Hello all

We are thinking of getting the above. I was wondering if anyone knows the history of the model since it came out. I'm a bit confused by the fuel consumption figures quoted by various places. BMW say combined 60ish and available car say 40 something. I know in reality these figures are only guide but they are quite handy to know when comparing this to say the mondeo which calaims 55mpg combined.

Any other experiences with the car would be handy too

Thanks for your help!

I had a 53-reg 320d coupe, 163bhp, 6speed box, little bit laggy but great fun, good cruiser for long drives too.

I could get nearly 50mpg out of mine overall if careful. Later ones then went up to 177bhp I think, now around 180, (or 201bhp in the 123d!).

I'd recommend them anyday.

Adam

Not sure what age budget you're working too, but have you looked at the 320ed efficient dynamics model?

Stop/Start, low roll resistance tyres, low road tax, excellent (claimed) mpg and still 170 odd bhp/RWD for when the mood takes you.

read up on swirl flaps, turbo and fuel pumps, other than that nice cars

the official information is here.

http://carfueldata.direct.gov.uk/search-new-or-used-cars.aspx

dont forget that MPG is based on the type of driving you do. how many people in the car and the max speed.

Most MPG you see on adverts is based on 60mph on motorway which im sure not many people do.

I had the 520d bmw and i used to drive at 70 mph on cruise control it averaged 48 mpg cos i spent very little time off the motorway.

Now i have a 525d which averages 37 mpg which is much lower than it suggests i should get but its done 170,000 miles.

one lad at my work has a 2007 320d he lives in manchester and works in leeds so does 100 miles today he gets 48 mpg average.

if you do alot of motorway then you can get your car remapped which does increase mpg by 4-5 on motorway.

dave

[Edited on 5/4/11 by jossey]

We have a 2008 320d (177bhp model) touring as a company car.

Its done 80k with no problems.

Be aware that the handling gets very twitchy when you put new tyres on, until the mould release is worn off (200 miles say). I've heard the same is true of the x type jag and audi tt, but never had one of those myself.

We've averaged 47.9mpg (ETA She has a fuel card so thats calculated from actual litres put in the car and miles on the odometer - and since the company pays if we use the card, I can be pretty sure all the fills are on there!) over the time we've had the car, large amounts of that down the back lanes and towns, and mostly by my missus, who has a lead right foot, and can't be bothered to use 5th or 6th gears unless shes on straight road (I usually get told off for reminding her its got more than 4 gear when we get 2 miles from home - i've usually been in 6th for about 1.5 miles by then).
On holiday with 4 of us in and all the hiking/camping gear we could jam in, mostly A roads and motorways we manage 52- 55 mpg. We have managed 780miles on 58l when cruising at the national speed limit (60mpg).

The run flat tyres are pretty expensive. They seem to last about 15k, but thats hammering down the lanes. Her other guys that do mostly motorway/A roads seem to be 20k+

I have heard there are problems with turbos and fuel pumps at large miles, but still need to investigate how much of a problem this is really, and some problem which is easy to fix which causes poor fuel consumption (Cos I'm thinking of buying ours thats just finishing its lease).

hope that helps
Hugh

[Edited on 5/4/11 by hughpinder]

quote:

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Originally posted by mikeb
read up on swirl flaps, turbo and fuel pumps, other than that nice cars

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Jossey ^^^ your lad who only get 42mpg on the motorway must get to work quick. We got better than that last year going to the south of france with 4 bikes on the roof and driving at maximum payage speed (85mph roughly)!

This link looks pretty good on 3 series problems:
http://www.bmwland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=108166

ETA
Having just read that link and some of the responses, it seems the fuel consumption we get is the exception rather than the rule - low 40s seems more normal!



Regards
Hugh

hughpinder.....

Sorry i meant 48.

but he does get stuck in alot of traffic on last 5 miles so spends 30 mins stood still.

anywho

i love my bmw.

£400 in unexpected repairs in last 97k miles. (bushes)

got a small oil leak now but nothing heavy.

170k miles and still going.

Thanks everyone! Thats really helpful!

Bloody insurance is a nightmare at the moment!! When will this madness end!

Recently purchased a 120d and so far I'm really impressed.

Although smaller than the A4 1.8t we traded in, the 120d is quicker and so far is returning close to twice the MPG I was managing in the A4 (52 v 26mpg)