[springer222]

Hi,

Looking at 2 used cars (both a year-ish old), one a G21 320d and the other a 330i

I do about 10k, mix of 3 journey types mostly -

1. School run - 13 mile round trip (2x week)
2. Town run - 8 mile round trip (5x week)
3. Work run - 50 mile round trip (3x week)
(4. Plus some other small journeys)

Head is saying 320d, heart is saying 330i (well heart is actually saying 340i but thats off the table!)

Is the 330i worth the slightly increase in cost for fuel for the better driving 'experience'?

Over 4-5 years would the petrol cost less than the diesel in maintenance?

Any thoughts greatly received!

Many Thanks

ps. in real life (not mpg charts) can the 330i actually be 'better' mpg wise over some of these shorter journeys after a cold start due to longer diesel warm up times, or is that more wishful thinking?

[MisterG]

I would go for the 330i with that driving profile.
I’ve been amazed at the frugality of the modern bmw petrol engines.. even round town my m340i is getting mid-20 mpg.. with high 30s easy on a sensible motorway run.

Additionally the added complexity of diesels out of warranty scares me.. twin turbo, egr, dpf, adblue etc.

Don’t get me wrong, diesels still have a place for high mileage/fleet drivers, but far less so for private buyers.

[drykoke]

Also depends on any difference in the initial purchase price?

Based on your pattern of usage, there's going to be litle difference in fuel costs. 330i better on town and school runs (7X a week), 320d better on work runs (3X a week).

[paulockenden]

Do you drive anywhere where diesel engined cars are penalised? It’s happening more and more these days.

[Beemer5to3]

330i without a shadow of doubt.

BMW petrol engines are some of the best in the business in terms of efficiency.

[Martyn86]

With that driving profile and annual mileage I would 100% be going for a petrol and the 330i would most certainly feature on the list.

I would only be going for a diesel if you were doing over 15-20k miles a year

[jon0]

330i (petrol - so M340i on list too!!)

[Carl99]

On short runs (10-20 miles) I'm seeing 39-45 MPG and on longer runs (>20 miles) I often see 50-55 MPG. My overall average since owning my 330i is 42 MPG.

The 330i is much smoother and quieter I'd say.

Most early 330i's have the Hi-Fi speakers system with tweeters in the front doors and a more powerful amp - likely to support the engine Active Sound Design feature. I suspect the 320d does not have this but you could find a 320d with HK and no ASD.

[AP]

I would choose petrol simply because even though diesel may be fine now, you may have issues in the future with restrictions as locations penalise cars. You may also find your resale value lower as a result potentially

[springer222]

Thanks everyone for the info.

Sorry one other question if I may -

Having been used for diesel for many many years, I was wondering if one would notice the reduced torque of the 330i over a diesel?

Thanks again

[G21MKN]

I’ve a 320d and it doesn’t disappoint. I’ve only driven a 320i in comparison, but the 320d benefits from the superior torque, a much nicer driving experience in my opinion. At idle the 320d isn’t particularly nice on the ears, but it sounds alright when driving (could be piped in through speakers). At the end of the day I’d love a 340, but in the same breath there are only a handful of situations I’ve felt I’ve needed more power in 4 years of ownership. My 320d now is very similar performance wise to my e46 330ci back in the day, and that was considered a pretty quick road car not too long ago.

[Jules6]

Having come from an F31 330d to a G21 330i I obviously notice a significant difference in torque, but it isn’t an issue in most driving situations as the 330i is surprisingly torquey but also the 8 speed auto is sweet. If you were comparing with a 320d then the difference would be a lot less than what I have experienced in which case for me it would be a non issue. The 330i is a lot more soulful than the diesel plus no more stinking hands after filling up.
Also when considering fuel economy it’s worth noting that currently petrol is 10p a litre cheaper than diesel.
I love the 330i far more than I expected especially coming from 6 cylinder models for my last three BMWs. It’s a lovely car.
Hope this helps.

[bmnut]

As others on here have already said petrol over diesel without a doubt based on your driving profile.
My petrol 440i does 30mpg around town so long as you're not hoofing it obviously and has regularly hit mid 40s and above on gentle motorway schleps.
More relevant to your original post would be my wife's 220i coupe, same engine less output (pretty much) and she is mid to high thirties for a mix of town and urban running. On the odd occasion we use her car for a long run it's straight up to mid 40s and beyond!
Beautifully smooth, quiet engine and due to the supreme ability of the 8 speed auto never feels lacking much in torque despite not being quite the monster the M440i is.
As far as warm-up is concerned my 440 is up to normal operating temperature within a mile and the 220 is up to normal in just over half a mile, unless the weather is bitterly cold and even then it's not much more than a mile or two.

[Carl99]

Originally Posted by springer222

Thanks everyone for the info.

Sorry one other question if I may -

Having been used for diesel for many many years, I was wondering if one would notice the reduced torque of the 330i over a diesel?

Thanks again

I think the 320d and 330i have the same peak torque. The 330i also develops the torque over wider rev range.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by Carl99

I think the 320d and 330i have the same peak torque. The 330i also develops the torque over wider rev range.

They do indeed - 400Nm I believe

[xenon]

330i all day long.

[vadimo]

Originally Posted by springer222

Hi,

Looking at 2 used cars (both a year-ish old), one a G21 320d and the other a 330i

I do about 10k, mix of 3 journey types mostly -

1. School run - 13 mile round trip (2x week)
2. Town run - 8 mile round trip (5x week)
3. Work run - 50 mile round trip (3x week)
(4. Plus some other small journeys)

Head is saying 320d, heart is saying 330i (well heart is actually saying 340i but thats off the table!)

Is the 330i worth the slightly increase in cost for fuel for the better driving 'experience'?

Over 4-5 years would the petrol cost less than the diesel in maintenance?

Any thoughts greatly received!

Many Thanks

ps. in real life (not mpg charts) can the 330i actually be 'better' mpg wise over some of these shorter journeys after a cold start due to longer diesel warm up times, or is that more wishful thinking?

I had similar journey pattern to you and I was in 320D for 6 years (although F30) and I did like the torque, liked it even more with remap and amazing economy - fuel estimate or mpg very proportional to how you drive it. It felt very durable and rugged due to x-drive. The new 320D looks great and even more efficient. I was gonna keep mine for few more years but ULEZ expansion ruined it for me.

Good luck in your choice

[springer222]

Hello everyone,

Thank you. It is a shame they no longer offer the 330d engine as I feel that might have been sort of the best of both worlds for me but as it's not I think I am leaning towards the 330i. Thank you for the all the advise

[MisterG]

Originally Posted by springer222

Hello everyone,

Thank you. It is a shame they no longer offer the 330d engine as I feel that might have been sort of the best of both worlds for me but as it's not I think I am leaning towards the 330i. Thank you for the all the advise

I believe BMW also dropped the 330i engine about 12mo ago, so it might limit your options a bit as there wont be that many around.

The 330d was dropped when the facelift was released.

[Fox530]

Originally Posted by Carl99

I think the 320d and 330i have the same peak torque. The 330i also develops the torque over wider rev range.

It'll still drive differently though - before my M340i I had a 530d which has similar torque, I do notice the difference in power delivery, my M340i often shifts down a gear going up hill when using cruise control where my 530d never did - the torque is there, but it's higher up so needs to use the gearbox more to access it.

[springer222]

Thanks everyone. Thought I would give a quick update. I went for the 330i in the end. Really happy with it and it is super smooth. I am driving sensibly at the moment, but with mixed driving getting 45.6mpg so super happy with that too.

[The_Tok'Ra]

Originally Posted by springer222

Thanks everyone. Thought I would give a quick update. I went for the 330i in the end. Really happy with it and it is super smooth. I am driving sensibly at the moment, but with mixed driving getting 45.6mpg so super happy with that too.

Nice!! Good choice! I have the 340i and it's great car, but I'm only doing town and short A , B road driving and while driving fairly carefully, I'm, getting 26 MPG. Still it was the right choice for me, I'm only doing around 4-5K miles a year ATM.