I was always under the impression that BMW model numbers on the back of the car reflected the series number and the engine size.
So a 535 would be a Series 5 powered by a 3.5 litre engine.
Was looking at the specs of the 330i today and was surprised to see that it is powered by a 2 litre engine.
So you can't tell the engine size any more. :(
Mind you, this could have changed long ago. I haven't been keeping in touch with cars very much.
Still driving my trusty Daimler Six 1996 4 litre. (bought from new).
Been the way for a while now. Even the 1 series I had was a 116d but I believe the 116, 118 and 120 were the same engine just tuned differently.
I've just got a GLC 220d but the 220d and the 250d share the same engine.
The real cheat is when you look at the C63 AMG and it's far from a 6.3 litre engine inside!
I think that the change was about 10 years ago.
OK, so it's obviously a marketing ploy.
Could backfire on BMW though. The model number used to be a bit of a status symbol. Worthless now!
Yep, I think that it started to change when the e9x generation of cars were introduced. The same 2.0 litre engine had different tunes or turbos to give 318, 320 & 325.
The previous generation (e46) had 1.8l, 2.0l and 2.5l engines.
Audi seem to have done something similar - I was lent a Q2 the other day and it had 30 on the back but was definitely not a 3.0 Litre.
Really?Originally Posted by calypso
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
It still is, to a degree. The bigger the number, the more powerful the engine so the higher up the range and the higher price. It’s just no longer directly related to the cc of the engine.
Agree. What's the difference between that and someone buying a quartz Cartier with diamonds or an iwc with a lame movement in it.
A lot of mercedes actually use Renault engines. I think it's the manual 2 litre and below models and perhaps with a manual gearbox but a lot of A and E class models have them.
its been like that awhile, a 316d 318d 320d are all the same engine, same as the 325d and 330d are the same engine. They are just tuned differently.
Don't forget the M-cars with a single numerical digit which are the flagships... M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, forthcoming M8!
It still applies, because the bigger the number the more powerful the engine. But additionally, some of the higher models come with equipment and options that the lower ones do not. For example, I have a 520D and the standard climate control isn't as good as the equivalent 530D of the same age. Small point to use as an example, but there are others.
Model designation had always been an aspect of marketing, and it's unlikely to back fire since the change happened well over a decade ago and people are still buying BMWs.
Mine's debadged which is a factory option, so the status symbol thing isn't really relevant these days - and fewer of us actually outright own what we drive.
It’s all a big con. Basically they build a base engine and as someone has said they tune them differently and badge them accordingly. For example the Mercedes 220d and 250d are the same and just tuned differently, something a third party chip can easily achieve at a lower cost.
I own an Audi s4 a new model. It has 350bhp and yet has a whopping turbo bolted to it. I believe it is the same engine as the RS4 again just de-tuned. I could take this to a tuner and have 450 BHP for a fraction of the cost of an RS4. Crazy.
One of the reasons people order their car without the type-badge at the rear...
Yes, my 935i is pretty spectacular...
It never was a 6.3, the first one was actually 6.2, but the name was used to evoke the memory of a race car from the 70’s
Only the 1461cc Diesel engine is a Renault engine, tuned by MB.
RS4 not a BiTurbo ?
You are correct tho ......tuner would probably get it to 450bhp
These days with BMW, the higher the number, the more turbos you're likely to have under the bonnet!
For example the 3.0 diesel comes with 1,2,3 and (even) 4 turbos IIRC - all different power outputs and used across the range of series.
It was much easier 10+ years ago, look at the badge and WYSIWYG, now you need to read the spec sheet.
You can even go back to the e36 and e39 for this. They first had the older 2.5 engine and were therefore badged 325 and 525. When the newer 2.5 was put in they badged them 323 and 523 to distinguish them from the older engined version.
And going further back... mid-1980s there was a non-UK e23 745i which was a turbo 3.5, and the e28 525e was actually a de-tuned 2.7
Double post!
Old style is best.
My e30 323 has a 2.3l engine. My e63 M6 has a 5l V10. No turbos in sight!
It’s taken you a decade or more to wise up to it so I doubt it.
Only because I've not been in the market for a new car.
It's a complete mess. Almost all Diesels are 3.0 - no matter the badge (including the M550d. Audi will have badges connected to engine power, not the engine capacity.
I find the new Audi numbers very confusing! From what I read at the time, it will make more sense once Electric/Hybrid cars become more commonplace as the ICE may be supported by an Electric powerplant too. I guess if an i8 had a 1.5litre badge on the back it'd confuse others too!
Well it’s been changed for over a decade and sales in the U.K. have grown and grown since then so clearly they haven’t got it wrong.
Yes, that makes sense - much more sense than currently produced BMW models, with 3.0 engine and 5.0 badge ;-)
The same engine is used in the Dacia Sandero, I don't think the A class owners would like to hear that after they have purchased, sorry rented their beloved Mercedes Benz.
Look from the other side - Dacia has MB engine, not MB has from Dacia! ;-)
Aren't Dacia owned by Renault/Nissan? So in that sense, the MB does have a Dacia engine!
It is!Aren't Dacia owned by Renault/Nissan? So in that sense, the MB does have a Dacia engine!
But if something is good in 3 different brands, should be good also in 4th! ;-)
Just joking, I remember very well the MB quality crisis in late '90/00. It was sad to see all that long term MB owners, who upgraded their cars to W210 or W220 series. They never came back.
not bmw specifically, but I used to know were you stood in the pecking order when you drove either a L,LS,GLS, sport or ghia . :-) simpler times
Started with the E90, you have the 325i (3L S6 Low tune) 330i (3L S6 High Tune) and 335i (3L S6 Turbo or later Twin Turbo).
I've an E90 N52 330i and its glorious!
Last edited by hoopsontoast; 7th March 2019 at 22:27.
Started in the 80s. My E30 316 (not 316i) had a 1.8 carb. The 316i of the same era had a 1.6 fuel injection
No, they’re probably dead. Replaced by all the younger people driving A class, CLA, GLA, c coupe, c cab, GLC, CLS etc etc etc.
Mercedes held 7.24% of the Uk market in 2018, 4.81% in 2014 and 4.57 in 2011
Indeed. Cheaper cars, for different target. No one demands 500 000 miles without the single issue with the car.
You are right. The car buying demographic has changed. Manufacturers want people who care about image and fashion, who will change the car often.
As evidenced by the increase in renting/leasing rather than buying.
There was also a 328i and 330i and I’d always understood they were fundamentally the same engine as the 2.5i but, as others mention, the link between badge and engine size is long gone.
Same as the move to have odd numbers for 4+ doors and even numbers for coupes. Then they bring out a 4 door 4 series ....
Last edited by David_D; 8th March 2019 at 15:40. Reason: typo
That was briliant :)
Let's keep 3er for sedans and tourings and start 4er for coupes. 15 minutes later - let's do the 4-doors 4er Gran Coupe...
Absolutely. Cars are now disposable purchases.
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