Choosing between the latest 320 sports vs 323 new facelift model

[Juan Powerblow]

The 320i is good for town use. It has enough power to pull you around and yes it feels a bit zippy. This applies to all 4 pots across all 3 series generation.

Moreoever the 320i has the 6 gears which makes the gearing very distributed across speed.

But once you hit the freeway or highway, the 320i will not be enough. The mid range pull and the top end is not enough compared to 6 pot.

But if you have not driven a 6 pot long enough, you will be happy with the 4 pot compared to all other makes.

Agreed. Thanks for pointing this out. Very adequate for town use but slam the pedal, the action is not quite there which is where the 6-pots excel. The 323i far less cause of much less torque and lower cut off compared to 325i.

 

[elwine30]

yes, especially when you want to over take, we just need to squeeze a bit more to make the car move or work harder on the right leg.

where if we have the 6 pot, we just need to flex our toe to over take.

that's where your NM torque comes in. hehehe

 

[saat]

I posted earlier but it didn't get posted.

Keep the 4 pot on the boil and it will acquit itself well in the twisties. It can keep up with the 323 here. Agree it will run out of breath in a flat out top speed run much earlier against the 323 let alone the 325.

 

[valkryie]

320 sports vs. 323. I think you should consider a pre-owned 325 sports LCI if budget permits. Periodically the dealers clear out some BMW owned company cars with less than 5000 kms on them. They could be 08 or 09 cars. Prices ranges from 270-289K. But i think it would drop further as the months goes by especially for the 2008 LCI. Saw one silver 325 LCI going for RM 289K recently.

Like what was posted earliers, 6 cylinders are the best and BMW makes one of the best engines in this class. 323 6 cylinder is a detuned 2.5 liter engine. So you will be paying the same road tax as a 325 sports but with reduce capacity.

Not sure if someone in the future can unlocked the hidden hp of the 323 but I think it will not be so easy.

One more reason to choose the sports model over the 323. Can order the car in white (unless you don't like white).

 

[Dodgy]

Hi,

Thanks for all the input / feedback. It still puzzles me why 320's sports handling (lighter steering) feels much better than 323. With additional 30k for the 323 you would expect the same with add-on 6 potter. The better handling, iDrive and 6 potter is something you would expect from the 323 at that price but it's simply not the case. What's the use of the 6 potter and iDrive without the better handling ?

Well it may just be the case that 'evil' BMW is making the 325 sports the 'complete' 3 series car.

 

[Dodgy]

Hi,

Thanks for all the input / feedback. It still puzzles me why 320's sports handling (lighter steering) feels much better than 323. With additional 30k for the 323 you would expect the same with add-on 6 potter. The better handling, iDrive and 6 potter is something you would expect from the 323 at that price but it's simply not the case. What's the use of the 6 potter and iDrive without the better handling ?

Well it may just be the case that 'evil' BMW is making the 325 sports the 'complete' 3 series car.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Hi,

Thanks for all the input / feedback. It still puzzles me why 320's sports handling (lighter steering) feels much better than 323. With additional 30k for the 323 you would expect the same with add-on 6 potter. The better handling, iDrive and 6 potter is something you would expect from the 323 at that price but it's simply not the case. What's the use of the 6 potter and iDrive without the better handling ?

Well it may just be the case that 'evil' BMW is making the 325 sports the 'complete' 3 series car.

I wonder if this is because you're not used to Active Steering which comes in the 323i. Anyways, I think others have said that it's relatively easy to enhance the 323i's handling to match and even outdo the 320i. Most of the E90ers have made these upgrades in their 325i. The notion that 320i handles better because of weight distribution with the 4-potter don't carry that much weight anymore.

 

[Dodgy]

does the 323i comes with active steering ? i've read a review on 323i, 3 months back from AutoCar that says it doesn't. i'm not sure about 320i sports or 325. thanks

 

[Juan Powerblow]

does the 323i comes with active steering ? i've read a review on 323i, 3 months back from AutoCar that says it doesn't. i'm not sure about 320i sports or 325. thanks

Ermmm... I know my E92 323i does and I would be surprised if the LCI E90 version does not.

BTW, I believe someone in this forum is putting up a low mileage E92 323i for sale. You might wanna consider. The Coupe is actually quite spacious though a bit impractical with 2 doors. If you're single or single at heart, this might suit you.

 

[E46Fanatic]

I don't believe the E90 LCI 323i has A/S. BMW Malaysia went with the iDrive option instead and omitted the A/S to keep the cost low. Can't say they are wrong. While I love the A/S, I think I'd take the new iDrive over it .

 

[saat]

Guys to settle the argument,
For CKD units:

320 (LCI & non-LC) - No AS
320 Sports - No AS
323 - AS (Local Market Option)
325 - AS (Local Market Option)
325 Sport - No AS
335 - AS (Standard on 09 model on)

Yes the Active Steering is not compatible with the Sports models

 

[valkryie]

You can check out the specs and price in www.bmw.com.my for most of the cars. Here is a link to the 323 for the for those who don't want to navigate http://www.bmw.com.my/com/en/newvehicles/3series/sedan/2008/_shared/pdf/3series323i.pdf

 

[Dodgy]

saat,

Thanks for your feedback. How much would the Active Steering add on from the local market ? An estimate would do.

This sounds odd though, this is like adding a power steering for a local manufactured car, thought we're talking about a UDM here. .

 

[saat]

I dont know if you can add it. What I mean by local market option is that it does not come as standard, BMW Malaysia has decided to include the option as standard for locally assembled units.

 

[Dodgy]

anyone knows if 'Active Steering' can be added onto the 3 series models that does not have it ?

 

[astroboy]

Was told the 320i lower boomerang arm is different in the sports model.. no wonder it out maneuver a 323i in a slalom time attack.

And guys, what is good about Active Steering apart from the expectation of more electronic glitch from the E90? I have no problem with my 320i BLM..

 

[valkryie]

Was told the 320i lower boomerang arm is different in the sports model.. no wonder it out maneuver a 323i in a slalom time attack.

And guys, what is good about Active Steering apart from the expectation of more electronic glitch from the E90? I have no problem with my 320i BLM..

I share my experience with active steering for the X5.
The most obvious good thing about active steering is that it makes it easier to do u-turns. It is quite a handy thing for a big car such as the X5. It makes it easier to turn in tight situation such as those in housing estate. And yes it helps in parking.

But the advantages of active Steering for 3 series may not be as great since the 3 series already have good turning radius and is a nimble car.

The steering become more indirect at higher speed as in you need to turn the steering more to turn the car but i don't really notice this effect at highway speed. Just notice that the car rolls a lot in bends and can't hold the line at high speeds.

 

[E46Fanatic]

Was told the 320i lower boomerang arm is different in the sports model.. no wonder it out maneuver a 323i in a slalom time attack.

And guys, what is good about Active Steering apart from the expectation of more electronic glitch from the E90? I have no problem with my 320i BLM..

Its the same boomerang arm le. Just different steering rack ratio for cars with A/S and without if I remember right.

Slalom time attack is less to do with power but more on handling. 320i sports has M sport suspension, staggered wheels, sits lower and is lighter than a 323i for better weight directional shifts. So in theory it should be quicker in the slalom la.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Its the same boomerang arm le. Just different steering rack ratio for cars with A/S and without if I remember right.

Slalom time attack is less to do with power but more on handling. 320i sports has M sport suspension, staggered wheels, sits lower and is lighter than a 323i for better weight directional shifts. So in theory it should be quicker in the slalom la.

And, all the features you described can easily be done to a 323i. It's a matter of $$$. I got it all done for less than RM8k (all second hand parts though, hehehehe). In fact, I bet the KWs will even outperform the M sports suspension but when I did it, it was RM4k more for the KWs, so opted for ultra cheap 1-day old M sports suspension instead which I bought for RM2k, heh.

 

[astroboy]

Woei! antiroll bar also boh siang la!..

...but the IA SC told me the boomerang arm different between 320i and the 320i sport le.. hhmmnn.. someone is telling lies..:39: both also highly technical competent fella..