BMW and M Power Owners
- Thread starter panthro
- Start date
The 535d is a superb car - remapped it will have more power than an e46 M3, and is a lot easier to access it. This makes it superb for lazy but brisk driving be it around town or on the motorway. It is similar in nature to a large V8 petrol, but will get double the economy of one.
Given the nature of engine (designed for lazy/easy progress), the one thing it lacks is the excitement of the historically high revving M engines, but with the gain of mileage.
IMO, BMW petrol M cars (inc. the new V8 turbo range) and the diesels are all that the brand really needs, the run of the mill petrols don't really serve a purpose anymore.
Soldato
Anyone care to give me any info on the E46 320d Touring? Are they good cars, does anything go wrong with them? I'm guessing if they've been looked after then no, nothing should go wrong with one.
*sigh* All that R&D into the weight distribution, brakes, steering rack, the differential, suspension setup, tyres and fancy engines ...
... and a remapped diesel has the M division licked!
Someone needs to get Top Gear or Evo to do an M Car versus mapped oil burner face off to put that one to bed!
... and a remapped diesel has the M division licked!
Someone needs to get Top Gear or Evo to do an M Car versus mapped oil burner face off to put that one to bed!
We have both an e60 535d and an e46 M3 in our household, so I'm in a strong position to comment.
As I said above, they are different tools for different jobs - neither replaces the other. Straight line, there is probably little difference in speed between the two. Around a track, the M3 has the advantage of stiffer suspension, better suspension geometry and an LSD.
Being more specific on your comments:
- 'Weight distribution' - this is 50:50 on both cars I believe.
- 'Brakes' - have you ever driven an M car in anger?!
- 'Tyres' - the 535d has wider tyres than the M3, and I believe they are the same width as the e60 M5 (they are actually lower profile than the e60 M5).
- 'Fancy engines' - the 535d puts more power to the wheels than the e46 M3.
Interesting, my GF will be replacing her trusty diesel Polo in the next few months with a 1 series, she has gone from doing 30k a year to about 6k-8k so has decided she wants a petrol.
I'm trying to convince her to get a 130i LE but she thinks a 120i will be enough, finding either in budget and (in the 120's case) with decent spec looks like it'll be a hard task and everyone appears to have bought a 120d
I've wondered if a 123d with a remap would be a better bet.
I love that
Straight line is always going to be easy though eh. Turbos, remaps, massive torque .... almost a no brainer
The ride is fine, it is actually just as smooth on the road as the mondeo that i had just before this, and yes it surprised me when i first drove it that it didn't knock my teeth out. I suppose on the one hand it shows that the mondeo wasn't that comfortable a ride for what it was, and on the other it shows that a lowered car set up properly doesn't have to shake / knock you around.
Don't get me wrong i'm not saying it's a limo and you don't even know your on a bumpy road, what i am saying is i've had cars, although performance cars, like Subaru WRX STI's and Focus ST's for example, that were far worse on the road in their standard setup's than this is.
On the photo the car is parked up on a raised curb and the rear wheels don't sit that far under the arches when leveled out and it's not a very flattering picture in terms of showing it's true ride height.
As for the alloys, yes they are not everyone's cup of tea, so i'll give you that
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No, it's not, because BMW don't do a 1.8 litre diesel and have never done a 1.8 litre diesel.
It's actually a unique engine variant in the range - until now all the 4 cylinder diesels have been 2 litre but the 116d ED (Distinct from the 2 litre 116d) is a 1.6 litre engine.
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Every F20 1 Series diesel bar the 116d EfficientDynamics has a 2 litre turbocharged engine.