E46 v E91 330i/330d touring which is better for a daily?
Discussion
Apologies if the topic has been covered before, but I like hearing recent experiences and opinions.
So I am looking at getting a new daily and have been interested in getting an estate for some time, I have grown fond of BMWs and previously owned a 125i which was lost on me living in London and regret not getting to enjoy it me, however I will be moving out of London by end of year. Currently own a R56 Mini Cooper S and it's an absolute blast to drive.
I have been doing some research into what estates and I don't have a large budget, it needs to be a good daily lots of space and fun to drive of course. I have come across the 330i and 330d respectively across both the E46 and E91 generations, and I am interested to know what people's experiences are with owning any of the engine variant of the generations mentioned above. What are the pros and cons, differences between the two generations, how how does fuel economy stack up, manual v auto, etc.
Any and all advice is appreciated!
So I am looking at getting a new daily and have been interested in getting an estate for some time, I have grown fond of BMWs and previously owned a 125i which was lost on me living in London and regret not getting to enjoy it me, however I will be moving out of London by end of year. Currently own a R56 Mini Cooper S and it's an absolute blast to drive.
I have been doing some research into what estates and I don't have a large budget, it needs to be a good daily lots of space and fun to drive of course. I have come across the 330i and 330d respectively across both the E46 and E91 generations, and I am interested to know what people's experiences are with owning any of the engine variant of the generations mentioned above. What are the pros and cons, differences between the two generations, how how does fuel economy stack up, manual v auto, etc.
Any and all advice is appreciated!
Presume when youre moving out of london, youre never going back? Cos a 330d of that gen will shaft you for ulez every day, not sure a 330i will.
Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
brillomaster said:
Also, id definitely go e9x gen. Just a more modern interior, still looks nice, the e46 gen is getting somewhat dated inside now. Oh and bmw rusty wheelarches are practically guaranteed on an e46!
And the E9x by the looks of lots of them round here.Imho the E46 is a better daily if you fit a bluetooth stereo - less computer bulls
t getting in your hair, simple cars to run.I've had both a 2006 E90 330d auto and a 2006 E90 330i auto. For me as a daily I'd go for the 330d all day everyday. The engine in the 330i(N52) is lovely don't get me wrong, but for me it really feels the weight of the car though, plus I only got 26mpg out of mine overall which is poor for the performance it offers I think.
The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
I'd go for the E9x, simply because significant rust seems much less inevitable. My E90 330i is 13 years old (had it 5 years) and you have to get underneath it to see any obvious rust; by the time my E46 330d was 13 years old (and I'd had it 4 years), I'd already had to give up trying to fight it. No alarming mechanical-/structural-sounding noises from the E90 too... the materials feel a bit cheap in places, but I think it's actually generally well screwed together. The E46 on the other hand was the exact opposite.
The E91 330i sold poorly, so you might not see many, but, if you can, avoid the later ones with the N53 engine, something you can spot from the lower VED (it's in the 178 g/km band) and slightly higher bhp (~270). This engine's usual faults are expensive to fix, and the injectors (the most common source of problems) are expensive, currently hard to come by, and usually need replacing several at a time.
The LCI models also have electric power steering, not to all tastes. I've got this on mine, and I've got used to it, but it's sometimes hard to feel the car's opinion of what you're asking. The light steering is nicer when just driving around town or whatever, or driving in a straight line on the motorway, but not massively so. I think overall I preferred the nice heavy-feeling steering that my E46 had, which hit a much better spot in terms of balancing degree of feedback vs ease of turning the wheel.
(I've never driven a pre-LCI E90. I assume they'd be much more like the E46? But it's possible they wouldn't be as different as I imagine.)
The E91 330i sold poorly, so you might not see many, but, if you can, avoid the later ones with the N53 engine, something you can spot from the lower VED (it's in the 178 g/km band) and slightly higher bhp (~270). This engine's usual faults are expensive to fix, and the injectors (the most common source of problems) are expensive, currently hard to come by, and usually need replacing several at a time.
The LCI models also have electric power steering, not to all tastes. I've got this on mine, and I've got used to it, but it's sometimes hard to feel the car's opinion of what you're asking. The light steering is nicer when just driving around town or whatever, or driving in a straight line on the motorway, but not massively so. I think overall I preferred the nice heavy-feeling steering that my E46 had, which hit a much better spot in terms of balancing degree of feedback vs ease of turning the wheel.
(I've never driven a pre-LCI E90. I assume they'd be much more like the E46? But it's possible they wouldn't be as different as I imagine.)
brillomaster said:
Presume when youre moving out of london, youre never going back? Cos a 330d of that gen will shaft you for ulez every day, not sure a 330i will.
Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
That's right I'm not coming back to London. The current areas I'm looking at moving with my partner are South Wales, Sheffield and Carlisle. The type of driving I'm expecting us to me doing is alot of probably combined driving small villages, occasional town driving but mostly country roads.Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
If you don't mind me asking, out of the E46 330i and the e90 330d which one do you prefer?
CEB011 said:
brillomaster said:
Presume when youre moving out of london, youre never going back? Cos a 330d of that gen will shaft you for ulez every day, not sure a 330i will.
Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
That's right I'm not coming back to London. The current areas I'm looking at moving with my partner are South Wales, Sheffield and Carlisle. The type of driving I'm expecting us to me doing is alot of probably combined driving small villages, occasional town driving but mostly country roads.Ive had both an e46 330ci and now an e90 330d. Both the m54 and m57 engines are excellent, and pretty much bulletproof. Less so the later engines.
My 330d does 38ish mpg.. not brilliant, but does have 280bhp with a remap.
Manual or auto are both fine... usage determines which is more suitable. Manual for cross country driving, auto for stop start traffic or town driving.
If you don't mind me asking, out of the E46 330i and the e90 330d which one do you prefer?
brillomaster said:
Also, id definitely go e9x gen. Just a more modern interior, still looks nice, the e46 gen is getting somewhat dated inside now. Oh and bmw rusty wheelarches are practically guaranteed on an e46!
The 125i has a similarly interior I believe and I think it is fairly modern still today. But I do like the simplicity of the E46. Indeed I have heard how bad the rust gets on E46s Krikkit said:
brillomaster said:
Also, id definitely go e9x gen. Just a more modern interior, still looks nice, the e46 gen is getting somewhat dated inside now. Oh and bmw rusty wheelarches are practically guaranteed on an e46!
And the E9x by the looks of lots of them round here.Imho the E46 is a better daily if you fit a bluetooth stereo - less computer bulls
t getting in your hair, simple cars to run.cerb4.5lee said:
I've had both a 2006 E90 330d auto and a 2006 E90 330i auto. For me as a daily I'd go for the 330d all day everyday. The engine in the 330i(N52) is lovely don't get me wrong, but for me it really feels the weight of the car though, plus I only got 26mpg out of mine overall which is poor for the performance it offers I think.
The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
I appreciate this, its very helpful info. How is the like maintenance and living cost, how often you filling up the 330d?The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
to3m said:
I'd go for the E9x, simply because significant rust seems much less inevitable. My E90 330i is 13 years old (had it 5 years) and you have to get underneath it to see any obvious rust; by the time my E46 330d was 13 years old (and I'd had it 4 years), I'd already had to give up trying to fight it. No alarming mechanical-/structural-sounding noises from the E90 too... the materials feel a bit cheap in places, but I think it's actually generally well screwed together. The E46 on the other hand was the exact opposite.
The E91 330i sold poorly, so you might not see many, but, if you can, avoid the later ones with the N53 engine, something you can spot from the lower VED (it's in the 178 g/km band) and slightly higher bhp (~270). This engine's usual faults are expensive to fix, and the injectors (the most common source of problems) are expensive, currently hard to come by, and usually need replacing several at a time.
The LCI models also have electric power steering, not to all tastes. I've got this on mine, and I've got used to it, but it's sometimes hard to feel the car's opinion of what you're asking. The light steering is nicer when just driving around town or whatever, or driving in a straight line on the motorway, but not massively so. I think overall I preferred the nice heavy-feeling steering that my E46 had, which hit a much better spot in terms of balancing degree of feedback vs ease of turning the wheel.
(I've never driven a pre-LCI E90. I assume they'd be much more like the E46? But it's possible they wouldn't be as different as I imagine.)
Love this very indepth and honest thank you 🙏 The E91 330i sold poorly, so you might not see many, but, if you can, avoid the later ones with the N53 engine, something you can spot from the lower VED (it's in the 178 g/km band) and slightly higher bhp (~270). This engine's usual faults are expensive to fix, and the injectors (the most common source of problems) are expensive, currently hard to come by, and usually need replacing several at a time.
The LCI models also have electric power steering, not to all tastes. I've got this on mine, and I've got used to it, but it's sometimes hard to feel the car's opinion of what you're asking. The light steering is nicer when just driving around town or whatever, or driving in a straight line on the motorway, but not massively so. I think overall I preferred the nice heavy-feeling steering that my E46 had, which hit a much better spot in terms of balancing degree of feedback vs ease of turning the wheel.
(I've never driven a pre-LCI E90. I assume they'd be much more like the E46? But it's possible they wouldn't be as different as I imagine.)
CEB011 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I've had both a 2006 E90 330d auto and a 2006 E90 330i auto. For me as a daily I'd go for the 330d all day everyday. The engine in the 330i(N52) is lovely don't get me wrong, but for me it really feels the weight of the car though, plus I only got 26mpg out of mine overall which is poor for the performance it offers I think.
The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
I appreciate this, its very helpful info. How is the like maintenance and living cost, how often you filling up the 330d?The 330d on the other hand helps to hide the weight of the car because of the torque it has, plus I got early 40's mpg wise out of it as well. I just personally prefer the on tap punch of the diesel, rather than having to rag the backside off the petrol to get the performance in a daily driver.
I guess that now the cars are that bit older, there is more to go wrong with the 330d engine wise because of the turbo etc in comparison to the 330i though.
It sounds like you should be looking for the best E91 330d you can find, now I'm a bit bias but the C320cdi Estate should get a look in too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...
ZX10R NIN said:
It sounds like you should be looking for the best E91 330d you can find, now I'm a bit bias but the C320cdi Estate should get a look in too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...
I sadly don't have the budget to get the best one I can find. I have a rather slim picking budget and just have to be hopeful with what I get. I have been looking at other estates, personally I don't really like the look of that merc. My partner is an Audi girl so I'm sure it will be a push between Audi and BMW I but feel value for money with the BMWs is impressive. I also very much like the interior and exterior of both generations.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...
CEB011 said:
I sadly don't have the budget to get the best one I can find. I have a rather slim picking budget and just have to be hopeful with what I get. I have been looking at other estates, personally I don't really like the look of that merc. My partner is an Audi girl so I'm sure it will be a push between Audi and BMW I but feel value for money with the BMWs is impressive. I also very much like the interior and exterior of both generations.
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