E91 estate 320d or 320i?

[Makem]

Hi there, looking at e91 estate as a bit of a work horse, both around town and motor way. Just think they look so good. My max budget is the 8k mark and for that i can get either a 320d or 320i. My head says go for the diesel but have never owned one before. How is the 320d? or is it best to go for the more smooth petrol? mpg is also important however. Thanks in advance.

[JNW1]

Makem said:

Hi there, looking at e91 estate as a bit of a work horse, both around town and motor way. Just think they look so good. My max budget is the 8k mark and for that i can get either a 320d or 320i. My head says go for the diesel but have never owned one before. How is the 320d? or is it best to go for the more smooth petrol? mpg is also important however. Thanks in advance.

If you want a workhorse and mpg is important it sounds like the 320d is your car. I've had both a 120d and a 318d as courtesy cars and to be honest the refinement levels were pretty good; bear in mind as well that the E91 320i has a four-pot engine not the straight six that was in the E46 so I suspect the difference in refinement between the 320d and 320i may not be that significant.

As ever with these things, all you can do is try the alternatives and see which you prefer!