[OgreSwamp]

Hi,

I'm looking for a car and options for me are 318i, 320i and 320d.
All models I found are in pretty much same price range (7-8K eur), quite similar age (2005-2006) and milage below 100,000M

I've used to drive 2001 E46 coupe 318i and it was ok for me in terms of power/speed.

So, I've read so far:

318i vs 320i - 320i has 6 cyl, has better torque and more economic. It also has chain instead of timing belt.
I've heard that 320i is more reliable than 318i, but not sure if it's true or not. I've also read some reviews that same models (e.g. 318i) of e46 and e90 are very different to drive and e90 feels like underpowered.

320i vs 320d - D model is more economic in long term, but spends a lot of oil for urban driving. You can really feel some savings if you drive >10,000M a year.
320d has better torque than 320i. People usually say that it's better driving, but I'm not too sure that I need that powerful car as my wife will drive it sometimes and she has experience only with 1.4L cars.

Can you please tell me your opinion, what would you buy from this range and why?
What listed points are true and what are not?

Thanks!

[BMW_Belgier]

Hi

You are actually asking in the wrong forum! This is the american forum! They don't have and know the engines...

I can tell you:

1. The E90 320i is NOT a 6-cylinder! Just 4-cylinders...
2. The 318i and 320i engines are build exactly build the same! Only the software is different. The 318i is a 2.0 aswell...
3. BS about oil use with the urban driving thing... It depends mostly on how you drive it (cold-warm, early shifting,...)

Take the diesel if you do >10.000 km and you want a torquefull car!
Take the petrol if you like sportier drive!

And most important: TEST DRIVE BOTH!

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by BMW_Belgier

Hi

You are actually asking in the wrong forum! This is the american forum! They don't have and know the engines...

I can tell you:

1. The E90 320i is NOT a 6-cylinder! Just 4-cylinders...
2. The 318i and 320i engines are build exactly build the same! Only the software is different. The 318i is a 2.0 aswell...
3. BS about oil use with the urban driving thing... It depends mostly on how you drive it (cold-warm, early shifting,...)

Take the diesel if you do >10.000 km and you want a torquefull car!
Take the petrol if you like sportier drive!

And most important: TEST DRIVE BOTH!

I have seen many Europeans on this forum too, it is not just American

Personally, I would go for the 320i, sportier and more fuel efficient as you pointed out.

[Castle]

I own a 320i, so I might be biased.

It does have a 4-cyl. It does drinks a little oil overtime, but nothing to worry about. The gas milage is not as good as you would think, the car's frame is heavy and you will frequently find yourself pushing hard to build some speed (I guess that with the 318i is even worse) but once you reach cruising speed it has a good response. I'm no racer, but i've taken mine to 200 kmh (about 125 mph) quite a few times, with ease.

An important thing to keep in mind is don't choose based on which one is more "economic", I don't think any BMW will ever fit into that category. Besides, the parts will be almost identical to those two models, and when you take into account how much you'll be spending in regular maintenance, those few cents you will save in gas or oil will not make a difference, seriously.

I can say the 320i is reliable, in terms that it has never left me stranded. But it does break things from time to time (more frequently than most cars), and they never come cheap.

All that said, I love the car. It's not a 335i like most guys here drive, but I then again I don't think a 6-cyl. would work for me, which seems to be your case too.

[Adrianho]

Personally, I would go for the 320i, sportier and more fuel efficient as you pointed out.

Totally agree with you. I drive a 2005 320ia E90 EURO and I like it very much. The sportfeeling and fuel economy is really good. It has some lack of performance when having passengers, but you are able to give it some tuning tweaks: I replace the stock filter with a Pipercross cylinder-shaped filter(made for 325-335, but I could anyway fit it on my car) and the sound became awesome and deep! And the car now feels more lively.
If you replace the exhaust with an Supersport stainless steel exhaust pipe with 2 mufflers(I like 2, but there about 20 more options on the mufflers) and then the car will be even more powerfull.
These 2 tweaks will increase horsepower by 8-10 and sligthly more torque.

[taranonline]

I drive a 2010 320d and it much better than a 320i no offence.

320d can be compared to a 328i or 330i but not 320i.

[MonacoBlueE90]

I have 2007 320d (163hp) and im very happy with it. I can get around 1000km with one full tank. Fuel consumption is around 5-5.5liters/100km but of course it depends on the roads you drive. From diesel you need to remember to remove flaps from intake manifold. I did that right when i got the car. If the axle of the flaps snaps it can potentially destroy the engine.