E46 330i petrol & auto

[blueant27]

Seen one of these i like but how do they compare performance wise to other saloons in my budget ??

Like the Vectra VXR, Octavia VRS & Mazda 6 MPS etc

[Fox-]

blueant27 said:

Seen one of these i like but how do they compare performance wise to other saloons in my budget ??

Like the Vectra VXR, Octavia VRS & Mazda 6 MPS etc

Quicker than an Octavia vRS, probably not quite as quick as a Vectra VXR or a Mazda6 MPS.

The autobox blunts performance figures somewhat, though, knocking half a second off the 0-60 time which makes it appear slower than it really is.

[rich85uk]

i have a manual coupe, friend has the older octavia vrs remapped at aroound 210ish bhp. both at a standstill and both cars being driven to full performance in a straight line the 330ci is faster. However the vrs had lovely mid range turbo punch from 2-5k and while the 330 have plently of low down grunt the engine is best from 4k rpm onwards to be at its fastest.

for sound the 330 is hard to beat, and outright pace will suprise you. but vrs misrange power from the turbo is very good. in remapped form nearly 330 pace too

i cant comment on the other cars you mention but you need to look at and ideally test drive at the benefits between of n/a vs turbo

also fwd/rwd/4wd. would seriously be looking at the mazda if i was in your shoes.265bhp,2.3 turbo, 4wd. would not fancy my chances against one...

[a_bread]

rich85uk said:

but vrs misrange power from the turbo is very good. in remapped form nearly 330 pace too

I'm surprised! I thought with a remap the VRS would be quicker, but maybe only the more aggressive maps and I guess you then face reliability issues.

I had a 330Ci manual, never tried an auto. Now have an ST220 (OP may wish to consider these as they are in the same budget), which is similar pace overall, but different character - it's a little lacking at low revs compared with the BMW, but at the opposite end of the rev range it's the other way round. A great car.

No doubt the Vectra VXR would be quicker than all of the above.

[rich85uk]

a_bread said:

rich85uk said:

but vrs misrange power from the turbo is very good. in remapped form nearly 330 pace too

I'm surprised! I thought with a remap the VRS would be quicker, but maybe only the more aggressive maps and I guess you then face reliability issues.

I had a 330Ci manual, never tried an auto. Now have an ST220 (OP may wish to consider these as they are in the same budget), which is similar pace overall, but different character - it's a little lacking at low revs compared with the BMW, but at the opposite end of the rev range it's the other way round. A great car.

No doubt the Vectra VXR would be quicker than all of the above.

dont get me wrong in remapped form (about 210ish bhp he guessed) it was a very swift saloon, and if you did tests such as 3rd @ 30mph and floor it the remapped turbo would walk away. but in a straightline from a standstill the 330ci would be the first to 60 (possible draw) but 80,100, 130.

how do you find the 220 compared to the 330? i very nearly bought one still find them tempting...

[rpm1969]

I own a standard Mk1 VRS and a manual e46 330Ci. The 330 is quicker in a straight line but it doesn't always feel like that much of a difference. It revs easier though and the sound is so much more satisfying, and oh, in anything other than a straight line, it's in a different class.

[Fox-]

rpm1969 said:

I own a standard Mk1 VRS and a manual e46 330Ci. The 330 is quicker in a straight line but it doesn't always feel like that much of a difference.

It won't do, as the Octavia is turbocharged. Therefore the quick change in rate of acceleration when the turbo spools up will give you more of a 'feeling' of acceleration than the linear, progressive power delivery of the normally aspirated car.

[a_bread]

rich85uk said:

how do you find the 220 compared to the 330? i very nearly bought one still find them tempting...

It's great. I changed because I was concerned about the 330 getting old and the mileage getting high, and didn't really want to spend lots of money changing car. Managed to sell quickly for a good price, before picking up a much newer lower-mileage ST220 for only slightly more. Maybe I was lucky.

The 220 is a revelation, traditionally we all thought FWD and quite large size & power was a recipe for poor handling, torque steer etc., but don't underestimate how much work the sports division did when they developed these, it seems almost as different from a standard Mondeo as the M3 is from a standard 3 series. The power is well contained and delivered, the steering is unbelievably accurate and full of feel (especially for the car's size), and it also isn't a step down in performance from the 330 - in fact I'd say the only reason it's a fraction of a second slower on the 0-60 is the fact the electronic systems are cutting the torque a bit in the first 2 gears to prevent wheelspin. By 100 it's made that back. It's also a more revvable engine so although you need to work more to access the full performance, it's very willing. Also gives out a very sporty sound, not as smooth as the 330 but great in a different way. Various tests I've seen give the ST a faster track time round a couple of circuits.

However, build quality isn't quite as good. The interior isn't quite in the same league of design, feel, solidity, etc., but it is a lot more spacious and comes with a higher level of spec as standard. (All those options you need in the BMW mean its weight goes well up over the standard numbers making it heavier than the ST). Overall the BMW is a arguably a slightly higher quality car, and if I could have switched to a newer, lower mileage version of my old 330 for the same cost, I might have, but I'm just as happy with this.