Will the 23i be enough

B

bazzab

Member
So, it’s been a long while since I owned a z4, last one being purchased from a member here, a 3.0si..
I’ve owned a 2.5 e85, and always felt it was a little underpowered so when the opertunity to purchase a 3.0si I jumped at it. Now I owned the 3.0 for only around 8 months and whilst it was quicker than the 2.5 I never really felt it was that quick. I always assumed that was due to being na and no turbo, although once going it was ok.
So, my dilemma, I sold the 3.0 to move to a 4 door vert, which ended up being a e93.
Now when looking I should have just stuck to a 330, but got seduced by a 325d that had been mapped.
Whilst this is a nice car, I’ve been noticing more and more that I really fancy a new shape z4. I don’t really need the 4 seats and I only use the car as a weekend drive.
I’ve seen a nice mspec 2.3 in white on with red leather going around my price bracket,(£8500). My only issue is the power, will it be adequate, any owners on here with this engine give me some feedback?
I’m not hung up on the power, but don’t want something that’s really slow as well.
I also don’t want to waste buyers time test driving one either as it seems unfair, although I know I will have to if I get to the point of viewing.
Thanks Daz
 
Hi, not sure what model your e85 2.5 was but the 23i uses the n52 2.5 engine, if you had a 2.5si it would have been a little quicker than the 23i :?
Rob
 
Was the 3.0si quick enough? A quick search indicates 6.0s to 62mph vs 6.6s on the 23i.

3.0si: 130ps / tonne
23i: 125ps / tonne

Is modding / remapping an option?
 
To be honest, the 30si was quick enough yes, I thought it would be quicker to be honest, and the 325d I have now is as quick, so I don’t really think it should be about power only.
I’d like to hear from a couple of owners especially if they’ve had something quicker if they ever feel they should have got say a 3.0 or 35i.
If I push my budget, I can get a low mileage 35i albeit it has been a cat c car, which doesn’t concern me as much as the potential running costs of one.
Thanks Daz
 
It depends what you want from a car.
We have had our 23i for nearly four and a half years and only rarely want more power.
It does everything we want it to do without costing a fortune.
Our X6 on paper is faster but owning the Z4 for us is not about speed.
 
I think if you go for the 2.3I you may regret it when it comes to those fun times, the extra 50ish ponies and torques of the 3.0 really do make a difference imo.

sunnydays said:
Was the 3.0si quick enough? A quick search indicates 6.0s to 62mph vs 6.6s on the 23i.

3.0si: 130ps / tonne
23i: 125ps / tonne

Is modding / remapping an option?
Click to expand...

Dunno where you got those numbers from but...

E85 3.0si = 261hp/1310kg = 199hp per ton
E89 2.3I = 201hp/1405kg = 143 per ton

Big difference between the two
 
Thanks all, nictrix, I agree with what your saying, in fairness these days your always only minutes away from speed cameras etc, i think I could live with the slight loss in performance as I think the looks on the e89 are really nice, especially the msport styling. Does the satnav/I drive system a must?
I have the old version I drive in my e93, but feel it’s not really required and is just a extra thing to look at especially as the maps are 2008😂
 
Dont have nav in the Z and just use a phone if needed instead.
If the nav in the Z is anything like the X6, Im not really missing anything as its not great. But the idrive is not just about nav, theres a lot more to it and even just the music storage and ease of use over the normal stereo would make me go for one with nav next time.
 
Ive had a 23i , 90% of the time they are perfectly capable of satisfying the driver but if you want to feel any momentum or enjoy ragging it through some twisties :driving: braking in then hammering out :cry: you will feel let down as they (89s in general) are in no way as sharp a tool as the 85s / 86s that can still thrill with less power .
A great way of enjoying a modern 2 seat coupe / roadster Bmw for a budget spend though :wink: or cough up more £££ & buy more ooomph :thumbsup:
 
bazzab said:
To be honest, the 30si was quick enough yes, I thought it would be quicker to be honest, and the 325d I have now is as quick, so I don’t really think it should be about power only.
I’d like to hear from a couple of owners especially if they’ve had something quicker if they ever feel they should have got say a 3.0 or 35i.
If I push my budget, I can get a low mileage 35i albeit it has been a cat c car, which doesn’t concern me as much as the potential running costs of one.
Thanks Daz
Click to expand...

I think if you were disappointed with your 2.5 litre E85 you might be equally disspointed by a 23i.

You say a Cat C 35i might be an option, but wouldn't a 30i fit the bill? Same N52 engine as your 3.0Si.

Good luck anyway. :thumbsup:
 
Glad you commented mr Wilkes, if it was used more I’d love to put more to it, but I run it on a tight budget servicing myself to keep costs down etc.
I think I might have to look at saving a little more 😳
 
bazzab said:
Glad you commented mr Wilkes, if it was used more I’d love to put more to it, but I run it on a tight budget servicing myself to keep costs down etc.
I think I might have to look at saving a little more 😳
Click to expand...

Have you driven a E89 yet ? Again jmo & not meant to talk the na 6 cylinders down but if you want to feel some poke but don't want to throw £12 / £13k into a leggy 35i i would give consideration to a 20i 60k-70k car :wink: choose well with regard stamped oil services & add a remap you would have a car that felt much quicker than a 262 na car even if on paper the numbers were a little less
 
mr wilks said:
bazzab said:
Glad you commented mr Wilkes, if it was used more I’d love to put more to it, but I run it on a tight budget servicing myself to keep costs down etc.
I think I might have to look at saving a little more 😳
Click to expand...

Have you driven a E89 yet ? Again jmo & not meant to talk the na 6 cylinders down but if you want to feel some poke but don't want to throw £12 / £13k into a leggy 35i i would give consideration to a 20i 60k-70k car :wink: choose well with regard stamped oil services & add a remap you would have a car that felt much quicker than a 262 na car even if on paper the numbers were a little less
Click to expand...


Not driven one at all, the 2.0 would fit but the reason for looking at the 2.3 was the price.
Think the cheapest nice 2.0 I’ve seen was around 10k and was cat d.
Is the drive nice in the e89?
What about creature comforts such as the I drive/satnav?
Thanks all for commenting
 
bazzab said:
mr wilks said:
bazzab said:
Glad you commented mr Wilkes, if it was used more I’d love to put more to it, but I run it on a tight budget servicing myself to keep costs down etc.
I think I might have to look at saving a little more 😳
Click to expand...

Have you driven a E89 yet ? Again jmo & not meant to talk the na 6 cylinders down but if you want to feel some poke but don't want to throw £12 / £13k into a leggy 35i i would give consideration to a 20i 60k-70k car :wink: choose well with regard stamped oil services & add a remap you would have a car that felt much quicker than a 262 na car even if on paper the numbers were a little less
Click to expand...


Not driven one at all, the 2.0 would fit but the reason for looking at the 2.3 was the price.
Think the cheapest nice 2.0 I’ve seen was around 10k and was cat d.
Is the drive nice in the e89?
What about creature comforts such as the I drive/satnav?
Thanks all for commenting
Click to expand...

Spec is a personal thing , for me idrive , nav , cruise , uprated hi-fi are nice to have but would never stop me buying a potentially good car ( i don't have navspec on current 35i)
Mine sees minimal weekend use so not crucial to have a fully loaded car .
As for the drive / cabin ? E89s are a massive step forward with cabin noise , space , seats (Msport) dash layout but no matter the power , mods or tweaks will never give the driver the same connection or go-kart drive thrill of the 85 / 86
 
Ok, I’ve just come out of my 23i and into a 20i.

The 23i is not the quickest as it only really moves at the higher end of the revs. Problem is, for 90% of the time I’m driving in the lower end of the Rev range.
The 20i is very different as the turbo means it’s much torquier and pulls at all revs. For day to day driving, the 20i is much more versatile.

When I drove down south in the 23i (to trade in against the 20i) I got caught out a few times when on the motorway in 6th. If I pulled out to pass a lorry, there is nothing at all underfoot unless you change down to 4th.....
Coming home again in the 20i......soooo different, never needed to change down at all as it pulls well in any gear.

However, finally, as a balance, the 23i sounds much better!
 
Kugaman1 said:
Ok, I’ve just come out of my 23i and into a 20i.

The 23i is not the quickest as it only really moves at the higher end of the revs. Problem is, for 90% of the time I’m driving in the lower end of the Rev range.
The 20i is very different as the turbo means it’s much torquier and pulls at all revs. For day to day driving, the 20i is much more versatile.

When I drove down south in the 23i (to trade in against the 20i) I got caught out a few times when on the motorway in 6th. If I pulled out to pass a lorry, there is nothing at all underfoot unless you change down to 4th.....
Coming home again in the 20i......soooo different, never needed to change down at all as it pulls well in any gear.

However, finally, as a balance, the 23i sounds much better!
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I changed my 23i for a 35is, not for more outright power but more torque, the shove from the 3 litre twin turbo and the sound of the 6cyl with sports exhaust is very addictive without driving fast.
 
I've got the 2.3i and don't feel it is underpowered. Considering I came from a S2000 I thought (as others suggested at the time) that the 2.5 isn't really sporty enough. However the 6 cylinder pulls very well low down in comparison with the Honda where to get the most of it I you have to give it lots of revs (which is exciting but not that relaxing to drive).
One of the guys on the forum lives near me and took me out in his 3.5is which was much faster - but in my early 50s I'm happy with a relatively quick car, that looks great and is engaging to drive, roof up or down. If you're young you'll be intoxicated by the power but IMHO you become less obsessed with pure speed as you get older! Also the 2.5 is much cheaper and less expensive to own.. horses for courses...
 
Kugaman1 said:
When I drove down south in the 23i (to trade in against the 20i) I got caught out a few times when on the motorway in 6th. If I pulled out to pass a lorry, there is nothing at all underfoot unless you change down to 4th.....
Click to expand...

What speed were you doing that you had to do that? Was it uphill?
On the motorway I have never felt the need to drop 2 gears to pass someone no matter what car I have been driving.
Maybe yours was broken :)
 
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