Do you need anything more than a 320d?
Discussion
bodhi said:
Same here - I've had both a 320d and a 330d in the past, and whilst they were excellent dailys that did everything you need in the daily grind, they did fall short when you took the back road home from work imo. The chassis was great, but the engines were just efficient tools - there wasn't the joy of keeping an N/A straight 6 on the boil, which adds so much to the experience.
The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
What kind of straight six can you keep on the boil?The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
Been running a 2012 E91 for a while, known from new and now on 130k.
It's a great all rounder, it's a lovely place to be be just plods along rather wafty on its 16" streamline alloys, suspension is great in the SE, rolls just enough, with it only being a 318d it's not fast, but I like that you can carry through corners fast without worrying about it stepping out too much, it's fun. Had a ball in Lake Como screeching round those bends last year, winter tyres chirping away
.
I think the 3 series as a whole has just got too big now, it's lost itself someway.
I test drove a F31 thinking I may get one of these instead but, driving the E'series it just feels right, not too big, not too small in my opinion, just does the job in a classy way in SE guise, can't see me swapping this for a while, and £30 RFL aswell is just ace!
It's a great all rounder, it's a lovely place to be be just plods along rather wafty on its 16" streamline alloys, suspension is great in the SE, rolls just enough, with it only being a 318d it's not fast, but I like that you can carry through corners fast without worrying about it stepping out too much, it's fun. Had a ball in Lake Como screeching round those bends last year, winter tyres chirping away
.I think the 3 series as a whole has just got too big now, it's lost itself someway.
I test drove a F31 thinking I may get one of these instead but, driving the E'series it just feels right, not too big, not too small in my opinion, just does the job in a classy way in SE guise, can't see me swapping this for a while, and £30 RFL aswell is just ace!
Kawasicki said:
bodhi said:
Same here - I've had both a 320d and a 330d in the past, and whilst they were excellent dailys that did everything you need in the daily grind, they did fall short when you took the back road home from work imo. The chassis was great, but the engines were just efficient tools - there wasn't the joy of keeping an N/A straight 6 on the boil, which adds so much to the experience.
The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
What kind of straight six can you keep on the boil?The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
Ares said:
That is surely a factor of your driving, not a factor of the car?
The "Do you need anything more than a 320d?" question is clearly designed to stimulate discussion, but it is probably true. Looking at the 'need' i.e., White Good aspect of a car, the attributes a modern 320d has more than covers it.
But 'need' options are dull, 'want' is what drives us.
And anyone that says a 320d is dreadful/dire/etc is either being daft, or has only ever driven great cars. The 320d isn't a ground breaking car. It isn't a car to take for the hell of it. It is a comfy A-to-B machine, as quick as you need, and decent a drive as you need. It is the mid-range Adidas trainers, the Diesel jeans, the lower end Tag Heuer, the bottle of Peroni, the Hendricks Gin of the car world.
Got me thinking about what need really means.The "Do you need anything more than a 320d?" question is clearly designed to stimulate discussion, but it is probably true. Looking at the 'need' i.e., White Good aspect of a car, the attributes a modern 320d has more than covers it.
But 'need' options are dull, 'want' is what drives us.
And anyone that says a 320d is dreadful/dire/etc is either being daft, or has only ever driven great cars. The 320d isn't a ground breaking car. It isn't a car to take for the hell of it. It is a comfy A-to-B machine, as quick as you need, and decent a drive as you need. It is the mid-range Adidas trainers, the Diesel jeans, the lower end Tag Heuer, the bottle of Peroni, the Hendricks Gin of the car world.
Would it take any longer for 99% drivers to take a Ford Mondeo instead of a BMW M5 to work?
Probably not but need is irrelevant since we buy what we want aslong as it's affordable.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Why is it soul destroying? Having driven hundreds of cars over the years a modern BMW does everything you expect very well even the little 1.5 petrols.I have got two completely different cars on the drive at the moment including a 118d and that was the car I used yesterday when I just needed to get places without fuss.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
You shouldn't confuse your odd mindset with most peoples, it is strange to claim to be a motoring enthusiast and not share what you drive wouldn't you say? You're just another of the growing horde of PH trolls that have joined recently and one of the reasons why the post count reduces month after month and why the sub forums have emptied out as people got fed up and joined brand specific forums instead.So what car did you strive so hard for, surely you're very proud of your little self and want to share?
I need something more because I dislike German unreliability. Until they up their game to make the cars genuinely dependable, as the Japanese manufacturers seem to have been able to manage for decades, I'll be of the view that there's no point in building something that's great to drive if you can't be sure it will let you drive it.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Whatever makes you happy. Putting a 3 series in the same category as, for example a Yaris, just means you don’t know enough about cars to realise how different the oily bits are and what that means to a keen driver. That to me defines a car enthusiast: a mechanical understanding of cars and an appreciation of driving as entertainment, not just a way to get from A to B. This is the essence that’s Chris Harris was describing.anonymous said:
[redacted]
It’s not about what you have and what you can afford so garages don’t come into it. Everybody gets pleasure from whatever they choose to buy. I have been on a few of the PH meets and drive outs and some turn up on in £1000 hatchbacks and others £200k sports cars. I have a perfectly good 118d, I did not really plan to buy it but I actually like it. On the other scale it is sharing my driveway with a 488 Pista which is claimed to be one of the worlds best drivers cars. Both will get used today and I will enjoy both.
Kawasicki said:
bodhi said:
Same here - I've had both a 320d and a 330d in the past, and whilst they were excellent dailys that did everything you need in the daily grind, they did fall short when you took the back road home from work imo. The chassis was great, but the engines were just efficient tools - there wasn't the joy of keeping an N/A straight 6 on the boil, which adds so much to the experience.
The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
What kind of straight six can you keep on the boil?The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
However I'm sure you can pick up that it's a reference to keeping an engine in the power band, which in an N/A Straight 6 tends to be 3000 rpm plus. This is more fun and leads to better noises than you can get from a diesel.
bodhi said:
Kawasicki said:
bodhi said:
Same here - I've had both a 320d and a 330d in the past, and whilst they were excellent dailys that did everything you need in the daily grind, they did fall short when you took the back road home from work imo. The chassis was great, but the engines were just efficient tools - there wasn't the joy of keeping an N/A straight 6 on the boil, which adds so much to the experience.
The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
What kind of straight six can you keep on the boil?The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
However I'm sure you can pick up that it's a reference to keeping an engine in the power band, which in an N/A Straight 6 tends to be 3000 rpm plus. This is more fun and leads to better noises than you can get from a diesel.
I’m not an engine sound/performance nerd... but I understand the appeal of high revs and a nice induction roar. The only issue I have is that to keep any modern 6 cylinder engine on the boil means speeds that are “unusual”.
Kawasicki said:
bodhi said:
Kawasicki said:
bodhi said:
Same here - I've had both a 320d and a 330d in the past, and whilst they were excellent dailys that did everything you need in the daily grind, they did fall short when you took the back road home from work imo. The chassis was great, but the engines were just efficient tools - there wasn't the joy of keeping an N/A straight 6 on the boil, which adds so much to the experience.
The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
What kind of straight six can you keep on the boil?The other issue I have is that a 3 Series is strictly speaking too big for what I need. It's just me and the wife, so we only need a 2 + 2 with a big boot for things and golf clubs, so the 125i is all the car I need. It's fun and practical, and I have a fuel card so the so-so consumption is bearable too.
However I'm sure you can pick up that it's a reference to keeping an engine in the power band, which in an N/A Straight 6 tends to be 3000 rpm plus. This is more fun and leads to better noises than you can get from a diesel.
I’m not an engine sound/performance nerd... but I understand the appeal of high revs and a nice induction roar. The only issue I have is that to keep any modern 6 cylinder engine on the boil means speeds that are “unusual”.
I always think that BMW build their NA engines purely for the Autobahn...because that is pretty much the only place where you can really get the best from them I reckon. My Z4M had max power at 7900rpm and my E92 M3 had max power at 8300rpm...so not exactly ideal for the UK.
Or you can do what I do and treat the national speed limit sign as a go as fast as you can sign if the road is clear!
cerb4.5lee said:
Agree and the N52 engine has max power at 6600rpm, so to really enjoy its performance you do have to be tanking along somewhat. Not exactly ideal when the max speed limit is only 70mph in the UK!
I always think that BMW build their NA engines purely for the Autobahn...because that is pretty much the only place where you can really get the best from them I reckon. My Z4M had max power at 7900rpm and my E92 M3 had max power at 8300rpm...so not exactly ideal for the UK.
Or you can do what I do and treat the national speed limit sign as a go as fast as you can sign if the road is clear!
You can fully explore 1st and then only 2nd fully on the motorway - legally. I always think that BMW build their NA engines purely for the Autobahn...because that is pretty much the only place where you can really get the best from them I reckon. My Z4M had max power at 7900rpm and my E92 M3 had max power at 8300rpm...so not exactly ideal for the UK.
Or you can do what I do and treat the national speed limit sign as a go as fast as you can sign if the road is clear!
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