What is the best 3 series saloon?
Discussion
An early E90 330i in my opinion. It’s in the sweet spot where rust prevention is such that you don’t really have to worry about the bodywork, it’s modern enough to feel err, relatively modern. It retains the traditional 3 series dynamic appeal and has hydraulic PAS. Lovely N52 engine. Inexpensive to buy and run.
Heathwood said:
An early E90 330i in my opinion. It’s in the sweet spot where rust prevention is such that you don’t really have to worry about the bodywork, it’s modern enough to feel err, relatively modern. It retains the traditional 3 series dynamic appeal and has hydraulic PAS. Lovely N52 engine. Inexpensive to buy and run.
+1I've had my 2006 330i SE for over a year now. Still impresses me every time i drive it. Cost me £1250 to buy.
g3org3y said:
Super_G said:
What do you think the best 3 series saloon is?
...and why?
What do you mean by best? For looks? For performance or driving experience? Overall package?...and why?
InitialDave said:
The E30.
But anything except the E36 is pretty decent. E36s are horrible.
But anything except the E36 is pretty decent. E36s are horrible.
It was spurred by reading an article last night on how the E90 was the closest thing to BMW heritage and the way the 3 saloon drives... I’ve never had an E30. I do have an E46 but other than it’s looks I don’t think it can beat the E92 that I had... but those are coupes. Potato patato
Heathwood said:
An early E90 330i in my opinion. It’s in the sweet spot where rust prevention is such that you don’t really have to worry about the bodywork, it’s modern enough to feel err, relatively modern. It retains the traditional 3 series dynamic appeal and has hydraulic PAS. Lovely N52 engine. Inexpensive to buy and run.
Yes that’s what I came across yesterday. I guess I need to try and drive one to experience the dynamics. Super_G said:
Yes that’s what I came across yesterday. I guess I need to try and drive one to experience the dynamics.
Thread on mine here.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I've upgraded the wheels and replaced the front bumper from the SE one which was damaged.
Mine had quite a few of the common issues with them but i've put the issues and the fixes in the thread - none were costly.
Heathwood said:
An early E90 330i in my opinion. It’s in the sweet spot where rust prevention is such that you don’t really have to worry about the bodywork, it’s modern enough to feel err, relatively modern. It retains the traditional 3 series dynamic appeal and has hydraulic PAS. Lovely N52 engine. Inexpensive to buy and run.
Plus one from me. I really liked my E90 and it’s a car I regret selling. I even like the looks!
I really liked my 335i, it was a saloon, and a LCI (facelift) in a good spec, so quite a rare thing. Not sure if it was the best though, it was a great car but cost quite a bit in maintanance and mostly not to do with the engine.
I imagine an E46 330i would be a really sweet thing to drive, if not as comfortable or quick, and an E46 328i might feel a little purer, so I do think it really depends on what best means.
Interesting they there is not much love for the F30 or the G20 yet...
I imagine an E46 330i would be a really sweet thing to drive, if not as comfortable or quick, and an E46 328i might feel a little purer, so I do think it really depends on what best means.
Interesting they there is not much love for the F30 or the G20 yet...
Super_G said:
Yes. It’s an opinion poll really so could be based on handling, boot size, looks...
It was spurred by reading an article last night on how the E90 was the closest thing to BMW heritage and the way the 3 saloon drives... I’ve never had an E30. I do have an E46 but other than it’s looks I don’t think it can beat the E92 that I had... but those are coupes. Potato patato
Well, I've owned 2x E36 saloons, 325i and 328i. [/biased]It was spurred by reading an article last night on how the E90 was the closest thing to BMW heritage and the way the 3 saloon drives... I’ve never had an E30. I do have an E46 but other than it’s looks I don’t think it can beat the E92 that I had... but those are coupes. Potato patato
The E36 saloon looks great with the M-Tech kit, bit plain without (colour and alloys dependant). The M50 2.5 is a great sounding engine and does like to rev. The M52 2.8 is one of my favourite BMW engines. One could argue it runs out of puff at the top end but I find it more characterful than the M54 3.0.
The E46 saloon only looks good as a facelift Sport IME. I know people love the E46...it's ok.
The E90 is for me a much more polished product than the E46. People grumble about the interior but I prefer it to the E46. The N52 3.0 can be annoyingly leaky but really is a step up over the M54 3.0 (setting itself on fire apart). On the M tech sport suspension, the handling is (imo) sharp and with the hydraulic PAS, there's a decent amount of feel. Of all my current BMWs, the E91 is probably the best handling. Definitely needs the M Sport kit, otherwise can look bland. Probably has just about the right balance of modern bits/creature comforts without it being annoying/intrusive.
Most annoying thing about the saloons...staggeringly rare to find one spec'd with the split/fold rear seats.
MikeM6 said:
Interesting they there is not much love for the F30 or the G20 yet...
I like the F30 but have never owned one. I did have a 330d x drive courtesy car for a week and that was pretty damn good. It was massive compared to my E90 which felt like a toy when I got back into it.
I think the E36 and E47 looked much better as coupes or tourings. I was never really a fan of the saloons.
I prefer the E90 to the E90 and that’s definitely the case with the F and G series cars; the saloons are better looking than the coupes.
I’ve always preferred the Sport it M Sport cars to the SE’s though.
g3org3y said:
Most annoying thing about the saloons...staggeringly rare to find one spec'd with the split/fold rear seats.
I got really lucky with mine, although it's an SE not a Sport, but it has the split/fold option with ski-hatch, Bi-Xenons, electric sunroof and a DAB tuner - although heated seats would have been a bonus!But it definitely feels a step up from my E46 325ti Compact in quality terms, is obviously a fair bit quicker and isn't getting rusty wheel-arches!
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff