320d any good.....
Discussion
pattyg said:
Been offered an 02 320d for under £11K.
Oxford green, black leather, 70K miles.
Advice on whether I should bite.
Is this car a better option than 318i. Any advice welcome.
I have a 320cd and it is an excellent car, does everything very well. I suspect an 02 car might have a little less power than mine but I would say it would be a much better drive than a 318 or 320 petrol.
D
I've had an 02 320d Touring for just over a year now and I really can't fault it. Plenty of torque and performace is way better than the 318 particularly mid-range. Mine was on 57k when I got it now at 86k and all it's needed is servicing and 2 tyres.
Economy is excellent though don't believe the On Board Cumputer - I get 45 normally with 49 if I drive like my Dad.
Go for it......
Economy is excellent though don't believe the On Board Cumputer - I get 45 normally with 49 if I drive like my Dad.
Go for it......
Just a quick question for all you e46 3-series owners as I normally drive an ancient e34 M5, so have no real experience of the e46's - I'm not trolling, or trying to wind anyone up - it's just a question/observation.
Each time my car is in for service they give me a 320d - I want to know if is it normal for the accelerator to be totally disconnected from the engine, and the steering to give no feel at all.
The accelerator doesn't seem to have any response until about a second after you've put your foot down, so you end up going for a gap in the traffic and then having to give up as the car hasn't moved, only once you decide to stay the car jumps forward.
The steering seems to be made for the Playstation generation - i.e. turn it and see what the screen ahead shows and respond to this instead of to what the feedback is telling you.
The best of the 'courtesy cars' I was given in the last 6 months has been the 320d auto - as the accelerator was much more responsive, and you didn't end up kangaroo-ing in town traffic.
Are they all like that, or is it just specific years/models?
Each time my car is in for service they give me a 320d - I want to know if is it normal for the accelerator to be totally disconnected from the engine, and the steering to give no feel at all.
The accelerator doesn't seem to have any response until about a second after you've put your foot down, so you end up going for a gap in the traffic and then having to give up as the car hasn't moved, only once you decide to stay the car jumps forward.
The steering seems to be made for the Playstation generation - i.e. turn it and see what the screen ahead shows and respond to this instead of to what the feedback is telling you.
The best of the 'courtesy cars' I was given in the last 6 months has been the 320d auto - as the accelerator was much more responsive, and you didn't end up kangaroo-ing in town traffic.
Are they all like that, or is it just specific years/models?
I've had various E46s - 320d/318i/316i
The real world performance of the 320d and the 318i are broadly similar from memory. The diesel has a lot more low and mid range, the 318i has the top end.
There is a difference in "feel" between the two types, the petrol having a slightly lighter, more responsive throttle pedal, the diesel feeling less "connected". This is what you would expect from the VVT system compared to the diesel controling load via fueling.
I do think the steering response of the 318i was much better than that of the 320d and the 316i. How much of this is due to suspension set-up, engine weight or tyre size I can't say.
Gut feeling would be to go for the 318i.
Edit: If there is only a 320d on offer, I could definitely live with it. Some people would prefer the 320d, some the 318i. I don't think the differences are that great to turn down a good deal.
>> Edited by bor on Monday 8th August 11:56
The real world performance of the 320d and the 318i are broadly similar from memory. The diesel has a lot more low and mid range, the 318i has the top end.
There is a difference in "feel" between the two types, the petrol having a slightly lighter, more responsive throttle pedal, the diesel feeling less "connected". This is what you would expect from the VVT system compared to the diesel controling load via fueling.
I do think the steering response of the 318i was much better than that of the 320d and the 316i. How much of this is due to suspension set-up, engine weight or tyre size I can't say.
Gut feeling would be to go for the 318i.
Edit: If there is only a 320d on offer, I could definitely live with it. Some people would prefer the 320d, some the 318i. I don't think the differences are that great to turn down a good deal.
>> Edited by bor on Monday 8th August 11:56
pattyg said:
Been offered an 02 320d for under £11K.
Oxford green, black leather, 70K miles.
Advice on whether I should bite.
Is this car a better option than 318i. Any advice welcome.
They are a good car. Quite a few to choose from though so i would check the price etc and make sure it has the kit you want.
We are selling an 02 330d sport for less than £14k with 80k miles - so it doesn't sound like a complete bargin to me
Caduceus said:
We are selling an 02 330d sport for less than £14k with 80k miles - so it doesn't sound like a complete bargin to me
How much less Rux? I may be in the market for a 330d if the package is right.
Its on autotrader at 13,950 - through Fosse Cars if you are interested
To come back to the steering issue I have found the tyre and suspension choice to make a vast diffeence (as you would expect). I specced my company 320d with the lowered M-suspension and 17" wheels and found the handling to be really exceptional. I've had quite some experience of 18s on E46 chassis but did not find the marginal increase in grip to be worth the increased tramlining or harshness they bring (without mentioning cost!).
And yeah, the throttle response is crap but you learn to drive around it by getting on the power slightly earlier so the torque arrives when you need it.
If I were choosing without the tax implications then I would swap my engine for the 2.5 petrol but certainly not for the 2.0 or 1.8 petrol. I'd consider them a downgrade as I have as much torque as the 330 already and the car is easily capable of 140mph on my many trips to Germany.
Cheers
Marco
And yeah, the throttle response is crap but you learn to drive around it by getting on the power slightly earlier so the torque arrives when you need it.
If I were choosing without the tax implications then I would swap my engine for the 2.5 petrol but certainly not for the 2.0 or 1.8 petrol. I'd consider them a downgrade as I have as much torque as the 330 already and the car is easily capable of 140mph on my many trips to Germany.
Cheers
Marco
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