E46 330Ci vs. Clubsport vs. 330D Sport vs. E36 M3? or 320D?
Discussion
Hi all,
I currently drive a 320D and would like a bit more poke, so have a few options. Mine's a nice car - one owner before me (BMW), nice spec (was an ES but being a BMW car had a lot added to it, e.g. 17's, sports pack suspension, tow pack, sports seats with electric lumbar support, front arm rest, BMW Business stereo pack inc 6 disc cd changer, etc etc) and it's covered a respectable 50k miles. I generally like the car very much, so I could chip it for the required extra poke - what sort of gains could I expect to see? And how much does it cost? Any recommendations/websites? It's an 02-reg 150bhp model and currently gives ~35mpg on my A & B road 200 miles/week commute.
Alternatively, I could sell it and buy any of the above options. I test drove an E36 M3 the other day and wasn't overly impressed to be honest - it was a bit of a knackered example (126,000 miles), but it wasn't that fast and didn't handle that great either IMO, plus they're getting on a bit now - 10 years old a best!
So, back to E46 models, I have a few more choices. 330D Sport (saloon) would be the obvious choice, but they're holding their value obscenely well so not sure I can justify spending £16k+ on one (I'd like a sub-50,000 mile car whatever I go for) - are they worth the extra? I mean, you can get an E46 M3 for that money!!
Alternatively, for around £4k less I can get some seriously nice looking 330Ci M Sport coupe's. I'm told these are remarkably economical for what they are - people achieving 400 miles to a tank on a motorway run, which isn't far off what I get from the 320D!! Is this true? And is it likely to fall dramatically on my A & B road commute? I drive swiftly but rarely thrash it, just use the torque of the engine rather than every last bhp!! I do need a certain level of economy - 350 miles to a tank would be a minimum really - good news is I'm rarely stuck in heavy traffic, so that should help!
The good thing about the 330Ci's is they're usually very well spec'd, have all the goodies I have now (and more) and seem to be good value - so are they a legitimate propostion for my needs?
Oh, and finally, what is the difference between the 330Ci Sport and the Clubsport? The Clubsport seems to have small-looking 18's and a naff spoiler, but hopefully there's more to it than that! Are they dynamically any better/quicker? Worth having?
Cheers!
I currently drive a 320D and would like a bit more poke, so have a few options. Mine's a nice car - one owner before me (BMW), nice spec (was an ES but being a BMW car had a lot added to it, e.g. 17's, sports pack suspension, tow pack, sports seats with electric lumbar support, front arm rest, BMW Business stereo pack inc 6 disc cd changer, etc etc) and it's covered a respectable 50k miles. I generally like the car very much, so I could chip it for the required extra poke - what sort of gains could I expect to see? And how much does it cost? Any recommendations/websites? It's an 02-reg 150bhp model and currently gives ~35mpg on my A & B road 200 miles/week commute.
Alternatively, I could sell it and buy any of the above options. I test drove an E36 M3 the other day and wasn't overly impressed to be honest - it was a bit of a knackered example (126,000 miles), but it wasn't that fast and didn't handle that great either IMO, plus they're getting on a bit now - 10 years old a best!
So, back to E46 models, I have a few more choices. 330D Sport (saloon) would be the obvious choice, but they're holding their value obscenely well so not sure I can justify spending £16k+ on one (I'd like a sub-50,000 mile car whatever I go for) - are they worth the extra? I mean, you can get an E46 M3 for that money!!
Alternatively, for around £4k less I can get some seriously nice looking 330Ci M Sport coupe's. I'm told these are remarkably economical for what they are - people achieving 400 miles to a tank on a motorway run, which isn't far off what I get from the 320D!! Is this true? And is it likely to fall dramatically on my A & B road commute? I drive swiftly but rarely thrash it, just use the torque of the engine rather than every last bhp!! I do need a certain level of economy - 350 miles to a tank would be a minimum really - good news is I'm rarely stuck in heavy traffic, so that should help!
The good thing about the 330Ci's is they're usually very well spec'd, have all the goodies I have now (and more) and seem to be good value - so are they a legitimate propostion for my needs?
Oh, and finally, what is the difference between the 330Ci Sport and the Clubsport? The Clubsport seems to have small-looking 18's and a naff spoiler, but hopefully there's more to it than that! Are they dynamically any better/quicker? Worth having?
Cheers!
Solely on the point of your own car, you could add a tuning box for an extra 30BHP. www.tuningbox.com. I've used them on 150BHP 320d's to great effect. Plus there is remapping which will take it a bit further still.
On the economy side, I am surprised it dips to ~35mpg actually, but I have no reason to believe it isn't in good condition?! Was serviced by the BMW specialist I bought it from when I got it and seems to perform fine - it's just quicker than my friends 2001 320D, which I believe is a 136bhp model - or, if it is an early 150bhp model, mine is in better condition (his is a pre-facelift car if that matters)?
I bought a '00 330ci last week and have really enjoyed driving it thus far. It's bloody quick and fairly economical if you don't use your right foot that often. I decided to go for a big petrol engine as I had been driving a diesel for the last two years. It's a welcome break; no waiting for the turbo to kick in, there's torque eveywhere and in every gear. Plus the noise when you put your foot down, worth the entrance price alone!
What sort of tank range/MPG are you getting from it then Dave?
I actually like the turbo kick of the 320D, it's a rapid little engine if you keep it on the boil, which isn't had as it pulls from 2,000rpm all the way through to 4,000 - not a massive rev range admittedly, but perfect for keeping the engine on the boil and making swift progress!!
I actually like the turbo kick of the 320D, it's a rapid little engine if you keep it on the boil, which isn't had as it pulls from 2,000rpm all the way through to 4,000 - not a massive rev range admittedly, but perfect for keeping the engine on the boil and making swift progress!!
This is an interesting one.
If you are getting 35mpg from your 320d then you will find you will get almost the same from the 330. I have got up to 36 on mine sitting on cruise and listening to some good tunes. This means the diesels aren't really worth it, the car sounds great too and very refined, and also mad when you need it.
In fact, the embarassing thing is my 330 vert seems to do better mpg wise than many other smaller engined cars on a lesser scale on the fun stakes.
If you are getting 35mpg from your 320d then you will find you will get almost the same from the 330. I have got up to 36 on mine sitting on cruise and listening to some good tunes. This means the diesels aren't really worth it, the car sounds great too and very refined, and also mad when you need it.
In fact, the embarassing thing is my 330 vert seems to do better mpg wise than many other smaller engined cars on a lesser scale on the fun stakes.
To be fair, the last tankful I got 38mpg, but it's around that. Don't do many motorway runs these days, would estimate 45mpg / 500 miles if I were too though.
By my calculations, 350 miles from a 330i/Ci (55 litres) works out to be 29mpg - sound about right? Not bad for a 3 litre 6 cylinder engine.
Is that driving it in any way in particular, or just not thrashing it about everywhere? I tend not to thrash my cars, just like to make swift, smooth progress - I figured the 330 would fit those requirements rather well!
By my calculations, 350 miles from a 330i/Ci (55 litres) works out to be 29mpg - sound about right? Not bad for a 3 litre 6 cylinder engine.
Is that driving it in any way in particular, or just not thrashing it about everywhere? I tend not to thrash my cars, just like to make swift, smooth progress - I figured the 330 would fit those requirements rather well!
Mike_C said:
To be fair, the last tankful I got 38mpg, but it's around that. Don't do many motorway runs these days, would estimate 45mpg / 500 miles if I were too though.
By my calculations, 350 miles from a 330i/Ci (55 litres) works out to be 29mpg - sound about right? Not bad for a 3 litre 6 cylinder engine.
Is that driving it in any way in particular, or just not thrashing it about everywhere? I tend not to thrash my cars, just like to make swift, smooth progress - I figured the 330 would fit those requirements rather well!
I'm getting 24 mpg at the moment, driving in and around town, stopping or slowing to 15mph every 500 metres or so for traffic lights and speed ramps. I also drive it hard when the conditions permit so there's definitely a good mix of driving within the current 24 mpg reading. Drove her last week for 300 motor way miles and still had 1/8 of the tank left! By my calculations, 350 miles from a 330i/Ci (55 litres) works out to be 29mpg - sound about right? Not bad for a 3 litre 6 cylinder engine.
Is that driving it in any way in particular, or just not thrashing it about everywhere? I tend not to thrash my cars, just like to make swift, smooth progress - I figured the 330 would fit those requirements rather well!
This car is an enigma wrapped in a question mark, I had a 325ci before that would average 21mpg or thereabouts of mixed driving and that engine was a stonker-A 330 should not be better on fuel and quicker at the same time!
Also my car has 90,000+ miles on the clock and the previous owner did not exactly cherish it, yet the thing is bullet proof mechanically and feels extremely well put together.
Or you could go down the Alpina B3 route (as long as you don't mind semi-auto boxes)
You'll get 35mpg+ out of one at 70mph without any issues, and average 30mph-ish on mixed road stuff. In my experience the 3.3 is more economical than the 3.0 engine in the 330i/ci
Plus the suspension actually works properly, which can't always be said for the skittish M-Sport E46 models.
Then there's the fact you'll never see another one on the road.
Finally there's the small matter of near M3 performance (280bhp+, 160mph+) with 328/330 running costs (all consumables are either 328 or 330 items)...
BTW, mine's for sale
You'll get 35mpg+ out of one at 70mph without any issues, and average 30mph-ish on mixed road stuff. In my experience the 3.3 is more economical than the 3.0 engine in the 330i/ci
Plus the suspension actually works properly, which can't always be said for the skittish M-Sport E46 models.
Then there's the fact you'll never see another one on the road.
Finally there's the small matter of near M3 performance (280bhp+, 160mph+) with 328/330 running costs (all consumables are either 328 or 330 items)...
BTW, mine's for sale
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