e90 325i/330i differences
Discussion
Hi there, silly questions really, I was wondering what the differences were between the e90 325i and 330i petrol engines as they are both 3.0L but the 325 is only 218hp is it? also can anyone tell me what the differences are between the early 30L 255hp engines and the later 268hp engines? for those who read my earlier post I've inherited my partners old 2005 330i, lovely car but as I said in my post it doesn't seem to be very sharp, or more to the point it doesn't seem to be 70hp more than my e46 325ti, although you get it right and you can tell its clearly more powerful, just not as much as id expect, the question regarding the differences between the two 330i engines is just curiosity, I assumed the latter one introduced in 2007 is it? is just a better state of tune. thanks for enlightening me. I know a fair bit about e 46's lots of useful info I picked up off you chaps on here, now I need to learn about this car and the differences, cheers.
Oh also I was browsing youtube and I notice that on some models the air filter set up is different, on mine its a simple job of unscrewing the cap and take out the filter and on others, the whole air filter box seems to have to be taken out, what's that all about?
Oh also I was browsing youtube and I notice that on some models the air filter set up is different, on mine its a simple job of unscrewing the cap and take out the filter and on others, the whole air filter box seems to have to be taken out, what's that all about?
Not sure on some of that, but i did have an E92 325i 2010 with the N53 engine, so that was the 218bhp one. It was pretty soul-less TBH. It didn't sound particularly brilliant, certainly not a patch on the E36 328i that i had years ago. It didn't feel massively fast either. I remember thinking that it felt about the same pace as a hot hatch like a clio 182, but less agile and focused.
On the plus side i would regularly see 40mpg+ on a run, averaging 38mpg over a tank according to the trip. Not bad for a 3.0!
In the back of my mind was the potential for coil/injectors/fuel pump. I only had mine for a few months, but nothing went wrong in the 8k miles that i did.
If i was going back to another BMW i'd look for an N52 engined car
On the plus side i would regularly see 40mpg+ on a run, averaging 38mpg over a tank according to the trip. Not bad for a 3.0!
In the back of my mind was the potential for coil/injectors/fuel pump. I only had mine for a few months, but nothing went wrong in the 8k miles that i did.
If i was going back to another BMW i'd look for an N52 engined car
Andy70 said:
not just me then that thinks there isn't much get up and go with these cars then? it is a beautiful drive though
It is a nice drive and a lovely smooth engine, but I also agree that they don't sound all that great and because of the kerbweight and the fact you need plenty of revs they never feel very fast. I'm pleased I got to experience the N52 engine and it's massively regarded on here, I think it's an engine that's over hyped maybe because its a N/A straight six and almost everyone hates Turbo's, I'd like to try the N52 engine in something weighing around 1200kg and I think that could work, but you'd still have the muted noise though.
Just to add some balance, I had the E90 325i with 218bhp before the M135i. I really miss it. I had wanted the 330i but the ones in the area when I got mine were basic spec. I ended up with a Le Mans Blue M Sport version which handled well and sounded nice although muted. It was a bit slower than the 330 I tested but it wasn't night and day. I never had any issues in the traffic lights dash with most hot hatches or rep mobiles so while the 325 is no rocket ship, it performed as expected as long as you worked the gearbox.
My current car feels so much faster with the turbo slug of torque from low down but the E90 was more satisfying to drive. Drop a cog and head for the redline with a subtle but creamy NA 6 pot engine vs the synthesised sound, the auto box method of burying your right foot and watching cars disappear behind you.
My current car feels so much faster with the turbo slug of torque from low down but the E90 was more satisfying to drive. Drop a cog and head for the redline with a subtle but creamy NA 6 pot engine vs the synthesised sound, the auto box method of burying your right foot and watching cars disappear behind you.
Yours will be an N52-engined 330i. The 325 had the same engine but I'm not fully up to speed as to the differences to give the much reduced power. The later version was the N53 which had high pressure fuel pumps as part of the Efficient Dynamics technology.
They are renowned for having issues, whether unfairly or not I don't know, but the N52 has a better reliability rep generally.
You shouldn't be struggling against a standard ST, unless you were caught in the wrong gear - I assume it was a newish ST? You have to remember that modern cars in general are fairly quick though, and a modded one could be putting out some very healthy numbers.
They are renowned for having issues, whether unfairly or not I don't know, but the N52 has a better reliability rep generally.
You shouldn't be struggling against a standard ST, unless you were caught in the wrong gear - I assume it was a newish ST? You have to remember that modern cars in general are fairly quick though, and a modded one could be putting out some very healthy numbers.
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