[AndOJones]

I gave my 330 to the dealer to fix some faults.

The dealer said I do not have a loaner, and offered a rental.

I would have rather taken the SATURN VUE rental (@ about 250HP),

then to drive the 325i. Not to say its a horrible car or make 325i owners feel bad.

They ended up giving me a 325i and after driving through the streets and parkways/expressways, sadly to say the car dissappointed me.

The 325i not only struggles to maintain at 60mph, accel + was horrible. [auto/STEP]. the sound of the engine was horrible.

braking was horrible.

but once i got my car back (the next evening) i, immediately felt the surge in power upon accel +, braking. The car does a easy 80mph.


i know there was a thread about this before "regrets getting the 325"
(but im too lazy to search for it).

what are your opinions on this if you have ever drove the 325/30i.

[Black325i]

What, did you expect ? No difference would not be realistic.

[SCA]

There is a slight difference between the two models, but it certainly is not earth shattering.

[shimshimhada]

"The sound of the engine was horrible."
It's the same engine...lmao

[Jimifighter]

Was the 325i loaner an e90? Struggle to maintain 60 sounds like a stretch, if I am not careful I find myself doing 90 in mine. Sounds like you are trying to make yourself feel better about spending the extra money on the 330 by bashing the 325.

[AndOJones]

Originally Posted by shimshimhada

"The sound of the engine was horrible."
It's the same engine...lmao

hmmmmmmmmmmm...okay buddy same engine, same HP...wheres the roar ( )

Originally Posted by Jimifighter

Was the 325i loaner an e90? Struggle to maintain 60 sounds like a stretch, if I am not careful I find myself doing 90 in mine. Sounds like you are trying to make yourself feel better about spending the extra money on the 330 by bashing the 325.

after driving the 325i (loaner) for about 300 miles, it was difficult to maintain 60mph and accel+ to higher, if you 325i owners call it bashing then whatever, if you read above you would see im not making nothing more than a comparison

[shimshimhada]

Originally Posted by AndOJones

hmmmmmmmmmmm...okay buddy same engine, same HP...wheres the roar ( )




after driving the 325i (loaner) for about 300 miles, it was difficult to maintain 60mph and accel+ to higher, if you 325i owners call it bashing then whatever, if you read above you would see im not making nothing more than a comparison

It's still the same engine base, and you failed to actually describe the differences. I imagine there to be some nuances, but I doubt there is THAT much of a difference in the tone of the engine. You didn't mention volume or "roar" at all in your initial post.

You labeled everything as "horrible." Awesome comparison, man.

[Broken1]

my 320d can maintain 60mph very easily...I'm sure the 325i can do it perfectly too.

My question to you: Am I a lesser person because I drive a 320d and not a 330i?

My brakes work perfectly, if I stand on them - the car stops dead...on the mark. In non-autobahn country...the 330i's power is actually wasted. IMO the old E46 328i (with 141kw) was adequate for everyday use and sporty driving...

More power is just dangerous for the idiots that are buying the car.*

*Please not this comment was not intented to anyone on this forum...but to some of the assholes I've seen driving 330i's around this country (who can't even take a turn in the rain without hitting the traffic light)

I would also like to say I didn't like the tone of your origional post. Imagine an M5 owner coming here and saying all 3-Series cars are useless. Some of us have budgets, some have other reasons...but in the end..we all love our cars...and will get VERY ANGRY should you blatently insult it.

[AndOJones]

Originally Posted by Broken1

my 320d can maintain 60mph very easily...I'm sure the 325i can do it perfectly too.

My question to you: Am I a lesser person because I drive a 320d and not a 330i?

My brakes work perfectly, if I stand on them - the car stops dead...on the mark. In non-autobahn country...the 330i's power is actually wasted. IMO the old E46 328i (with 141kw) was adequate for everyday use and sporty driving...

More power is just dangerous for the idiots that are buying the car.

My answer to you: No and by no means are you a lesser person than I because of the models of car we choose to drive.

I was simply stating some noticable differences in "feel" while driving my vehicle and the loaner.

the purpose of the thread was to see if the owners of the 325/30i could put some insight into their experiences, (if they have driven both).

[Broken1]

Originally Posted by AndOJones

My answer to you: No and by no means are you a lesser person than I because of the models of car we choose to drive.

I was simply stating some noticable differences in "feel" while driving my vehicle and the loaner.

the purpose of the thread was to see if the owners of the 325/30i could put some insight into their experiences, (if they have driven both).

Your first post didn't sound 'positive'. There are differences between the 330i and the 325i. When I went to test drive one, the first I noticed was the *push start button* ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR VROOOOM - which my car also does, albeit with a more husky butch ROO(chug chug)AAAAR VRooo(gggggg)OOOOMMMM

[ksfrogman]

Not sure what you mean by finding it difficult to maintain 60. My friend's 4-cylinder Ford Pinto could easily accelerate (without blowing up mind you) beyond that. Maybe you just need to put a little more pressure on the gas pedal?

[BMRAMA]

I regret not buying a 330i. It has an unncessary amount of power. Granted, its fun to merge onto the freeway in 4 seconds, but I would rather have my 5k back.

The 325i is a great car.

[Black325i]

LMAO...Pinto...now that's funny. "They blowed up real good !"

[Xens]

Due to lower exhaust noise, there was indeed more whirrings from the engine you can hear than in a 330, I'd agree that is sounded a bit more wimpy. There wasn't a lot of punch in the loaner 325i but I didn't take it'd be fair to compare its automatic to my manual since automatic tends to be smoother therefore feels less punchy.

I too though, was happy to get out of the loaner and back into my 330 after the service was done, that was the first time I was absolutely truly glad I bought that specific car I bought.

[Papa13]

Okay wow... Dont know what 325i you drove. But wow.. Your crazy. I had a 330i on order. About 3 days before my order was to be finalized i went to the dealer to drive one agian. But the only car they had available was a 325i and to tell you the truth there is not a lot of difference. The only difference is between 5k through 6.5k rpms. So i saved my 6k and got a fully loaded 325i instead of a semi loaded 330i. There is not a lot of difference man. I dont know what the hell car you drove. Maybe it was a Prius with a 325 shell??

[nyfinest]

I fully agree with Jimmyfighter and most of the other members. The differences mechanically/engineering are no more than minor. I have driven both my 325i Sport and the 330 and other than a few extra HP I found no significant difference to justify the extra $$$$$ for extra HP. Notwithstanding the fact that in this congested city i couldnt use it anyway. Braking/handling virtually identical.

I have no regrets whatsoever. I too agree that some are just trying to justify the 330 purchase when again the differences are negligeable when it comes to build/engineering.

[RussianM3_dude]

Well, my car has the same engine as your car, but is lighter and more powerfull. I tried a 330 and was sooooo dissapointed. My car's exhaust sounds soooo much better and the acceleration is way better then the 330i.


See? Two can play that game. You'll always have somebody who has a better car then you. 325 is still a nice car. Here in Europe, most are 320 or 318.

[NE330i]

Before deciding which E90 to purchase in October, I drove basically identically optioned new 325i and 330i's for approx. a day and a half each. They both had the sport package and manual transmissions to make the comparison apples to apples. I also had a preconceived notion that I wanted to purchase the 325i (save some money, etc.)

However, after comparing the two, I would concur that the 325i's engine note indeed sounded "horrible". It seemed very "wheezy", quiet, and uninspiring in comparison to the 330i's deep, aggressive growl. The difference was truly obvious and rather surprising. I told my wife that I had heard better engine noises coming from run of the mill ordinary mid-size rental cars I have driven recently.

It is of no surprise to me that BMW is going to replace the detuned version of the 330i motor with something completely different. The detuning really ruined the character of the engine in this case. And in case you do not believe any of this, the Roundel said the exact same thing in their E90 review earlier this year (Sam even used the word "horrible" to describe the 325i engine sound).

That being said, the 325i is still a great car though and something that is far ahead of the competition (engine sound non-withstanding). Just my two cents worth.

[peakpro]

Originally Posted by AndOJones

I gave my 330 to the dealer to fix some faults.

The dealer said I do not have a loaner, and offered a rental.

I would have rather taken the SATURN VUE rental (@ about 250HP),

then to drive the 325i. Not to say its a horrible car or make 325i owners feel bad.

They ended up giving me a 325i and after driving through the streets and parkways/expressways, sadly to say the car dissappointed me.

The 325i not only struggles to maintain at 60mph, accel + was horrible. [auto/STEP]. the sound of the engine was horrible.

braking was horrible.

but once i got my car back (the next evening) i, immediately felt the surge in power upon accel +, braking. The car does a easy 80mph.


i know there was a thread about this before "regrets getting the 325"
(but im too lazy to search for it).

what are your opinions on this if you have ever drove the 325/30i.

Sorry but you are out of touch with reality....

merry christmas

[AndOJones]

Originally Posted by peakpro

Sorry but you are out of touch with reality....

merry christmas

hello from mars and happy hanukah

[325Driver]

Are you really going to get 20" giovanna wheels for your car? If so, I think my lowly 325i might take your 330i in a street race. Seriously, you come one here talking about how you like "accel +, braking" and you are planning on getting poorly made wheels that weigh 50 pounds a piece. Obviously you don't care about these attributes all that much. Less tire sidewall is not going to enhance the driving experience in case you were thinking this would be the case. Then again neither will the Dinan upgrade either, but that's another topic altogether. To each his own though, sorry you didn't like the 325 and I'm glad you went with the 330. Merry Christmas!

To NE330i: I don't know what 325 you got behind the wheel of but my engine sounds like it was crafted by the hands of God at 7,000 rpm. Maybe your ears were dirty the day you test drove?

[seevemonka]

in the 325,i would advise the manual.It has much more punch.With the 330,it's not as big as a difference.