Found the E90 320d replacing the E82 120d

[1 Eyed Monkey]

Howzit Fanatics

It’s been about 3 months since selling the F30, and honestly, I’m not looking back. The E90 has turned out to be such a ballsy, cheap-to-run car to own. For what it is and what it costs to run, it really is hard to fault.

First proper road trip with the non-runflats this weekend, and I can safely say I’m not going back to runflats. The difference in road noise and ride comfort is massive. Much quieter on the highway and noticeably softer over the rough stuff.

We took a trip up to Namakwaland on Friday. Left Velddrif on the West Coast at around 1pm, with GPS showing roughly 5 hours and 30min of driving time, excluding stops. Check-in at the guest house was only until 6pm, so we had to make some decent progress.

Two passengers, boot absolutely packed to the brim with everything needed to sustain 2 days on a farm, and tyres set at 2.3 bar front and 2.6 bar rear.

First stop was Piketberg on the N7 to fill up, and from there we pushed all the way through to Garies.

The car averaged around 6.2 L/100km up until Garies, with a somewhat illegal average speeds and a few foot-flat overtakes here and there.

One of the best things about these diesel BMWs is that even when the car is properly loaded with passangers and luggage, the torque just makes overtaking feel effortless.

From Springbok we traveled 10km east. Google Maps showed a 3km gravel section, so I took it very carefully, around 5-10km/h in some places. There were a few sections with fairly bad corrugations, and obviously I wasn’t going to smash a 15-year-old BMW down a farm road just to save a few minutes.

The Namakwaland itself is a real treat this time of year. The serenity and solitude are honestly impeccable. After spending most of your time around traffic, people and the general chaos of everyday life, being somewhere where it’s just open land, mountains and absolute silence is something else.

On the trip back I decided to stick strictly to the speed limit. The N7 was pretty empty and there weren’t many trucks and cars to overtake, so the average consumption dropped nicely to around 5.5L/100km.

And once again, the old girl proved herself.

15 years old. 267xxxkm. Worth 10% of the value of a brand new 320d. I think I'm going to drive this car until the wheels fall off (that's how I'm feeling now at least).

Thanks to reading

Sounds like a lekker trip!

 

[unobeat]

Yup, I do miss it. Especially the torque.

It'll probably go out next month or so. Or October.

I am yet to experience 320d torque.

I will ine day own one either E90/ F30 320d

Sent from my SM-A307FN using Tapatalk

 

[DRCraig]

Awesome write up bud.

As an F30 Owner, I would say the E90 was definitely the better 3er in terms of handling.

Any plans to switch over to a set of OEM Xenons eventually ?

Thanks for reading. I'm sticking to the halogens bro. Bulb upgrades are in the pipeline- Osram H7 night breakers. A xenon upgrade will set me back circa R20k for 2nd hand oem/new non-oem and labour.

 

[DRCraig]

I wont lie, my behind has been itching for a F30 20d, so reading this puts my mind at ease about my E90.

Granted, I haven't driven mine in 2 and a half months...

F30 is a really nice car. You'll enjoy the ZF8, but be sure to get the MSport. Bang for buck- E90 LCI.

 

[1 Eyed Monkey]

F30 is a really nice car. You'll enjoy the ZF8, but be sure to get the MSport. Bang for buck- E90 LCI.

I want the F30 because of the gearbox. I'm currently on 494nm and I want more.

M Sport, sunroof or nothing!

 

[DRCraig]

I want the F30 because of the gearbox. I'm currently on 494nm and I want more.

M Sport, sunroof or nothing!

Yeah

We owned the normal F30, while it is a really nice car, the suspension felt floaty and too soft.

There is a sports automatic in some F30s. The gear lever looks bulky and it steering wheel has flappy paddles. Gearbox shifts quicker than normal auto.