My Other Sensible Economical Car

Anees · April 8, 2007

Hi guys,

As a few of you know I also have a BMW 330D M Sport Manual, which is why my sister has been the one driving my IS200 rather then me lately.

It was hard deciding to buy a BMW with all the negative stigmas, but I am suprised people seem to think I have gone up in the world with a BMW which I find insulting, to me a Lexus is more prestigious, but then what do these people know?? :P

Anyway, the car is brilliant! I got it in December and had to travel to Cardiff (5hours on the train/bus) to get it..... drive back was a touch quicker. ;)

I chose this 330D M Sport because:

- 6spd MANUAL (Hard to find with the facelift engine!!)

- Colour

- Excellent Bodywork condition

- Sunroof! (RARE ON A BMW)

- Factory fitted Bluetooth Phone Prep

- 6 CD Changer

- Electric Mirrors

- Bi Xenon Headlights (VERY VERY BRIGHT, even compared to my Lexus IS200 HID kit)

- Full Leather

- 18" MV2 alloys

The car has a few subtle mods I have done too, these include:

- Angle Eyes,

- Chrome door pin surronds,

- Chrome gearknob

- M3 CSL style LED rear lights (very bright at night!)

- M3 Style dash rings

- Blue Xenon look reversing lights

I have also bought loads of mod which I have not fitted yet including:

- Carbon Fibre Sports diffuser

- Front Sports splitters,

- Carbon Fibre BMW badges (real!)

- AC Schnitzer Rear Roof Spoiler

- Black Sports Grill

- M tech Grill badge

- M tech Pedals

- Custom made housing for 7" touchscreen

- Smoked side indicators

I also plan on painting the Callipers, getting an Exhaust and getting some M3 CSL style wheels.

The best thing about the car is the power and economy! It has over 260BHP and 377.1ft/Ibs of torque. This is a proven dyno figure - I have the print out somewhere! The car is very quick and lovely to drive. The turbo spins up from about 1750RPM, so the car has loads of low down torque - very different to the IS200! The economy is amazing too! Last week, which was a combination of town driving, short motorway and one trip to Luton (to collect Gord's IS200) I averaged 48.2MPG!!!! Nothing I have found offers the same power and economy. It does sound like a bag of spanners in the morning like all diesels do, but once underway its actually quieter then the IS200.

But its not all great; I do look at my IS200 on the drive and wish it had the same power and economy of the BMW. I still think the Lexus looks better and prefer being a Lexus owner rather then a BMW one. Not sure what it is, but I seem to have a strong afflication to the brand now. If only the BMW had a Lexus badge on it!

As you know my IS200 is currently on for sale, and I do think maybe I should sell the BMW too and get an Aristo and something more economical with cheap road tax for work use. ??? I don't need to get rid of the BMW, but an Aristo + small yaris is probably half the price!

I could just go mad and keep both the BMW and an Aristo, but that would just be greedy! B)

Anyway, here are some pics:

Bi Xenon Head lights - projector style with the angle eyes I fitted

My M3 CSL Style LED Lights

Chrome dash rings - I was scared fitting these!

The Automatic rain sensing wipers and the cruise control are two things that I have grown to love now! How did I live without cruise control? The LEXUS kicks the BMW's butt when it comes to sound quality however - the standard BMW fitted sound system is crap!

Gord · April 8, 2007

So you have come out at last

Anees · April 8, 2007

So you have come out at last

Well I was the only Green Lexus in the village - until you came back! :P :P :P :P

Thought I better come out

elexes · April 8, 2007

so since your in the know ... do they reely not have indicators in bmw's :P

hopefully lexus will turn the is-f into a series of cars and produce a high powered model to compete with the m series but in the day your lexus never cost the same ammount as the bmw and was built for a mondeo driver who wanted to change car to anything becides a bmw

ive been driving a 06 bmw 520d for the last o about 8 weeks and its not a bad car but ive been asked if i had the choise of buying the bmw would i the answer is always no i do prefer my altezza i find it a better car in almost every way .

the car comes with runflat tyres and if you had asked me 2 years ago would i want them i probably would of jumped at them but now after driving the bmw i can safely say not a hope of ever putting them on another of my cars in the future and i dont like the fact that they have to come on the car its not a option .

the seats on the bmw are very annoying i dont find it a good drivers car . since having to drive the bmw people think that im some kind of loon on the roads . i found that funny considering the setup i have for the altezza

but i dont know how you got that mpg ive never managed it . highest ive gotton so far was 44.4 . im a natural hater of cruise controle but the uk is much different to over here because of the huge lack of good quality roads to actually use it on

Ally · April 9, 2007

Very nice Anees. Are you sure it isn't a 320d, and you've just stuck a 330d badge on the back

Anees · April 9, 2007

@elexes

Yes, BMWs do have indicators as standard equipment :D I use them all the time! ;)

I know the 520D is a totally different car to the 330D, but the seats I have are really nice (maybe the M Sport seats are more sporty?) and they do bolster you in really well. The car has the M Tech suspension, so the handling is very good for a stock setup, but not as good as my IS200 was with coilovers - I find it understeers abit too much, but thats to be expected.

On almost all forums I have seen the runflat tyres are hated - apparently they muck up the feel of the car.

Funny thing is that I have not noticed any difference with other peoples attitude towards me on the road - I still get let out of junctions as before.... and I don't hog the "BMW" lane on the motorway

Very nice Anees. Are you sure it isn't a 320d, and you've just stuck a 330d badge on the back

I would have expected that joke from Scarface!

Unregistered_User · April 9, 2007

Nice car mate, but as you have said, not a patch on the Lex..... you'll be back soon lol.

I must admit I do like a lot of the touches on the newer BMWs, such as the LEDs to begin with. Nice car though without a doubt.

Jamie

Kazi · April 9, 2007

Still in my opinion, the nicest 3 series BMW have ever done. I think they look fantastic!

MrADeveci · April 9, 2007

Very nice Anees. Are you sure it isn't a 320d, and you've just stuck a 330d badge on the back

ha ha ha .... excellent ! - That's soo true ! lol

Still in my opinion, the nicest 3 series BMW have ever done. I think they look fantastic!

I agree !

aido · April 9, 2007

Yeah these were my favorite shape as well, have to admit tho the new 335's are growing on me big time everytime I see one!

Nice car though Anees, would like one of these bad boys myself with the consumption you're getting - they must be rapid as well with torque figures like that!

Anees · April 9, 2007

Thanks for the positive comments - I was abit unsure about posting about a BMW on a Lexus forum! ;)

I really really do not like the new shape 3 series - it looks like a Rover 75 from some angles and to be honest it just seems like BMW have gone backwards with it. The interior on my 330D is driver orientated where it sort of bends round to the driver, in the new 3 series it is just a plastic slab in the middle of the car.

@ Aido - I bet the 330D is faster then the Aristo low down, but I'm sure top end the Aristo will leave it for dead.

Its ironic that this car is quicker and has more torque then the strandard lexus IS200 supercharged, yet I can get insured on this, but no the Lexus :(

Russdx · April 9, 2007

what job u got LOL

nice beamer how much them bad boys go for ?

Anees · April 12, 2007

Interesting day yesterday. My 330D has been smoking abit recently so I went to a place in Bromsgrove to sort it. They said the car isn't burning the fuel quickly enough so they have had to make adjustments to a few settings.

I had the option of either:

A ) Increase boost very slightly to 2psi (car can run up to 6psi safely) and add an extra 12bhp

B ) Take off 12bhp and modify other settings.

What do you think I did?? NO BRAINER really!

Can now has 272bhp, is up on torque, smokes much less (bad habit) and is very rapid now. Also on my journey I got 54.9MPG according to the trip computer. :D

Still...its not a Lexus :( If only I could transplant the engine into my IS :)

Unregistered_User · April 12, 2007

No need to even ask that question, Anees :D

Safe upto 6psi eh? I think I would've stuck more than 2psi on top then lol :)

Still though like you said, not a Lexus sadly. Decent improvement on the performance tough, through a fault!

J

Anees · April 12, 2007

No need to even ask that question, Anees :D
Safe upto 6psi eh? I think I would've stuck more than 2psi on top then lol :)

Still though like you said, not a Lexus sadly. Decent improvement on the performance tough, through a fault!

J

I said the same thing Jamie - looked at him and said - What do you think? Do you even need to ask?

LOL - there is a guy running over 280bhp on his 330D using all standard parts, but my concern is that all that power puts more strain of the gearbox, clutch, transmission, drivetrain etc so I'd rather keep on the safe side (by a long way!) especially since I don't know how much power they can take.

If I were willing to spend serious money I can get a large intercooler and a bigger turbo to push the power up to over 300bhp, but for me its not worth it for the money its gonna cost. Anyway , compared to my IS I'm already in warp drive

Pip · April 15, 2007

Those are impressive figures for a diesel.

Chris Skelton · April 15, 2007

MY other 'sensible economical car' is a.......NISSAN S-CARGO!!!

You could try a 'Toyota Will' though?

ihpj · April 17, 2007

That looks like a very nice car, look after those (easily kerbed) low profile alloy wheels and tyres mate ;)

From the figures you quote that your car is running, it seems to have some sort of tuning chip/re-map already done to it as in basic guise these cars chuck out 204 BHP and close to 400 lb/ft of torque.

You now need to get over to a BMW forum (like BMW Land ;) ) to learn more about your car :D

Gord · April 17, 2007

That looks like a very nice car, look after those (easily kerbed) low profile alloy wheels and tyres mate ;)
From the figures you quote that your car is running, it seems to have some sort of tuning chip/re-map already done to it as in basic guise these cars chuck out 204 BHP and close to 400 lb/ft of torque.

You now need to get over to a BMW forum (like BMW Land ;) ) to learn more about your car :D

It Has had the re-map, and he is a member of bmwland :o

Anees · April 18, 2007

Much cheaper to tune then the IS200 :)

Stock torque is 410NM with 204bhp.

Kazi · April 18, 2007

I know how these things can go......

I certainly know that Gords goes like stink!! Really nice to drive aswell to be fair. Feel solid and comfy to drive. I was very impressed!

Gord · April 18, 2007

I know how these things can go......
I certainly know that Gords goes like stink!! Really nice to drive aswell to be fair. Feel solid and comfy to drive. I was very impressed!

But its a BMW Now if you put the 330d engine in the is200 :D well you would have nice fast car, with very very good mpg :D

Geoffers · April 18, 2007

Interesting day yesterday. My 330D has been smoking abit recently...........

You been wiring in it again?

:winky:

Anees · April 19, 2007

Interesting day yesterday. My 330D has been smoking abit recently...........

You been wiring in it again?

:winky:

PMSL!!

Its really nice to have you back and active on LOC! ;)

Rikos · April 19, 2007

The beamers really nice motor and it is funny that the two beamers drivers (Anees & Gord) have both said they wish they could drop the bmw engine into the IS :D

It is without a doubt the IS is a fantastic motor and the engine is the only thing that lets it down if only Lexus had challenged BMW's earlier. Then again i guess they'd be more common!!

Anees your obviously not a proper BMW driver though as you use your indicators