New company car choice 325i or 320d????
Discussion
Hi all,
Company car time is upon me. My options are 325i or 320d (or new 520d if I wait till June).
Has anyone gone from one model to the other? If so what were your experiences?
I have always been in company cars so have had diesel cars for yonks. The opportunity has now come about for me to drink from the green cup, so I wanted to know if anyone has experience of these models. They will both be in SE spec and I will be speccing an auto box! I know this is pistonheads and I should be changing gears myself, but after approx 180 miles a day, the novelty wears off...! SO the car will be a work horse but I am always wanting something refined and FAST!
Will I find the petrol engine a bit gutless? Although I think the auto box will help here. I expect the 320d to be quite fast as it is adequate in my current 5 series (if a little bit underpowered).
The cons are that if I go with the petrol I get the uglier 17's. If I go with the diesel I will miss out on a sports steering wheel with paddles, cruise and a chrome strip around the windows (!)
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Company car time is upon me. My options are 325i or 320d (or new 520d if I wait till June).
Has anyone gone from one model to the other? If so what were your experiences?
I have always been in company cars so have had diesel cars for yonks. The opportunity has now come about for me to drink from the green cup, so I wanted to know if anyone has experience of these models. They will both be in SE spec and I will be speccing an auto box! I know this is pistonheads and I should be changing gears myself, but after approx 180 miles a day, the novelty wears off...! SO the car will be a work horse but I am always wanting something refined and FAST!
Will I find the petrol engine a bit gutless? Although I think the auto box will help here. I expect the 320d to be quite fast as it is adequate in my current 5 series (if a little bit underpowered).
The cons are that if I go with the petrol I get the uglier 17's. If I go with the diesel I will miss out on a sports steering wheel with paddles, cruise and a chrome strip around the windows (!)
Thanks in advance.
Paul
From experience, I'd recommend the 320d. The engine and gearbox combination are fantastic, much better than 4 cylinder diesel autos usually are. It's almost telepathic in the way that it's always in the right gear for the speed, it never kicks down when you don't want it to, and it's nicely responsive off the line. I really can't fault it.
If there are any downsides, the 'box does sap a bit of the power, as well as some of the economy, so you'll need to decide whether these are prices worth paying. But overall, it's a great package, you won't be disappointed.
If there are any downsides, the 'box does sap a bit of the power, as well as some of the economy, so you'll need to decide whether these are prices worth paying. But overall, it's a great package, you won't be disappointed.
i have a 320 D Edition SE, last of the series 1 so a few more bells and whistles, leather, M sport steering wheel and gear leaver, 18" alloys. faultless car, not what i would call fast but no slouch, good torque, but as its my first diesel i still long for the ability to rev an engine past 4500 rpm. brilliant on the motorway, averages around 47mpg, but a little cramped in the back, well i am 6'4", but comfortable for me. 18% tax and cheaper for me to run than a top spec mondeo
Ive had a 320d se and it was a fabulous car. Fast, frugal at 42-45 all the time. Ive had several 2.5i`s including my current E89 Z4. Although it sounds fab it is punchy rather than fast. Plus a 3.0 petrol is the same on fuel. If it were me id wait till June and go for a new fumfer. Ive been fortunate enough to have been close to some of these cars and they are loverrrly.
Good luck
Good luck
Thanks everyone for your comments. Yeah, in June I could order the new 520d SE; but the hardest thing is waiting 6 months when someone is offering to buy you a new car NOW!
They are sending me a 325i M-sport auto to test this Thursday till Tuesday so I will post my thoughts. May have to test the 320d after...or maybe not if I am blown away
They are sending me a 325i M-sport auto to test this Thursday till Tuesday so I will post my thoughts. May have to test the 320d after...or maybe not if I am blown away
Edited by 10speeduk on Monday 14th December 22:03
The new 325i is a 220bhp 3.0 litre straight six which gets to 60mph in under 7 seconds and sounds sweet as a nut, plus it revs to 7000rpm.
Vs...
320d, 4 cyl 177bhp 2.0 diesel that sounds like a bag of spanners and has a proper usuable rev range from 2200-4000rpm.
You are saving £7.50 a week going with the Derv??
Hmmm, yeah that's a tricky one to answer!!!
I can't believe you even need to ask!! hahaha
I loved my E91 320d, and it is a great engine for what it is, it was a bit stodgy in basic form but mapped to 215bhp it perked up, but please don't even try and compare BMWs 3.0 litre straight six with it.
I would have the 325i or the new 520d, the 5 series suits the smaller diesel engine, being a bigger, heavier car it is more a relaxed mile muncher anyway. I had the 535d sport touring and even that didn't make that much sense, if I had bought the 530i or the 520d I would probably still have it now. In others words sweet refined engine or decent mpg, with the 535d you got neither, still an awesome car, but you get what I mean.
Vs...
320d, 4 cyl 177bhp 2.0 diesel that sounds like a bag of spanners and has a proper usuable rev range from 2200-4000rpm.
You are saving £7.50 a week going with the Derv??
Hmmm, yeah that's a tricky one to answer!!!
I can't believe you even need to ask!! hahaha
I loved my E91 320d, and it is a great engine for what it is, it was a bit stodgy in basic form but mapped to 215bhp it perked up, but please don't even try and compare BMWs 3.0 litre straight six with it.
I would have the 325i or the new 520d, the 5 series suits the smaller diesel engine, being a bigger, heavier car it is more a relaxed mile muncher anyway. I had the 535d sport touring and even that didn't make that much sense, if I had bought the 530i or the 520d I would probably still have it now. In others words sweet refined engine or decent mpg, with the 535d you got neither, still an awesome car, but you get what I mean.
[quote=gizlaroc]The new 325i is a 220bhp 3.0 litre straight six which gets to 60mph in under 7 seconds and sounds sweet as a nut, plus it revs to 7000rpm.
Vs...
320d, 4 cyl 177bhp 2.0 diesel that sounds like a bag of spanners and has a proper usuable rev range from 2200-4000rpm.
You are saving £7.50 a week going with the Derv??
Hmmm, yeah that's a tricky one to answer!!!
I can't believe you even need to ask!! hahaha
/quote]
couldnt have put it better myself, you cant beat the smell of unleaded in the morning.....
Vs...
320d, 4 cyl 177bhp 2.0 diesel that sounds like a bag of spanners and has a proper usuable rev range from 2200-4000rpm.
You are saving £7.50 a week going with the Derv??
Hmmm, yeah that's a tricky one to answer!!!
I can't believe you even need to ask!! hahaha
/quote]
couldnt have put it better myself, you cant beat the smell of unleaded in the morning.....
Thanks for the feedback Gizlaroc. I hope the 3.0 feels as quick as the figures suggest. Haven't driven a n/a petrol since my Zetec-S 10 years ago, except my sisters 1.1 106! Sorry to hear that the 535d didn't float your boat. My 520d is a great 'wafter'. MPG seems to settle at 37.8, just feels slighty underpowered...then again, there is always MORE!!
Hi all. Well, the 325i M-sport was delivered today for 4 days to suss it out. Initial impressions were WOW this car looks great, but I can only have SE spec so cannot be seduced by the 18s and body kit and must focus on the 'car' and drivetrain/engine 
As the roads are wet, busy and dark I only went for a quick 10 minutes. The door feels light and hollow like a 1 series, but the overall quality compared to my 5 series seems ok. Doesn't feel like there is less room inside but the rear bench does look narrower. There was more road noise and wind noise (maybe due to the larger tyres) but the engine is quieter so total noise volume in the cabin is about the same.
Engine, sounds really smooth and expensive(!?) comapared with the 2.0 diesel. Makes the car feel more premium. Gearbox shifts smoother even in sport. I think this is down to less torque as the gears our slammed home. Was strange to have a rev range, the gears seemed longer and all the shove comes at the end of the rev range rather than the beginning, this is cool tho as it is accompanied by a nice sound
The gearbox has the paddles on the steering wheel, doesnt matter whether you use the left of right one, they both do the same thing. I expected one lever to go up and one to go down. After an initial play I just left it in D.
Speed -The car is definitely faster than the 2.0d. If you keep the revs high, then it really flies. At lower revs (under 4500) it feels about the same.
Don't know the car enough to test the handling yet, but am excited at the prospect.
It's early days to say if I'll definitely order one tomorrow or order the new 5 series. But by Tuesday I should know. Cheers Paul
As the roads are wet, busy and dark I only went for a quick 10 minutes. The door feels light and hollow like a 1 series, but the overall quality compared to my 5 series seems ok. Doesn't feel like there is less room inside but the rear bench does look narrower. There was more road noise and wind noise (maybe due to the larger tyres) but the engine is quieter so total noise volume in the cabin is about the same.
Engine, sounds really smooth and expensive(!?) comapared with the 2.0 diesel. Makes the car feel more premium. Gearbox shifts smoother even in sport. I think this is down to less torque as the gears our slammed home. Was strange to have a rev range, the gears seemed longer and all the shove comes at the end of the rev range rather than the beginning, this is cool tho as it is accompanied by a nice sound
The gearbox has the paddles on the steering wheel, doesnt matter whether you use the left of right one, they both do the same thing. I expected one lever to go up and one to go down. After an initial play I just left it in D.
Speed -The car is definitely faster than the 2.0d. If you keep the revs high, then it really flies. At lower revs (under 4500) it feels about the same.
Don't know the car enough to test the handling yet, but am excited at the prospect.
It's early days to say if I'll definitely order one tomorrow or order the new 5 series. But by Tuesday I should know. Cheers Paul
I've ordered!!
Didn't need till Tuesday in the end. I had the joys of an ice covered M2 this morning before turning back and heading for home. Luckily the roads cleared of slush and ice on the way back and I was able to have more of a proper drive. The engine is incredible, an amazing sound when closing on the limiter and then again as another gear slams in
Had more of a go with the paddles too. Changes are much faster and smoother than the jolty semi-manual in my 520d auto, so it feels more like a manual in terms of control -rather than pushing the stick, waiting for the box to select the gear, then jolting it in.
If I could have had an M-sport, then I would have ordered Silver like the test car which looks great. However, I have ordered Black Sapphire (metallic blk) with Red Brown Leather and the auto box with the paddle shift. My thinking here is that a darker car will make the wheels look more prominent!
Didn't need till Tuesday in the end. I had the joys of an ice covered M2 this morning before turning back and heading for home. Luckily the roads cleared of slush and ice on the way back and I was able to have more of a proper drive. The engine is incredible, an amazing sound when closing on the limiter and then again as another gear slams in
Had more of a go with the paddles too. Changes are much faster and smoother than the jolty semi-manual in my 520d auto, so it feels more like a manual in terms of control -rather than pushing the stick, waiting for the box to select the gear, then jolting it in.
If I could have had an M-sport, then I would have ordered Silver like the test car which looks great. However, I have ordered Black Sapphire (metallic blk) with Red Brown Leather and the auto box with the paddle shift. My thinking here is that a darker car will make the wheels look more prominent!
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