330ci pre-facelift vs facelift manual gearing

[Zebrs]

Can anyone shed any light on the gearing of the facelift 330ci vs the pre facelift please.

I know the manual facelift got the 6-speed box as standard while the earlier cars had the 5-speed. I have been told that the 6 is the same box as the 5 but with an additional overdrive ratio. On the other hand the two cars appear to have the same offical consumption figures so this doesn't stack up as surely the 6 would be more economical on the ex urban cycle if this was the case? So is it that the 6 speed has pretty much the same first and final gearing as the 5, just the ratios in between are slightly different?

TIA

[Fox-]

The extra urban cycle isn't 'sitting on the Motorway at 70mph' as many people seem to think it is, so thats probably why the 6 speed box didn't benefit the car much in the test.

[Zebrs]

Fox- said:

The extra urban cycle isn't 'sitting on the Motorway at 70mph' as many people seem to think it is, so thats probably why the 6 speed box didn't benefit the car much in the test.

Thanks Fox - I was one of those people that assumed but have now read up on it.

Can anyone with the 5 tell me if it feels in need of an extra gear when pushing on on the motorway? I'm looking to buy shortly and I'm not sure if the facelift is worth the premium over the older car, but at the same time I'd like it as refined as possible at motorway speeds.

[rich85uk]

i have a facelift and if what your saying is true then yes its worth it for the extra gear. any journey i do where i get to 60mph or above i use 6th. pluf 90mph in 6th the car is at 3k rpm thanks to the extra gear

[LC23]

I've had both a pre and post facelift 330Ci sport. If you can afford it, go for the facelift. The gearbox feels better and the overall quality of my facelift car just felt better. IMO the facelift also looks nicer.

[Dino D]

I had a 52 plate face lift but it had a 5 speed box. It was a proper facelift, not an aftermarket job either so not all were 6 speed. 5 gears were fine, couldn't see the need for 6 (except when it it hit red line in 5th at around 150mph - they say it's 'limited' to 155 - more like runs out of revs rather needing a speed limiter..)

[Fox-]

Dino D said:

I had a 52 plate face lift but it had a 5 speed box. It was a proper facelift, not an aftermarket job either so not all were 6 speed.

We are talking about the Coupe, not the Saloon. All facelift Coupes are 6 speed and the facelift was 2003.

The Saloon facelift was late 2001 and didnt include a 6 speed box. That arrived the same time as the Coupe was facelifted.

[Slurms]

I had a 5 speed 330ci and it was fine, no gearbox problems at all (no problems at all in fact) but as others have said if you can afford it get the facelift especially if you do more motorway work. There isn't anything wrong with the 5-speed but the extra ratio will help with the gas mileage if you're concerned about it.

If your not bothered then get the best car you can for the money.