BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

People Switched from E90 to F30 - Please comment

139K views 594 replies 94 participants last post by  sle39lvr 
#1 ·
I am currently a E90 owner, an I am starting to like my car more and more everyday.


Other than what's on paper, I want to know what are your thoughts on living with E90 day to day vs F30.

I heard everywhere that the interior quality has improved over E90. I recently got to sit in a F30 and I do have to say they Did cut back on 'soft-touch' plastic on certain surfaces.
 
#2 ·
Find a dealer that offers F30 loaners. I hope to get one next time I go in for service. The dealer's been waiting for AWD models to add the F30 to the loaner fleet.
 
#3 ·
I am currently a E90 owner, an I am starting to like my car more and more everyday.

Other than what's on paper, I want to know what are your thoughts on living with E90 day to day vs F30.

I heard everywhere that the interior quality has improved over E90. I recently got to sit in a F30 and I do have to say they Did cut back on 'soft-touch' plastic on certain surfaces.
I owned an E90 for 3 years prior to my F30. The answer to your question (assuming you have a 328i) boils down to this:

The F30 is 80% of what the E90 was. Materials are the same. Fit and finish is the same.

The 20% that is different is a big deal:

Torque: The turbo 4 is just a beast, so much faster off the line than the 6 it replaces, really throws you back in your seat.

Power: Once at speed, there's plenty more power to burst past other cars. I'll be driving on the highway completely oblivious to the fact that I'm doing 92 MPH and will have to slow myself down. It's effortless.

Transmission: The 8 speed auto is so much faster and smoother and accurate than the version it replaced. Because you don't have to stomp on the accelerator to get the car to move anymore, the transmission doesn't have to jerk wildly to get from 1st to 2nd to 3rd gear anymore.

Steering: It's lighter and easier. The car weighs less, so the combination of the weight reduction and the torque increase completely transforms how the car drives. It's effortless, requires a lot less effort and thought to get the car to go where you want it.

Experience Modes: This is not just savvy marketing, throwing the switch from Comfort to Sport changes the driving characteristics of the car completely, it feels like two different cars. Sport mode is crazy fun. Comfort mode is easier for the wife and kids stomachs. The E90 had neither. Was not as fun as Sport mode, was not as eased as Comfort mode. This is a big deal, not to be overlooked.

Size: The car has increased in size so there's a bit more shoulder room and rear passenger legroom but it doesn't feel bigger.

Audio System is upgraded. If you have a standard audio system in the E90 you'll be thrilled with the standard audio system in the F30 as it's the "enhanced" system they pay extra for in Europe.

Visibility is better: I find that the A pillar and B pillar location combined with new rear seatback position gives me a better overall view of the road.

It's more quiet: Not sure if it's the sound deadening material or better door seals but the F30 definitely has a more soundproofed cabin.

Interior looks and acts better: This myth about materials and quality you've read is BS. It's the same as the E90. What's different is the layout of the center stack, the integration of the wood and the dash components, the ambient lighting, the new cupholders, the thought that went into the storage compartments.

Great new standard equipment: The auto dimming mirrors, split-folding rear seat, power seats, garage door openers, and other throw-in's really make the experience better.

Technology: iDrive is now standard on all F30's. Nuff said. If you get the Technology Package, the head up display is crazy good and extremely functional.

Un-Bangled: The F30 has more refined sheetmetal, specifically the nose of the car which no longer looks like a Japanese pachinko machine.

BJ
 
#56 ·
Sorry but I have to disagree on much of this. Turbo 4 is about the same as out going in line 6. I had a F30 328 for a month while my 335 was in the shot.

The road noise is MUCH higher so much so I almost got a f10 when I had to reorder my car.

Materials are cheaper PERIOD.

8 spd is nice unless you drive it hard, in which case it always seems to be shifting.
 
#5 · (Edited)
E90 comparison versus F30

(this is a poorly written article that I found on Wilkpedia, but it does quote Car and Driver)

New F30 saloon is 93 mm (3.7 in) longer, 6 mm (0.2 in) wider (42 mm (1.7 in) including mirrors) and 8 mm (0.3 in) taller than its predecessor (E90). The wheelbase is longer by 50 mm (2.0 in). Also boot space is bigger by 20 litres (0.71 cu ft). Even though the new 3 Series is bigger and has more standard equipment than its predecessors, it is lighter than the model it replaces. For example, the new 328i has the same weight as the outgoing 325i and the new 335i is 40 kilograms (88 lb) lighter than the outgoing 335i.[20]

Notable downgrades to the new 3-series from its E90 predecessor include the deletion of LED turn signals in both the headlight and tail light clusters (with the return to traditional bulbs), as well as the replacement of non-intrusive, articulated gas-strut trunk hinges with cheaper, obstructive gooseneck hinges.

Enthusiast magazine reviews were also less than stellar. In their November, 2012, issue, Car and Driver wrote, "We're convinced that the E90 would handily win a comparison test against the F30." [1] In the April, 2012, issue they noted an increase in weight, versus the BMW's suggestion of a loss: "weight gain from our last E90 335i test car is 77 pounds, at least some of which must be from the new optional 19-inch wheels ($900) . . . ." Furthermore, acceleration suffered in comparison to the E90 as well, "A slower 5-to-60 time of 5.9 seconds-we expected mid-fives for that-also indicated that something may have been amiss. The magazine closed the generally ambivalent article with, "At some point, BMW will have to take a bigger step to move forward or risk falling behind its competitors"
 
#7 ·
Not at all.

If anything, the 3 Series has gained more feel if you define "feel" as a car that is faster, more powerful, and acts lighter and more nimble.

If you define "feel" as a harsh, noisy, uncomfortable ride with truck-like steering, then the E90 would be preferred.

BJ
 
#8 · (Edited)
I have to confess that I have not driven an F30 yet, but I am pretty certain that I am definitely going to enjoy it as much or more than my E90.

Besides, I'm getting a new car anyway, and it's not like there are hundreds of options to choose from, right?

Cadillac ATS?
Infiniti G?
Lexus IS?
Mercedes C350?
Ford Mustang GT?
Dodge Charger RT/MAX?
 
#9 · (Edited)
I am currently a E90 owner, an I am starting to like my car more and more everyday.

Other than what's on paper, I want to know what are your thoughts on living with E90 day to day vs F30.

I heard everywhere that the interior quality has improved over E90. I recently got to sit in a F30 and I do have to say they Did cut back on 'soft-touch' plastic on certain surfaces.
Hmmm. Had two e90s and now I'm in this F30.

Ride: F30
Handling: F30 (even with narrow tires it'll take the same corners much better than my e90s)
Space: F30
Interior fit and finish: F30
Cockpit design: F30
Exterior styling: F30
Overall size: E90 (easy, the F30 is massive)
Suspension: F30
Engine: F30
Economy: F30
Luxury features: F30
Driving feel: e90 without a doubt.
NVH: 330i e90 (not my 335i e90)
Engine sound: E90 330i (not the 335i...which had no engine sound)
Transmission: e90 330i
Brakes: F30
Tires: e90 335i (F30 has some insanely bad/narrow tires on sport models)

Of course if my 2003 ZHP were sold today with a new 4 year warranty, I'd take that car without pause. It's way smaller (yahoo), not as luxurious but far more alive/exciting to drive and far better looking than the e9x/f3x cars. Sadly, BMW no longer sells a compact sedan in the US double XL.
 
#10 ·
Hmmm. Had two e90s and now I'm in this F30.

Ride: F30
Handling: F30 (even with narrow tires it'll take the same corners much better than my e90s)
Space: F30
Interior fit and finish: F30
Cockpit design: F30
Exterior styling: F30
Overall size: E90 (easy, the F30 is massive)
Suspension: F30
Engine: F30
Economy: F30
Luxury features: F30
Driving feel: e90 without a doubt.
NVH: 330i e90 (not my 335i e90)
Engine sound: E90 330i (not the 335i...which had no engine sound)
Transmission: e90 330i
Brakes: F30
Tires: e90 335i (F30 has some insanely bad/narrow tires on sport models)

Of course if my 2003 ZHP were sold today with a new 4 year warranty, I'd take that car without pause. It's way smaller (yahoo), not as luxurious but far more alive/exciting to drive and far better looking than the e9x/f3x cars. Sadly, BMW no longer sells a compact sedan in the US double XL.
Driving feel is what I was going after. I wish my e90 could have early e46 steering feel :(

No staggered set up on F30 Sport's?
 
#35 ·
Here is some good information for you but obviously you have to drive them both back to back.

http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2012/02/il-track-tested-bmw-328i-six-vs-four.html

What Works:

Superb ride quality, yet still capable on twisty roads; strong four-cylinder engine almost makes you stop wanting a six; interior is spacious and well-built, with a logical control layout.

What Needs Work:
Doesn't handle, steer or stop as well as its predecessor; and tell us again why power seats and adjustable lumbar are optional.

Bottom Line:
The base 3 Series has never been quicker or more comfortable. It doesn't feel as much like a sport sedan as the old 328i, but unless you're truly hard-core, you probably won't care.

http://www.insideline.com/bmw/3-series/2012/2012-bmw-328i-sedan-full-test-and-video.html
 
#38 ·
Here is some good information for you but obviously you have to drive them both back to back.

http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2012/02/il-track-tested-bmw-328i-six-vs-four.html

What Works:

Superb ride quality, yet still capable on twisty roads; strong four-cylinder engine almost makes you stop wanting a six; interior is spacious and well-built, with a logical control layout.

What Needs Work:
Doesn't handle, steer or stop as well as its predecessor; and tell us again why power seats and adjustable lumbar are optional.

Bottom Line:
The base 3 Series has never been quicker or more comfortable. It doesn't feel as much like a sport sedan as the old 328i, but unless you're truly hard-core, you probably won't care.

http://www.insideline.com/bmw/3-series/2012/2012-bmw-328i-sedan-full-test-and-video.html
For 2013 power seats are std on all models in the US. And low rolling resistance tires are the reason some poor braking results in car mag tests.
 
#36 ·
For what it's worth, the British enthusiast car mags like EVO and CAR, who are way more unbiased than paid advertisers like C&D or Motor Trend, love the F30 and the new 135i, both of which even they say have no steering feel whatsoever.

They basically love the cars despite the lack of steering feel.
 
#43 ·
335i coupe owner who had a F30 328i base loaner for a week.

- The steering is definitely firmer on the E9x. When I finally got my car back I noticed this immediately.
- The power of the 328i engine is very good (not 335i amazing, but very quick.)
- The noise of the 328i sucks in comparison to my 335i though.
- Ride was better in the base 328i vs my 335i coupe w/ 18in wheels
- Handling was worse in the base 328i (not an apples to apples comparison since the 328i didn't have at least sports suspension). I drove it on "The Snake" in Malibu and it definitely felt more out of control than my 335i.
- The interior materials were fine, but I didn't like the leatherette compared with my leather seating surfaces
- The trunk hinges didn't bother me (probably because the loaner had comfort access). I started just doing the kick to open the trunk.
- Comfort steering is weird when you push it mid corner (it felt like it tightened). Sports steering felt great at speed and was still lighter than my E92 steering.

All in all I think the F30 is great. I'm not giving my 335i yet, but who knows when the new 4 series or 2 series comes out.
 
#46 ·
So many loaners are base suspension cars which will not do much to sway E90 owners.

My dealer recently gave me a F30 335 Sport loaded to the nines. That car with it's less grippy tires and less grippy pads made my smaller braked 328 feel like a more confidence inspiring car. The standard pads and all season tires make the F30 brakes very un BMW like.

The handling of an F30 BASE loaner they gave me, lots of body roll and felt floaty at highway speeds.
 
#47 ·
Just came out of a 328i xDrive loaner that I had for a few days while my E92 335i xDrive was in for service.

My take is that BMW spent *way* too much effort on "Eco Pro" gimmicks, and nowhere near enough focus on driving dynamics. Why should I have to press a bunch of buttons to try to make the car behave like a European sports sedan should, instead of driving like a Prius? Hit a button so the car doesn't turn itself off every time it stops, hit another button to keep the transmission from starting out in what feels like 3rd gear from lights, etc. And there isn't a button to make the 4 cylinder exhaust note sound befitting of a nearly $50,000 car. Come to think of it, even the steering was vague and artificial like that aforementioned Prius.

At least in a Prius you're rewarded with 50 mpg fuel economy for putting up with the lack of driving dynamics, but the 328 returned a whopping 3 MPG better than my 335 doing the same commute. I know that's a lot for a manufacturer struggling to meet tightening fuel economy standards, but to the actual vehicle owner, I don't think it's worth all the sacrifices that were made to eek out those few extra MPGs.

It's not all bad news though. The body structure of the F30 is tight as a drum, wind noise is noticeably lower than in the E9x, the automatic transmission is a huge improvement over the old GM unit, and the HUD and other tech gadgetry works well. None of those improvements kept me from being glad to hand back the key to the loaner and get back behind the wheel of my "old" E92 though.

Sure hope the upcoming F32 has much better driving dynamics, or my second BMW just might be my last. C'mon Munich - don't sacrifice the driving experience that sets you apart from the rest of the herd under the guise of efficiency!
 
#48 ·
I had stop start coded at the dealer, no need to press a button.

I only press ONE button when I get in the car, and that's to set it to SPORT.

X-Drives are not available with the Sport suspension and every standard suspension F30 I have driven has felt lacking and does not present itself well to former E90 drivers.
 
#49 · (Edited)
It appears BMW is trying to address the concerns of the euthusiasts. A coilover suspension system will be available that will lower the body by 20mm, twice that of the sport or m-sport. The performance exhaust is also available.

I am curious if the coilover can be ordered from the factory. The exhaust can be ordered and installed at the port of entry.

With this two items, the driving dynamics can be vastly improved. Even BMW stressed they are improving the "chassis" with the performance parts. I think they heard enough about the ATS chassis:)
 
#63 ·
And I have no idea why people think that the 2012 328i performance is night and day difference with the 2011 328. This is flat-out wrong.

If there is a spec where the turbo should shine because of "torque", this would be 5-60mph; from idle, you just mash the throttle and *gone*.

The funny little thing is that the E90 328i is *quicker* at this game. More immediacy and no turbo lag. 5-60mph in 6.4s rather 6.6s. This despite the fact that the F30 has short gear ratios! And icing on the cake, they observed an better real-world fuel economy on the E90, 25mpg vs 23mpg for the F30.

E90 328i manual

F30 328i manual

The I6 just needed direct injection and all this N20 nonsense would have been avoided...
 
#64 ·
And I have no idea why people think that the 2012 328i performance is night and day difference with the 2011 328. This is flat-out wrong.

If there is a spec where the turbo should shine because of "torque", this would be 5-60mph; from idle, you just mash the throttle and *gone*.

The funny little thing is that the E90 328i is *quicker* at this game. More immediacy and no turbo lag. 5-60mph in 6.4s rather 6.6s. This despite the fact that the F30 has short gear ratios! And icing on the cake, they observed an better real-world fuel economy on the E90, 25mpg vs 23mpg for the F30.

The I6 just needed direct injection and all this N20 nonsense would have been avoided...
I've owned both cars.

The F30 is just flat out faster.

BJ
 
#70 ·
I have a 2011 335d. Prior to that I had a 2006 330i. I love the power/economy of the 335d. It's a pretty unique combination of power and economy. I purchased the car used with about 8,000 miles.

F30's were available but I didn't feel drawn to them. Like others have stated - 80% similar.

But when the 4 series comes out, with an inevitable engine change shortly thereafter, I know I'll reconsider. But for now, very happy with my choice.
 
#76 ·
I am going to skip some of the silly things I saw.

The old saying was hp sells cars but torque wins races.

In the old days you had an imbalance of high tq low hp cars. The N20 is not one of them.

Drive on the highway in 6th at 70mph with an n20 and an n52 amd then floor it. Big difference.

My roadster has 100hp more than tq. Its nice and all, but Dropping from 5th to 3rd is nice compared to tipping into 5th. If it was a turbo like the n20 no need for a downship.
 
#77 ·
I am going to skip some of the silly things I saw.

The old saying was hp sells cars but torque wins races.

In the old days you had an imbalance of high tq low hp cars. The N20 is not one of them.

Drive on the highway in 6th at 70mph with an n20 and an n52 amd then floor it. Big difference.

My roadster has 100hp more than tq. Its nice and all, but Dropping from 5th to 3rd is nice compared to tipping into 5th. If it was a turbo like the n20 no need for a downship.
The trade off of losing the N/A I6 is, there is no more smooth high revving for us. Of course with N20, high revving is not necessary. But still, a loss is a loss.

Although I don't understand what is the negative of dropping a gear at highway speed for passing. I thought it was the fun part.
 
#87 · (Edited)
As far as "driving feel" and balance is concerned:

E30>E21>E46>E36>E90>F30. Ask anyone who has tracked these cars if they would rather take an E90 or even E46 over an E30 to the track. My suspicion is the answer would be no.


But this is a moot point, unless you're buying a track car. If you're looking for a daily driver, with multiple personalities and a good balance of performance, technology and design, I believe the F30 would be the winner hands down.


I missed my E46 the minute I stepped into the E90, but I can't say the same about the E90. I actually can't wait to move on to my F30. I still love my E90, but the F30 just does more stuff, better, with very few noticeable compromise. It suits my evolving needs.


If you think the 3 series has lost it's feel, boy, you should take a ride in the F10. Holy cow! And boy, is cow a fitting description here.
 
#88 ·
As far as "driving feel" and balance is concerned:

E30>E21>E46>E36>E90>F30. Ask anyone who has tracked these cars if they would rather take an E90 or even E46 over an E30 to the track. My suspicion is the answer would be no.

But this is a moot point, unless you're buying a track car. If you're looking for a daily driver, with multiple personalities and a good balance of performance, technology and design, I believe the F30 would be the winner hands down.

I missed my E46 the minute I stepped into the E90, but I can't say the same about the E90. I actually can't wait to move on to my F30. I still love my E90, but the F30 just does more stuff, better, with very few noticeable compromise. It suits my evolving needs.

If you think the 3 series has lost it's feel, boy, you should take a ride in the F10. Holy cow! And boy, is cow a fitting description here.
Precisely.

This E90 vs. F30 "battle" is silly, especially when it comes to handling because the difference between the two is a 2%er at most. An E36 driver would have a seizure in an F30, throw his hands up in despair wondering what BMW has done to the 3 Series. An E90 driver gets into an F30 and says "oh, that feels a little different".

The F30 is a logical, mature progression from the E90. Neither the E90 nor the F30 are anything resembling an E36 or E46. Those that want to hold onto their E90's and skip the F30 can do so, but they're not like some E36 purists back in 2006 doing it for the "right" reasons if you will. E90 owners don't have those kind of performance differentiators to justify that decision.

BJ
 
#108 ·
A little note, magazine testing MPG.

Not much value to it, sorry.

It's not their car. They admit to driving it like they stole it. I have yet to confirm if they pay for the gas they put in or if that is paid for/reimbursed.

I do not hypermile, I do not drive like a Grandpa. But on my commute to work which is 18 miles, stop and go traffic for 10% of it, about 10 traffic lights, and then 10-12 miles of 80mph on the highway, I hit 39-40mpg everyday by the time I pull into work. That is relate-able to people, that described a lot of people's commutes.

Most times I have it in Sport and still always manage 30+.

This is not fantasy. This is called driving in the real world. Working for a magazine and grabbing keys to a different car day after day, driving it like a rental car and getting paid to do it...THAT is a fantasy!
 
#109 · (Edited)
30+ mpg "average" is clearly fantasy land from people who don't what they are talking about. Wrong methodology and just lack of skills. I can report 6.8L/100km in my car on one ride on highway, but that's doesn't mean overall average by any stretch.

fuelly.com reports 26.3mpg from 17 2012-2013 328i owners. Now THAT makes sense and it is not bad. After all, C&D got 23mpg and 21mpg in two occasions on 300+ miles rides.

However the same result could have been reached with direct injection on the I6. Mercedes and Porsche gained 15% on NA V6 and H6 after they updated them with direct injection. 4-cylinder turbo are a joke in heavy vehicles and totally unfit in this class since they feel like a Civic, clearly a down grade in feel. Talk to Acura who dismissed their 4-cyl. turbo in their RDX, replaced it with a well-done V6 with improved power and fuel costs. THAT's the proper way to do it.

Say hello to your imaginary friends.
 
#110 · (Edited)
Fuelly.com from what I remember is more long term. 26.3mpg sounds reasonable. My 30+ averages are per tank and can vary. My last tank was 28.9. Nothing fantasyland about that.

Again, I do not care about C&D and the 21mpg, you ignored all that I stated about people being paid to thrash on cars they do not own. 21mpg vs 26.3 from your Fuelly example, that is over a 20% discrepancy.

There are plenty of people who have switched from e90 to f30 328's, they report living with better mileage. So what, all these people are making it up?

Back to your site, lets see what happens as you get away from the N20, look at how the numbers drop when we get to the E90's.
http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/328i

There you go, lets keep on muddying up your argument, lets talk about the RDX, let's bring more lame side steps to the discussion. The 1st gen RDX was known to be a gas guzzler, same thing with Mazdas CX-7. EPA numbers and driver numbers all show this. It's not so much weight that makes it an issue, you are implying the F30 has some kind of weight penalty which it does not, not compared to the E90 and not it's competition.

If BMW skipped the N20 and instead put in a 3.0L direct injected 270hp NA 6 that got 34 on the highway, I still would have happily bought it. The only downside is the lack of upgrades for more power. I ditched my APR stage 2 CC for this car, one of the reasons was knowing the FI would be tuner friendly.

If I Paypal you $1, would you stop bringing up other random cars?

Compare the N20 F30 to the IS, C-Class, A4, ATS, G37, Volvo S60, you know the cars in it's class it's intended to keep up with? Show me how those cars romp the N20 in meaningful ways. I will listen, I promise.

Otherwise hearing you talk about lower fuel costs due to no premium required and Camrys and Accords makes me want to cry.
 
#111 ·
There are plenty of people who have switched from F30 to E90 328's, they report living with better mileage. So what, all these people are making it up?
Nobody is contesting this. Why are you even asking the question?

If BMW skipped the N20 and instead put in a 3.0L direct injected 270hp NA 6 that got 34 on the highway, I still would have happily bought it.
Exactly - we agree. The N20 is a 2nd or even 3rd choice. The N53 was the engine to invest in; in a 330Xi, it got the same fuel economy as an Audi TT-S 270HP 2.0T, which was 400lbs lighter.
 
#112 ·
Nobody is contesting this. Why are you even asking the question?
YOU.

You tried citing examples and state that the N20 is not more fuel efficient in the real world because some magazine posted 21mpg in an f30 and 23 in an E93.

Do I need to dig up your own quotes?

So now you are going to bring up a lame argument, state the same thing more than once, get disproved, and then complain that the thing now disproved is common knowledge to everyone including you who kept saying the opposite?

You are becoming my second favorite poster after BJ. I take back calling you a troll ever. Trolls are rarely ever entertaining.:thumbup:
 
#139 · (Edited)
Please do. *All of them*.

Instead of pulling something out of context, make that extra effort to read the whole thing, so we won't have to explain you again what you missed. Once for all, it is not 5-65 but 5-60.
OK, but show us where are the two numbers. The ones I found on C^D show the F30 doing the 5-60mph better, noticeably better.

I mentioned that the F30 328i avg 26 mpg as per EPA *IS* representative. Not your general 30+mpg nonsense. I mentioned that C&D got 21 and 23 in 2 different occasions, no better than the N52. The point is that under load and when heavily solicited, the 4-cyl. turbo fuel economy is no better than the NA 6. That's a fact.
Of course. But that is completely irrelevant for normal driving. Heck, you could even tune a 2.0T (BMW or not) to drink much more fuel than a 3.0 I-6, mostly because you can make it generate much more power :D

It is absolutely wonderful that the 2011 N52 non-direct injected 240HP 528i get only 1mpg worse than a 400lbs lighter F30 328i.
Yes, it is wonderful indeed. From C&D:
  • 328i: EPA city/highway driving: 23/33 mpg
  • 528i: EPA city/highway driving: 22/32 mpg
Wonderful until you notice the catch:
  • 328i: C/D observed: 27 mpg
  • 528i: C/D observed: 19 mpg
Ooops!!!!!

Then one wonders, was C&D's "observation" a fluke? So I checked out CR for its overall mileage:
  • 328i: 28 mpg
  • 530i: 20 mpg
Granted, the 530i was the 2004 model (still an N52, right?) with only a 6-speed auto. But this case is closed shut.
 
#140 ·
OK, but show us where are the two numbers. The ones I found on C^D show the F30 doing the 5-60mph better, noticeably better.

Of course. But that is completely irrelevant for normal driving. Heck, you could even tune a 2.0T (BMW or not) to drink much more fuel than a 3.0 I-6, mostly because you can make it generate much more power :D
.
Why do you make an half-ass job when all the correct figures has been published... don't you even read the thread?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7268851&postcount=63
 
#114 · (Edited)
I agree they could have easily kept the N/A I6 and still achieved the mpg. The last 3.0 N/A I6s in the 2012 528s with 8spd, the EPA highway mpg was 32 I recall. That was for a much heavier car.

I think the decision to go 2.0L is for the global market, in Europe 2.0L is pretty much the displacement to have before fees to go up.

Let's stop calling each other names. Some of you make it hard to believe BMW's average driver's age is 50:)
 
#115 · (Edited)
I agree they could have easily kept the N/A I6 and still achieved the mpg. The last 3.0 N/A I6s in the 2012 528s with 8spd, the EPA highway mpg was 32 I recall. That was for a much heavier car.

I think the decision to go 2.0L is for the global market, in Europe 2.0L is pretty much the displacement to have before fees to go up.

Let's stop calling each other names. Some of you make it hard to believe BMW's average driver's age is 50+:)
It's not just that.

If they make a certain number of a certain engine, it's economies of scale to put it in as many cars as they can.

BMW would not do this if it put them at a competitive disadvantage or seemed to buck a trend.

But fact is, this is what the competition has been doing for years, downsizing-which includes 4 cylinders. Fact is, out of the lot of entry level luxury cars, the N20 is about as good as it gets. Audi had years of nothing but praise for the 2.0TSI(the FSI before that) and wound up on Wards engines of the year list countless times. Now the N20 is just as good and better and what do you know, winds up on the same list.

Be thankful of my age, it helps bring the average down. :)
 
#129 ·
I've not owned an E90, but recently traded in my E46 330ci for a F30 335 MSport sedan. While I love my new F30, I feel that I lost a bit of the road feel of my E46. As someone else stated in an earlier reply,the F30 feels like a completely different car. Much bigger and refined, but a little less of that ultimate driving road feel was lost. Overall not a big thing, but I would suggest a serious test drive before you make a decision. Just my 2 cents.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top