[tadaska]

I had a 320D with the M47 engine, apparently that's the good one. Loved the car but it's been written off and I need a new one. I have been looking for the same but lately started thinking maybe I should get a petrol.

What are the 2.0L petrol ones like? Especially when compared with a diesel. And are there engines I should look for or avoid?

[Silver Streek]

If you are used to the diesel and enjoy driving it don't get the 2.0 petrol, it will feel underpowered and will drink fuel in comparison to the diesel 2.0 you had.

I have been given a manual 325i E92 and I hate it, it's so underpowered at low revs it makes it a chore to drive. I drove my wife's MX5 it's a MK3 with a 1.8 engine which on power is almost 110bhp lower than the 325i and it felt so much faster and nicer to drive. I struggle to keep up with her around town when I follower her in the 325i.
I still have my 325d E91 and that is just a different animal it's sooooo much easier to drive and is has torque low down. You will really miss that moving to a petrol.

My advice is go an test drive one to see what you think, you may like it, you may hate it.

I live in a ULEZ area so I have to drive the 325i as a daily and save the 325d for weekends with the family. Otherwise I would drive it daily.

[tadaska]

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

I have been given a manual 325i E92 and I hate it, it's so underpowered at low revs it makes it a chore to drive.

It's not due to a clogged up intake manifold by any chance? I don't know if the petrol has the same problem as the diesels with clogging up.

When I bought my 320D it was so clogged up it was lacking power. After I cleaned it all out (and the EGR valve) it was way better.

The two 320D's I test drove were also down on power and bad fuel economy and the engines did not feel as nice as mine did. I'm assuming they have coked up manifold/EGR valve and need cleaning out.

[Silver Streek]

No it's not a clogged intake manifold it's how the engine is tuned. The petrol cars have a valvetronic system that is similar to Honda's VTEC, so changes the cam profile at higher revs to give more power. Trouble is while it feels ok at high revs there is nothing at the lower end where you want it. So if you want to drive it in the power band you have scream the revs.

Personally I like the low down torque of the diesels it makes them much nicer to drive. I think the problem with the smaller petrol engined E series BMWs is that they are heavy cars and need a certain amount of low down grunt to get them moving. A guy at work had a 325i and got rid of it as he couldn't get on with it, again his previous car was a diesel 5 series. He said he tried a 330i and it was just as lackluster in the lower revs.

As I said before take some for a test drive and see how you get one, you might find you like them.

The other thing is the 2.0 petrol units have a fair amount of problems, have a Google and see what comes up. The 6 cylinders are much better engines. Just watch out for injectors on the 3 litre N53 engines, they coke up.

[Rich_D]

The 320d is better than than 320i in many ways, driveability, reliability, economy, etc.

Get another 320d.