Going topless! 325 or 330?
Discussion
Hi would absolutely love some help from the ph massive on what is becoming a really difficult subject of thought for me!!
I currently drive a golf r32 which my better half refuses to drive because a)its too fast b) its too loud and c) everyone wants to race her from the lights. naturally i absolutely love it to death for all of these reasons!
She has me looking at 2 to 3 year old cabs. we test drove a 330M on the weekend which was great but the fuel consumption scared me to death (22combined). Even the golf averages 27!
Its begged the question why am I looking at cabs? Its clearly not for performance so what's wrong with a 325M for instance? Or is this car just too lumpy for the engine to pull about efficiently? Is it much better on the consumption or is there little in it? On the face of it the car itself would seem to be a good 2 to 3 grand better value.
I would love to hear from any owners out there on what these cars are like to own and do 15k miles per year in!
thanks in advance ! Kristian
I currently drive a golf r32 which my better half refuses to drive because a)its too fast b) its too loud and c) everyone wants to race her from the lights. naturally i absolutely love it to death for all of these reasons!
She has me looking at 2 to 3 year old cabs. we test drove a 330M on the weekend which was great but the fuel consumption scared me to death (22combined). Even the golf averages 27!
Its begged the question why am I looking at cabs? Its clearly not for performance so what's wrong with a 325M for instance? Or is this car just too lumpy for the engine to pull about efficiently? Is it much better on the consumption or is there little in it? On the face of it the car itself would seem to be a good 2 to 3 grand better value.
I would love to hear from any owners out there on what these cars are like to own and do 15k miles per year in!
thanks in advance ! Kristian
Manual, 6 speed, petrol. I regularly do a two hour journey on A roads, followed by an hour on dual carraigeway. First part is just under 30 mpg, but the last hour takes it to 33 overall usually. That's with the hood down too. I tend to use the revs and accelerate a lot, but not breaking the speed limit. Having said that, in Germany I was travelling well over a hundred 4-up and it still returned about 27. I think due to the cab being a bit heavier, the 3 litre is worth going for for the extra torque. Only the facelifted 3 litre cars have the 6 speed box, by the way.
I've got a mate who is selling his at the moment. If you're interested, and not to violate PH T&C, mail me and I'll give you the full spec and contact details. It's an 03/03 330i Sport convertible with M-Sport pack etc. 50k miles with FBMWSH. He only told me today that he selling (hoping to get a Jag XK) but I'm sure a PH ad will be up in a day or two.
Cheers.
Cheers.
thanks for the info fester... im looking at going auto which i suspect eats a bit more petrol and thus accounting for the differences. i suspect you might be right with the extra pulling power of the 330 but i would like to hear from a 325 owner. 325s seem to be fewer and far between.
thanks freddiesdad but im looking at a younger car thanks, 05 & 20k miles!
thanks freddiesdad but im looking at a younger car thanks, 05 & 20k miles!
Your fuel consumption figures for the beemer are way off the mark. I had a 330i saloon. I drove it hard most of the time. It had torque but preferred to drop a cog just for the kicks.
My worst ever consumption was 20mpg. The car easily achieved 30 mpg. My average was was 27mpg but bear in mind I drove the car hard. On a motorway run at 70 she easily achieved 30.
I looked at Gold 2.8 4 motions before buying the Bmw and was dissapointed at the fuel consumption for the performance it delivered compared with the 330. I can't remeber exactly the figures but a chap who was selling a bora 2.8 said he was getting between 22-25mpg.
I would think the R32 achive the same figures. What mpg is your R32 giving you?
Go for the 330i everytime. The difference in consumption is very small for the extra 40bhp and the extra toque. On the used market I found that 330's were going for the same or sometime less money than the 325's because of percieved fuel savings?
I didn't feel much difference between the 6 and 5 speed models. I found the 5 speed gearing to be spot on for motorways.
My worst ever consumption was 20mpg. The car easily achieved 30 mpg. My average was was 27mpg but bear in mind I drove the car hard. On a motorway run at 70 she easily achieved 30.
I looked at Gold 2.8 4 motions before buying the Bmw and was dissapointed at the fuel consumption for the performance it delivered compared with the 330. I can't remeber exactly the figures but a chap who was selling a bora 2.8 said he was getting between 22-25mpg.
I would think the R32 achive the same figures. What mpg is your R32 giving you?
Go for the 330i everytime. The difference in consumption is very small for the extra 40bhp and the extra toque. On the used market I found that 330's were going for the same or sometime less money than the 325's because of percieved fuel savings?
I didn't feel much difference between the 6 and 5 speed models. I found the 5 speed gearing to be spot on for motorways.
Dino D said:
Your fuel consumption figures for the beemer are way off the mark. I had a 330i saloon. I drove it hard most of the time. It had torque but preferred to drop a cog just for the kicks.
My worst ever consumption was 20mpg. The car easily achieved 30 mpg. My average was was 27mpg but bear in mind I drove the car hard. On a motorway run at 70 she easily achieved 30.
dino..thanks. i get 27ish from the Golf, a mixture of round town on the weekends and a 30 mile commute into work on the motorway. im surprised at your claim. i told the bmw salesman i was dismissing the car on 22mpg grounds and he didnt challenge it! i drove an auto if it makes a difference? and we did about 20 miles on the test drive and set the trip to get the 22mpg. the consenus seems to suggest its no different to the Golf consumption which I can live with - its going even less than which will hurt. cheers for the feedbackMy worst ever consumption was 20mpg. The car easily achieved 30 mpg. My average was was 27mpg but bear in mind I drove the car hard. On a motorway run at 70 she easily achieved 30.
Thats good consumption on your R32 but I am sure the beemer will give you that, although my experience has only been in manual form. I was a salesrep and did 30-40k miles a year so consumption figures were top priority. It didn't matter at all once I converted the car to LPG though but thats another story.
I'm suprised the saleman didn't say anything-aren't they supposed to always say that every car sips petrol if you drive it nicely!!
A 20 mile trip isn't really indicative plus I don't rate the trip computer as being completely accurate. I have read that sometimes the reading can be incorrect if the computer is set to US gallons and UK gallons...
A chap called 'Blackspider' on here is very knowlegeable and should be along soon with his wealth of knowledge..
I'm suprised the saleman didn't say anything-aren't they supposed to always say that every car sips petrol if you drive it nicely!!
A 20 mile trip isn't really indicative plus I don't rate the trip computer as being completely accurate. I have read that sometimes the reading can be incorrect if the computer is set to US gallons and UK gallons...
A chap called 'Blackspider' on here is very knowlegeable and should be along soon with his wealth of knowledge..
baz1985 said:
I have a E46 330 vert g8ybox, average over 17k is 17mpg.
But you cane it everywhere !To the original poster, I have a 4motion and a 330 (manual).
The 330 is faster and more econimical under all circumstances.
Auto does impact the mpg, but if its so important then you need a diesel.
Thanks for your replies.
Just a thought, I remember an old golf which had a huge problem with letting in the frost in the winter - getting rid of this interior condensation or whatever you want to call it was a constant battle. With the bmw cabriolet do you find these kind of issues in the winter? It semed to be a pretty tight fit but can't be as good as the coupe surely?
cheers
Just a thought, I remember an old golf which had a huge problem with letting in the frost in the winter - getting rid of this interior condensation or whatever you want to call it was a constant battle. With the bmw cabriolet do you find these kind of issues in the winter? It semed to be a pretty tight fit but can't be as good as the coupe surely?
cheers
Just thought I would let you helpful people know that I plummeted for the auto 330 cab and am delighted with it !
It feels like a step up from the R, in terms of class and comfort (apologies to the R owners out there!!!!). Its fast, but no where near R32 fast but thats not the reason I bought it
thanks to all that helped.
AND
averaging 30mpg and get nearly 100 miles per tank more than I did in the golf so very pleased!!
Kristian
It feels like a step up from the R, in terms of class and comfort (apologies to the R owners out there!!!!). Its fast, but no where near R32 fast but thats not the reason I bought it
thanks to all that helped.
AND
averaging 30mpg and get nearly 100 miles per tank more than I did in the golf so very pleased!!
Kristian
These varying MPG figures are very interesting
My 5,000 mile 2006 330i Sport auto touring is struggling to get the right side of 20 in and around town and even feathering it on the 12 mile rural commuting convoy to work the computer is just reaching 25(in reality 23-24)I feel the problem is that in S mode the car stuggles to get into 5th let alone 6th. To combat this I tend to use manual override to get into 6th asap
As a newbie to autos, any driving style tips as the 21mpg average is really spoiling my enjoyment of the car (my previous manual 323 and 325 averaged 29)
My 5,000 mile 2006 330i Sport auto touring is struggling to get the right side of 20 in and around town and even feathering it on the 12 mile rural commuting convoy to work the computer is just reaching 25(in reality 23-24)I feel the problem is that in S mode the car stuggles to get into 5th let alone 6th. To combat this I tend to use manual override to get into 6th asap
As a newbie to autos, any driving style tips as the 21mpg average is really spoiling my enjoyment of the car (my previous manual 323 and 325 averaged 29)
How can anyone get 30 MPG out of a 330Ci? You must be driving it wrong!!
They are great, great fun when you drive them hard and the sound of the straight six is wonderful (in tip mode - yep mines an auto)
Next car will be an M3 but as far as i'm concern i've currently got the next best thing, I love my BMW (and i was a former BMW hater as well!)
They are great, great fun when you drive them hard and the sound of the straight six is wonderful (in tip mode - yep mines an auto)
Next car will be an M3 but as far as i'm concern i've currently got the next best thing, I love my BMW
(and i was a former BMW hater as well!)Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff