E90 - what power is available?

[rubez]

Looking for a new car, and the E90's are unexpectedly very low price!! I thought they would be much more. e.g. I am seeing them for £5k - at NOT ridiculous miles!

I am a bit confused though. Looks like the standard model did 141 BHP. Is this correct?

What other power options were available on different models?

Not looking for an M3 (too expensive) but 141 BHP is too slow for me. What other official models were there, and what power did they output?

Coming from an Spec C Impreza running at 370 BHP. I don't expect that kind of power, but 141 is a bit paltry... and I assume these are heavy cars.

Any help would be great, thanks.

[toon10]

I had an E90 325i. Mine was the 2.5 not the 3.0 and it pumped out 218bhp. It wasn't a rocket ship but kept up with most traffic. Not sure what power the 3.0 325 produced but that engine is a detuned 330 I believe. i think the 330i was 256bhp? Happy to be corrected on that.

[Dannbodge]

335i is 306bhp and 400nm torque (max torque is flat from 1300rpm through to 5000rpm)

[cerb4.5lee]

toon10 said:

i think the 330i was 256bhp? Happy to be corrected on that.

Yes the 330i is 258bhp earlier N52 engine which I have in mine, I think the OP could be a little underwelmed by it though coming from a blown motor.

I'd recommend the 335i, plenty of power/performance out of the box plus it's tuning potential, and it delivers the same mpg as the 330i too which is a nice bonus.

[helix402]

Choose any one with 6 cylinders, petrol or diesel depending on your taste.

[JakeT]

The 325i had 218bhp in both 2.5 and 3.0 variants, the 330i had either 258 or 272bhp dependant on year, and the 335i was the same throughout. I think the 318i was 141, and the 320i had 170 or so.

[Mike335i]

Saw your post on Bimmerforums.co.uk first before the this, bit of a repeat but there you go.

There are loads of different variants over the 9 years the e90 was on sale (2004-2013) early models are quite old so won't cost the earth to buy, but still cost BMW maintenance prices. In a nut shell from memory (excluding M3):

Petrol E90 until 2009
316i 115hp
318i 127hp
320i 150hp
320si 170hp
325i 215hp
330i 255hp
335i 306hp

Petrol Post 2009
318i 141hp
320i 168hp
325i 215hp
330i 270hp
335i 306hp

Diesel pre 2009
316d 115hp
318d 120hp
320d 160hp
325d 194hp
330d 228hp
335d 286hp

Diesel post 2009
318d 140hp
320d 170hp
320ed 160hp
325d 204hp
330d 245hp
335d 286hp

Edited by Mike335i on Tuesday 7th February 21:49

[rubez]

awesome, thanks for all the info - really helpful.

looks like the 335i is the one to bag. 300 horsepower on a NA engine sounds perfect (have always ran turbos in the past) these things like to rev, right?

what about high miles? i see in the subaru world, owners are always rebuilding their engines after a while i.e. <100k. or having them "forged" - whatever that means!

is 100k on an E90 a concern?

[helix402]

Only a concern on a 4 cylinder petrol or an N47, no problems for the others.

[Mike335i]

335i is a 3 litre straight six twin turbo I'm afraid, unless post 2010 when they moved to a single twin scroll turbo. They are low pressure turbo so not as laggy or boosty as many other turbo units.

The 330i and 325i are naturally aspirated though.

Re mileage, service history and condition is key. Waterpumps, high pressure fuel pumps and injectors seem to have a shorter shelf life so would be good to make sure they have been done

Edited by Mike335i on Wednesday 8th February 11:14

[rubez]

alright, it has a turbo (or two) i read a little into it... does seem ok!

is there anyway to get a reading on what pressure the turbo is making?

also, what does 'M sport' denote?

[Dannbodge]

As above.
Stock boost is only 7psi.
Double that on a £120 MHD map and you'll be at 360-380bhp

[cerb4.5lee]

rubez said:

also, what does 'M sport' denote?

It's the trim level, you have SE and M Sport, the M Sport offers stiffer suspension and sports seats as standard, also front and rear bumpers and different side skirts, a different steering wheel and lots of M badges over the car.

[toon10]

cerb4.5lee said:

rubez said:

also, what does 'M sport' denote?

It's the trim level, you have SE and M Sport, the M Sport offers stiffer suspension and sports seats as standard, also front and rear bumpers and different side skirts, a different steering wheel and lots of M badges over the car.

They re-branded the sport trim to mSport (to make owners feel they are buying into the M division heritage probably.) A bit like Audi's S line and Mercs AMG trim.

[Kez86]

Selling my 330i at the min running about 280