[Adrian 330Ci'01]

I was wondering if there was anyone who can post their experiences in a european 330d.

From the reviews I have read it sounds like it might actually be more fun to drive than the 330i/Ci and uses less gas!

Last I heard Jensen Button (x-F1 guy) was pulled over for doing 148 mph in one in UK!

 

[Alex Baumann]

I did. Lots of torque and powerful. I can't say if it's more fun to drive or not but it was not slow

BTW, rumors has it that coupe and cabriolet may get diesel engines in the near future. One of the guys at the german BMW board saw a coupe with diesel engine. (BTW, he lives in the very near of the manufacturing plant)

 

[Guest]

I did. Lots of torque and powerful. I can't say if it's more fun to drive or not but it was not slow

BTW, rumors has it that coupe and cabriolet may get diesel engines in the near future. One of the guys at the german BMW board saw a coupe with diesel engine. (BTW, he lives in the very near of the manufacturing plant)

Remember Alex, we get NONE of the diesels over here in the US.

 

[Alex Baumann]

Remember Alex, we get NONE of the diesels over here in the US.

I know, sir. He said european 330d, couldn't resist.

OTOH, it would be nice if you guys had the chance to drive this torque monster too.

 

[Nat Brown]

Here's someones impressions of the 530d:

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/5series/messages/archive/msgsy2000w38/80089.html

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Not exactly a fair comparison, of course.

 

[bmw325]

Although the turbo diesels are certainly torque monsters while being incredibly fuel efficient, there is 1 aspect (that I'm sure TD will appreciate), which could drastically lessen their fun to drive quotient:
weight.

The diesel engines need to be considerably beefier than the equivalent dsiplacement gas engines, so they use iron blocks, beefed up internals, etc. This means that you've got more engine weight hanging out front, which would lessen the overall balaance of the car, and make it not as fun to drive in the twisties.

Regardless, I'd be willing to make that trade-off if they offered that beast here!:thumb:

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Wouldn't that just about fix the imbalance of the 330dT? I know that the extra weight up front in the xi models serves to return the wagon to a 50/50ish distribution.

 

[Adrian 330Ci'01]

Thanks for all the replies. The review on the 530 was great! :thumb:

My interest originally got piqued when I read about a 330d that was stock 280-290 chipped to well over 300 lb.ft. (380 maybe?). The HP numbers after chipping was close to the 330i. The power is all low down so an xi would be useful!

You can get great fuel economy all week then pull stumps on weekends!

Sounds like based on weight issues and top end power that it may still be a while before we see a diesel winning in NA. It sure is a cool looking engine!

 

[bmw325]

Wouldn't that just about fix the imbalance of the 330dT? I know that the extra weight up front in the xi models serves to return the wagon to a 50/50ish distribution.

Probably.. I think the diesel changes the F/R distribution on a RWD sedan to 52/48, and since a touring is usually 48/52, I suppose it would balance out. Of course, the resulting car would be even heavier- so that's still going to affect things liek responsiveness, handling , braking ,etc.

 

[Adrian 330Ci'01]

Alex I was just checking out your site, nice!

Two questions:
1) How do you like your 9000 series dunlops? Would you buy them again?

2) What is it like owning a BMW in Germany? Is there any prestige associated or are they too common? Is engine size a big differentiator (a 3.0 gas would be expensive to run!!).

A.

 

[Alex Baumann]

Alex I was just checking out your site, nice!

Two questions:
1) How do you like your 9000 series dunlops? Would you buy them again?

2) What is it like owning a BMW in Germany? Is there any prestige associated or are they too common? Is engine size a big differentiator (a 3.0 gas would be expensive to run!!).

A.

Hi Adrian,

1) I like them, one of the best three tires on the market. Since I'm running them on 18" wheels they are not the greatest when it comes to bad asphalt. But the quality of the road is very good in Germany so I didn't have any problem till yet. And also breaking is excellent.

2) Well, BMW is not the cheapest car nor it's fuel efficient. As you may know we are paying like $1 per liter gas, so fuel consumption is also one of the criterias when deciding to buy a car. So that's why we have models with smaller engines like the 316i, 318i and the diesel models, for those who wants to drive a BMW and take care of their pockets in the meantime

Yes, they are common. For instance, the 3-Series is in the top three on the most sold cars list in Germany.

 

[Polle325]

I frequently drive a 530d and all I can say is WOW. From 0-100km/h (0-60mph) it does 8s. That's quite a lot. But when you hit 120km/h and you put down your accelerator, the automatic gearbox shifts back to third and you only need a few seconds to reach 180+km/h. Just plain crazy.
At lower speeds it reacts as a 528-530i.
The amount of torque available is impressive in a X30d. When the engine is stock, it has 184-193hp, but if you get it tuned by your dealer with the BMW DIS-system, the engine can easily reach 220+hp.
Due to the high petrol prices (+-1$) here in Europe the 2 and 3l engine are nice alternatives for the petrol engines. That's why more than half of the BMW's here are diesel.

Greets