Having run my 2.0 ltr SE for a couple of months I've decided that although it's a capable car I really fancy a 2.5 . I've had a go in one and liked it. So what I'd like to know is, what can I realistically expect the fuel consumption to be. This is for a car driven sensibly on a mixture of motorways and A roads. My 2.0 ltr under the same conditions is returning approx 40-41 mpg. That's according to the computer as I haven't done a proper "brim to brim" test as yet. The car I'm looking at is a 2004 and my present one is a 2006. Am I right in thinking that other than the different bumpers the car itself is more or less the same ?
Thinking of buying a 2.5. Advice sought.
- Thread starter atreyu1
- Start date
Have you considered a 3.0? I'm sure I've read that the 2.5 and 3.0 return around the same mpg but the grunt of the 3.0 is a real joy 
If you're going from a 2006 to a 2004 then as well as the cosmetic differences between pre and post facelift cars (rear light clusters, front spotlights and bumper designs) the engine is different too. The facelift cars had an N52 engine, the pre-facelift run the M54 engine. There are pro's can con's to each engine, but on balance imo the newer N52 nicks it.
Edit - I see you have a 2.0 so obviously there is an engine difference, moving from the 4 cylinder N46 engine to the 6 cylinder 2.5 M54. You will lose 6th gear too as the 2004 2.5 is a 5 speed transmission.
Edit - I see you have a 2.0 so obviously there is an engine difference, moving from the 4 cylinder N46 engine to the 6 cylinder 2.5 M54. You will lose 6th gear too as the 2004 2.5 is a 5 speed transmission.
I've had a 2003 2.5 for the past seven and a half years, I find it has enough go.
As for MPG, a mix of motorway and town driving regularly returns mid 30's to the gallon.
Long motorway journeys between 70-80 on cruise, it returns 38 ish MPG. Numerous town only days and nearer 32 ish mpg.
Should add, during ownership it's been very reliable, with the exception of, roof motor (revived and relocated), one coil and bonnet alarm sensor. Everything else has been consumables.
As for MPG, a mix of motorway and town driving regularly returns mid 30's to the gallon.
Long motorway journeys between 70-80 on cruise, it returns 38 ish MPG. Numerous town only days and nearer 32 ish mpg.
Should add, during ownership it's been very reliable, with the exception of, roof motor (revived and relocated), one coil and bonnet alarm sensor. Everything else has been consumables.
Just over 3 years with my 104k mile 2003 2.5i SE........and I still love it. Plenty of grunt and such a lovely smooth engine. Worst tank was 25.95 mpg and best was 34.53 mpg. Virtually no motorway and very little cruising! Having said all of that, everybody rates the 3.0 and I'll probably target one of those if I ever have to replace what I've got. Good hunting and make sure you let us all know what you end up with! 
North West Surrey
You should get mid-30s driving sensibly on motorways and A roads.
I've had a 2002 325ti as a daily which has the same 2.5 litre M54 engine that does 90% of its miles on A roads and motorways.
The OBC is showing 35.0 mpg, although my Excel spreadsheet (
) suggests 32.9 mpg is more accurate. Mind you a Z4 is probably a bit lighter so may do slightly better!
I've had a 2002 325ti as a daily which has the same 2.5 litre M54 engine that does 90% of its miles on A roads and motorways.
The OBC is showing 35.0 mpg, although my Excel spreadsheet (
) suggests 32.9 mpg is more accurate. Mind you a Z4 is probably a bit lighter so may do slightly better!I’ve had my 2.5si for a little over a year now and have done 11000 miles in her.
I think it’s a brilliant little car, at 218 brake it has more than enough poke. I love it so much I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to sell it. I get about 32-33 mpg on the motorway, and I’m normally sat at 80-90. Around town and spirited driving I probably get 23-25 mpg. I never really try to get good economy from it though. The 3.0 si is almost identical in terms of miles per gallon. if I ever wrote mine off I’d probably get a 3.0si, not because I feel like I’m missing anything. What I did was look at 2.5si’s and 3.0si’s and buy the best example.
I think it’s a brilliant little car, at 218 brake it has more than enough poke. I love it so much I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to sell it. I get about 32-33 mpg on the motorway, and I’m normally sat at 80-90. Around town and spirited driving I probably get 23-25 mpg. I never really try to get good economy from it though. The 3.0 si is almost identical in terms of miles per gallon. if I ever wrote mine off I’d probably get a 3.0si, not because I feel like I’m missing anything. What I did was look at 2.5si’s and 3.0si’s and buy the best example.
I've had my 2003 M54 2.5 se (192 bhp) for approaching 8 years averaging 34mpg mixed enthusiastic driving, 40 on an A road cruise, 28 local hooning. Although it's the newer engine the N52 seems to have one or two more minor grumbles reported on this forum than the pre-facelift M54 (which is gaining a rep one of BMW's most robust engines as the years roll by) but both are very reliable.
When I bought in 2010 there was a big spread in pricing between the 2.5 and 3.0 which has narrowed now values are lower of course If I was in the market for a pre-facelift car I'd have the 3.0 now, but the facelift N52 2.5Si is the new sweet spot for price/performance IMHO being a bit overlooked due to capacity but lacking nothing in terms of real world performance, plus a useful few mpg better.
When I bought in 2010 there was a big spread in pricing between the 2.5 and 3.0 which has narrowed now values are lower of course If I was in the market for a pre-facelift car I'd have the 3.0 now, but the facelift N52 2.5Si is the new sweet spot for price/performance IMHO being a bit overlooked due to capacity but lacking nothing in terms of real world performance, plus a useful few mpg better.
Well, thank you for all the answers so far. I find it very interesting that according to the list posted by Marlon the newer face lift engine is actually less powerful than the pre face lift engine. I wonder why. So anyway I'm now fairly sure that the 2.5 is the car for me. I'm going to see a car on Wednesday and fingers crossed it'll be the one for me. I could be in the enviable ? position of having 2 Z4's sat in the drive for a short while.
atreyu1 said:
Ah, well it got a bit complicated!
The 2.5i version of the facelift engine was effectively detuned and intended as a replacement for the pre-facelift 2.2i, so has pretty much the same power output as that.
The 2.5Si version of the facelift engine was the "full-fat" version so was a bit more powerful than the pre-facelift 2.5i.
I hope that makes some sort of sense!
I don't need pure power, my other car has more power than you could ever need and with a top speed approaching 180 mph is fast enough for most peoples needs. The 2.5 seems to be a nice balance between the slightly under powered 2 litre and the 3 litre. My one experience of driving one showed it to have a nice smooth tractable engine with enough power to cope with most situations. Someone told me many years ago that a straight 6 engine is probably the nicest engine configuration you could have, I'm sure that's still the case. I think it would be safe to say that with even with the 2 litre if you used all the power available to the max you would end up either very dead or locked up for a long time.
You would do better with a really well looked after 2.5 than a ropey 3.0 at the same price. Go for condition. When I bought mine last year the 3.0 was about £1000 more than the 2.5, and your driving style sounds the same as mine and believe me the 2.5 does not hang around!
I was in your position 5years ago. I wanted a 2.5 for a combination of performance and mpg, but couldn't find one. Whereas there are plenty of 3.0 around (and with better basic spec).
The insurance and tax was the same between the 2.5 and 3.0, so I went for a 3.0si and haven't looked back.
Not trying to sway you, but just keep your options open.
Oh, and plenty of pics please.
Daz
The insurance and tax was the same between the 2.5 and 3.0, so I went for a 3.0si and haven't looked back.
Not trying to sway you, but just keep your options open.
Oh, and plenty of pics please.
Daz
atreyu1 said:
Its just commuting, a mix of a few A roads with plenty of traffic lights and B roads, then the fun twisty bits for the last couple of miles near home where it comes alive. Don't get to drive the weekend in it much as with kids in tow i need the X3 instead.