320d or 330d

[davidd]

The time has dcome to grow up and get a sensible car. Thinking about a 3 series coupe with a 'D' motor. wondered what opinion is. Should I pay the extra and get the 330 over the 320, will I really notice the difference?

TIA

D

[burwoodman]

I have a 530D as a courtesy car. Quite impressive torque. From memory the difference in power between the 2.0 and 3.0 is 136hp vs 218hp. You most certainly would notice the difference. Im biased but would always opt for the bigger engine

[endeavour_uk]

You would notice a difference in three areas:

The 330d is usefully quicker and less noticeably a turbo. It's not so much the amount of performance as the effortlessness of it.

The 330d sounds much, much better. The 330d has a different tone to a BMW petrol six but is still far from unpleasant.

You will notice it at the pumps. The 320d is at least 20% more economical. I used to get about 35mpg out of my 330d auto Touring. On the bright side it doesn't really drop that much even when you have been "enthusiastic"!

[Alex]

I believe you can "chip" the 320d upto the same power and torque as the 330d. Then again, presumably you could also chip the 330d...

[davidd]

The 320 is 150bhp, the 330 is 204.

the 320 I'll looking at has a very good spec and I'm having a lot of trouble finding a 330 anywhere near as good let alone near the price.

However I could wait.

But then again when I get an idea..

Thanks

D

[chris_freebie]

My 320td is superb....

type bmw tuning box on google and you have lots of options to go quickly and easily from 150bhp to 190ish.........

[xxplod]

The Missus has got a 320d......

[chris_freebie]

Oh get the 330d then.... and make sure its the newer one.......

Tuning box = 500nm torque, enough said.

Besides Lotus didn't do a diesel version thus was not on my tax free company car list.

Bloody policy makers at work

>> Edited by chris_freebie on Sunday 12th September 23:07

[cazzo]

'Ain't no replacement for displacement' if you can then get the 330, it's a bloody good car, even for a diesel-hater, but if you can get the petrol one........

[tardis56]

Just had the Van Aaken Smartbox fitted to my 330d Touring and it fairly leaps off the line! Well impressed but not necessarily by the fuel consumption - you have to compromise somewhere though if you want to have a 'sports car' though!

[mondeoman]

330d, manual, chipped.

Thats the only answer you need - regulary saw 42 - 44 mpg and excellent performance. Sometimes even think about changing back to one of them

[pentoman]

3.0 manual 3.0 manual 3.0 manual! I've read the auto really ruins the 3.0ds fuel economy.

I think I remember Autocar magazine said the 320d was 'the best real world car you can buy'. Don't believe them unless you wish to be extremely disappointed as I was.

I drove a fully specced 150hp facelift touring version of a 320d for a couple of hours and did not really like it at all. Just felt like a boring rental car to me, which, as now the most popular 3-series model, it probably is.


Recently I have concluded that as said above, "there is no replacement for displacement". The old largeish turbo diesels are much more enjoyable than the newest small but high power diesels. They may make plenty of torque and nice hp figures, but at the end of the day drive no better (and always more noisily) than a similar capacity petrol.

A 2.0 four cylinder 3-series?

I wrote a review on one of the best diesels around, the Golf GTi 150 if you care to bore yourself with it: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=86&h=&t=120757

Russ

[davidd]

Thanks for that..I bought a 320d on saturday (sorry russ). We took it for a good thrash about for a bit, lots of different roads and it certinaly has enough entertainment to keep me interested through the winter.

I've spent a lot of time in a 2001 330 estate and to be honest the 320 does not feel very much slower, in real word conditions it will be an interesting change.

If I find I'm getting a little bored with it then I'll get it chipped, are the wire in yourself versions undetectable if removed? (if that makes sense, I mean can the bmw diagnostics see if they have been in there??).

I'll then move to a 330d if I like the whole BMW thing.

The other reason for the 320d was the fact that a 330d coupe was a lot more and there are few second hand ones about at the moment.

Thanks for comments so far.

D

[chris_freebie]

Yeah nobody wants to sell their 330d Coupe !!

The 3.0d with tuning box - oh my goodness that would be good......... never mind !! 320 RULES

Pentoman? I used to have a 130 BHP golf GT TDi

I had a tuning box on it

Fast

but handling SUCKED... Ford Focus was ALOT better to drive....... suspension rolled.... golf was terrible

>> Edited by chris_freebie on Monday 13th September 19:09