E36 318is, 320 and 323 much difference between them?

[daveco]

Which is the best overall model of all three given performance, reliability and economy would be the most important factors?

[BarnatosGhost]

I'd discount the 320 and pick from the other two.

318is is a nice engine, sporty-ish car, good on fuel

323i is a great engine, comfy car, not too bad on fuel.

[daveco]

BarnatosGhost said:

I'd discount the 320 and pick from the other two.

318is is a nice engine, sporty-ish car, good on fuel

323i is a great engine, comfy car, not too bad on fuel.

Is the 320 a duffer?

[scottbm]

318 is only 4 cylinder so will strain the engine a bit. 323 will be a great engine with 6 cylinder and would be my choice. i have a 328 and it`s good on fuel if you don`t have a heavy foot.

[NickXX]

I have the 318iS as my track car. I have the M42 engine in mine (think this ran from 1992 to about 1995). Very revvy little engine and strongest engine in the e36 range.

As mentioned above, don't bother with the 320, I would only really be looking at the 328 if you're looking for a 6 pot.


Edit. Fancy that! Hi ScottBM - I'm endeeci from e36coupe.com - didn't realise you had a RR Sport too!

Edited by NickXX on Tuesday 29th September 23:00

[BarnatosGhost]

daveco said:

BarnatosGhost said:

I'd discount the 320 and pick from the other two.

318is is a nice engine, sporty-ish car, good on fuel

323i is a great engine, comfy car, not too bad on fuel.

Is the 320 a duffer?

Not at all a duffer. You're looking at 4 or 6 cylinders. If fuel costs are a consideration, take the 4 cylinder. If you're after 6 cylinders, the fuel penalty for taking the larger engine is very small, and the benefits very high.

The 320i is a bit stuck in the middle. For a 6 cylinder engine, its a bit wimpy, and for a 2.0 engine, its not particularly economical.

[clonmult]

BarnatosGhost said:

I'd discount the 320 and pick from the other two.

318is is a nice engine, sporty-ish car, good on fuel

323i is a great engine, comfy car, not too bad on fuel.

The 318iS could be good on fuel if you drive it like a granny.

If you drive it like it wants to be - ie. bouncing off the rev limiter, then its not exactly stellar. On a 250 mile drive averaging around 80, I think I once managed to get close on 40mpg. On the typical drive to work, a mix of a roads and motorway, it was typically around 30mpg, mainly as every single roundabout exit to an a-road was done with foot firmly planeted, enjoying the revvy nature of the engine.

Are the M42 and M44 engines much different in their behaviour? I never tried an M42 engined version.

[NickXX]

clonmult said:

BarnatosGhost said:

I'd discount the 320 and pick from the other two.

318is is a nice engine, sporty-ish car, good on fuel

323i is a great engine, comfy car, not too bad on fuel.

The 318iS could be good on fuel if you drive it like a granny.

If you drive it like it wants to be - ie. bouncing off the rev limiter, then its not exactly stellar. On a 250 mile drive averaging around 80, I think I once managed to get close on 40mpg. On the typical drive to work, a mix of a roads and motorway, it was typically around 30mpg, mainly as every single roundabout exit to an a-road was done with foot firmly planeted, enjoying the revvy nature of the engine.

Are the M42 and M44 engines much different in their behaviour? I never tried an M42 engined version.

M42 is very revvy. I drive mine like you do from the sounds of things. Apparently the M44 has a little more torque but is a little less revvy. I've never had any experience of the M44 though. Sounds like you get better fuel economy than mine - around 5mpg more.

[markbmw]

Some years ago I bought the then-missus a 318iS coupe to replace her ageing (and terminally rusting) E30 323i. Having been used to the smooth 'ol six, she didn't like the newer 4. We only kept it for a couple of months before chancing on a really clean, nicely spec'd and pampered E36 323i. I agree with the coments about revving the 318; you have to do this to get the best from it. The extra refinement (it was frequently used for trips of 150miles+) gave it more of a quality feel than the comparatively tinny 318iS and therefore suited our needs much better.
During our ownership I fitted a DaveF and did the manifold/big-bore throttle body mod and had it mapped to provide a few more horses too.