Opinion : F30 4 Pot Turbos VS N/A IL6s

[moranor@axis]

the strait 6 is what makes bmw special... hopefully they find a way to beat emissions and fuel consumption with retaining the 6 in the future :rollsmile:

when i bought my e46 my one and only stipulations was it had to be a 6 cyl because that is what bmw does best... given the choice between one of the new 4s and an older 6 i would choose the 6 every time because is more special...

 

[///Shaun]

Having owned every 3 series from E30 to the current F30. I can safely say the F30 is years ahead and as progressed into a beautiful art of work.

I have other 3 series that I currently own that fall into the category of performance but when I jump into the F30 320i mated with the 8speed box , it gives me a different feel of a drive , its not 335i/M3 fast nor is it slower than a E36 325i. Its a well balanced car. It has the perfect combination of speed vs style vs elegance vs family vs practicality.

I initially started the order with wanting a F30 335i and a F30 328i. The salesman insisted i drive the 320i for a week and get back to him. For the week that I had the car I must admit it really grew on me more and more hence the decision to settle on the F30 320i and keep my current cars. The car is really well balanced and gets very decent fuel mileage. Once into Sport mode its quick , quick enough to get to some decent speeds.

Its not meant to be a race car or a car for dicing robot to robot etc although it will surprise lots of person. I have tested against a few competitors and was quiet surprised at the outcomes. In sport mode it sounds pretty decent/racer type , the way a turbo car should.

The car is mated with a twin-scroll turbocharger unit meaning its a single turbo but with the ability to deliver torque from low down hence no turbo lag. Its always ready to go no matter the situation.

Nice article here that explains this :

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bmw-twinpower-turbo-engines-explained-50443.html

Please watch the videos. They test drive the BMW 3 cylinder and you will be able to hear how that sounds. The 4 cylinder sounds more meaty.

I would certainly say give the F30 some consideration. Sit in the car and you will feel the class built into it. It does not have that plastic feel like the competitors IMO.

The above statements and opinion is based on a F30 MSPORT 320i with 8speed box.

The F30 320i is not this and was never meant to be :

:thumbs:

 

[Dr Evil]

the strait 6 is what makes bmw special... hopefully they find a way to beat emissions and fuel consumption with retaining the 6 in the future :rollsmile:

when i bought my e46 my one and only stipulations was it had to be a 6 cyl because that is what bmw does best... given the choice between one of the new 4s and an older 6 i would choose the 6 every time because is more special...

i agree with what you said, when i bought my e46 i had the same thing in mind... it has to be a 6

Sent from my HTC One X using my finger

 

[Fordkoppie]

Ag just get a 316 and upgrade to OEM F10 M5 sound/speaker system, and bang......
You instantly have yourself a roaring V8.

 

[Vikash]

Ag just get a 316 and upgrade to OEM F10 M5 sound/speaker system, and bang......
You instantly have yourself a roaring V8.

:biglol:

 

[SP33DYV]

Ag just get a 316 and upgrade to OEM F10 M5 sound/speaker system, and bang......
You instantly have yourself a roaring V8.

:biglol::roflol:

 

[monster]

I have to agree that the f30 is a very nice looking car and the performance is fantastic. talking about the 328i now.

How ever at R500 000 give or take, hau miessies, thats a lot of dough for a car. My first house didn't even cost that much.

 

[M3KW]

You will def miss the sound of the I6, however, getting greater power out of an engine with 2 cylinders less is nothing short of amazing. Price is another issue but it makes a good DD.

 

[Sankekur]

You will def miss the sound of the I6, however, getting greater power out of an engine with 2 cylinders less is nothing short of amazing. Price is another issue but it makes a good DD.

I don't know......BMW used to be able to get up to 1250HP out of the 1.5l turbo engines in the old F1 cars in the 80's, that I think is impressive.....

 

[M3KW]

You will def miss the sound of the I6, however, getting greater power out of an engine with 2 cylinders less is nothing short of amazing. Price is another issue but it makes a good DD.

I don't know......BMW used to be able to get up to 1250HP out of the 1.5l turbo engines in the old F1 cars in the 80's, that I think is impressive.....

That is very impressive. Perhaps I should reword, the power you get from this engine coupled with the fuel economy is very good.

 

[bmwforlife]

Have driven a F30 320d and 328i and currently have a F30 335 after having my arse handed
to me on a recent run with BMW fanatics by 130i manual ,suffice to say that the F 30 is an awe inspiring car in mpack
Guise I certainly cannot comment on the other lines.

Still prefer an inline 6 though

 

[Iceman007]

Test drove a F30 328i a while back, and it is a very good car (I went in not wanting to like it)....saying it is rubbish compared to my 330i would be a lie.

The motor coupled with the sublime auto box works well together, the torque delivery throughout the entire rev range even up to the top end really makes it feel like it isn't even turbo-charged, the steering even though electric is well weighted and biased and you could almost be fooled into thinking it is proper steering (almost)
I am almost certain that it will kick dust in the 330i's eyes performance wise and will return much better consumption figures.

I will say it again the F30 328i is a good car........but......and this is a big but (and I cannot lie) The one I test drove was priced at just a tad over half a million rand.........it is good, but is it half a million good.......it would have to be a little bit less than 5 times better than my 330i........and I cannot say that is was. Paying that kind of money for a car with a four banger just feels ridiculous to me.

I got into my 330i afterwards......and I listened to the I6 howl and I didn't care if it was old or old fashioned, or that it is thirstier or slower....I just smiled.

:bravo:

I agree

 

[ASH]

Thanks for the comments guys, my greatest fear below:-

I drive alot of Audi's and can compare them to the BMWs I have driven i.e 4cylinder turbo power (petrol & diesel) vs straight 6 power, to me, with a smaller lighter engine, the car looses that solid, meaty chunky feel, which a bigger capacity engine car will have. I fear that when I jump into test drive a new turbo'ed BMW, it's going to feel like an Audi, as there wouldnt be that smooth turbine like howl from the car or that chunky meaty feel from the car. This is the biggest difference between Audi, Merc & BMW, in my opinion, on the move the older inline 6 BMWs always feel solid and planted, something which Audi and Merc will never ever get right. I understand making a car lighter makes it more faster, fuel efficient etc etc, but it will also lose ride composure and the weighty feel when cornering. I'm going to dread the day I take a corner in a turbo'ed BMW, and the torque isnt there on exit, which does happen on some Audi turbo models, which is inherent sometimes on turbo cars. I mean midcorner with a straight six, you can play with the throttle, balance the car, etc, with a turbo car sometimes in mid corner situations the boost is not there, but with a six the torque is always there.

There just something about the BMW feel you get when you drive an in-line six, its hard to explain, but I guess that will be lost as there is no longer a N/A in-line six motor option in the range.

Do they even understand what the customers love/want about BMW? It would be cool if BMW could offer some straight six n/a engine options, I'm sure there are alot of BMW fans who would go for the option, even though not the fastest or most fuel efficient option...............

 

[tinovittee]

Ash I get your concern... I think BMW gets it too... are you forgetting about the turbo'd IL6 engines? the x35i's coupled to the DCT box will settle all your fears and concerns... torque is pretty much always there (in bucket loads) and the 1's I've been in/driven are planted and handle like a BMW should.

The sound is however not the same as the NA 6's... (we won't mention those synthesizers! :fencelook but the turbo'd 6's have a crazy sound of their own!

 

[///Shaun]

Move with the times people. If it aint Turbo all it is , is a nice sound.

:fencelook:

 

[ASH]

Yeah I know the X35s are good, but these are one below the 1M, M3, so pricing is.................:fencelook: , not exactly cheap for something which isnt an M. Saw a MSport F30 335i for R670K, & was thinking thats a lot of Rs for a BMW fan to enjoy straight 6 (turbo) power.

I wish there was something in the middle................:nonono:

Ash I get your concern... I think BMW gets it too... are you forgetting about the turbo'd IL6 engines? the x35i's coupled to the DCT box will settle all your fears and concerns... torque is pretty much always there (in bucket loads) and the 1's I've been in/driven are planted and handle like a BMW should.

The sound is however not the same as the NA 6's... (we won't mention those synthesizers! :fencelook but the turbo'd 6's have a crazy sound of their own!

 

[S1NGH 001]

Move with the times people. If it aint Turbo all it is , is a nice sound.

:fencelook:

+1 :joy:

 

[monster]

What a sound though!!!

 

[gavsadler]

Me 2, I wont spend money on something that sounds like an Audi for example...............

I must say, my wife's A3 2.0T sounds better than the 125i. That's my opinion though.

I agree with all the comments above, new cars are just too expensive. I was at a dealer the other day, and they offered me R120k for my car.

No thanks :nonono: , it will be paid off in 5 months time, and then I will continue to enjoy it for many more years :joy:

 

[ASH]

Yeah its easy for the owners of the newer models to say "Move with the times" etc, but some of us appreciate the difference in engineering which made BMW the brand it is..........just because it has a BMW badge on the bonnet, doesn't mean that a true BMW fan will accept it as a true BMW, or see it as having the heart and soul of BMW. I look at a car like the Z3 MCoupe, its uniqueness, its oddballness, its I don't give a damn aggressiveness, and you think to yourself will BMW ever create something as fresh as it ever again. For now everything about BMW is just becoming generic, mass produced and formulated, even down to engines. Besides the Ms, the ranges are really becoming yawn...........and pricing for the BMW fan who wants straight six power comes at a hefty premium. Take the M135i as an example, pushing R500K, yes it is fast, but look at the price of the old 130i, although inferior in performance, but pricewise didn't seem ludacris to buy, power was adequate around 195kW and was fantastic to drive. It seems like a premium has been put on all straight 6 turbo'ed cars as all brand new are in the R500k range or more.

---

Also synthesising cabin noises so the driver can hear the an "enhanced" exhaust tone. :rofl: It just doesn't get anymore fake for a true BMW petrolhead.......
whatever happened to pure Sheer Driving Pleasure?

Its becoming Fake Driving Pleasure.....................:thumbdo: