So which model of E89 is the best one to buy?
- Thread starter B21
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Scottish Borders
Purely imo it should say that this is just someone’s opinion rather than based on any sort of definitive testing etc, as personally I think the 6 cylinder cars handle better than the 4 pots due to better weight distribution, the heavier engine balances the roof better, but that’s just me.
It’s too sparse to be much more than a basic guide, it’s ok to say the 35is has the best performance but there’s no description as to how and why to back it up, same with handling and maintenance.
I don’t see why a 35i dct is any easier to maintain than a 35is tbh so why the higher score…?
I don’t mean to sound rude or scathing, it’s purely how I see the chart. But it’s still better than nothing and better than anything I could be arsed to do so
It’s too sparse to be much more than a basic guide, it’s ok to say the 35is has the best performance but there’s no description as to how and why to back it up, same with handling and maintenance.
I don’t see why a 35i dct is any easier to maintain than a 35is tbh so why the higher score…?
I don’t mean to sound rude or scathing, it’s purely how I see the chart. But it’s still better than nothing and better than anything I could be arsed to do so
derin100
Active member
Very interesting and certainly does give a a framework for potential buyers to consider.
Perhaps other factors need consideration? For example, in addition to handling, relative comfort may also be a factor in some people’s minds? Not everyone necessarily wants to run on 19” wheels and stiffer MSport suspension. Therefore, a car which scores highly in ‘Handling’ may score poorly in ‘Ride Comfort’?
Relative age of some models e.g those which were phase-out against those which are inherently newer?
Just thoughts?
Also, I was under the impression that the 35is was exclusively DCT? So, I don’t really understand the two different listings of 35is and 35is DCT?
Doing some quick adding up on some of the listings, it seems my lastest purchase (28i) comes out near or as the highest overall score. Sadly, mine is pre-2015 and I need to spend circa £1.5-2K in preventative or pre-emptive upgrading maintenance to bring it up to post-2015 reliability!
Perhaps other factors need consideration? For example, in addition to handling, relative comfort may also be a factor in some people’s minds? Not everyone necessarily wants to run on 19” wheels and stiffer MSport suspension. Therefore, a car which scores highly in ‘Handling’ may score poorly in ‘Ride Comfort’?
Relative age of some models e.g those which were phase-out against those which are inherently newer?
Just thoughts?
Also, I was under the impression that the 35is was exclusively DCT? So, I don’t really understand the two different listings of 35is and 35is DCT?
Doing some quick adding up on some of the listings, it seems my lastest purchase (28i) comes out near or as the highest overall score. Sadly, mine is pre-2015 and I need to spend circa £1.5-2K in preventative or pre-emptive upgrading maintenance to bring it up to post-2015 reliability!
I agree without at least 20 questions its an inadequate analysis..and as usual like home buying what people say they need never seems to appear in what they bought!Purely imo it should say that this is just someone’s opinion rather than based on any sort of definitive testing etc, as personally I think the 6 cylinder cars handle better than the 4 pots due to better weight distribution, the heavier engine balances the roof better, but that’s just me.
It’s too sparse to be much more than a basic guide, it’s ok to say the 35is has the best performance but there’s no description as to how and why to back it up, same with handling and maintenance.
I don’t see why a 35i dct is any easier to maintain than a 35is tbh so why the higher score…?
I don’t mean to sound rude or scathing, it’s purely how I see the chart. But it’s still better than nothing and better than anything I could be arsed to do so
Its mostly aimed at the FB generation where people simply state 'x' is great and all the rest are rubbish.
As I said its a purely sequential ranking rather than applying any sense of relativity or proportionality..
A 35i DCT wll most probably more and more expensive leaks (on its DCT) than a manual...
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Yup it;'s inexact and has to assume that you're not modifying the car etc etc. and again maybe expensive maintenance has been done..from my personal viewpoint as a N20 20i owner and a 35is owner and having associated with folks with every combination listed, some for many years and many trips the rankings seem valid.. there'll always be exceptions, outliers etc but as a first order approximation I thought it would be a starting point,,Very interesting and certainly does give a a framework for potential buyers to consider.
Perhaps other factors need consideration? For example, in addition to handling, relative comfort may also be a factor in some people’s minds? Not everyone necessarily wants to run on 19” wheels and stiffer MSport suspension. Therefore, a car which scores highly in ‘Handling’ may score poorly in ‘Ride Comfort’?
Relative age of some models e.g those which were phase-out against those which are inherently newer?
Just thoughts?
Also, I was under the impression that the 35is was exclusively DCT? So, I don’t really understand the two different listings of 35is and 35is DCT?
Doing some quick adding up on some of the listings, it seems my lastest purchase (28i) comes out near or as the highest overall score. Sadly, mine is pre-2015 and I need to spend circa £1.5-2K in preventative or pre-emptive upgrading maintenance to bring it up to post-2015 reliability!
Porthcawl
Too kind!
Not a bad option IMHO
A 35i DCT has lower maintenance costs than a35is according to my chart / my logic..the 35is has the bogeyman of adaptive dampers..am I or you not reading my chart correctly?I was asking why a 35i dct has a higher maintenance score than a 35is…
Pedantic but just curious.
I would say that the 3.0L MSport, with a manual transmission and 18" alloys would be my pick of the lot if buying used. When I bought my 3.0L in 2010 there was no MSport and I lusted after the 35i but couldn't quite stretch to the monthly payments, there wasn't the worry over reliability then either.
Yup that's a good choice IMHO..with hindsight and perspective..personally at the risk of antagonism I'd good for an xhp remap auto..-
Scotland 🏴
Your very sadly mistaken…empirically we showed that certainly a 20i auto outruns out handles a 23i manual by some margin..IMO the 23i would outperform a 20i
North West Surrey
N20 has more torque over a much wider range..the nominal hp advantage occurs at the top percentile…
Area under the curve is the hall mark of street based performance..
N52 2.5 is a peaky critter compared to the bulldozer N20
On anything but a racetrack the N20 would leave it in the distance…30i would be much tougher…in the same way the 28i leaves the 30i behind…especially with the 8 speed auto boxes…