Fun ,fast, 4 seat convertible, £15k and ok mpg ? BMW or Audi

[RichMarks]

Ok .. I know I'm asking for too much, but what do you guys think is the best compromise on this.

I run about 15k mile per year, so looking form around 40mpg

So far I've got it down to :

1st choice : BMW 330d ..... I look at 325,320 but same price, slower and not much better mpg so why ?
2nd choice : Audi A5 2.0 TFSI ... Slower than the BMW but prices look keener


Not really come to a 3rd choice .. The BMW 1 series looks interesting but the engines just don't seem as fast and economical .. It's either/or .. Not both ?

Any advice .. Or am I in the right track with 1 & 2 ?

Cheers
Rich

[kambites]

I'd say the 123d probably meets the requirements, or was that not available in the drop-top?

The 2.0TFSI is not particularly economical. Probably no better than a (manual) 330i which is a much nicer engine.

[RichMarks]

Thanks .. 123d has similar pricing to the 330d

330d looks better .. Do you think ?

Not driven either ... So not sure how the drives compare/torque etc

I do tend to agree on the Audi & understand the drive isn't that great

Cheers
Rich

[Benbay001]

330i and except the increase in fuel consumption.
15000 miles per year isnt high.

[daemon]

Benbay001 said:

330i and except the increase in fuel consumption.
15000 miles per year isnt high.

+1

[tomic]

125i convertible over the 3 series. The 3 series convertible has a huge weight penalty over the coupe because of that metal roof.

The Audi is a belt-cam engine so make sure it's been done recently.

[RichMarks]

What's the real mpg difference 330i vs 330d

Is the 330i that much better .

Cheers

[Cupramax]

tomic said:

The Audi is a belt-cam engine so make sure it's been done recently.

The EA888 engine in the A5 is a chain. I seriously wouldnt recommend a fwd 2.0t A5 cab, the chassis cant deal with the huge torque this engine has, massive wheel tramp and torque steer in the dry and even worse in the wet.

[RichMarks]

Reading in PH it seems that a 330i is going to struggle to get 30-35 on a run.

Even 15k a year this can add up to quite a bit vs a 40-45 which I hear a 330d can get to ( plus a good remap could help)

Cheers

[ReaperCushions]

RichMarks said:

Reading in PH it seems that a 330i is going to struggle to get 30-35 on a run.

Even 15k a year this can add up to quite a bit vs a 40-45 which I hear a 330d can get to ( plus a good remap could help)

Cheers

Yes, but one problem with injectors / sensors and you've blown that in one go.

[kambites]

35mpg is about what I'd expect from the A5 on the motorway too.

I don't know much about the diesels but I've known a few people have very expensive failures on E46 330Ds.

[Mound Dawg]

Umm, first word in thread title is "fun".

One of the two choices is an Audi A5.

Anyone else feel like they just stumbled into an episode of The Twilight Zone?

[tomic]

RichMarks said:

Reading in PH it seems that a 330i is going to struggle to get 30-35 on a run.

Even 15k a year this can add up to quite a bit vs a 40-45 which I hear a 330d can get to ( plus a good remap could help)

Cheers

My 330i can get 34ish on a run- you can get 40, but you have to drive like a vicar.

Around town it drops off into the 20's depending on how hard you drive

Someone above rightly corrected me about the cam belt on the Audi - Apparently the chain tensioner can easily fail though.

[Welshbeef]

tomic said:

My 330i can get 34ish on a run- you can get 40, but you have to drive like a vicar.

Around town it drops off into the 20's depending on how hard you drive

Someone above rightly corrected me about the cam belt on the Audi - Apparently the chain tensioner can easily fail though.

And that's the thing driving a 330d hard it will do 38mph drive it normally its mid 40's without any effort then long trips at legal speed limits mid 50's mpg and that's from the now very old 231bhp 330d motor the newer 245bhp motor is much more economical and the latest 258bhp with 8 speed is the work of dark magic

[RichMarks]

As I suspected .. The Audi is really not a great option.

So is it down to choice of BMWs ( anything else Non BMW ?)

330d ... Still my preference
330i .., I think 30-35 mpg is going to hurt
123d ... Quite expensive/not many in the 15 grand range
125i .. Possible, but what us the mpg ... I suspect similar to the 330i .. A bit better

What else is out there .. Or have we narrowed it down

Cheers

[tomic]

Welshbeef said:

And that's the thing driving a 330d hard it will do 38mph drive it normally its mid 40's without any effort then long trips at legal speed limits mid 50's mpg and that's from the now very old 231bhp 330d motor the newer 245bhp motor is much more economical and the latest 258bhp with 8 speed is the work of dark magic

They're like night and day - the E9x 330i (especially with the N53 engine) is much faster than the E9x 330d. It's much faster than the published figures suggest - there are plenty of German guys on Youtube who get 0-60 times in the low 5's and max speed of 164mph (with the 155mph limiter still on), but it really needs to be worked hard. You need to get used to changing down to 3rd at Motorway speeds to make it go fast - below 80 in 4th it feels lazy - above it, it goes like a train. It's best suited to B Road blasts or hurtling up an Alpine Pass with a lovely straight 6 soundtrack in the background.

I'd say the 330d is probably the best all round car you could get for long trans continental blasts - it's ideally suited to fast motorway driving, and effortless overtaking.

I was torn between the two when I bought mine, but I don't do many miles, and the equivalent 330d was at least £3K more expensive. That buys a lot of fuel.


In Cabrio form I'd expect the 125i to be a bit more fuel efficient than the 330i - there's a 200KG weight difference (the equivalent of having 2 15 stone blokes in the back), although it does have the less efficient but more reliable N52 engine.

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:17

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:21

[Welshbeef]

tomic said:

They're like night and day - the E9x 330i (especially with the N53 engine) is much faster than the E9x 330d. It's much faster than the published figures suggest - there are plenty of German guys on Youtube who get 0-60 times in the low 5's and max speed of 164mph (with the 155mph limiter still on), but it really needs to be worked hard. You need to get used to changing down to 3rd at Motorway speeds to make it go fast - below 80 in 4th it feels lazy - above it, it goes like a train. It's best suited to B Road blasts or hurtling up an Alpine Pass with a lovely straight 6 soundtrack in the background.

I'd say the 330d is probably the best all round car you could get for long trans continental blasts - it's ideally suited to fast motorway driving, and effortless overtaking.

I was torn between the two when I bought mine, but I don't do many miles, and the equivalent 330d was at least £3K more expensive. That buys a lot of fuel.


In Cabrio form I'd expect the 125i to be a bit more fuel efficient than the 330i - there's a 200KG weight difference (the equivalent of having 2 15 stone blokes in the back), although it does have the less efficient but more reliable N52 engine.

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:17

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:21

So what you are saying is only 1st 2nd and 3rd gear are any good at legal UK road speeds - that's really useful.

[tomic]

Welshbeef said:

tomic said:

They're like night and day - the E9x 330i (especially with the N53 engine) is much faster than the E9x 330d. It's much faster than the published figures suggest - there are plenty of German guys on Youtube who get 0-60 times in the low 5's and max speed of 164mph (with the 155mph limiter still on), but it really needs to be worked hard. You need to get used to changing down to 3rd at Motorway speeds to make it go fast - below 80 in 4th it feels lazy - above it, it goes like a train. It's best suited to B Road blasts or hurtling up an Alpine Pass with a lovely straight 6 soundtrack in the background.

I'd say the 330d is probably the best all round car you could get for long trans continental blasts - it's ideally suited to fast motorway driving, and effortless overtaking.

I was torn between the two when I bought mine, but I don't do many miles, and the equivalent 330d was at least £3K more expensive. That buys a lot of fuel.


In Cabrio form I'd expect the 125i to be a bit more fuel efficient than the 330i - there's a 200KG weight difference (the equivalent of having 2 15 stone blokes in the back), although it does have the less efficient but more reliable N52 engine.

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:17

Edited by tomic on Friday 19th September 23:21

So what you are saying is only 1st 2nd and 3rd gear are any good at legal UK road speeds - that's really useful.

Just providing an honest appraisal of both cars as I've had experience of them both

[Welshbeef]

tomic said:

Just providing an honest appraisal of both cars as I've had experience of them both

Fair enough but if you can only really use 4th and above at 80mph else its gutless its a poor show and would then in real world driving ie sub 80mph the 330d would win in performance and economy.
Not many do 0-62 or if they do they don't do it often so the fraction of a second quicker over the 330d is aoot point.

I'd say hardest thing is to actually find a used 272bhp 330i hens teeth would be easier to find.

[village idiot]

spend a little bit more and buy a facelift bmw 630 convertible (circa £16k+).