[Hughie1033]

Hi, has anyone here come from a 8th gen Honda civic to a 320? It something i'm considering for the end of this year so I'd appreciate any comments people have. If i do I'll be specificing the adaptive suspension and msport brakes.

[AlanYoro35i]

All Aspect of the new car will be better apart from power. Not sure which engine you come from but if you had a choice between a 320i or 320d I would go for 320d because it gives you more torque to play with.

But seriously go and test drive it and feel for your self!

[dopper99]

He'll be buying a 340i by the time he orders it.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Check out Coast to Coast on price difference between a 320i and a 330i.

Not a huge difference in price but a fair difference in power....

[dopper99]

£10600 off a 340i

http://www.broker4cars.co.uk/Buy/New...+4dr+Step+Auto

or £9200 off a 330i

http://www.broker4cars.co.uk/Buy/New...+4dr+Step+Auto

I wouldnt bother with a 320i when the above can be had for these prices. As Brigand said, the 320i isnt a lot cheaper.

[....,,,,..,,..]

You could also consider ...

http://www.broker4cars.co.uk/Buy/New...dr+4MOTION+DSG

Quite a bit as standard and options are not that pricey.

[Westcoaster99]

I went from a Ep3 type r to a F30 320d so I'll give you my 2 cents. You really need to drive it obviously, but if you can try get a proper spirited drive of one. The handling for the most part is absolutely worlds apart from the civic. The road holding especially and the way it holds round a corner. Sometimes I feel the suspension isn't at 'tought' as the type r though. Not exactly sloppy but still.

I'd recommend just going for the 320d though more torque, cheeper tax I think and better fuel economy. The 320i isn't anything special imo.

I miss the the sound of the type r but I get 55mpg so can't complain

[nickcooluz]

I have had a Type R since 2014 and recently got myself a 430d. Every time I drive Type R now it feels a bit slow and handling feels so sh*t compared to the beemer. Don't get me wrong I still love my Type R and not letting her go but 430d is something else Get yourself to the dealership and test drive 320 and 330 both. Personally I would recommend 330 as they are much nicer engines and the power is available when you need it even in the eco or comfort mode

[Mattyk]

You may find the insurance is cheaper on a 340 also,. Young chap at work the 330d was 500 quid cheaper than a 320d (1700 vs 2200)

[darylrese]

If fuel economy is important, don't go for 320i. I had one, and was getting 31mpg at a push. Acceleration was underwhelming and i lived at the petrol station. 320d is loads better if you don't mind going diesel.

Give consideration to the sports auto as well, its fantastic.

[sensible]

I had a Honda Civic Type S GT (1.8i 140 bhp) petrol as my last car and bought a new 320i LCI M Sport (2.0i Turbo 184 bhp).

The BMW is much more powerful and fuel efficient. I have averaged 39 mpg over 13500 miles. The B48 engine is much more fuel efficient than the old 320i engine.
From my point of view I have never felt that the car is underpowered and pleased with my choice over diesel. I test drove the 320i and the 320d but just liked the petrol more. Very pleased with my choice.

I too have adaptive suspension and M Sport brakes as part of the M Sport plus pack. I really like the adaptive suspension so would recommend that and use it in Comfort mode 90% of the time. The car is a lot more refined than the Civic....it just feels better to drive all round. It's nice going back to a rear wheel drive car too as I prefer the handling.

(I also have the Sports Auto box...my first automatic and it is great)

[Hughie1033]

Originally Posted by sensible

I had a Honda Civic Type S GT (1.8i 140 bhp) petrol as my last car and bought a new 320i LCI M Sport (2.0i Turbo 184 bhp).

The BMW is much more powerful and fuel efficient. I have averaged 39 mpg over 13500 miles. The B48 engine is much more fuel efficient than the old 320i engine.
From my point of view I have never felt that the car is underpowered and pleased with my choice over diesel. I test drove the 320i and the 320d but just liked the petrol more. Very pleased with my choice.

I too have adaptive suspension and M Sport brakes as part of the M Sport plus pack. I really like the adaptive suspension so would recommend that and use it in Comfort mode 90% of the time. The car is a lot more refined than the Civic....it just feels better to drive all round. It's nice going back to a rear wheel drive car too as I prefer the handling.

(I also have the Sports Auto box...my first automatic and it is great)

Thanks for the reply, love your car, the white looks really well, I'd probably go for that colour too along with Coral red leather. How does the economy compare to your Civic? Also, does the BMW feel quick? I'm coming from the 1.4 Civic with 100hp/127Nm so its a big jump in power and torque so I'm hoping it will. The problem here in Ireland is that 320i manuals are almost non-existent, diesel auto's are the norm, so getting a test drive might be a problem.

[Rich9600]

Originally Posted by Hughie1033

Thanks for the reply, love your car, the white looks really well, I'd probably go for that colour too along with Coral red leather. How does the economy compare to your Civic? Also, does the BMW feel quick? I'm coming from the 1.4 Civic with 100hp/127Nm so its a big jump in power and torque so I'm hoping it will. The problem here in Ireland is that 320i manuals are almost non-existent, diesel auto's are the norm, so getting a test drive might be a problem.

Don't get hung up on folk saying the 20i is slow. There is a tongue in cheek culture from the guys with the bigger engines.

Coming from a 1.4i I'm fairly sure you'll find a 20i a noticeable step up in performance.

Think on an Sports Automatic, it's very good; performance and mpg wise...

Beware of xDrive if you're thinking on mpg... Anecdotal evidence on here suggests the mpg hit is quite significant on the 20i.

Edit:

If specing new check out brokers and see the costs of something like the 30i. Same engine but with more go... Purchase costs aren't always that different as bigger discounts are available on higher models. But, insurance goes up depending on your demographic...

https://www.coast2coastcars.co.uk is a starting point for us spending your money...

[sensible]

Originally Posted by Hughie1033

Thanks for the reply, love your car, the white looks really well, I'd probably go for that colour too along with Coral red leather. How does the economy compare to your Civic? Also, does the BMW feel quick? I'm coming from the 1.4 Civic with 100hp/127Nm so its a big jump in power and torque so I'm hoping it will. The problem here in Ireland is that 320i manuals are almost non-existent, diesel auto's are the norm, so getting a test drive might be a problem.

Yes, the red leather goes well with the white. I went for black leather with a grey highlight and grey stitching. I got less to the gallon in my Civic than I do with the 320i.

320i''s get a bad press on this forum but for me it is all the car that I need. The acceleration is brisk at 0-60 in 7.2s. The torque for a petrol is good at 270Nm. A few years ago this would have been hot hatch performance and with BMW refinement. I can't believe that I have averaged 39mpg for a car of this performance and I don't drive it gently. On a run I can get 55mpg. It's true what Rich9600 says, the X drive drains the fuel economy and the auto box is better than the manual for mpg.

I have driven a lot of high powered cars as a recently retired Police Motorway/Traffic officer including the BMW''s. Yes the bigger engined cars are faster and have more torque, much more than you need for most driving situations, so I chose the 320i when I could have had any engine as I was not restricted by price. I have never regretted my choice.

You will notice a big power difference from a 1.4 Civic as it was a step up from my 1.8.

The 320d is a good car too. It is a bit noisy when cold and revs lower, but does have more torque. I just prefer a higher revving quieter petrol engine. I don't know what the old 320i engine was like but the B48 new engine is very good.

It's ashame you can't get to drive one though. I drove X drives, S drives, petrol, diesel, manual and auto. Couldn't test drive one with adaptive suspension but drove several with M Sport suspension.

Finally went for a 320i S- drive, petrol, sports auto with M Sport adaptive suspension. It's a big spend so you have to get it right. (my only regret was that I didn't go for electric lumbar support)

[vadimo]

Originally Posted by sensible

Yes, the red leather goes well with the white. I went for black leather with a grey highlight and grey stitching. I got less to the gallon in my Civic than I do with the 320i.

320i''s get a bad press on this forum but for me it is all the car that I need. The acceleration is brisk at 0-60 in 7.2s. The torque for a petrol is good at 270Nm. A few years ago this would have been hot hatch performance and with BMW refinement. I can't believe that I have averaged 39mpg for a car of this performance and I don't drive it gently. On a run I can get 55mpg. It's true what Rich9600 says, the X drive drains the fuel economy and the auto box is better than the manual for mpg.

I have driven a lot of high powered cars as a recently retired Police Motorway/Traffic officer including the BMW''s. Yes the bigger engined cars are faster and have more torque, much more than you need for most driving situations, so I chose the 320i when I could have had any engine as I was not restricted by price. I have never regretted my choice.

You will notice a big power difference from a 1.4 Civic as it was a step up from my 1.8.

The 320d is a good car too. It is a bit noisy when cold and revs lower, but does have more torque. I just prefer a higher revving quieter petrol engine. I don't know what the old 320i engine was like but the B48 new engine is very good.

It's ashame you can't get to drive one though. I drove X drives, S drives, petrol, diesel, manual and auto. Couldn't test drive one with adaptive suspension but drove several with M Sport suspension.

Finally went for a 320i S- drive, petrol, sports auto with M Sport adaptive suspension. It's a big spend so you have to get it right. (my only regret was that I didn't go for electric lumbar support)

what is it with police having bmws? i walk past liverpool st police sration every morning, i see lots of marked 5 series and x5 bmws and unmarked bmw 5 and 4 series parked behind.

[stefan4]

Originally Posted by darylrese

If fuel economy is important, don't go for 320i. I had one, and was getting 31mpg at a push. Acceleration was underwhelming and i lived at the petrol station. 320d is loads better if you don't mind going diesel.

Give consideration to the sports auto as well, its fantastic.

I always found my 320i to be quite good on fuel TBH and got around 37 mpg. It has to be said though, on a run my 340i is actually loads better, not as good day to day but who cares when it's soo much fun

[sensible]

Originally Posted by vadimo

what is it with police having bmws? i walk past liverpool st police sration every morning, i see lots of marked 5 series and x5 bmws and unmarked bmw 5 and 4 series parked behind.

We had an assortment of Audi A4's, BMW 3 & 5 series, X5 and Jag XF's....but back in the good old days we had Rover 827 and 820 turbos, Ford Sierra Cosworth''s, Vauxhall Senator's, Range Rovers, Volvo S70 T5''s to name a few.

I suspect BMW's are popular with the Police as BMW must give them a good fleet deal.