Experience to date of XE 163 manual R-sport .
Firstly let me start by talking about how this car looks, I've had some nice cars in the past but this one is a real head turner. The first day I had it, I was at the train station just about to head home when a guy was waving furiously at me.
i stopped thinking something was wrong but he simply told me he thought it was fantastic and could he have a look. Also had a few windows down on the motorway whilst stuck in jams, people asking about it, always nice when A BMW driver shares an admiring glance.
Inside the car looks just as good with the black and red 2 tone leather adorning the seats. The only downside (and it's not a big one) is the materials are a bit plasticky (if that's even a word), my previous car was the new Merc C-class which from an interior perspective is in a league of its own but it's definitely better than the equivalent 3/a4 rivals.
The driving position is great for me, I'm 5"10 and do a fair bit of motorway driving and find it excellent on long journeys.
In terms of MPG, I'm averaging about 55 which I'm disappointed with, the merc and my previous 3 series both averaged about 60, jag claim it does 78 but it doesn't get anywhere near that and I certainly don't have a heavy right foot. Best I've ever achieved was a 400 mile motorway drive when I got 68 out of it.
there are enough gadgets to keep everyone entertained but make sure you get the latest software updates for the satnav and radio as mine from factory wouldn't do traffic updates, the radio would randomly rewind itself about 5 seconds and the clock would lose time regularly. All fairly minor things but enough to be annoying in a car of this spec.
On country lanes (and there are a lot of them where I live) the Xe comes in to its own, put it in sport mode and the 163 engine is more than enough to give acceleration and handling like nothing I've driven before. (I do wish now I'd gone for the 180 but that's only because the 163 has left me wanting to see just how much different Atherton 180 is).
Get on a straight and from 30-70 it's absolutely effortless making overtaking easy, low road noise too which is a massive bonus.
The app which comes with the car, allows you to locate your car, which may sound like a stupid thing but I've certainly required it more than once at airports, shopping centres etc. And although it doesn't let you use Apple car play more and more apps are being added all the time. Spotify as an example is now available for music buffs and there are even apps that can find you parking spaces and the best restaurants in town.
The interface is touch screen only which is great when stationary but can be a little tricky to use when moving. An additional control pad like in all major rivals would be useful but not a deal breaker.
Now the only issue I have is with a rattle of 2 that appears at above 50mph and sounds like it's coming from the rear pass door and parcel shelf. Can get really irritating when on a long journey so find myself pumping up the volume on the excellent radio.
its been in a couple of times but they haven't managed to repair it yet. Let me know if anyone else has this issue.
In summary, as a previous owner of the latest c-class, both a 3 and 4 series, an a4 and a Volvo S40, this Xe is light years ahead of any of them.
Its fun, fast, and provides handling the others can't come close too. It's the best car I've owned and certainly the best of this bunch.
The only other consideration for those of you looking for a new car would be the c-class but only because of the luxurious interior, it's engine and road noise will bore the pants off you!
Go for an XE it's the best looking of the bunch and certainly the best to drive!
but alas...
