E85 to E89

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dhobbs

Senior member
I'm thinking about moving on from my E85 3.0si to a E89 and have to put my hands up and say I've not been taking that much notice of the newer cars. So I'm looking for advice on what to go for, what to avoid etc.

Key point to add is it must be an auto, current car is manual but need the ease of an auto box.

I want to keep with the 6 cyl engines as that's half the character of the car

I've seen the 3.0i which I gather is the n52 na engine. I assume it's the same as mine (roughly)

What about the 35i and 35is. Are they reliable? Are they nice to drive coming from a na engine?

What about models, m-sport, highline? Any particular one to get?

I see the LCI came out in 2013, are these much better or just cosmetic (headlights and side lights)

What about entertainment systems, idrive etc. Been used to a basic stereo so this would be a step up.


Any advice is welcome

Thanks
Daz
 
Think this will depend on budget as the 35i and 35is are expensive especially the iS which can get expensive to repair if it goes wrong so a good warranty is recommended.

LCI is cosmetic only.

The highline gives a load of extra kit, SE Highline has Msport seats so watch for people adverting them as Msport.

Msport Highline gained, iDrive, comfort pack (not access) which includes extended light and storage packs plus wind deflector.
 
Thanks
Useful to know. I'm tempted by the 3.0i na engine as mine has been really reliable

Am I right in saying that the e89 is less hard core than the e85/e86?
Is the suspension still up to bmw standards of being rock hard?
 
Suspension is pretty soft if you get an SE with smaller wheels. If you get an MSport with 19's then, yeah, it'll be a bit firm!

Definitely "softer" feel to the car than the e85. Test drive one and see what you think :thumbsup:

The N54 engine in the 35i/is is not especially unreliable, it just has a few extra bits to go wrong that will cost £1k or so to fix. If you factor in an extra couple of thousand for injectors and HPFP very 50k miles you'll probably be more than covered.
 
Packages are key. Comfort comes with a number of things that many owners wish they have. Cold too if you drive in chilly weather.

I had driven DCT cars a few times, but honestly, it took me time to get the hang of performance downshifting. I was very disappointed in the beginning, but now don’t miss manual at all.

Good luck with the search.
 
Marcoose said:
Packages are key. Comfort comes with a number of things that many owners wish they have. Cold too if you drive in chilly weather.

I had driven DCT cars a few times, but honestly, it took me time to get the hang of performance downshifting. I was very disappointed in the beginning, but now don’t miss manual at all.

Good luck with the search.
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SHMBO has aVW with a DSG gearbox and that takes time to adjust to. I will miss a manual but health issues are forcing it

Looks like I need to research the packages now.
 
The packages, IMHO, are not trivial. They came in all shapes and colours. Bloody complicated to get to the bottom of what’s what.

The E89 is a GT. Sufficiently comfortable and you’ll arrive in style. But even the 35is is not a sport car. The suspension is prone to understeering. So if you like spirited drives in the twisties, you’ll have to replace a few parts.
 
Hi Daz,

The performance figures for the E85 3.0Si and the E89 30i are virtually identical, and in the real world the E89 is just as quick as the E85. I’ve had several 30Si’s and currently own an E89 :thumbsup:

The cabin space and general fit and finish of the E89 feels like a much bigger leap than a single generation. The E89 is more refined which is a good or bad thing depending on what you want from the car.

The E85 feels a bit like a classic car now, in a good way. The E89 feels much more modern.

I’ve never driven either as an auto, but I believe the auto box in both can be remapped for much quicker gear changes changing the experience completely.

The E85 feels more raw than the E89, bit more go-kart like, bit more direct. But I believe the handling characteristics of the E89 can be improved significantly without spending thousands.

My other half much prefers the E89 as a passenger for longer distances… not sure if that’s a concern to you or not, but thought it was worth pointing out :thumbsup:

IDrive, MSport, Heated seats are the key extras in terms of impact on desirability and price. Like any car, some colours more desirable than others and some best avoided from resale perspective.

One more thought, a remapped 2.0 4 pot is probably a touch quicker than the 30i, and it sounds decent at WOT, but quite diesel like at slow speeds in traffic.
 
FWIW idrive ie the map / large screen interface is not correlated with any of the audio and connectivity packages…

So just because it’s got idrive it’s doesn’t mean any of the audio or connectivity systems are necessarily anything but basic…

If audio systems mean anything and you are not a twiddler you should look for 676 Hi-Fi or more rarely 677 Top-fi aka DSP..you can spot the cheap audio as it has white lettering on the radio unit..

If you want to stream audio via Bluetooth then you will need extended Bluetooth.

N54 cars are Russian roulettes…you could be lucky or you could end up spending £1k-£5k in short succession depending how the dice fall..warranties have gone up a lot…

If you were in the market I’d go for a 35i MSport..seems most have been snapped up Forum members at good prices…

The 30i by definition did not survive long enough for LCI…

The 35i/35is did..there were many revisions to parts under the covers but nothing that’s noteworthy to the observer..save LED DRLs which are a mixed blessing as when the driver unit fails they are very expensive to replace.

If you are twiddler then you can overcome / enhance anything ..at a price..

The 30i ZF6HP box is more suited to stop start traffic and heavy commuting

The 35i DCT box is more hard core and less happy in traffic.
 
I loved jumping from the 3.0si to a 23i e89 :thumbsup: Yes more GT but the cabin is a much nicer place, quieter both roof up and roof down, be and the handling is not that far off you cant still have a bit of fun,

If i jump back into a z4 it would be an e89 30i, the straight six experience is hard to beat and I'd look to an se model for the softer suspension but with heated msport seats of course and definitely something with a better stereo than the awful basic 6 speaker... enjoy the search :thumbsup:
 
My other half doesn't enjoy going in my car certainly not driving it, too much effort for her, so an e89 might be the way to go. I'm not that much into hooning it around so much, more spirited drives so not slow but still enjoying the drive.

I do enjoy my music so will have to look out for the higher hi I setup, but not adverse to swapping it out for a new HU.

I suppose the next thing is to take some out for a drive.

Thanks for the input guys, that's what makes this forum great :thumbsup:
 
Where are you based?

Might be able to get someone to give you a trip out if it suits both parties re: locate& timings
 
dhobbs said:
My other half doesn't enjoy going in my car certainly not driving it, too much effort for her, so an e89 might be the way to go.
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My wife absolutely loves 'her' E89. She's not into cars at all and I have never seen her like a car until now. :thumbsup:
She won't drive my F33, even though it far more sophisticated, comfortable and has all the toys.
 
What's the budget ?
See my sig I went from 3.0Si manual to a 35iS
The manual gearbox wasn't that good a change, my DCT is sweet, smooth and and no trouble in traffic.
The power/torque and flexibility is light years ahead with 35iS....... it's f'n quick when you want or it poodle and burble along at 1500 rpm in 7th
Interior is way nicer in the E89, so are all the more modern kit and features.
I have fresh dampers, Eibach springs and 19 inch Non runflat, it doesn't handle bad, for what is quite a heavy car.
My wife like to nick this one on a sunny.
 
I went from a 3L E85 to an E89 3.5i auto then back to a 3L E85 and now with an E89 3.5i manual. Massive difference in the driving experience between E85 and E89 and to be honest I love them both for different reasons. E89 much nicer place to be and is more refined and better for long journeys. My other half preferred the E85 to my current E89 but the only reason she can give is that you can go shopping in the E85 and go home with a full boot and drive home with the roof down where with the E89 we usually have to put the roof up and leave it up when we have a full boot. DCT transmission brilliant a with seamless gear changes but in manual again is a totally different driving experience. I will no doubt have another E85 in my life at some stage…….
 
PointedMarlin said:
Where are you based?

Might be able to get someone to give you a trip out if it suits both parties re: locate& timings
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Brighton based and work in Crawley. It's a good idea but don't want to put people out.
 
9designs said:
What's the budget ?
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Good question.
Not really set one tbh. Been toying with getting a new car for some time but car prices are crazy atm.

I would say 15k so that should give me some options,not sure about 35is though.

I was toying with a fast SUV like gla amg, t-roc R, x2 35i, but they're all 30k and would more than likely be lease or similar. Pie in the sky :roll:

M235i convertible similar price but just don't have the walk away and turnaround glance that the e89 has.
 
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