Car decision - BMW 316 or VW Passat?

lomb

id run with a golf 2.0 tdi with dsg box. one of the fastest real world cars on the road today. animal power between 30 mph and 70..

Lex Luthor

spockety wrote:

Well wasn't the 323 discontinued when a new 2.5 six cylinder block was brought into play putting out 192bhp? Which is the 325? Then the 328 was done away with and replaced with a 3 litre 330 putting out what, 220 or something?

Correct

bazz26

prospect wrote:

Most companies lease their cars, so they don't give a toss about re-sale value.

True but most leasing companies will factor in a certain amount for depreciation when they calculate the leasing rates. At least they did when I had a company car a good few years ago. It may have changed since then though.

Seth Brundle

spockety wrote:

Presumably the new 5 series is still using the same 2.2 litre engine as the older 520, and the E46 320?

The current 320i (E90 so doesn't apply to coupe or cabrio) has a 4 cylinder 2L engine which gives IIRC 150bhp. Its the first 2L petrol running on 4 cylinders for a long long time.

Anan1

spockety wrote:

Uh, the 320 has six cylinders. In fact, the E46 320 puts out almost as much bhp as the earlier 323 (2.5l) 170bhp or thereabouts, from a 2.2 litre engine.

I don't think that the current 320i has 6 cylinders.

Seth Brundle

Anan - I think spockety was referring to the E46 i.e. the current coupe and cabrio.
Anyhow, I mentioned the position of the E90 320i just above your post.

Anan1

kbannon wrote:

Anan - I think spockety was referring to the E46 i.e. the current coupe and cabrio.
Anyhow, I mentioned the position of the E90 320i just above your post.

Sorry, never saw your post!

spockety

Yeah sorry I was referring to the E46 3 series.

But back to the 6 clyinder *20's... the current 520i, surely that's not a 2 litre 4 cylinder jobbie is it?

I can't find any mention of a 520i on official bmw sites, but I've definitely seen them around Dublin. The only 520 they list on bmw.ie or co.uk is a 520d.

But anyway, the older 520i, with the 2.2 litre engine at 170bhp.. considered a dog..??

optiplexgx270

In a car that size and weight pretty much yeah My main point is that the 318 is a fairly poor example of a BMW and engines aside i'd jump at the passat with toys far quicker over a bare stock 318.

unkel

spockety wrote:

the current 520i, surely that's not a 2 litre 4 cylinder jobbie is it?

No it's a 6 pot 2.2l. The last 5 series with a 4 cylinder was two models ago, the 518i (E34). There are still a good few around although it was never a popular model even in pre-Celtic tiger Ireland

spockety wrote:

the older 520i, with the 2.2 litre engine at 170bhp.. considered a dog..??

Of course it is not a dog. It does 0-100 km/h in 9 seconds. How can anyone call that a dog?

optiplexgx270

Ok the 520 is fine hardly record breaking by any means but if your BMW has less than 6 pots at least and isnt a bike then well you certainly do NOT own "The Ultimate Driving Machine"

Passat all the way, you have had a BMW time to try something different.

Seth Brundle

spockety wrote:

Yeah sorry I was referring to the E46 3 series.

But back to the 6 clyinder *20's... the current 520i, surely that's not a 2 litre 4 cylinder jobbie is it?

I can't find any mention of a 520i on official bmw sites, but I've definitely seen them around Dublin. The only 520 they list on bmw.ie or co.uk is a 520d.

The E60 520i saloon (6 cylinder) has been discontinued in favour of the 2.5L 523i (also a straight 6). The touring never saw a 520i guise.

unkel wrote:

No it's a 6 pot 2.2l. The last 5 series with a 4 cylinder was two models ago, the 518i (E34). There are still a good few around although it was never a popular model even in pre-Celtic tiger Ireland

Unless you are talking about diesels!

optiplexgx270 wrote:

but if your BMW has less than 6 pots at least and isnt a bike then well you certainly do NOT own "The Ultimate Driving Machine"

E30 M3? various 318iS

Scubadevils

Where to start? Been away for a few days!

It was mentioned a couple of pages back if the power is important to me...yes, very. Not because I want to drive like a lunatic but the power for overtaking is v important. I have driven cars with far less power when my own car is being serviced and its a serious white knuckle job passing a truck or something, I could do without that stress!

I wouldnt consider myself a badge snob but I will contradict myself in the same sentence and say if I'm not paying for it I certainly wouldnt take a Skoda over a VW or Audi (no offence to any Skoda drivers ). I know I'll pay some through BIK but I do over 30k a year so theres not a huge difference really in the BIK. The Superb (I even hate the name), the Passat and the A4 may effectively be the same car but I think the Superb is a big ugly lump of a car, not my cup of tea at all. The A4 is in much the same league as the BMW in as far as getting feck all for base models.

I actually like the high-end Golf suggestion. The Golf is a lovely car and it would be nice with full leather and lots of extras & big engine, tempting alright. As for the Alfa, not a runner. The company I work for also have an Alfa ban from past experience. Regardless of whether they consider resale value because of leasing, they still have to consider the time sales people end up off the road due to problems with the car! I had an Alfa with a previous company and had endless trouble, as did several others - that company have also since banned Alfas. I LOVED the Alfa for the drive and gadgets, really excellent car but it let me down too many times - I wouldnt take one now even if I could.

As it stands, if I can get the 318 SE I'm going to go for that over the Passat. The SE has a nice few extras such as a bit of chrome, alloys, climate control, fogs etc. They now finally have cup holders as standard!!!

An another spanner got thrown into the decision over the last couple of days - the new VW Eos...a very nice car! Saw it over in Germany yesterday - not on the road, on show at a fair. Dont know the price but I believe its not going to be any more than the 316. May not be practical though for driving all over Ireland!

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/volkswagen_news/article_1526.shtml

Thanks for all the advice!

phoenix_nights

Test drive a passat TDI with the DSG gearbox. You won't regret it.

Scubadevils

phoenix_nights wrote:

Test drive a passat TDI with the DSG gearbox. You won't regret it.

I took the previous Passat for a test drive a few months ago - it was the 2L TDI and I was very impressed so I can imagine the new model with DSG would be a fun drive. Reckon I'll try get a test drive this weekend.

Lex Luthor

how does the DSG box work?

unkel

kbannon wrote:

Unless you are talking about diesels!

True! I didn't want to add to the confusion of the BMW engine sizes :cool:

optiplexgx270

The VW EOS is a rather fantastic looking car i have to say. In the current VW range i like the Golf, Bora (well did like), high end Passat and now the EOS

phoenix_nights

Lex Luthor wrote:

how does the DSG box work?

A Dual-clutch gearbox is a semi-automatic transmission with separate clutches for odd and even gears. Shifts can be accomplished without interrupting power by transferring torque between these two clutches. A dual clutch gearbox eliminates the torque converter, which is a major source of parasitic loss in a traditional automatic transmission. This type of gearbox was invented by Andolphe Kégresse just before the outbreak of World War II.

Essentially, the engine drives two clutch packs simultaneously. The outer clutch pack drives gears 1, 3, and 5 (and reverse). The inner clutch pack drives gears 2, 4, and 6. The synchronizers that select an odd gear can be moved while driving in an even gear and vice versa. Dual clutch transmissions that are currently on the market use wet multi-plate clutches, similar to the clutches used in traditional automatic transmissions. Versions that use dry clutches, like those usually associated with manual transmissions, are rumored to be in development by several manufacturers.

This type of transmission is finding increasing popularity in Europe, and apparently also in America although some say CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) is more popular in the US. In August 2005 BorgWarner, who call their technology "DualTronic", signed further agreements with two other (unnamed) European automotive manufacturers to incorporate their gearbox. In the mean time, the VW-group vehicles available in Europe with the DSG gearbox include Audi TT, A3, A4, VW Passat, Golf, Touran, SEAT Altea, Toledo, Leon and Skoda Octavia.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-clutch_gearbox"

ChristyBrown

Go with the Passat - the beemer will be heavy with only 1.6 behind it and you wil prob get more toys as standard with the passat

Diamondmaker

gotta be the Passat, The BM is no good without the Power to Match. It willonly frustrate

Manic Moran

Between the two, Passat, hands down.

Despite all the other advantages of size, power, whatever, people see you driving a 316 they'll think "What a poser. He can't afford a real BMW, he bought the cheapest thing they have"

NTM

Diamondmaker

Agreed, I drive 99 E36 316 coupe............it is a much lighter car than the newer variants and is a great drive. It is a pleasure to drive but I know that I need more power to experience " the ultimate driving experience".
And yes it was the most I was willing to spend. 320 ci at end of summer though....bring it on!

Scubadevils

Car not ordered yet but I gather from what I hear in work that I can actually get the 318, in which case I'll be getting the BMW. Had a good look the other day at the Passat and it is a lovely car but I think I still prefer the BMW.

Diamondmaker

Hey House Cat...nice collection of tunes. Shame you are selling them. It always good to keep vinyl for nostalgia at least if you dont get toplay them!

Good luck with The 318 that shouldtick all the boxes but....risk of whole new thread starting here....

Is the new 3 seies just ugly? The 5 carries it off with a big mean, aggresive and imposing presence but the 3 has not got me convinced.
Please do not damage the upcoming coupe Mr Bayern!

Lex Luthor

Felixdhc wrote:

The SE has a nice few extras such as a bit of chrome,

I think the chrome makes it look naff....and bad and all as the E90 looks, it'll probably look worse with "bits of chrome"
Then again, it's not my money

Hagar

Hagar wrote:

I've had both as company cars in the past and there is no contest. Take the BMW. Yes, it's a badge but change the badge on a Passat and you have a Skoda.

Apparently the new passat doesn't compare to the old, it is actually worthy of it's class now, most importantly the handling has improved dramatically.

Scubadevils

Diamondmaker wrote:

Hey House Cat...nice collection of tunes. Shame you are selling them. It always good to keep vinyl for nostalgia at least if you dont get toplay them!

Good luck with The 318 that shouldtick all the boxes but....risk of whole new thread starting here....

Is the new 3 seies just ugly? The 5 carries it off with a big mean, aggresive and imposing presence but the 3 has not got me convinced.
Please do not damage the upcoming coupe Mr Bayern!

thats true re the tunes, actually planned to take that off! Wanted to get cash to buy other tunes but did that before and regret it still so best not do it again


Yeah, I'm actually still unsure of the looks of the 3 series, still convincing myself that I like it. But thats happened before when a model is replaced then they have grown on me...just waiting for that to happen with the 3! I feel the same about the Passat though.

Diamondmaker

Nope, the 5 grew........ Other cars I have been less "intimately" interested in have grown on me too............ but the 3 just has not changed...... makes me sad everytime I see one....." why goddamit, why..."

The New IS250 is now as good a drive better extras and build/reliability and now loks way better!
BM could bein for trouble on this one. Still one last chance to save the coupe.
Even the dealers ( Joe Duffy sales man was telling me ) have not seen anything other than grainy spy shots.
They will pull it off Im confident!

Scubadevils

Brought this back to life rather than starting a new thread

Finally ordered a car this week which I will have next week. Ended up going for the Audi A4 1.8T. The BMW had too long a wait for a 318se and I think this may be the better choice anyway...seems the engine is quite powerfull. Anyone have any views? Too late now as its ordered but interested to hear peoples comments anyway. thanks.