which co car.. 325d SE, 320i M, 320dM, 320d ED?

[Some Gump]

Hi Forum,

Company car time, and my options are as follows - no options allowed other than metallic (don't ask). I'd really like cruise, as i've done a year without and it;s a lisence risker.

Best cars on the list:

325d SE
320d M Sport
320i M Sport
320d EfficientDynamics

I'd been doing the sums, and I was almos swaying towards the ED -just 118 per month tax. Then i realised it seems to lack cruise. 325d is 204 per month tax, but is rather rapid (and tempting, as a result!)

Typically, the local garage won't give me the time of day as a Leaseplan person, so I can't drive any.
Does anyone have experience of the cars, and suitable advice?

(to put in context, this will be my 3rd 3 series, other 2 being 318d Se then 320d SE, then 2 years off trying other things. RWD is bringing me back to BMW)..

[Welshbeef]

A question.
How many miles a year? Is fuel paid for?
Difference you have highlighted illustrates roughly £1k a year on bik saving between most and least powerful or the Ed v 325d

all m sports have cruise not sure if SE do as STD.

The 325 should average 50mpg the 320d non ed should average 60mpg and the ed average nearly 70mpg.
There have been ed owners or hire car users who have confirmed it can go well into the 70mpg

so 70mpg v 50mpg plus £1k tax saving is a lot. Plus 50mpg is roughly 700miles to a tank whereas 70is 1100miles. To me fewer stops to refill is important but also power. But frankly best to lowest is only 40hp at best so your not losing much.

I'll conceed cruise is a great option

[Ranger 6]

325d - it's the only six on the list

[Magnus Barelegs]

I've just taken delivery of a fully-loaded 320ED.
I went for just about every option available.
After doing my sums, it was the best option for tax.
Even with the options meaning the car has a P11D value of £34K, it's still the cheapest option.
It's going to stay at 13% until 2012/2013, when it will go up to 15%.
The other cars will cost you more now, and more every year.
I'm chuffed with it, especially considering it's saving me money!

Of course, if tax isn't an issue I would be driving an Alpina D3 bi-turbo.
Have you considered one of those?

By the way, are you sure a 325D is only £204 a month in tax?
I work out a 325D SE as £212 a month for 2010/2011.
Then £222 a month for 2011/12 and £231 for 2012/2013.

A 325D M-sport would be even more.

My 320ED, by comparison, is costing me £145 a month, with all the extras a 325D SE or M-sport won't have.
I have professional satnav/upgraded stereo/cruise/leather/heated seats etc.etc.etc.

Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Thursday 18th November 13:18

Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Thursday 18th November 13:18

Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Thursday 18th November 13:20

[Some Gump]

Thanks guys.
I'm somewhat tied in that "no options allowed" means I either have ED (no extras), or M (no extras) or SE. The tax I calculated from BMW website - it'll be 120 quid a month (1400 quid a year) rising to c. 1600 a year in year 3 more for the 325d. It's a lot quicker though =)

I'll get myself down the garage and have a poke around the interior spec, I think cabin might have a largeish influence if the ED is as basic as I suspect it might be..

[finestjammy]

I've had a 320d ED for a month now. On my company scheme it was unbeatable compared to anything else in the 13% bracket. Also as mentioned by others it will remain at 13% BIK for a while beacuse it's under 110g co2/km. I loaded it up with a few options, leather, cruise, split/fold, lumbar, auto lights/wipers, sports steering wheel and storage pack. I got 68.9 on my very first, 180 mile, journey after collecting it. Consistently get about 60mpg, and that's mixed driving not just motorway. It only revs at 1,750 at a genuine 70mph, so that combined with exellent aerodynamics I can understand why 70mpg + is possible.

For me a car without cruise would be a deal breaker though. So I can see your dilema. Is it possible to retrofit cruise? I know it's pretty easy on VAG cars, not sure about BMW though.

[Magnus Barelegs]

Some Gump, the 320ED is far too basic as standard.
The seats, for one thing, are really bad (which is why I spec'd sports seats).
Real shame you're not allowed options as they didn't even affect our lease cost much.
We're paying £458 a month, which is in the same ballpark as the other cars you mentioned.
Have you considered a 318D M-sport, maybe one of the special edition models they're offering?
Cheaper than the 320D to buy, and for company car tax.
But £400 will get you a remap which takes it up to 320D performance.

[Some Gump]

Thanks Magnus - I'd just do the 320d M if that were the case though. I looked at chipping my old 318, but the blokes i spoke to said it would be detectable (and I'm sure Leaseplan would tear me a new one if i modded the car). I also understand that the fuel pump code system stops getting proper power out of a 18 anyway? Might have changed, my old 18d was (I think) an 05 or 06.

No cruise is such a bugger, guess I'm stuck with either 320M or 245 SE. Why would BMW make a blatant rep car special (ED), with no cruise and naff front seats?

[Magnus Barelegs]

Some Gump said:

No cruise is such a bugger, guess I'm stuck with either 320M or 245 SE. Why would BMW make a blatant rep car special (ED), with no cruise and naff front seats?

Good question.
Probably building it down to a cost.
You can retrofit cruise to an E90, BTW.
Dealers charge around £600 for it.

I think the 320D M-sport is your best bet, BTW.
It's what I would have, were it not for the tax bill.
I get free personal fuel, so the Co2 is doubly important.

And the 320ED makes me drive slower, which is a good thing.
I had an Alpina D3 before, it made me drive too fast.

Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Thursday 18th November 15:53

[richterswil]

We recently changed my OHs car because we needed something bigger. She had an E90 320d M Sport - it was fantastic.

Excellent fuel economy, good enough performance and looked OK (E90s will never be top of my list in the looks department).

Ride was OK (we had the 18" wheels with RFTs) but not great.

For me the M Sport pack lifts the look of the car and the 20d engine is a good compromise of economy/emissions/performance.

[finestjammy]

Magnus Barelegs said:

Some Gump said:

No cruise is such a bugger, guess I'm stuck with either 320M or 245 SE. Why would BMW make a blatant rep car special (ED), with no cruise and naff front seats?

Good question.
Probably building it down to a cost.
You can retrofit cruise to an E90, BTW.
Dealers charge around £600 for it.

I think the 320D M-sport is your best bet, BTW.
It's what I would have, were it not for the tax bill.
I get free personal fuel, so the Co2 is doubly important.

And the 320ED makes me drive slower, which is a good thing.
I had an Alpina D3 before, it made me drive too fast.

Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Thursday 18th November 15:53

You'd think that lumbar adjustment and cruise would be standard these days. Not sure what size/type of car you're after Some Gump but the 2.0 140bhp Golf is now in the 13% bracket. The Match spec is pretty decent too.

[Magnus Barelegs]

finestjammy said:

You'd think that lumbar adjustment and cruise would be standard these days

There are some strange decisions made.
For example, the sports seats have electric inflation of the side bolsters.
How many people use that?
Lumbar adjustment would surely please more people?

[Welshbeef]

Magnus Barelegs said:

finestjammy said:

You'd think that lumbar adjustment and cruise would be standard these days

There are some strange decisions made.
For example, the sports seats have electric inflation of the side bolsters.
How many people use that?
Lumbar adjustment would surely please more people?

pretty much every trip in the car.

Wish I had lumbar too sadly I don't but the side bolsters are very good.