E92 330i vs 335i Comparisons

[CHIEF]

I have a pal who has been looking at buying the latest E92 coupe's and was looking at the 330i and the 335i (not the diesel for once!!!! hurray) and asked me a few questions about both cars which i know precisly bugger all about.

From what i've read the 330i is pushing 268bhp and i'm sure the later ones are a tad more but what surprises me is the 335i is only pushing just over 30bhp more. Dont get me wrong its a stonking good car and will have a good wallop of torque more than the 330i but is it really that much better than the 330i?

What puts my pal off is some of the horror stories about the turbo's especially as his budget will dictate that if he buys the 335i it will be a higher mileage version, he's looked at the 325i which looks relatively gutless in this company but the 330i seems a good compromise between that and the 335i and it also seems economical for a 3 litre engine.

Has anyone driven both and is he justified in that he will have less to worry about if he buys the NA version as it basically has less to go wrong.

So what are your thoughts?

Thanks chaps.

P.s. I told him to stop being tight and to buy an E92 M3 but he nearly fell over when i told him the second hand prices and mpg figures lol.

[ASR1]

Same dilemma for me last year; went for 330i

[cslwannabe]

The reason why it is only putting 30 or so bhp more than the 330 is that the 335i uses the engine from the E46 330 as a starting point, whereas the E9X 330 engine is a newer design. Both cracking cars and the 335s do seem to have a few issues with reliability so I'd only have one with a decent warranty on it. 330 engine should be pretty indestructible however.

[JNW1]

CHIEF said:

From what i've read the 330i is pushing 268bhp and i'm sure the later ones are a tad more but what surprises me is the 335i is only pushing just over 30bhp more. Dont get me wrong its a stonking good car and will have a good wallop of torque more than the 330i but is it really that much better than the 330i?

What puts my pal off is some of the horror stories about the turbo's especially as his budget will dictate that if he buys the 335i it will be a higher mileage version, he's looked at the 325i which looks relatively gutless in this company but the 330i seems a good compromise between that and the 335i and it also seems economical for a 3 litre engine.

From what I've heard BMW were conservative with the claimed power output for the twin-turbo 335i so in reality I suspect the difference between one of those and a 330i is likely to be closer to 50bhp than 30bhp. As you say, the 335i also has more torque (which is also available across a wider rev range) so I think it would be a fair bit quicker than a 330i in practice. That said, being normally aspirated the 330i will have better throttle response and may feel a bit more involving to drive so the only answer is for your mate to have a run in both and see which he prefers!

As you and others have said, there are potential reliability issues to be aware of so if your mate's on a tight budget and couldn't afford a costly repair a decent warranty would be advisable (and that probably applies to the 330i as well as the 335i!).

[craigb84]

My mate has ended up ploughing thousands into his 335 replacing all manner of pumps and both turbos.

Fantastic car but it must come with a good warranty that covers these parts. I understand they are a common problem.

[M888SXY]

I think it's probably/hopefully like the Nikasil problems, widely reported but not that many cars actually suffering.

I've has my 335i since new (early facelift single turbo) and, touch wood, not had any problems except the rear cup holders packing up three weeks into their life.

[gizlaroc]

330i feels like a proper BMW where as the 335i feels more like a diesel to drive.
If you want a fun car then 330i, if he wants a quick motorway mile muncher that is effortless but also not that rewarding the 335i.

Seeing as he is going petrol I would guess it is not the latter?

But everyone is different, some people like turbos.

[JNW1]

M888SXY said:

I think it's probably/hopefully like the Nikasil problems, widely reported but not that many cars actually suffering.

I've has my 335i since new (early facelift single turbo) and, touch wood, not had any problems except the rear cup holders packing up three weeks into their life.

I think most of the reliability issues seem to be with the earlier twin-turbo engine but from the sounds of it that's relevant to the OP's friend as it doesn't sound like he'll be looking at a newish car!

Slightly off topic but what do you think of your single-turbo 335i; is it manual or DCT and are you finding you can get anywhere near the combined figure of over 33mpg? I might just think about one myself and the reason for the mpg question is I'm interested what sort of range I could expect from a tank given mainly motorway and A-road driving.

[Gaygle]

cslwannabe said:

The reason why it is only putting 30 or so bhp more than the 330 is that the 335i uses the engine from the E46 330 as a starting point, whereas the E9X 330 engine is a newer design. Both cracking cars and the 335s do seem to have a few issues with reliability so I'd only have one with a decent warranty on it. 330 engine should be pretty indestructible however.

I think this is the reason why the 335i sounds so much better than the 330i. The old M54 (which the N54 is based on) sounds so meaty compared to the N53 (which is the newly designed 3.0 engine found in the 325/330i.) The N53 almost sounds...dare i say it...."diesely" at idle and it's only once you are storming past 4krpm that you can hear a bit of 3.0 straight-6 goodness.

Whereas my 3.0 M54 sounds meaty at all rpm's - which i imagine the 335i does too.

[gangzoom]

gizlaroc said:

330i feels like a proper BMW where as the 335i feels more like a diesel to drive.
If you want a fun car then 330i, if he wants a quick motorway mile muncher that is effortless but also not that rewarding the 335i.

My 335i revs to 7K RPM, sounds better than my old 350z. Most reviews actually compare the 335i to the E46 M3. Because the N54 engine is so tuneable a few well choosen mods you can get close to E92 M3 performance. A diesel she is not

JNW1 said:

I think most of the reliability issues seem to be with the earlier twin-turbo engine but from the sounds of it that's relevant to the OP's friend as it doesn't sound like he'll be looking at a newish car!

Slightly off topic but what do you think of your single-turbo 335i; is it manual or DCT and are you finding you can get anywhere near the combined figure of over 33mpg? I might just think about one myself and the reason for the mpg question is I'm interested what sort of range I could expect from a tank given mainly motorway and A-road driving.

A picture says a thousand words

[TX1]

Had the same problem last year, after driving both the 330i and the 335i and taking into consideration the reliability issues that were floating about around that time for the twin turbo I opted for the 330i 06 plate e92.
The 335 did feel quicker however the 330 has a fantastic engine note when pushed so that helped in my choice. No turbo worries but I have still taken out and extended warranty as all the gadgets will cost a small fortune to replace especially if something like the idrive goes.

[JNW1]

gangzoom said:

A picture says a thousand words

Hmm, that mpg looks pretty impressive, especially if it's with the older N54 engine (struggling to get more than 45mpg out of my 123d!). However, I suspect that's one journey taking it relatively steady so how does the figure of over 40mpg compare to your normal running average?!

Just in terms of the comparison with the E46 M3, there's no doubt the 335i has similar straight line performance in standard tune and is quicker with a remap. However, I've got an E46 M3 CS and, having driven a couple of 335i's, I'd say the chassis and steering on the 335i are not in the same league; on an undulating road the body control isn't there and the steering is arcade game remote in comparison. I'm sure you could improve the 335i to a similar level if you took it to someone like Birds and let them sort the suspension and fit a limited slip diff; however, the standard offering falls well short of the benchmark set by the E46 M3 CS (all IMO of course!).

[dele]

JNW1 said:

I think most of the reliability issues seem to be with the earlier twin-turbo engine but from the sounds of it that's relevant to the OP's friend as it doesn't sound like he'll be looking at a newish car!

Slightly off topic but what do you think of your single-turbo 335i; is it manual or DCT and are you finding you can get anywhere near the combined figure of over 33mpg? I might just think about one myself and the reason for the mpg question is I'm interested what sort of range I could expect from a tank given mainly motorway and A-road driving.

Just to butt in here as ive taken delivery of my E93 335i the other day, covered 350 miles already of mixed B-roads and motorway and can easily hit the 33mpg claimed

If your looking at a coupe id imagine it'd be a smidge higher than 33mpg as it weighs less

[gangzoom]

JNW1 said:

Hmm, that mpg looks pretty impressive, especially if it's with the older N54 engine (struggling to get more than 45mpg out of my 123d!). However, I suspect that's one journey taking it relatively steady so how does the figure of over 40mpg compare to your normal running average?!

Just in terms of the comparison with the E46 M3, there's no doubt the 335i has similar straight line performance in standard tune and is quicker with a remap. However, I've got an E46 M3 CS and, having driven a couple of 335i's, I'd say the chassis and steering on the 335i are not in the same league; on an undulating road the body control isn't there and the steering is arcade game remote in comparison. I'm sure you could improve the 335i to a similar level if you took it to someone like Birds and let them sort the suspension and fit a limited slip diff; however, the standard offering falls well short of the benchmark set by the E46 M3 CS (all IMO of course!).

I was bored whilst driving home on the M69, so stuck the cruise control at 60mph for about 45 miles. Still goes to show how efficient the N54 engine can be.

I'm sure a M3 will handle / brake better, but for performance per £ the 335i is pretty hard to beat, and certainly much more entertain to drive than any diesel. I've had a LSD and JB3+ tuning box fitted to my 335i already. Aiming to push my 335i to about 350-370bhp with a new intercooler, and eventually the BMW power kit. But also saving up for a F10 M5 (but that is going to take a while)

[M888SXY]

DCT, which I think is excellent. Far better shift than I could do manually and better than the switchtronic on my old E46 Alpina B3 (admittedly that would be 10 years old now).

I've approached 30 to the gallon on a good run at 70mph. It should still improve as 18 moths down the line it still hasn't quite done 2000 miles.

About 18mpg around town which I find more than acceptable.

JNW1 said:

I think most of the reliability issues seem to be with the earlier twin-turbo engine but from the sounds of it that's relevant to the OP's friend as it doesn't sound like he'll be looking at a newish car!

Slightly off topic but what do you think of your single-turbo 335i; is it manual or DCT and are you finding you can get anywhere near the combined figure of over 33mpg? I might just think about one myself and the reason for the mpg question is I'm interested what sort of range I could expect from a tank given mainly motorway and A-road driving.

[gizlaroc]

gangzoom said:

gizlaroc said:

330i feels like a proper BMW where as the 335i feels more like a diesel to drive.
If you want a fun car then 330i, if he wants a quick motorway mile muncher that is effortless but also not that rewarding the 335i.

My 335i revs to 7K RPM, sounds better than my old 350z. Most reviews actually compare the 335i to the E46 M3. Because the N54 engine is so tuneable a few well choosen mods you can get close to E92 M3 performance. A diesel she is not

I had the earlier twin turbo, and it was very good, but I had come from an M3 and a 535d and found it far more like the 535d than I had hoped in the way it delivered its power, by 5500rpm it was all over.

I also found it so effortless, fastest car I have owned, mine had a Proceed and I managed a few 4.6 second runs to 60mph using an AP22 timing meter, but never really felt like I was doing much, a technical masterpiece but ultimately not that rewarding, so I sold it and bought another M3.

However, that was 5 years ago and I am now 38 years old, and have to admit it appeals to me now more than an M3 does, I would rather a B3s over the M3 now as well, but then if I am honest I would have an E350cdi estate over both, so what the feck do I know!?

[Crackie]

gizlaroc said:

I had the earlier twin turbo, and it was very good, but I had come from an M3 and a 535d and found it far more like the 535d than I had hoped in the way it delivered its power, by 5500rpm it was all over.

I also found it so effortless, fastest car I have owned, mine had a Proceed and I managed a few 4.6 second runs to 60mph using an AP22 timing meter, but never really felt like I was doing much, a technical masterpiece but ultimately not that rewarding, so I sold it and bought another M3.

However, that was 5 years ago and I am now 38 years old, and have to admit it appeals to me now more than an M3 does, I would rather a B3s over the M3 now as well, but then if I am honest I would have an E350cdi estate over both, so what the feck do I know!?

Totally agree with Gizlaroc's comments above ~ I have an N54 with an Evolve map and it is quick now. My issue with the car is that its major controls are too heavily assisted; the clutch and steering have an electronic rather than mechanical feel and this robs the car of involvement. My E36 M3 EVO feels like it has a heart whereas the 335i feels like a computer. This isn't the 335's fault though but rather the E90/91/92 series in general; I can see no reason why a 330i would be any better. Getting back to CHIEF's original question ~ a 335i doesn't have the sharpest throttle response but the small amount of lag is easy to drive around and the on boost torque is great fun on the road. I think the throttle response on mine is better since the remap and the mid-range is very hard to resist.

imho 335i every time but I suppose if you are a 'glass half empty' rather than 'glass half full' type you should get a warranty.

Edited by Crackie on Tuesday 6th September 16:41

[stewies_minion]

I went through a similar thought process when buying mine.

M3 & 335i had too much scope to lunch themselves at will.

Went for the 330i. Hoping that the goo simple engineering won't go wrong *touches wood*

[JNW1]

gizlaroc said:

I would rather a B3s over the M3 now as well, but then if I am honest I would have an E350cdi estate over both, so what the feck do I know!?

!!!!

[Lostprophet]

M888SXY said:

I think it's probably/hopefully like the Nikasil problems, widely reported but not that many cars actually suffering.

I've has my 335i since new (early facelift single turbo) and, touch wood, not had any problems except the rear cup holders packing up three weeks into their life.

What year did it change to a single turbo on the 335i? 2010?