New 325 - Petrol or Diesel

[jbooha]

Hi

Some views on which one to buy would be welcome.

Not bothered about fuel economy.

Which is the better car or is it not that simple!

Thanks

[bennno]

Neither, buy a used 330i or 335i.

[jbooha]

I wish I could.

Its a company car choice so its an either or!!

[blank]

If you're not bothered about fuel economy, then it's got to be the petrol.


Why would you even think of the diesel if you weren't bothered about fuel economy?

[bennno]

blank said:

If you're not bothered about fuel economy, then it's got to be the petrol.


Why would you even think of the diesel if you weren't bothered about fuel economy?

more torque with the diesel, less zing than the petrol

drive both and see which you prefer

bennno

[jbooha]

I do a fair amount of motorway driving so the extra torque is appealing.

However with the petrol its quicker from a standing start.

Your are right, need to drive both.

Ta

[adycav]

It's a bit of a shame that you only have the 'strangled' versions of the 3.0 petrol and diesel engines to choose from.

Is the 130i on your co.car list?

[DRbeamer]

if theres a lot of motorway driving then the deisel wins all day long... i have a 325i coupe at the moment and i drove the 320d the other day and i couldnt beleive the pull on it.. the new 325d is 197 bhp which is 20 bhp that the 320d. FANTASTIC ENGINE and has an extra two cylinders. the tech stuff has come so far along now with deisel. petrols need to be reved to get the power out of them but the deisel just has it from right low dow... i think its the thrust forward you get with the deisel that ii like.....

cant wait for the new 330d..... thats only 0.1 seconds slower than the 335d....


long live the deisel engines

[cannedheat]

Isn't the current '2.5' de-tuned 3.0 petrol engine supposed to be, well, st?? The worst engine BMW make apparently...

[moff135]

For the same money you can get a 135i Coupe which has a truely amazing engine!

It was a no brainer when I made my choice!

[BigHeartedTone]

Diesel. Petrol 325 lacks torque I am afraid. Have driven both. If it was the bigger engined then the petrol.

[Welshbeef]

Christ the 325d is an oddball - it WILL be dropped when the x23d get put in as that has identical power & torque but 10 to 15mpg better & its lighter to boot.

Why doesnt he opt for the 123d 5 door? Stunningly good car.

Or why not go for the Alpina D3 thats the 2.0ltr turbo chipped up to 325d power levels but 320d mpg levels.

[gizlaroc]

325i all day long, the car is now 218bhp and lighter than the 330i that it has just replaced (which has been regarded as the best BMW engine ever made), meaning quicker and more economical too.

Absolute no brainer imho, 325i is a stormer now.

No one knocked it when it was called the 330i, just because the 330i is now 270bhp why has the 320bhp version suddenly become obsolete??

If you are not worried about depreciation (because of the UKs obsession with dervs) as it is a company car then I can't see why you would choose the diesel over a lovely 3.0L straight six BMW petrol engine. It is lighter too so out handles the derv by some margin.

[Apache]

jbooha said:

Hi

Some views on which one to buy would be welcome.

Not bothered about fuel economy.

Which is the better car or is it not that simple!

Thanks

both are good for different reasons....economies aside, if it's to be a motorway hack then the relaxed power of the oil burner is good but if you are doing more b road basing then go for the petrol

[Welshbeef]

gizlaroc said:

325i all day long, the car is now 218bhp and lighter than the 330i that it has just replaced (which has been regarded as the best BMW engine ever made), meaning quicker and more economical too.

Absolute no brainer imho, 325i is a stormer now.

No one knocked it when it was called the 330i, just because the 330i is now 270bhp why has the 320bhp version suddenly become obsolete??

If you are not worried about depreciation (because of the UKs obsession with dervs) as it is a company car then I can't see why you would choose the diesel over a lovely 3.0L straight six BMW petrol engine. It is lighter too so out handles the derv by some margin.

Um Emmissions CO2 is lower in the 325d so less comp car tax.
the old 330i was 231bhp.

[Andrew D]

gizlaroc said:

No one knocked it when it was called the 330i, just because the 330i is now 270bhp why has the 320bhp version suddenly become obsolete??

I assume you meant "230bhp" for the old version, in which case;

The 231PS motor was the M54, and was last seen in a 3-Series in the E46. The E90 325i and 330i both have the 3.0-litre N52 motor, of which the 325i has a slightly corked derivative. Apparently it feels a little asthmatic at the very top end, but that's asthmatic in petrol terms and not akin to a diesel. For illustrative purposes: - M54B30 has 231PS at 5,900; N52 in 325i trim has 218PS at 6,100 from the same displacement (well, I think it's actually got 17cc more). So more revs for less power, but only marginally.

But to answer the original question; I'd have the 325i. If economy isn't an issue (indeed considering the way diesel and petrol prices are diverging, it probably won't be for anyone soon), I expect you'll only pay a little more in benefit-in-kind tax and you'll probably be able to get a few more toys for the cost saving over the diesel. Or else keep the spec and pocket the tax difference. As for motorway cruising; yes diesels have lots of torque in the midrange, but a 3.0-litre still has enough.

[B17NNS]

We went for a 325i. Sounds superb and drives beautifully. Would have loved a 330 or 335 but it is the Mrs car and the extra performance would not have been used 90% of the time. Superb economy for a 3.0 six too.

[Killwilly]

Great looking car B17NNS, love the colour too.

[Neil.D]

Keeping up with the Jones' eh?

Whats the 7 series accross the road? Alpina?

[Not Ideal]

tinted rear window suits it as well - cool car