[nips]

I'm in the market for the new coupé and cant decide which to get?

Any pro's and con's

[nicko44]

Originally Posted by nips

I'm in the market for the new coupé and cant decide which to get?

Any pro's and con's

Search this forum and you will find more than enough advice. The fact is they are both very very good cars, but totally different in character. Just like chalk and cheese. But which is chalk and which is cheese, is always going to be a personal opinion.

Only you can decide which you prefer, so go out there and test drive both of them.

[kdiz]

all the usual pros and cons really

both depreciate badly if you buy brand new after about 10k miles
the 330d and 330i on the new model 0-62 is actually the same acording to bmw's site
330d imo sounds like a truck from the outside
330d gets more mpg on average
330d has a turbo so there is re-mapping possibilitys compared to the 330i non turbo.

IMO I prefer the petrol 330 pretty much due to sound, don't think i can ever buy the diesel just because of that reason. If that really doesnt bother you then the diesel probably has more pros than the petrol.

[E92BSM10]

330D for economy and good fuel consumption
330I for fun and speed

[BanziBarn]

You can have a lot of fun in a D too! It feels faster than the petrol car although its not.

The D also sounds great (245 version).

IMO, the petrol plus' are the noise, smoothness, rev range and the fact that it may be more reliable than the D due to its turbo and DPF.

The D has everything else going for it which is maybe why they have discontinued the petrol version in the e90.

[kend]

If you do a mileage of less than 10 to 12K then it has to be petrol on running costs alone.
If you do a lot of stop / start , town driving then again go for petrol as the DPF like a good motorway run under load to regenerate properly.

[BanziBarn]

That said, as long as you enjoy the power, the D is fine doing short journeys - mine's been fine - but you do indeed need to be aware of it.

Oh, and £140 per year road tax for a 155mph car isn't bad either!

[briers]

The 330i is an absolute peach of an engine and a very nice drive.

It would defiantly be my choice, but i would recommend the manual box.

I would only get the 330d if i did a lot of miles, especially on the m-way.

[BanziBarn]

IMO the D is good for town driving becuase it enables you to access the performance without the need to rev the nuts off it. For example, nipping round parked buses.

Yes the torque is good for motorway cruising, but it's also good for low speed stuff.

[nips]

I do about 5-6k a year .... so not too much motorway driving....

In terms economy which one would be better, taking into consideration the marginal differences in road tax too?

Am i right to assume that diesel only really starts to pay-back the price premium when you are doing over 10k a year?

[Captain Chaos]

Originally Posted by E92K.C10

330D for economy and good fuel consumption
330I for fun and speed

Are you saying the petrol is quicker than the diesel then..? Cos I've had both and I'd say there's nothing between either of them overall. Curious as to why you think the diesel isn't fun or as fast..?

Originally Posted by kend

If you do a mileage of less than 10 to 12K then it has to be petrol on running costs alone.

Eh? I do exactly that sort of mileage and I've easily saved against a petrol on fuel economy. What other costs are you factoring in to draw that conclusion?

Originally Posted by kdiz

330d gets more mpg on average
330d has a turbo so there is re-mapping possibilitys compared to the 330i non turbo.

IMO I prefer the petrol 330 pretty much due to sound, don't think i can ever buy the diesel just because of that reason. If that really doesnt bother you then the diesel probably has more pros than the petrol.

That's pretty much bang on what I'd say to someone looking to buy, too. They both have plus points, there's not really a wrong choice.

[markymark34]

Originally Posted by E92K.C10

330D for economy and good fuel consumption
330I for fun and speed

Not quite right, a remapped 330d is significantly faster than a 330i in pretty much every test you can throw at it.
I do about 8k a year and yes i probably dont need a diesel but with the exception of the diesel noise i love my 330d and am getting aprox 10mpg more than 330i

drive both. tests are good!!

[R80TER]

like a lot above, i drove both before buying. But coming from an e46 330D i was already really sold on the E90 330D. I do lots of miles though, so in real terms it was a no brainer.

[kdiz]

Originally Posted by markymark34

Not quite right, a remapped 330d is significantly faster than a 330i in pretty much every test you can throw at it.
I do about 8k a year and yes i probably dont need a diesel but with the exception of the diesel noise i love my 330d and am getting aprox 10mpg more than 330i

drive both. tests are good!!

yea usually the petrols are quicker but not for the 330i and 330d from standard they have identicle 0-60 times then the 330d has re-map options to make it faster due to having a tubro

the 320i is slower than 320d
the 325i is quicker than 325d
the 330i is the same as 330d
the 335i is quicker than 335d

The above is related to 2010 e92 SE models and is direct from bmw's site.

[nips]

... its looking like petrol for me then .... i have 635D at the moment and sound of the engine does sometimes... make me want a petrol....

is there any argument for taking the 330i over the 325i ? ..... other then the obvious saving on insurance as they are both 3.0 engines is there really much difference....?

[Butch]

325 vs 330
I think tax is the same, 1 mpg difference in fuel consumption and the same for insurance. That's why I chose the 330i over the 325

[MEGA]

Diesel is MASSIVELY faster if you get it remapped. And the economy is almost double as good. Even mapped. Around town.

So I know which one I'd get

But if you don't think you can deal with a diesel then no point even posting this topic Get the petrol. Not all people can take the chug chug chug and combine harvester jokes

[BanziBarn]

Out of interest, how much better does the lci 330d sound compared to the pre-lci one?

[buckethead]

how old of car as well less worries on a petrol over 3 years old

[MEGA]

Issues with older Diesels:

1) Non-DPF ones are loud and rattly (pre-57)
2) Non-ED ones are tbh not very fuel efficient. efficient dynamics (again, 57 onwards) ones were massively massively better. But therefore more expensive
3) As a flip-side. I personally find ed really annoying. Start-stop is a wind up! Passengers think you are stalling and you have to explain it to them.
4) Clutch. It goes, diesel just by design has much more often gear changes than a petrol and also higher torque through the clutch/gearbox
5) If the turbo goes. And that's a big IF. It was a reported problem on the e46 but I've never really heard of it on the E9x.. Say good bye to 5k.


If you're getting say an LCI one, then forget everything I just said really, except the ed point if you think it will really irk you..

[BanziBarn]

There isn't any stop start on the 330d, sound like a good thing too!

[marcm]

I've got an 08 325d Manual E90 with ED and it doesnt stop/start.

Oh and get 46mpg at good speeds on the motorway.