[3 Series]

I know that BMW wants to keep the "325i" name, but I think it's a bit ridiculous not to call the new 325i the 330i. I mean.... it is a 330i. Why name it the 325i? Is it because BMW does not want to offend the 330i owners?

It reminds me of the 2000 323i vs. 328i debate. If you all remember and I am sure you do.... the 323i had the 2.5 liter inline 6 and BMW chose to call it the 323i!!! Why....is it because BMW did not want to offend the 328i owners? Back in 2000 the performance was very similar. The 323i was only a 1/2 second behind the 328i in 0-60. And some actually thought the 323i was more nimble.... sound familiar.

And what was the outcome of all this back in the early 2000's.... The 2.8 liter was replaced by the 3.0 liter. And the 323i... well its name got changed to the 325i and the engine stayed the same!

So, here we are again in 2005.... And what is about to come out.... a bigger engine for the 3 series. Will BMW actually have 3 engines to choose from (speaking specifically about the US here)? Doubt it. The 325i will take the 330i name and the current 330 will be named something else, IMO.

Thougts?

[Thomas]

The 325i is in Europe a real 2,5L engine.
There will be a 335i, but that will have a turbo..

The thought behind all this is called marketing..
In Europe the 318i and the 320i both have a 2-Liter engine, the 318d and 320d also a 2-Liter engine, because you can't call them te same.. It would be too confusing, because it allways has been this way in the BMW-history..

[ward]

it's all marketing, why pay extra if they're both 330's

it's just a difference that lets people justify spending the extra money for the higher spec model. I'm sure that BMW has done researach and found that if the lower spec model is "named" a number too close to the higher spec model it will cannibalize sales. Clearly the 330 is a more profitable model for them.

[Broken1]

I don't know why the 325 is a 3 litre in america? The real question, over here...Merc used a 1.8l kompressor motor for their C180, C200 and C230.
The 325 and 330 although they both have a 3l motor, they don't have the exact same motor with the same output, the one is more powerful than the other.

I think it's perfectly understandable.

[3 Series]

My only concern would be the life shelf of the new 330i. I wonder if the 330i will be replaced by the supposed 335i...

[Thavash]

Which 325i is better ? The American (3.0) or European (2.5 ) ?

Does anyone have comparative specs ?

[Thomas]

The 330i would definately not be replaced by the 335i. The 335i is filling the gap between the 330i and the M3..

[E90Fleet]

The old 325i became the 328i
The 323i had a 2.5l engine, but was less powerfull thanthe 325i had been, so they couldnt call it a 325i, so called it a 323i

The new 323i will also have a 2.5L engine

335i doesnt replace the 330i

[jammy]

I'd like to second the question two posts up - what are the performance differences between the US 325i (3l) and the Euro 3251 (2.5l)?

[stressdoc]

As I remember the discussions of this last winter, it boiled down to BMW spec'ing the 3.0l USA engine in the 325i as close as possible to the euro 2.5l. I.e., same hp and torque, more or less. My thought at the time was that they are preparing for when they can switch to the 2.5l without psssing off USA buyers that thought they were getting a 3.0l. There should be a little weight savings, but really very little noticeable difference.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by jammy

I'd like to second the question two posts up - what are the performance differences between the US 325i (3l) and the Euro 3251 (2.5l)?

Power and torque are virtually identical

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by jammy

I'd like to second the question two posts up - what are the performance differences between the US 325i (3l) and the Euro 3251 (2.5l)?

The reason that BMW had to keep a 3.0 liter in the 325 was due to emissions regulations. They could not get the 2.5 liter certified here in the U.S., so they had to boost the displacement up in order to get the engine to pass.

As far as performance differences between the U.S. & Euro versions of the 325, they are most likely negligible. The majority of extra power in the version of the 3.0 liter engine in the 330 comes from the 3 Stage intake, and neither 325 engine have that feature.

[jammy]

are you saying that emission standards are tighter in the US?

[Steply]

Originally Posted by jammy

are you saying that emission standards are tighter in the US?

Not certain, but I'm pretty sure that here in California, we have some of the highest emission standards in the world...

And the crappiest gas... Darn it, I want 93 octane!

[David328M-Sport]

hey thomas, the 2.5l engine like the one i will be taking delivery of soon has the same spec as the US 325i.

however, i do not know about the 3 stage air intake setup for the true 2.5l engine like the 330 engine has. i should check that out.

i remember reading an article or 2 about the numbering of the models. i agree with you guys about marketing etc, but bmw's answer was "heritage."

they could "get away" with not conforming to the exact engine size/model number by citing heritage because they are bmw.

still, after all that is said and done, i can't see any heritage about your 3.0l engine being called a 325.

anyway, most importantly, your cars perform perfectly day in, day out and you all enjoy them as much as you can.

the above is probably one reason for model badge deletion option.

all the best to you all.

[SV Concepts III]

People would have trouble differentiating between the two models otherwise. Most just think of the 325i as the lower and the 330i as the upper. They have no real concept of the reasoning behind the name much less extensive knowledge about engine displacement.