[StraightSix-d]

For as long as I can remember, I've hated diesels. I've hated the noise, fumes (especially those filthy, dirty, disgusting fumes) lack of speed and agility supported by regular confirmation of my prejudice. e.g London taxis, buses of all types, trucks, vans, noisy Mercedes taxis and slow, foul-smelling VW diesels. I was as likely to drive a diesel as I was to stick my head in a blender.

Yet, yet.. for the last two years I've been happily driving a E90 325d (LCI), which has finally cured me of my anti diesel prejudice - albeit, it has to be a six cylinder BMW diesel.



The E90 325d is a hidden gem, as it's often ignored or lost as people chase for a 330d or 335d or fall back on the more thrifty 320d. The reasoning given is that the 325d is less economical than the 320d and generally slower than the 330d or 335d.

Why did I choose a 6 cyinder diesel?
A new job meant more motorway driving and my then vehicle, an Alfa 156, even with its 35mpg was getting to be too expensive to run. And I wanted cruise control for the long tedious M25/M1/M11 journeys. After a fruitless search which included a Lexus IS250 test drive (vetoed by the Boss on account of its lack of engine feedback – a lucky escape), we ended up with a 59-plate (Jan 2010), 27k mile AUC E90 325d.

Anyway, here are some useful pointers and technical documents which I hope will help others searching for the perfect 6 cylinder diesel compromise.

Unexpected delights
1. The M57 Straight 6 Diesel Engine (197BHP)
This really is a gloriously smooth engine. After initial startup, it purrs away on a low rumble and at motorways speeds there's no noisy diesel sound. Iit has huge reserves of pulling power and overtaking's effortless. The version installed on these vehicles don't have any swirl flaps, so no swirl flap problems. It can be remapped for higher power outputs, but since mine was under BMW Warranty, I left it alone.

2. Fuel Economy
Even with higher diesel prices, to achieve genuine 45-50mg on normal motorway speeds is (to me) staggering. Fast, smooth and economical. You really can have the best of all worlds without having to endure the noise of a 4 cylinder diesel (no offence to those people driving 4 cylinder diesels... )



3. Cruise Control Stalk
Press forward (or hit side button) to set speed, press backwards to reduce speed and press in to set speed. Cancel by up or downward motion or by hitting brake pedal.
This is so well designed that you only appreciate how good it is until you have to use over-complex cruise control systems on other cars like Fords, Renaults and Citroens (hire cars)

4. The LCI design
The twin bonnet creases and revised rear lighting really improve upon the original design and the LCI is a brilliant design – especially compared to the weird bonnet slash of the new F30 model.




Oh, and I almost forgot – handling and response. Brutal acceleration when you need it and refined cruising at other times. Incredible.


Things I didn't care about but came to appreciate
Rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights: Until owning this car, I'd been using a pair of finely calibrated instruments, honed to a pitch of perfection over millions of years of user testing, to switch on the wipers when it rained and turn the lights when it got dark. These instruments are my Mark 1 eyeballs. So, the fact that I could rely on these options was a nice surprise.

Door handle illumination – a very cool feature.

Triple turn signal – one short press and it activates the turn signal for three flashes. Very useful on motorway lane changes.

Gear Change Indicator - this appears on the dashboard instrumentation and is a useful reminder if you forget to change gear to match your speed.




Hateful Things
BMW Professional radio:
If you are unlucky enough (as I was) to get the standard BWM stereo set up (called “BMW Professional radio with single CD player”), your ears will be tortured until you get it upgraded. It has the worst sound of any in-car stereo I've yet experienced. It is truly appalling, with muddy sound, no depth, tinny, and can only have been included by saboteurs who infiltrated the BMW design team with the express intention of damaging the brand. The original upgrade cost to a decent spec system was only £1435 – see screenshot below of original spec sheet.



You can get an upgraded/retrofitted system for about the same cost from these specialists.

http://www.cartronics.co.uk

http://www.audiofile-incar.co.uk

Run Flat Tyres
I had the usual horrible ride quality until I had the tracking professionally re-aligned using a Hunter tracking machine. It cost around £60 and the transformation was immediate and noticeable.
http://www.dedmangarage.co.uk/

This car runs on 17” wheels, perfect for our crappy roads.



So, if you find a well looked after, reasonable spec E90 LCI 325d, don't hesitate. I'll be very sad to move on to F30..

Running Costs – for 24 months
I changed the engine oil every year, generally costing around £150-£180 at BMW dealers.
3L extra oil re-fill = £36
Rear indicator replacements = £225
4x new tyres, £560 for Pirelli Cinturato P7 225/45VR-17 run flats
Brake Fluid service = £80
Windscreen wipers = £35
Tyre valve replacment = £100 (due to them rusting away on steel valve caps)


Useful documents about E90 325d

E90 325d Options Price List from 2007, showing equipment list differences between 325d SE and 325d M-Sport models
BMW-325d Brochure.pdf

Magazine review of 325d from Sept 2007
Review BMW 325d Sept 2007.pdf

ADAC report on E90 325d: if you read German (and if you don't, use Google Translate), this is a great report highlighting techincal areas like visibility, braking, handling characteristics etc.
BMW_325d ADAC Report Feb 2008.pdf

E90 LCI 3 Series Pricelist from April 2010 showing original options and prices.
BMW_3_Series_Saloon_Price_List_Apr-2010.pdf

Check Control Messages and their meanings
Check Control Message Definitions BMW 3-Series E90.pdf

[Jeff123]

Mine is a Feb 2012 registered model so one of the last E90's. Good car and the E90 6 cylinder models seem to be holding their value really well. Previous 320d 4 cyl car had a completely different feel and engine noise.

Mine has the traffic information updates, so it is constantly calculating the varying journey times depending upon traffic conditions.

One of the main downsides IMO is the really heavy steering and the hard ride, even on non-runflats.

[Tim G]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

One of the main downsides IMO is the really heavy steering and the hard ride, even on non-runflats.

Id agree. I have a 2009 E91 325d M Sport and although I love the car, I have to say the suspension is a real weak point. Hard/ crashy/ floaty feel to it that surely BMW could have bettered quite easily, as aftermarket shocks and springs prove.

[R99]

Having just bought a 325d Touring (Feb 2010 car) and having also just found out it rolled off the production line in the last month they were fitting the M57, I found this really useful!

So in terms of the swirl flaps, my engine wont have any?

[Tim G]

Originally Posted by R99

Having just bought a 325d Touring (Feb 2010 car) and having also just found out it rolled off the production line in the last month they were fitting the M57, I found this really useful!

So in terms of the swirl flaps, my engine wont have any?

No I have checked mine (exactly the same engine code as yours) on real oem and it doesnt have them

[Tim G]

I found the price lists really interesting too. Worked out my car was i the region of £40k new. Although it was an ex demonstrator, so no surprise it had a lot of the options ticked.

Just wish I had folding mirrors & sunroof too

[StraightSix-d]

Originally Posted by R99

Having just bought a 325d Touring (Feb 2010 car) and having also just found out it rolled off the production line in the last month they were fitting the M57, I found this really useful!

So in terms of the swirl flaps, my engine wont have any?

According this exhaustive study, probably not At least, manuals don't; autos may do..

http://www.bmwforums.info/general-gu...irl-flaps.html

Another good method of finding out seems to use www.realoem.com, type in the last seven digits of your VIN number and see if the engine contains swirl flaps. When I did this for my vehicle the search revealed that it did not contain swirl flaps.

Another way is type in the last seven digits of your VIN number at http://www.bmwarchiv.de see what your engine code is. For my vehicle, it's M57D30U2 - 3,00l (145kW)

[Kenebell]

Our family wagon is a pre lci E91 325d SE and I love it. It's been a great car, it was well speced with heated leather, front and rear parking sensors and some other goodies. I rarely drive it these days but I dropped her off in town on Saturday evening and had a very spirited drive home along the country roads. I'd forgotten just how much fun it is to drive. I make sure I service it every 10k with decent oil and when we first bought it I had both thermostats changed and the crankcase breather. The mechanic confirmed there were no swirl flaps. Only downside for me is the rather small boot but then we only have small dog!

[Dann]

Good write up. It's good to see your enjoying the car.

I personally Hate the gear change indicator on my 335i. It's pointless.

I luckily have the individual stereo in my E90 and it's incredible. Before buying my one I also added up how much the list price was and decided I'd stop counting at £55k

[Aragorn30d]

Edit (i was wrong!):

330d M57N2's all have swirl flaps.

Interestingly enough i thaught the 325d was basically identical bar its tune, but no, the 325d appears not to have swirl flaps.

[Tim G]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

Edit (i was wrong!):

330d M57N2's all have swirl flaps.

Interestingly enough i thaught the 325d was basically identical bar its tune, but no, the 325d appears not to have swirl flaps.

[Tim G]

Originally Posted by Dann

Good write up. It's good to see your enjoying the car.

I personally Hate the gear change indicator on my 335i. It's pointless.

Do you have the gear shift indicator on the dis then? I have an auto so cant see it.. I saw you can turn this in the coding menus with the icarly app.

[Tim G]

Originally Posted by Dann

I luckily have the individual stereo in my E90 and it's incredible. Before buying my one I also added up how much the list price was and decided I'd stop counting at £55k

You must have pretty much every option going to get to £55k

[Dann]

Originally Posted by Tim G

Do you have the gear shift indicator on the dis then? I have an auto so cant see it.. I saw you can turn this in the coding menus with the icarly app.

You can turn it off using the button on the indicator stalk. Get it to the blank screen and hold down the button then it disappears

Originally Posted by Tim G

You must have pretty much every option going to get to £55k

Literally every option except but comfort access is on my E90.

[MattOz]

Edited as question answered!

[StraightSix-d]

Postscript: I recently drove two two very different cars, allowing for an interesting perspective on the 325d.

BMW 1-series F20: this was a loaner while my car had its brake fluid service and software upgraded. A great little runaround with quite decent motorway performance. Good, direct steering and roadholding. The 4 cylinder diesel wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated. The way the cruise control had been moved to the steering wheels is a definite retrograde step from its set up on E90 models, where it has its own stalk. Even more odd, it seemed impossible to select cabin temperature for both driver and passenger with one button. You have to push two separate buttons. Which interface genius at BMW decided that this was a good idea? Rear visibility is definitely worse than in a E90. The various driving modes were noticeable in their output. i.e. switching from Eco Pro to Sports + really mad the car stiffen and noticeably improve its throttle response. Its interior felt more cramped. Was it a 116d or 120d? No idea.. Not the prettiest car I ever drove..

VW Golf 1.6 Diesel (hire car): Well, this was a surprise, as the last Golfs I'd owned were the outstanding MK2 and MK3 GTIs. A perfectly bland car in every possible way and thus probably perfect for car hire firms. The feebleness of 1.6L Diesel engine reminded me how much I took for granted (the instant power availability and brutal overtaking performance on tap) from my 325d. With this Golf, 24hr notice was required for any instant power situations. The steering was so light, it felt like a dodgem car – and on the twisty mountain roads of Eastern Spain, it made for slow progress. I also understood why BMW had chosen amber/yellow instrument lighting. When driving through tunnels, the VW's interior was lit up like the Blackpool illuminations. It was riot of annoying colours through my peripheral vision.

Both were perfectly pleasant cars, but not ones I'd want to spend any time in...

[Aragorn30d]

Originally Posted by StraightSix-d

Even more odd, it seemed impossible to select cabin temperature for both driver and passenger with one button. You have to push two separate buttons.

Perhaps i've missed something really obvious, but doesnt the E90 do this as well?

Mine has two knobs, one for each side, and setting the temperature requires me to adjust both knobs, which is pretty annoying! I have no need for one side of the car to be a different temperature to the other.

I'd really rather it just linked the temperatures together, so i only had to adjust one dial!

[R99]

Mine has a button that says 'ALL' on the drivers side temp control - press that and then the passenger side will default to whatever the drivers set it set to

[Ess]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

Perhaps i've missed something really obvious, but doesnt the E90 do this as well?

Mine has two knobs, one for each side, and setting the temperature requires me to adjust both knobs, which is pretty annoying! I have no need for one side of the car to be a different temperature to the other.

I'd really rather it just linked the temperatures together, so i only had to adjust one dial!

Same here buddy.

[StraightSix-d]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

Perhaps i've missed something really obvious, but doesnt the E90 do this as well?

Mine has two knobs, one for each side, and setting the temperature requires me to adjust both knobs, which is pretty annoying! I have no need for one side of the car to be a different temperature to the other.

I'd really rather it just linked the temperatures together, so i only had to adjust one dial!

This is exactly my point : ) On the E90, one button press controls temperature on both sides. I realise this is a bit of a 'BMW Owners' First World Problem' (BMWOFWP) kind of thing, but I'd love to know how and why their interface design team settled on a worse solution to a non-existent problem.

E90 - heating controls - press the "ALL" button for both zones.




F30 - heating controls - rotate two separate buttons, individually to equalise temperature.



According BMW Design's corporate drivel, they don't design cars, but "create feelings". I guess the 'create annoying feelings dept' must've been in charge of heating controls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRr_GyD1fqY

[Aragorn30d]

Mine doesnt have the ALL button, instead it has REST there, and thus theres no way to control both together

[Ess]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

Mine doesnt have the ALL button, instead it has REST there, and thus theres no way to control both together

Mine is like this one. Could the LCI design be different? Personally I think I would miss the rest feature which I use all the time in winter!