330D or M135i?
Discussion
Jules Sunley said:
PH User said:
Jules Sunley said:
PH User said:
Jules Sunley said:
330d, plenty of fun with that engine and much more space for what you need than the 1 series.
It's a good engine, but it's not a fun engine. TheDrownedApe said:
Owned 2015 330d touring (but luxury) and 2019 120d M-sport. Only saying so i compare size and driving dynamics.
330d engine is a peach. The missus drove it to work daily 25 miles round trip and then monthly runs to Angelesy from Cov day trip. Never any issues with the DPF and the car. Then got the 120d and the lack of weight at the back was noticeable (although how much the M-sport setup helped this idk). The car is a lot smaller in the rear and with the dog you will be struggling to use the boot for anything else. Had a 140i loaner and it was stupid, too much power and noisy.
my choice would be the 330d, however we never saw a /40mpg average as it settled about 36mpg
A 340bhp 1500kg car is too powerful? It's easy to forget this is a car forum at times...330d engine is a peach. The missus drove it to work daily 25 miles round trip and then monthly runs to Angelesy from Cov day trip. Never any issues with the DPF and the car. Then got the 120d and the lack of weight at the back was noticeable (although how much the M-sport setup helped this idk). The car is a lot smaller in the rear and with the dog you will be struggling to use the boot for anything else. Had a 140i loaner and it was stupid, too much power and noisy.
my choice would be the 330d, however we never saw a /40mpg average as it settled about 36mpg
Jules Sunley said:
You do like being argumentative don't you....
How is he being argumentative? He's making a valid point. Loads of people who've owned fast diesels, especially beasts like the 335d, have commented on how they are very fast and capable, but not particularly exciting/enjoyable/emotive/whatever in the same way a revvy, more aural petrol can be.Jules Sunley said:
Good old PH....
My definition of argumentative is when I express an opinion and someone says i'm incorrect. An opinion cannot be incorrect, only facts can be incorrect.
Both of you were expressing opinions, albeit in a blunt, direct manner, but neither of you said the other was wrong.My definition of argumentative is when I express an opinion and someone says i'm incorrect. An opinion cannot be incorrect, only facts can be incorrect.
ArthurLee said:
I am looking to get a new car and have narrowed it down to a 330D Touring or an M135i.
I would love a 330i/340i touring but with my £16-18k budget , I am really limited to the diesels due to availability.
So I do 2-3 50 mile round trips a week so 25 miles each way, mostly motorway for work and then shorter journeys on weekends. Maybe 8-10k a year if you include trips away in the UK, we tend to do 3-4 hour away trips 3-4 times a year.
We have a child and a dog so it needs to be an estate or a hatch, dog is small so goes in the boot. We have a large roof box for longer journeys.
A petrol appeals more due to doing shorter journeys but should I be worried about the DPF considering my commute?
Tax/Fuel/Insurance is less of a concern but I guess the 330d is likely 40mpg combined vs probably 30mpg for the M135i.
Thank you
You can pick up a 330i Touring for your money - I would love a 330i/340i touring but with my £16-18k budget , I am really limited to the diesels due to availability.
So I do 2-3 50 mile round trips a week so 25 miles each way, mostly motorway for work and then shorter journeys on weekends. Maybe 8-10k a year if you include trips away in the UK, we tend to do 3-4 hour away trips 3-4 times a year.
We have a child and a dog so it needs to be an estate or a hatch, dog is small so goes in the boot. We have a large roof box for longer journeys.
A petrol appeals more due to doing shorter journeys but should I be worried about the DPF considering my commute?
Tax/Fuel/Insurance is less of a concern but I guess the 330d is likely 40mpg combined vs probably 30mpg for the M135i.
Thank you
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105122...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106073...
It is a shame that the 340i is just out of reach, some haggling and i imagine you could push the 20k mark -
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103170...
Personally. I've had a 335d, 335i, 130i, 330d, 330i. So for what its worth -
The 330d is a capable, fast, nice place to be. What makes it fun is that its way better than a diesel tourer should be. You don't really think or feel like you should be able to go as quickly as you can in a car like that. It covers ground and distance in ease. It handles ok too. BUT it isn't the same fun as a rwd 340hp hatchback. The engines are completely different characters. The "fun" is from two very different camps.
The M140/M135i are BMW's recent(ish) answer to hot hatches. They have the more refined interiors than their counterparts (less MB/Audi) but the hooligan nature underpins them similar to any "hot hatch". They are sedate, normal hatchbacks when you want them to be. But it doesn't take a massive squeeze of throttle to have some old school rwd/hot hatch tomfoolery. Something that doesn't equate in the 330d. Nor the 330i tbh. On the flip side, you lose boot space, rear leg room and front cockpit isn't overly large or spacious. You make up for that for in the fact they do everything - just no one thing greatly. That is the prime territory for that type of car. Smiles with an element of normality.
FWIW. The 330i is the happy medium. More noise/characterful engine, practicality/grown up element of the touring.
In conclusion. I would go for the 330i over the 330d and i think over the M1**i Hatch too given your family requirements.
I had an F30 330d for 30 months, the last 12 being mapped to 331/500lbft. It was the phenomenally competent car.
I test drove an M140i and the engine was nice but I didn’t think wow I really want to buy it. I prefer the 3 series to the 1 series but the engine wasn’t good enough to make me want a 340i.
In the end I swapped it for my C63 because it is actually special enough to warrant changing the 330d for.
I test drove an M140i and the engine was nice but I didn’t think wow I really want to buy it. I prefer the 3 series to the 1 series but the engine wasn’t good enough to make me want a 340i.
In the end I swapped it for my C63 because it is actually special enough to warrant changing the 330d for.
ArthurLee said:
I am looking to get a new car and have narrowed it down to a 330D Touring or an M135i.
I would love a 330i/340i touring but with my £16-18k budget , I am really limited to the diesels due to availability.
So I do 2-3 50 mile round trips a week so 25 miles each way, mostly motorway for work and then shorter journeys on weekends. Maybe 8-10k a year if you include trips away in the UK, we tend to do 3-4 hour away trips 3-4 times a year.
We have a child and a dog so it needs to be an estate or a hatch, dog is small so goes in the boot. We have a large roof box for longer journeys.
A petrol appeals more due to doing shorter journeys but should I be worried about the DPF considering my commute?
Tax/Fuel/Insurance is less of a concern but I guess the 330d is likely 40mpg combined vs probably 30mpg for the M135i.
Thank you
You need to compare apples with apples, practicality wise the 1 series doesn't sound like it'll meet your needs so I'd say look at the tourings.I would love a 330i/340i touring but with my £16-18k budget , I am really limited to the diesels due to availability.
So I do 2-3 50 mile round trips a week so 25 miles each way, mostly motorway for work and then shorter journeys on weekends. Maybe 8-10k a year if you include trips away in the UK, we tend to do 3-4 hour away trips 3-4 times a year.
We have a child and a dog so it needs to be an estate or a hatch, dog is small so goes in the boot. We have a large roof box for longer journeys.
A petrol appeals more due to doing shorter journeys but should I be worried about the DPF considering my commute?
Tax/Fuel/Insurance is less of a concern but I guess the 330d is likely 40mpg combined vs probably 30mpg for the M135i.
Thank you
328i M Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105263...
330i M Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105122...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105092...
330d If you forgo the Pro Nav you'll get a nicely spec'd 330d M Sport which I'd say is a better all rounder than the 328i/330i above:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105293...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101067...
Luxury
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105182...
M Sport Pro Nav
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006089...
335d M Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104151...
The 330d is the sweet spot find one with the right spec & you'll be very happy, there is however another very good option & that's the XF Sportbrake.
They're a nice steer with a punchy V6d & they're a very nice place to be.
S Portfolio
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105283...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106083...
R Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105182...
Thanks all.
330D sounds the best option here, its the most practical (albeit not the biggest estate boot) and if a 25 mile Motorway drive several days a week will remove the DPF worries, I think this is the route I will go down.
I would like a 330i but of the 2-3 on autotrader in by budget, only one has the colour/spec I want and its the other side of the country. With work and a young child, I don't have the time to go and view it.
330D seems to be ample availability. Found one near me within budget so am going to take a look at it.
Found another one on Cinch which looks a good deal but it worries me ordering from there.
330D sounds the best option here, its the most practical (albeit not the biggest estate boot) and if a 25 mile Motorway drive several days a week will remove the DPF worries, I think this is the route I will go down.
I would like a 330i but of the 2-3 on autotrader in by budget, only one has the colour/spec I want and its the other side of the country. With work and a young child, I don't have the time to go and view it.
330D seems to be ample availability. Found one near me within budget so am going to take a look at it.
Found another one on Cinch which looks a good deal but it worries me ordering from there.
Best of luck with the search.
Had a 2014 Mineral Grey F31 330d for three years now and over 40k in my ownership. Zero issues reliability wise. As everyone has said, a do it all car and hugely competent. Mine has pro nav, HK, M Sport brakes, bi-xenon with high beam assitst, privacy glass and a few other bits. A few pointers from my experience to get the best of out them for performance and longevity;
- Pro Nav is pretty decent - you can update the maps to 2021 versions which is worthwhile
- HK system is mediocre at best - worth upgrading speakers (I upgraded to ETON B100W in the front doors)
- RFT's are pretty awful - Michelin PS4s work well for me, 25k out of the rears and 35k from the fronts
- EGR is problematic - worth having it mapped out and physically blocking it with a kit - both sides
- Gearbox is great - needs servicing at 40-60k miles
- Never heard of any DPF issues, but would probably ensure you have a few longer trips every few weeks - you can smell it sometimes when it regens (if you stop and turn off during a regen the fan remains on for a while)
A few people talk of timing chain things with the N57, but I've always been a believer in preventative maintenance - oil is cheap enough so I swap it every 10k.
They will map conservatively to 300hp/650Nm
Had a 2014 Mineral Grey F31 330d for three years now and over 40k in my ownership. Zero issues reliability wise. As everyone has said, a do it all car and hugely competent. Mine has pro nav, HK, M Sport brakes, bi-xenon with high beam assitst, privacy glass and a few other bits. A few pointers from my experience to get the best of out them for performance and longevity;
- Pro Nav is pretty decent - you can update the maps to 2021 versions which is worthwhile
- HK system is mediocre at best - worth upgrading speakers (I upgraded to ETON B100W in the front doors)
- RFT's are pretty awful - Michelin PS4s work well for me, 25k out of the rears and 35k from the fronts
- EGR is problematic - worth having it mapped out and physically blocking it with a kit - both sides
- Gearbox is great - needs servicing at 40-60k miles
- Never heard of any DPF issues, but would probably ensure you have a few longer trips every few weeks - you can smell it sometimes when it regens (if you stop and turn off during a regen the fan remains on for a while)
A few people talk of timing chain things with the N57, but I've always been a believer in preventative maintenance - oil is cheap enough so I swap it every 10k.
They will map conservatively to 300hp/650Nm
I love the 330d engine. It makes a great noise, revs very smoothly and has a great amount of pull. Paired with the ZF 8 speed, it's very nice indeed. I think the 330d is a great car, one of the best all rounders I could name. In touring xDrive layout, it certainly ticks plenty of boxes.
Don Roque said:
I love the 330d engine. It makes a great noise, revs very smoothly and has a great amount of pull. Paired with the ZF 8 speed, it's very nice indeed. I think the 330d is a great car, one of the best all rounders I could name. In touring xDrive layout, it certainly ticks plenty of boxes.
You seem to love everything I hate! 330d sounds like a tractor to me, and doesn't rev too much.
My manual E90 330i revs to 7K very smoothly with plenty of grunt, but isn't hobbled by X-Drive or Auto!
Mr Tidy said:
Don Roque said:
I love the 330d engine. It makes a great noise, revs very smoothly and has a great amount of pull. Paired with the ZF 8 speed, it's very nice indeed. I think the 330d is a great car, one of the best all rounders I could name. In touring xDrive layout, it certainly ticks plenty of boxes.
You seem to love everything I hate! 330d sounds like a tractor to me, and doesn't rev too much.
My manual E90 330i revs to 7K very smoothly with plenty of grunt, but isn't hobbled by X-Drive or Auto!
Mr Tidy said:
You seem to love everything I hate
Don't get me wrong, I love a revvy petrol engine in a small, light car. In a family car like a 3 series, the 3.0 straight six diesel is ideal, particularly matched up with a fast shifting auto like the ZF. I find such a BMW immensely entertaining to drive on B roads, even if it's not the purist's choice. Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff