[sattapaal]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

Not everything is better.

I'm a huge fan of the 320d (ref signature) but the 320i can be sweeter and smoother, has a broader rev range to play with and more consistent throttle response. In real life though, the diesel is much brisker and because it hardly ever needs to be thrashed, proves pretty refined. And especially living in the UK you'd need your head read if you bought a 320i over the d.

thanks for the honesty dude, i'm looking at buying a used car, so its all about budgets for me. but the general consensus is:

buy a bloody 320d mate.

really need to test drive one.

[sbce90]

320d is indeed better on paper and probably a better buy for 90% of the time. I just went -i because I didnt want to run out of revs at like 4k and sound like a tractor. Although diesels are very good now for performance, theres still something nice about revving a petrol to 6500rpm.

[kaishang]

It isn't as simple as running out of revs at 4,500rpm in a diesel. You are in the powerband of a diesel from about 1500rpm in a diesel vs about 2,000rpm in a petrol - so for both d and i you have about a factor of 3 (1500-4500ish in a diesel vs 2,000-6500ish in a petrol) from start of power band to redline to play with. A bit more than a factor of 3 in a petrol but not as much a margin as running a diesel 4500-5000rpm redline would suggest.

A 4-cylinder diesel will still sound a bit truck-like, but even in outright power a 320d is about 20% more powerful than a 320i and about 30% less fuel consumption. It's a no-brainer.

Since you are in the UK you will be able to get another benefit of a diesel: drive it at 150km/h and still get 40mpg or better fuel consumption.

[johnnydad]

Motorway performance - acceleration from 100-150km/h is vastly better in a diesel. And the way A-road traffic flows in the UK suits a diesel better too - not least perhaps because everyone else has one. You do notice a coarseness when holding 1500-1700 up a steady climb which is absent in the petrol.

[Scooterman]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

Motorway performance - acceleration from 100-150km/h is vastly better in a diesel. And the way A-road traffic flows in the UK suits a diesel better too - not least perhaps because everyone else has one. You do notice a coarseness when holding 1500-1700 up a steady climb which is absent in the petrol.

Which feels faster to you your 325i or 320d?

[John_01]

Modern BMWs are supposed to be clean, but I found the smell of BMW diesel exhaust to make me feel slightly ill at times.

[johnnydad]

Originally Posted by Scooterman

Which feels faster to you your 325i or 320d?

When you first get in the 320d you think OMG this is pretty brisk, even just driving gently. Then after a while you realise that the powerband is a bit narrow, more throttle doesn't bring vastly more acceleration and there is some lag. Then you get back in the 325i and realise it isn't any slower when you are driving it enthusiastically even though it feels more sluggish pottering around in Drive. Uses 50% more petrol though

We had a 525dT in Europe last year (Sixt rent BMW and Merc) and it was genuinely fast everywhere, even fully loaded, and barely less refined than a petrol I6.

[mmmmQuattro]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

When you first get in the 320d you think OMG this is pretty brisk, even just driving gently. Then after a while you realise that the powerband is a bit narrow, more throttle doesn't bring vastly more acceleration and there is some lag. Then you get back in the 325i and realise it isn't any slower when you are driving it enthusiastically even though it feels more sluggish pottering around in Drive. Uses 50% more petrol though

We had a 525dT in Europe last year (Sixt rent BMW and Merc) and it was genuinely fast everywhere, even fully loaded, and barely less refined than a petrol I6.

I dropped the 320 off for a service this morning any they took me back in a 330d.
Hey, that is an impressive car.
It is really refined and quiet and also quite fast.
What I like about it as a family / luxury car, is that the motor isn't as intrusive as the 335. But that's what I like about the 335

[anonymousmoose]

I have a question for 320i Australian owners;

I'm looking at a BMW to move a little up-market as my next car. Plus my German heritage lusts after German engineering.

I would be coming from a V8 Holden Caprice (a fine car in its own right). I'm assuming many Australians were driving V6 & V8 local cars before owning a 320i. How did you find the changeover to a car with considerably less power? The 320i would be within budget pre-owned.

[mmmmQuattro]

Originally Posted by anonymousmoose

I have a question for 320i Australian owners;

I'm looking at a BMW to move a little up-market as my next car. Plus my German heritage lusts after German engineering.

I would be coming from a V8 Holden Caprice (a fine car in its own right). I'm assuming many Australians were driving V6 & V8 local cars before owning a 320i. How did you find the changeover to a car with considerably less power? The 320i would be within budget pre-owned.

We moved from a ML320 which was a reasonably powerful 'truck' compared to the BMW 320.
You will probably find the 320 quite a bit less powerful than the v8, but if you don't have too many people in the car and you aren't into traffic light racing, then it is OK.
I find it fun when it is just myself and can drive it like I stole it.
It is quite refined for a 4 cyl and in city traffic not a real problem.
Going up hills with a full load, it is a bit on the slow side.

You really have to drive a 325 and a 320 yourself to see the difference.
I would have preferred the 325, but in the wagon, it wasn't much faster and was about $11k more, so it was a no-go. It was a much nicer engine note and felt much more like the BMW's of old.

[aZZ_kIkR]

Hi guys, all the way from South Africa. was reading this thread and decided to register so i cna learn more about our 320i's or well any E90.

i drive an E90 320i Sport Edition Individual
Stratus Grey Pearl

factory extras:
Sunroof
6 disc MP3 Shuttle
rear PDC
Extended Lights package
Full M-Tech Sports Package
Sport Edition stamped seats
Sport edition Individual 18 inch rims
Individual Honeycomb Alu interior trims

my add on's:
Gloss Black grills (DIY) [i have a set of chromes that i interchange when i am bored lol]
Carbonf Fibre front and rear badges (Wheel badges to come soon)
35% Smash n Grab window tint

mods on the way:
E90 M3 boot spoiler in Gloss Black
M-Tech Gloss Black Splitters
Gloss Black Tailpiece
Yellow foglights
Maybe Blackline tail-lights or full red
looking around for a nice DIY mod for the airbox or exhaust to make it a lil raspy or louder as i am still under Motorplan and cant do much at hte moment.

In South Africa, only our 6 cylinder models have the twin inlet snorkel, so i cant do much on the intake snorkel side of things.

Pics for clicks, hope you like:

My Pics courtesy of Iphone 4 -








our club stickers:



the chrome grills -



black grills:



CF Badges:



And a recent photoshoot a couple days ago with a buddy's indi also (with my iPhone again):

[sbce90]

Originally Posted by aZZ_kIkR

Hi guys, all the way from South Africa. was reading this thread and decided to register so i cna learn more about our 320i's or well any E90.

i drive an E90 320i Sport Edition Individual
Stratus Grey Pearl

factory extras:
Sunroof
6 disc MP3 Shuttle
rear PDC
Extended Lights package
Full M-Tech Sports Package
Sport Edition stamped seats
Sport edition Individual 18 inch rims
Individual Honeycomb Alu interior trims

my add on's:
Gloss Black grills (DIY) [i have a set of chromes that i interchange when i am bored lol]
Carbonf Fibre front and rear badges (Wheel badges to come soon)
35% Smash n Grab window tint

mods on the way:
E90 M3 boot spoiler in Gloss Black
M-Tech Gloss Black Splitters
Gloss Black Tailpiece
Yellow foglights
Maybe Blackline tail-lights or full red
looking around for a nice DIY mod for the airbox or exhaust to make it a lil raspy or louder as i am still under Motorplan and cant do much at hte moment.

In South Africa, only our 6 cylinder models have the twin inlet snorkel, so i cant do much on the intake snorkel side of things.

welcome mate! Nice looking car and I love the 216 motorsport wheels. Have you considered BMW Performance Exhaust for 320i?

[jackgormay]

Hey Guys

Iv had my e90 320i for almost a year and iv decided the wheels need a change of colour. Has anyone got black rims on a silver e 90?

cheers

[Asianinc]

Hi Guys, sorry I'm new here and would like a BMW 320i for a first car. Looking around 2006 model or so, and figured seeing as i live in Australia, it would be good to ask Australians what a good price is for them, and servicing costs in Australia, and any problems you have had with them. Thanks so much. Sorry if I've done something wrong posting here. I hope you guys can help.

[Kevlemanblue]

Originally Posted by Asianinc

Hi Guys, sorry I'm new here and would like a BMW 320i for a first car. Looking around 2006 model or so, and figured seeing as i live in Australia, it would be good to ask Australians what a good price is for them, and servicing costs in Australia, and any problems you have had with them. Thanks so much. Sorry if I've done something wrong posting here. I hope you guys can help.

What is your budget? If you can afford 25-27K you can probably buy a 2009/10 LCI updated 320i with less than 70KMS on the clock.

For a 2006 model with under 100KS, expect 15k-20k, depending on cond and kms ofcourse, Ill link you some good examples.

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=1&sdmvc=1

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=4&sdmvc=1

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...?Cr=16&sdmvc=1

You get the idea etc, make sure you take it to a authorized mechanic and get a pre purchase inspection done before you make a decision

[196806]

Originally Posted by moO moO nEL

what's the fuel consumption for the 320i?
my 323i is doing 10.9L/100km

320i will be around 2 l/100km better off. I get 6l/100km on the open road. 6MT.

[Asianinc]

Originally Posted by Kevlemanblue

What is your budget? If you can afford 25-27K you can probably buy a 2009/10 LCI updated 320i with less than 70KMS on the clock.

For a 2006 model with under 100KS, expect 15k-20k, depending on cond and kms ofcourse, Ill link you some good examples.

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=1&sdmvc=1

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=4&sdmvc=1

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...?Cr=16&sdmvc=1

You get the idea etc, make sure you take it to a authorized mechanic and get a pre purchase inspection done before you make a decision

Thank you very much Kevleman, how much are you spending your your services each time? (If you don't mind sharing that is.)