gumpertapolloss
Member
Hi there fellow fanatics,
Hope you are keeping well on this fine Sunday evening.
Let me start off by saying that if this is posted in the wrong section, could the mods please move it to the correct section please.
As you guys know, I recently added another E46 to my garage and this will be a bit of write-up about the two. Comparing them and giving my honest opinion about each one of them.
I'll start off with the Compact as I've owned it for close to two years now.
325ti -
The compact is a very underrated E46 in my opinion. In the past two years, I've had a lot of hatred towards it but at the same time the purists love it. The front-end has received a lot of critic over the years and I get it..... The LCI headlights from an E46 sedan would have probably been the better option. With that being said, the headlights have grown on me and the fact that my car has the xenon option, does give it a unique look. Next up, we have the rear-end. I've had comments that it looks like a wannabe "superboss" and once again, I get it.... It's not to everyone's taste. I'm also not the biggest fan of the rear-end, but I absolutely adore the bigger rear "wing" on the boot. It gives the car such a sporty look. The last negative I'd like to mention is the interior. The interior mimics the normal E46 sedan, except for the door cards. I have noticed that the door cards feel a bit "cheaper" than a normal E46 does. In my opinion, BMW compromised on this and it could have been designed much better.
With the negatives out of the way, onto the positives. All of the above is forgotten once you drive the compact. The chassis is the exact same as a E46 Sedan, but it gives you a much sportier feeling. The steering feels direct, the shorter diff assists the B25 to rev up nicely and the thicker ARB's makes the car feel like it's on rails. I can confidently say that if I were to take a long high-speed corner, I'd take the Compact over the sedan any day of the week. Driving through corners and sharp bends, the compact entices you with confidence and enables you to push the limits whilst you feel in control all of the time. I know it sounds like I'm overselling the compact, but I've had experiences with numerous E46 sedans and none of them have ever given me the feeling that the compact does.
330i -
Within the SA community, these cars are adored. Especially in individual/m-sport trim. In the looks department, there is really not much to complain about. It's an absolutely stunning car!! My negatives are all going to be related to how the car drives and feels on the road. Let's start with the way the sedan drives. Now, as mentioned, I have driven numerous E46 Sedans and you can notice they are all a bit more comfort orientated. The sedan has the tendency to have a bit more body-roll and all of them have this "floaty" feeling whilst cruising 120km/h+ on the highway. Driving through bends and sharp corners, you can definitely feel that it's a bit of bigger car. Entering a high-speed corner on the freeway, you first have to wait for the body to settle and then it gives the feeling of being "planted". However, this is a minor compromise for what I'm about to say below.
M54B30 is an absolute MASTERPIECE!! Every single morning I cold-start this engine, I have a smile on my face. The way this engine goes about producing linear, smooth power is intoxicating. No doubt, you can feel the added power from the B30 compared to the B25. Hitting that 6500RPM limiter and shifting into the next gear, you immediately have that punch of power shoving you into the seat. I can't rave enough about this masterpiece of an engine. Secondly, the positives of the suspension. The sedan absorbs bumps so much better compared to the compact. You get this feeling that it's a SOLID car on the road. The brakes on the 330i are fantastic. I believe BMW over engineered the vehicle in terms of brakes. Last but not least, I love the way the E46 M-tech 2 is such a timeless design. Driving down the road, you have eyes all over staring at you... I'm no fan of people staring, but there is no denying that there is still a lot of appreciation for this design.
I know they are both 15+-year old cars and they cannot be compared to modern day Beemers, but I appreciate these cars so much and they have dug a deep feeling of love within my heart.
Overall, the 330i is the better daily drive - but on those weekends when I have the desire to open the sunroof and experience a bit more of a sporty feeling, I have the compact to enjoy.
Hope you guys enjoyed my point of view and opinion on these cars. Please feel free to share your opinion and experiences down below.
Some pictures of my beauties:
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Link to album -
I'm busy editing a video I made of these two cars. Will upload it later in the week and then you guys will be able to see the interiors
Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
Hope you are keeping well on this fine Sunday evening.
Let me start off by saying that if this is posted in the wrong section, could the mods please move it to the correct section please.
As you guys know, I recently added another E46 to my garage and this will be a bit of write-up about the two. Comparing them and giving my honest opinion about each one of them.
I'll start off with the Compact as I've owned it for close to two years now.
325ti -
The compact is a very underrated E46 in my opinion. In the past two years, I've had a lot of hatred towards it but at the same time the purists love it. The front-end has received a lot of critic over the years and I get it..... The LCI headlights from an E46 sedan would have probably been the better option. With that being said, the headlights have grown on me and the fact that my car has the xenon option, does give it a unique look. Next up, we have the rear-end. I've had comments that it looks like a wannabe "superboss" and once again, I get it.... It's not to everyone's taste. I'm also not the biggest fan of the rear-end, but I absolutely adore the bigger rear "wing" on the boot. It gives the car such a sporty look. The last negative I'd like to mention is the interior. The interior mimics the normal E46 sedan, except for the door cards. I have noticed that the door cards feel a bit "cheaper" than a normal E46 does. In my opinion, BMW compromised on this and it could have been designed much better.
With the negatives out of the way, onto the positives. All of the above is forgotten once you drive the compact. The chassis is the exact same as a E46 Sedan, but it gives you a much sportier feeling. The steering feels direct, the shorter diff assists the B25 to rev up nicely and the thicker ARB's makes the car feel like it's on rails. I can confidently say that if I were to take a long high-speed corner, I'd take the Compact over the sedan any day of the week. Driving through corners and sharp bends, the compact entices you with confidence and enables you to push the limits whilst you feel in control all of the time. I know it sounds like I'm overselling the compact, but I've had experiences with numerous E46 sedans and none of them have ever given me the feeling that the compact does.
330i -
Within the SA community, these cars are adored. Especially in individual/m-sport trim. In the looks department, there is really not much to complain about. It's an absolutely stunning car!! My negatives are all going to be related to how the car drives and feels on the road. Let's start with the way the sedan drives. Now, as mentioned, I have driven numerous E46 Sedans and you can notice they are all a bit more comfort orientated. The sedan has the tendency to have a bit more body-roll and all of them have this "floaty" feeling whilst cruising 120km/h+ on the highway. Driving through bends and sharp corners, you can definitely feel that it's a bit of bigger car. Entering a high-speed corner on the freeway, you first have to wait for the body to settle and then it gives the feeling of being "planted". However, this is a minor compromise for what I'm about to say below.
M54B30 is an absolute MASTERPIECE!! Every single morning I cold-start this engine, I have a smile on my face. The way this engine goes about producing linear, smooth power is intoxicating. No doubt, you can feel the added power from the B30 compared to the B25. Hitting that 6500RPM limiter and shifting into the next gear, you immediately have that punch of power shoving you into the seat. I can't rave enough about this masterpiece of an engine. Secondly, the positives of the suspension. The sedan absorbs bumps so much better compared to the compact. You get this feeling that it's a SOLID car on the road. The brakes on the 330i are fantastic. I believe BMW over engineered the vehicle in terms of brakes. Last but not least, I love the way the E46 M-tech 2 is such a timeless design. Driving down the road, you have eyes all over staring at you... I'm no fan of people staring, but there is no denying that there is still a lot of appreciation for this design.
I know they are both 15+-year old cars and they cannot be compared to modern day Beemers, but I appreciate these cars so much and they have dug a deep feeling of love within my heart.
Overall, the 330i is the better daily drive - but on those weekends when I have the desire to open the sunroof and experience a bit more of a sporty feeling, I have the compact to enjoy.
Hope you guys enjoyed my point of view and opinion on these cars. Please feel free to share your opinion and experiences down below.
Some pictures of my beauties:
[size=medium]
[size=medium][size=medium]
[size=medium][size=medium]
[size=medium][size=medium]
[size=medium][size=medium]
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[size=medium][size=medium][size=medium][size=medium][size=medium]
[size=medium][size=medium][size=medium][size=medium][size=medium]The[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size]
Link to album -
I'm busy editing a video I made of these two cars. Will upload it later in the week and then you guys will be able to see the interiors
Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
