weekend, a run to Stephenville (183, 281, maybe back on 36).

I just know that one day I'm going to do something, and Elle is going to pluck out my eye.

[Update 11/11]: We took an unexpected run to Cabela's - from Round Rock to Buda via Toll 130. The toll road has a speed limit of 80, so I anticipated some exciting driving. Well, not so much. I would actually slow down behind a truck, down to 65-70 MPH, then pass them. But, it was decidedly effortless (sigh). Elle was loafing along, just over 2000 RPM. I finally turned on the cruise control - which is a HUGE improvement over the '11 version. 

~Tot1