e90,,,diesel or petrol??
Discussion
ive recently sold my e90 320d m sport, i started hankering after a 325d (and remap it) or a 330d, but, then i started thinking maybe a petrol would be ok, they seem to be cheaper for similar age and spec and mileage. i only do around 5000 miles a year so a diesel isnt an advantage for economy, but, are the diesel cars just better? will they hold their value better once the new 3 series is released? im starting to confuse myself with all the options, so id like other peoples opinions
Unless those 5000 miles per year are a few very long distance journeys, in which case a diesel would make sense, a petrol would be your best bet. The 258 bhp version of the 330i is very sweet and reliable (the 272 bhp version more economical but less reliable) and would be cheaper to buy in the first place.
rassi said:
Unless those 5000 miles per year are a few very long distance journeys, in which case a diesel would make sense, a petrol would be your best bet. The 258 bhp version of the 330i is very sweet and reliable (the 272 bhp version more economical but less reliable) and would be cheaper to buy in the first place.
so at what age did the engines change from 258 to 272? mikeouk said:
rassi said:
IIRC the change was October/November 2007 but some 258 bhp versions may have been registered later so do check the VIN.
thanks,,,so your saying the later cars have more issues?Due to your mileage don't go with a Diesel.
Inverness said:
Look for posts in this section by a user called Noel something, IIRC he has a 330i and has posted about problems he has had.
I must have missed those posts. 
Definitely go petrol, I do 40k miles a year and went diesel from petrol and I am gutted at how little difference there is in fuel costs.
At 5000 miles I would guess overall running costs would be higher on a diesel.
gizlaroc said:
Definitely go petrol, I do 40k miles a year and went diesel from petrol and I am gutted at how little difference there is in fuel costs.
At that sort of mileage you'd think diesel ought to have an advantage as presumably a fair proportion of the journeys will be longish distance and probably on motorways/dual carriageways as well? Did you go from a smallish-engined petrol to a large diesel or is your disappointment with the relative fuel cost more due to the diesel just not delivering the expected mpg?!!I sold my poverty spec e90 330d and bought a e90 330i as I only do 6-7k per year. Don't regret it at all. The engine is a peach (car feels more upmarket with the smooth engine) and the much lighter front end improves the handling and makes it feel more responsive. Also not worrying about dpf filters but have had to replace my lambda sensors..
JNW1 said:
At that sort of mileage you'd think diesel ought to have an advantage as presumably a fair proportion of the journeys will be longish distance and probably on motorways/dual carriageways as well? Did you go from a smallish-engined petrol to a large diesel or is your disappointment with the relative fuel cost more due to the diesel just not delivering the expected mpg?!!
I have had a 335i and that would do around 35 on a run, 3.2fsi Quattro A6 and that returned around 34 on a run and an E320 petrol which would do 35 as well. I now have an E320cdi and that does around 38 on a run and have a 18d sDrive BMW X1 and that does about 44 on a run.
To be fair the gearing on the 18d is not great, 3.4 final drive compared with 2.6 on the 20d, so 80mph on the 20d is around 1900rpm, where as it is more like 2400 on the 18d and thus drinking far more.
During the winter on short runs the gap is even smaller.
I just don't think there is the difference that many think there is, petrols seem to be getting better far more than diesels are, in real world driving anyway.
gizlaroc said:
I have had a 335i and that would do around 35 on a run, 3.2fsi Quattro A6 and that returned around 34 on a run and an E320 petrol which would do 35 as well.
I now have an E320cdi and that does around 38 on a run and have a 18d sDrive BMW X1 and that does about 44 on a run.
To be fair the gearing on the 18d is not great, 3.4 final drive compared with 2.6 on the 20d, so 80mph on the 20d is around 1900rpm, where as it is more like 2400 on the 18d and thus drinking far more.
During the winter on short runs the gap is even smaller.
I just don't think there is the difference that many think there is, petrols seem to be getting better far more than diesels are, in real world driving anyway.
Interesting comments and entirely consistent with my own experience! As I've said on other threads, I always seem to struggle to get close to the claimed mpg in a diesel unless driving very gently whereas petrols invariably beat the claimed figure (usually comfortably so on a run even without making an effort to drive economically). In absolute terms I accept that diesels are generally more economical but the gap between them and petrol is nowhere near what the published figures would have you believe IMO. I now have an E320cdi and that does around 38 on a run and have a 18d sDrive BMW X1 and that does about 44 on a run.
To be fair the gearing on the 18d is not great, 3.4 final drive compared with 2.6 on the 20d, so 80mph on the 20d is around 1900rpm, where as it is more like 2400 on the 18d and thus drinking far more.
During the winter on short runs the gap is even smaller.
I just don't think there is the difference that many think there is, petrols seem to be getting better far more than diesels are, in real world driving anyway.
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