Where would you go next...

James Bond Junior

I had a previous model S5 last year in Philadelphia and I just couldn't warm to it compared to the 340i I rented in New York a few months previously. Sounded great but just didn't like it.

bazz26

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I had a previous model S5 last year in Philadelphia and I just couldn't warm to it compared to the 340i I rented in New York a few months previously. Sounded great but just didn't like it.

What did you make of the 340i Mr Bond, especially the B58 engine?

I'm split between renting the 440i over the X3 M40i through BMW First Experience this summer. The heart is saying the 440i would be a more entertaining car to drive while the head is saying the X3 M40i would be more comfortable on Irish roads. That and I'm not really into SUVs or crossovers.

James Bond Junior

bazz26 wrote: »

What did you make of the 340i Mr Bond, especially the B58 engine?

I'm split between renting the 440i over the X3 M40i through BMW First Experience this summer. The heart is saying the 440i would be a more entertaining car to drive while the head is saying the X3 M40i would be more comfortable on Irish roads. That and I'm not really into SUVs or crossovers.

It was on American roads so hard to properly gauge but I loved. The acceleration and noise was hypnotic!

carsfan2

vintagevrs wrote: »

How do you find the 5 wagon carsfan? I'll be going for another touring in a few years I'd imagine and think with the way 3 prices are going the 5 is the one to have.

5 touring is a great all rounder.
Very comfortable and loads of toys in mine. I think digiman on here has a similar example. It’s as quick covering ground as my previous cars as in spite of not being as powerful, the chassis and suspension give a lot of confidence and it is so refined compared to a 3 series you find you are traveling faster than you knew.
The boot is massive too and when I’ve needed to transport big items you put the seats down very easily and it’s like a small van.

Voodoomelon

Let me preface this by saying I don't blindly dislike diesels, they certainly have their place and if I was doing the miles, a decent six cylinder diesel would do me.

But I drove a 161 520d M-Sport the other day for 10 minutes, I was genuinely surprised by how unrefined it was. I remember driving a 2007ish E60 520d before and thought things would have moved on with the F10, but whilst the interior and fit and finish was very impressive, that engine is so gruff there's no way I could live with it. The noise of the engine in the cabin also surprised me, far louder than i'd be willing to put up with. Power wasn't half bad, more than adequate but it still irks me that so many people drive them who don't need to, when a petrol would be the nicer engine all day long. Obviously there's differences in purchasing and running costs, but it would make a nice car into a great car.

I also popped the bonnet, wow is that a neatly packaged engine, i'd say two lads could lift it out by hand! How does the G30 compare? Sound insulation is supposedly much better.

shooter69

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Let me preface this by saying I don't blindly dislike diesels, they certainly have their place and if I was doing the miles, a decent six cylinder diesel would do me.

But I drove a 161 520d M-Sport the other day for 10 minutes, I was genuinely surprised by how unrefined it was. I remember driving a 2007ish E60 520d before and thought things would have moved on with the F10, but whilst the interior and fit and finish was very impressive, that engine is so gruff there's no way I could live with it. The noise of the engine in the cabin also surprised me, far louder than i'd be willing to put up with. Power wasn't half bad, more than adequate but it still irks me that so many people drive them who don't need to, when a petrol would be the nicer engine all day long. Obviously there's differences in purchasing and running costs, but it would make a nice car into a great car.

I also popped the bonnet, wow is that a neatly packaged engine, i'd say two lads could lift it out by hand! How does the G30 compare? Sound insulation is supposedly much better.

The Mrs has a G30 m sport , it’s a nice bus and it’s quite quiet for a diesel , she had a diesel 2.0 diesel A5 before and the G30 is markedly quieter. Having said that it’s been back to BMW 3 times for software updates with random engine lights coming in including “oil level over maximum “ ( oil hadnt been touched) and some brake warnings . Also the brake pads must be made out of porridge as it has 25,000 km on the clock (we bought it second hand with 7k) and it needs front pads - it’s not driven hard either.
I have heard through a mechanic friend that there have been quite a few issues (computer related) with the g30 which is to be expected I suppose with a new variant . On the whole it’s a nice place to be though ...

mickdw

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Let me preface this by saying I don't blindly dislike diesels, they certainly have their place and if I was doing the miles, a decent six cylinder diesel would do me.

But I drove a 161 520d M-Sport the other day for 10 minutes, I was genuinely surprised by how unrefined it was. I remember driving a 2007ish E60 520d before and thought things would have moved on with the F10, but whilst the interior and fit and finish was very impressive, that engine is so gruff there's no way I could live with it. The noise of the engine in the cabin also surprised me, far louder than i'd be willing to put up with. Power wasn't half bad, more than adequate but it still irks me that so many people drive them who don't need to, when a petrol would be the nicer engine all day long. Obviously there's differences in purchasing and running costs, but it would make a nice car into a great car.

I also popped the bonnet, wow is that a neatly packaged engine, i'd say two lads could lift it out by hand! How does the G30 compare? Sound insulation is supposedly much better.

4 cylinder diesel is only ever going to be so good so no surprise really that you didn't like it.

Voodoomelon

Maybe i'm stating the obvious, but many would consider a 520d as "all the car anyone could ever need" when in fact its almost agricultural in it's operation and 95% of 5 series in this country are in 520d guise. I'd love a spin in a G30 520d to compare.

Voodoomelon

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Maybe i'm stating the obvious, but many would consider a 520d as "all the car anyone could ever need" when in fact its almost agricultural in it's operation and 95% of 5 series in this country are in 520d guise. I'd love a spin in a G30 520d to compare.

I think you're going a tad OTT TBH.
A 520d is all the car most would ever need.....spacious, swift enough, comfortable and reasonable mpg. Expensive all in costs though as new they are a fair whack..... 15k+ over a passat or mondeo which again would be all most folk need + some.

Yeah....as said....it's a 4 cyl diesel.....inherently unrefined. You won't find many refined 4 cyl petrols to be fair if you are actually looking for refinement.

Most folk simply don't care about diesel rattle.

JoeA3

There’s also the fact that diesel had been pretty much the only realistic option for a 5 series buyer until very recently... the G30 is offering a petrol 530i (still a 4 cyl though) and the hybrid 530e. There was no realistic alternative to the 520d in the F10. A larger engined petrol BMW without an M badge was (and maybe still is) financial suicide. Did BMW Ireland even offer petrol alternatives in the F10 days?

mickdw

JoeA3 wrote: »

There’s also the fact that diesel had been pretty much the only realistic option for a 5 series buyer until very recently... the G30 is offering a petrol 530i (still a 4 cyl though) and the hybrid 530e. There was no realistic alternative to the 520d in the F10. A larger engined petrol BMW without an M badge was (and maybe still is) financial suicide. Did BMW Ireland even offer petrol alternatives in the F10 days?

Ya diesel was only real option however 530d is a much more suitable engine.

vintagevrs

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Maybe i'm stating the obvious, but many would consider a 520d as "all the car anyone could ever need" when in fact its almost agricultural in it's operation and 95% of 5 series in this country are in 520d guise. I'd love a spin in a G30 520d to compare.

It can be both to most people, all the car they ever need and still have a tractor engine. The premium paid to run a 6+ cylinder petrol makes that rattle very bearable I would think. Increases in purchase price, tax, insurance depreciation are all there when moving up the engine sizes and over to petrol.

I currently have a 3.0d in my 3 series and sometimes think the 4 pot would probably serve me just as well.

MarkN

shooter69 wrote: »

random engine lights coming in including “oil level over maximum “ ( oil hadnt been touched)

That can happen in diesels if short journeys are common (don't know your situation) but it happened to a 635d I had where I only did short journeys and water rises in the oil mix.

carsfan2 wrote: »

Now that you are driving a wide variety of cars Mark do you find much difference in driving experience?
Are we paying for the badge now more than ever?

Ah you do still get what you pay for but it has opened my eyes to how cars are jumping ahead in terms of standard tech very quickly. The Qashqai really lags behind some of the newer offerings but to be fair it's now a 5 year old model. Kia have really impressed me for what they offer. Audi still make the nicest interiors. Driving petrols has reminded me how much more fun they are to wind up. The gap between VW and Skoda has never been closer.

Alfa Stelvio was nice for visual pleasure, new A6 is a lovely bus, surprisingly few of them on the roads actually. I'm very open minded and haven't found it difficult to take the badge blinkers off, it's been very easy to judge a car based on who it is actually aimed at.

JoeA3

mickdw wrote: »

Ya diesel was only real option however 530d is a much more suitable engine.

Yeah, the more discerning car nuts amongst us will feel that way, but we are a tiny minority. Most punters shelling out their hard earned will perceive the 520d to be more than up to the job, to put it mildly.

Voodoomelon

Augeo wrote: »

I think you're going a tad OTT TBH.
A 520d is all the car most would ever need.....spacious, swift enough, comfortable and reasonable mpg. Expensive all in costs though as new they are a fair whack..... 15k+ over a passat or mondeo which again would be all most folk need + some.

Yeah....as said....it's a 4 cyl diesel.....inherently unrefined. You won't find many refined 4 cyl petrols to be fair if you are actually looking for refinement.

Most folk simply don't care about diesel rattle.

Maybe I worded it wrong, like I mentioned, lovely interior, a great place to be. Great exterior and one of the best transmissions ever made. All let down by an engine that doesn't match the premium feel of everything else, I think I would have felt very short changed back in 2016 if I bought that new.

Idbatterim

“I currently have a 3.0d in my 3 series and sometimes think the 4 pot would probably serve me just as well”

With emissions difference in motor tax probably a pittance. Likewise with difference in fuel costs ...

GustavoFring

Idbatterim wrote: »

“I currently have a 3.0d in my 3 series and sometimes think the 4 pot would probably serve me just as well”

With emissions difference in motor tax probably a pittance. Likewise with difference in fuel costs ...

There's a 520d and 330d in this house, think the 520 is 200 notes, the 330 280.

Fuel economy difference is genuinely miniscule. The 5er does twice the commute and the long term showing on both is pretty much the same.

Only noticable difference is one takes twice the amount of oil.

Idbatterim

GustavoFring wrote: »

There's a 520d and 330d in this house, think the 520 is 200 notes, the 330 280.

Fuel economy difference is genuinely miniscule. The 5er does twice the commute and the long term showing on both is pretty much the same.

Only noticable difference is one takes twice the amount of oil.

Yeah on emissions the engine size with diesel pretty much doesn’t matter. It’s not like on old cc system 710 v 1500. That is a big enough gap, now, the bigger engines become far more attractive in my opinion ...

Wildly Boaring

Had a 330d and a 520d in a row.

3.0 far superior for refinement

Economy 330d averaged 40mpg
520d averaged 45mpg
So what 10% worse.
Couple hundred a year

Insurance the same.

Ah aside but mattered to me 3.0 some car to tow a trailer. Like it wasnt there.

vintagevrs

I wasn't talking about costs, just that the 2L is perfectly good at what it does.

Wildly Boaring

vintagevrs wrote: »

I wasn't talking about costs, just that the 2L is perfectly good at what it does.

Yes the 2.0 gets you there and at a reasonable rate.

3.0 is just nicer particularly if auto.
Never shy of grunt during an overtake.
I actually got caught out once in the 520.

2 0 suffers pretty badly from turbo lag too.

50% larger engine is superior...... wow :pac:

vintagevrs

I heard an ad on the radio today pushing the 1L Superb.

I drove a 1.0l mondeo in Germany maybe 2 years ago. Was grand..... dunno how they age but it was well able to go.

More sprightly than older 1.8 petrol mondeo I've driven

carsfan2

Since 2013 I’ve had f31 330d,f11 520d, Golf GTI, 330e and now g31 520d. I don’t want to add up the depreciation on that lot!
The bigger more powerful engines get you up to speed more quickly and smoothly but cruising there is nothing in it. In fact the reason I got rid of the 330d was that it was a one trick pony for me. It lacked refinement and comfort compared to the 5 series I traded it in for, and the superior acceleration was little compensation after a few months.
When I change last year to my current car I actually intended to buy a g30 530d they had in stock but after test drives of 520d g30/31 as well I knew it would be a waste for me to spend the extra on the 530d. There was 6k more to buy a slightly older 530d and The car enthusiast in me wanted to go with it but experience told me I didn’t need it. That said if they were the same price I would have gone for the six cylinder. The sales guy told me and I knew from bitter experience that when you trade back in a 30d they still only give you very slightly more than 20d money.
The g series 520d is very refined and so insulated that it is overall quieter than my petrol 330e on a cruise and way more than the Golf GTI. It is really only under hard acceleration when cold that it irks a little.
One other thing I have noticed over the years is how motorways have become great levelers when it comes to cars and the power they put out and how they can make any advantage more powerful cars have redundant.
The fastest cars on the motorways are delivery vans, trades men, old golfs and Passats not powerful big engined machines. You may get up to speed quicker but low powered cars will cruise past you at 150/160 kph quite comfortably on the motorway.
This is my justification for being quite happy for now in a 520d.
That said I reckon I’ll go back for a more powerful substitute at some stage.

bazz26

I had a 520d and now have a 530d, both F10s. The 530d is definitely superior in terms of power, refinement and smoothness (in diesel terms). However for the majority of owners the 520d will more than satisfy their needs and wants. Yes it clatters but most 4 cylinder diesels do too, it will still return decent mpg and performance for the average driver. And it's not just an Irish thing but across Europe the majority of F10 diesels sold were the 520d. There was a hefty price difference going from the 520d to the 530d or 535d, upwards of 10k in most markets so you can see why the 520d was more popular.

bazz26

New M340i:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe87GWfucMY

carsfan2

That looks great bazz although the grille has a hint on merc c class amg to me.

I see the new 330d is up on the configurator and is only a 5k walk up from the 320d which is much less than was before and a lot more palatable and I bet on pcp is negligible enough difference.

bazz26

BMW seem to be having a boner at the moment for extravagant grills, look at size of the fecking things on the new X7 and LCI 7 Series. I reckon the LCI 5 Series will get similar treatment.

On a side note, not sure the price increase for the new 3 Series is still justified but it is certainly moved the game on over the old model in terms of tech, quality and refinement. The G20 feels more like a scaled down 5 Series now rather than just a pumped up 1 Series. Hopefully with such a narrow price gap between the 320d and 330d now we will see a few more of the 330d on the roads. The M340i will probably set you back at least 70k I'd guess so they will continue to be rare on these shores.

Casati

Any pricing of the new 330e yet? Surely if this comes in cheaper than the 320d like the old one, after grants it would be a top choice and make the 330i redundant in Ireland?