3.0i versus 3.0si

B

bmwangler

Active member
 Bath
No doubt this has been discussed before, so apologies if I'm dragging up an old topic.

Many members will have owned/driven both the 3.0i and 3.0 si cars. just how much difference in perfomance is there?

Is the 3.0 Si much quicker? On paper there's not much in it, bur 30 odd BHP must count for something.

I'd be interested in opinions on this :wink:
 
Yes i've owned both.

there is a big difference, mainly putting your foot down in 6th the N52 seems a lot faster

I had a SI coupe and a 3.0SE roadster.

don't get me wrong the roadster sure felt quick too but the n52 is a lot more refined.
 
I've had a mini drag up to 2nd with th30d0r3 in his Coupe and he was about 1/2 a cars length ahead.
 
I've owned both.

3.0si is a much better car than 3.0. Anyone who tells you otherwise has not owned a 3.0si. :wink: Better / faster/ more powerful / better interior etc etc :lol:
 
srhutch, Funny you should say that because I totaly screwed up my 1st to 2nd change. LOL :oops:

The only plus I could give the non-Si is that you can SC it, but you can't with the Si (well I wouldn't recommend it).
Not sure, but am I right in saying the N52 has more common issues than the M54? :?
 
Zed Five said:
I've owned both.

3.0si is a much better car than 3.0. Anyone who tells you otherwise has not owned a 3.0si. :wink: Better / faster/ more powerful / better interior etc etc :lol:
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Can only comment on my lowly 3.0SE after a day ragging mine through the gears in Kent a couple of weeks back following PVR's //M which is even more of a car. He was definitely vaporising huge amounts of money into the government's coffers when we got enthusiastic on a few dual carriageways, but was amazingly surprised there really wasn't much in it at all...

so a 3.0 230bhp vs a 3.0si 260bhp, yep likely to be a bit faster but not by much, so suggest you find someone that will let u rag them both & make yr own mind up
 
I'd love a go in an Si to see what the fuss is about, but my big concern over the Si is that it does seem to be an engine with more inherent problems than the M54 from reading the forums.
 
Jembo said:
..........Can only comment on my lowly 3.0SE after a day ragging mine through the gears in Kent a couple of weeks back following PVR's //M which is even more of a car. He was definitely vaporising huge amounts of money into the government's coffers when we got enthusiastic on a few dual carriageways, but was amazingly surprised there really wasn't much in it at all......
Click to expand...
Really :o

I suppose fast is fast, but I'd expect an extra 100bhp to make a huge difference?????
 
bmwangler said:
Jembo said:
..........Can only comment on my lowly 3.0SE after a day ragging mine through the gears in Kent a couple of weeks back following PVR's //M which is even more of a car. He was definitely vaporising huge amounts of money into the government's coffers when we got enthusiastic on a few dual carriageways, but was amazingly surprised there really wasn't much in it at all......
Click to expand...
Really :o

I suppose fast is fast, but I'd expect an extra 100bhp to make a huge difference?????
Click to expand...

I"m in total agreement with u... expected exactly the same... can't quite say what speeds we got up to but we found a few clear dual carriageways to ... make a little progress ... & was the subjeect of discussion at our pit stop... conclusion being the 3.0 in any guise is a capable motor, not quite as quick but still in there.
 
Jembo said:
bmwangler said:
Jembo said:
..........Can only comment on my lowly 3.0SE after a day ragging mine through the gears in Kent a couple of weeks back following PVR's //M which is even more of a car. He was definitely vaporising huge amounts of money into the government's coffers when we got enthusiastic on a few dual carriageways, but was amazingly surprised there really wasn't much in it at all......
Click to expand...
Really :o

I suppose fast is fast, but I'd expect an extra 100bhp to make a huge difference?????
Click to expand...

I"m in total agreement with u... expected exactly the same... can't quite say what speeds we got up to but we found a few clear dual carriageways to ... make a little progress ... & was the subjeect of discussion at our pit stop... conclusion being the 3.0 in any guise is a capable motor, not quite as quick but still in there.
Click to expand...

Breaker will like this. Cue the 'real world' debate' :fuelfire: :P
 
Whilst shopping for my Zed, I test drove both back to back. At least in 2nd gear (freakin' speed limits :x ), there was an easily noticeable difference in acceleration, albeit not a huge difference. The si also has several options as standard, which may be either appealing or unappealing to the buyer. There's many reasons I bought the si, but the lower power would not have been a deal breaker on the i if other things were equal, as it's still quite adequate, On paper, the 0.6 sec longer 0-100km time is actually not insignificant. In the real world, it probably doesn't matter much.
 
Like others for me the runing costs vs additional speed are not attractive enough. If I thought the runing costs were about 15% more I would have jumped at getting an M. Also if I was someone looking for a car to take on track I may have a different opinion as I bet on track the M's difference in performance is alot bigger than it is on the road as you can use those revs easier and the brakes/suspension/dif will make a bigger difference.
 
I had a 3.0i for 3.5 years and once had a 3.0si for a week. the car did feel faster for sure. you could definitely tell the difference. especially when I then got back in my 3.0i after a weeks motoring.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I'd say go for the 3.0Si if you can easily afford it.

I'd have preferred one over my 3.0i had I been able to afford the 50% extra at the time!


Main reason for saying so is that they almost all come with the M-sport seats, which improve things a great deal. The interior is also a little fresher and sharper somehow. It all adds up really.

That said, engine power aside (which comes at a cost of a bit more delicacy?), the chassis are the same, so from a driving point of view they are both flawed with run flat tyres and suspension a bit too stiff for the bushings from my experience anyway.


So it really comes down to cost and the seats.

You'll have work to do on either to make them really feel like a sports car away from glass smooth roads!


All that said, I love my 3.0i to bits. I also ultimately prefer the exterior looks. The front/rear bumpers and lights work so much better from a design POV than the facelift bits. So I quite like the fact I have an original which looks very very pretty just stood still on the Ellipsoid wheels!

Dave
 
srhutch said:
peddy said:
I've had a mini drag up to 2nd with th30d0r3 in his Coupe and he was about 1/2 a cars length ahead.
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He is just a better driver :poke:
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Yes you're right plus the aerodynamics of the fixed roof also helped. On the other hand the SI has a shorter diff (which is a shame) so acceleration & torque is better; if they had the same running gear the difference will be more relative.

You'll get better MPG from the SI, if it had the same diff as the 3.0i then you'd get alot better MPG.
 
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