Jakz
Active member
Hey guys, I feel like I want to do a quick write up on my new 2008 BMW e90 320i, since the car is usually frowned upon by BMW lovers due to its “uninspired” and “slow” engine. Long story short I was in the market for a car and was looking for a 320d E90 or an E87 120d, when a friend called and said he found an excellent condition 2008 320i Exclusive 6 speed manual. I reluctantly agreed to test drive the car. It drove incredibly smooth and for the price, low Km’s (140 000km) and full BMW service history, I couldn’t resist.
The Drive:
First and foremost, yes, it is slow for a BMW. I have driven quite a few BMW’s including an E90 320d, F30 320D and 320i, E90 330d, 220d coupe. Keeping those cars in mind, the acceleration, especially from standstill is well, slow. The car handles excellently and does make up for straight line speed by adding cornering speed. The manual box is typical BMW and super smooth, it really is a great pleasure to work the box. On the highway it is quiet, refined and smooth and cruising in 6th at 110km/h returns 6L/100km. In town, the power kicks in surprisingly low despite what figures would suggest and returns around 8-9L/100km. The exhaust is surprisingly nice sounding and sounds even better with the decat. Hooning ever so slightly is also great fun. The only complaint is the noise from the runflats. Economy total so far is 7.7L/100km 50/50 city and highway split.
The Looks:
I love it. It’s understated and discreet. It looks quite sporty, but would never imply it to be faster than what it is. The interior is beautiful with the leather black, I would have loved the “wood”, but the plastic works well with the car.
The verdict is, while it is a tad bit slow, I do enjoy the car and appreciate it for what it is. The next will be an F30 320i of E90 330i, but for a year or two, this works well. I will report back in 6 months with reliability updates.
The Drive:
First and foremost, yes, it is slow for a BMW. I have driven quite a few BMW’s including an E90 320d, F30 320D and 320i, E90 330d, 220d coupe. Keeping those cars in mind, the acceleration, especially from standstill is well, slow. The car handles excellently and does make up for straight line speed by adding cornering speed. The manual box is typical BMW and super smooth, it really is a great pleasure to work the box. On the highway it is quiet, refined and smooth and cruising in 6th at 110km/h returns 6L/100km. In town, the power kicks in surprisingly low despite what figures would suggest and returns around 8-9L/100km. The exhaust is surprisingly nice sounding and sounds even better with the decat. Hooning ever so slightly is also great fun. The only complaint is the noise from the runflats. Economy total so far is 7.7L/100km 50/50 city and highway split.
The Looks:
I love it. It’s understated and discreet. It looks quite sporty, but would never imply it to be faster than what it is. The interior is beautiful with the leather black, I would have loved the “wood”, but the plastic works well with the car.
The verdict is, while it is a tad bit slow, I do enjoy the car and appreciate it for what it is. The next will be an F30 320i of E90 330i, but for a year or two, this works well. I will report back in 6 months with reliability updates.
