worth upgrading from 04 2.5 to 06 3.0si?

Poll Poll Should I keep the 04 2.5 or ge the 06 3.0si

  • Keep the 04 2.5

    Votes: 16 55.2%

  • Get the 06 3.0si

    Votes: 13 44.8%
  • Total voters
    29
P

preilly44

Member
I am considering upgrading from my 2004 Z4 2.5 (which is fully loaded -nav) for an 06 3.0si which only has the computer, sport package auto lights/climate control/wipers, CC, and power top (the only reason I am considering this is because of the especially low price tag).

My question is...is it worth it? The features I'll miss are the HID lights, and heated power seats. Is the power difference that noticeable? I imagine it is but I have never driven a Z4 other than my 2.5.

Any opinions would be appreciated.
 
tough call 44, not knowing your personality, i think it all depends on that

are you the type who drives the car really really hard and goes to the track all the time?? or are you more of a cruising type who goes near the speed limit all the time??

do you enjoy performance over luxery or vice versa??

I haven't driven the 2.5, but i have an 2003 3.0 (225hp engine) and I have driven the 3.0si (255hp) and it's no doubt, the 3.0si is a quicker machine, would be quite significant over the 2.5 w/ 5 speeds i would imagine ... but if you are not the type to push the car to its limits, i would rather have HID and butt warmers, but i live in canada and the butt warmers are on quite often as driving at night can get chilly with the top down

other option is to ask how much more to add those 2 other options on there

but in the end, it's your personality that determines what you want, if you want the best of both, u gotta pay up
 
I have 06 3.0si and have driven the 2.5. I did not see a huge difference at highway speeds. Heated seats for me are must have option and I do like the HID's. flyboyaj has a 2.5 and he has driven my 3.0si quite a bit so perhaps he will give his opinion...
 
WLH, really?? wow, that's surprising that you wouldn't feel much difference between a 184 hp 2.5l engine and a 3.0l engine w/ 255hp

although, maybe both in their top gear are similar, which would still be surprising unless the gears on the 2.5 are shorter ... hmmmm

but 0-60 should be much faster in the 3.0si though

yah, back to the pt of the thread, i agree with WLH, hard for me to live without HID and butt warmers!! :thumbsup:
 
I have been in the 2.2 and I have the 3.0... to be honest I was quite surprised how the 2.2 can keep up! If anything I think it's the top end that the 3.0 has the advantage... we have a steep hill near here with 2 lanes... if I race the 2.2 i'm a little way ahead at hald way, but at the top the 2.2 is doing (hypothetically... ahem!) 90 and I'm doing (again hypothetically) 120.

Not actially driven the 2.2 though so would prob need to do that before I made an accurate comment... needless to say I was shocked! :D
 
I have not max performed WLH's car. The handling of his car was much better as he has Eagle F1's on it and I still have the RFTs. I DID extensively test drive an 05 3.0i when I bought my car and noticed absolutely no difference on the low end (0-60). Above 80-90 is where the extra HP makes a bit of a difference, but even then not so much. A buddy of mine has a 2007 235hp Porsche and him and I have "run" around town together and he doesn't outdrive me ever. 0-60 with him tons of times and even when I squak it shifting into second and the traction control limits the torque a bit he never gets his rear bumper in front of my front bumper (well, one time he did, but we didn't stop at 60 that time and I don't remember where he was when passing 60) and that pisses him off - it's actually quite funny. IMHO the power difference is not worth the price, especially if you are going to give up other luxury items that you are accustomed to and appreciate. My thought when deciding over the 3.0 vs. the 2.5 was how often am I going to be able to enjoy the extra HP at the higher speeds? Now that I know the car quite well, I am very glad I didn't spend the extra $5k for the 3.0i. As a side note, my personality also fits the 5 speed better.

All in all, the 3.0i does have a little more power, but in my experience it isn't noticeable. I would suggest test driving the 3.0i extensively, then immediately driving your 2.5 and see what kind of difference you do or do not notice then decide if the 3.0 is what you want.
 
how about getting the 3.0si and then "upgrading" to the diff from the 2.5. Wouldn't that make the power more noticeable in 0-60 or 40-120 runs?
 
Don't be fooled by peak horsepower numbers ... typically, you will only see the difference at or near peak RPM. The difference in horsepower (and more importantly in torque) will be negligible in the 2,000 - 3,000 RPM range. So unless you typically drive near the red-line, you will hardly notice the extra power.
 
I just found this forum as I'm a new Z4 owner and can't wait to pick other's brains on Z4 upgrades! So greetings to all! Onto your post...

I bought my 2003 2.5l z4 on whim. I recently finished 10 years of college and now make some money and thought I deserved something nice for a change. I bought the z4 based on looks alone. I knew NOTHING about HP, torque, etc. I didn't want to go overboard on my first nice car so I opted for a used low mileage 2.5l that's fully loaded...sport and comfort packages, heated seats, xenon lights...every bell and whistle I wanted plus the exact interior I'd have chosen if buying new. I didn't realize how much I'd love the car until I bought it. Within a month, I was thinking about trading in for the 3.0si as I quickly realized how much I loved the power...and wanted more!!!

So I started to regret not getting the larger engine and went to the dealership to drive the 255-hp version. I did notice a difference. BUT...it wasn't huge, in fact, it was really just barely noticeable and ONLY if I really concentrated on how the car handled. So it definitely wasn't worth the significant price difference for me. This led to my next exploration...the M version. I figured the power jump would now go from slight in the 3.0si to significant with the 330-hp M version. But now I started to think about price again…HUGE price difference from and ’03 2.5l to ’07 M.

Again, I started to explore options. The thing is, I have my car exactly how I want it. I’d feel silly buying another car that no one would realize is different from my old one unless they asked or looked under the hood. So here’s what I came up with. I have another year or so of warranty on my car. After that, I figure I’m free to tinker. So I’ll be putting in a supercharger by European Supercharger Systems (http://www.esstuning.com). They just released a new version of the supercharger for the 2.5l in June. It boost power from 184 to 315hp !!! This is a far less expensive route (approx. $8k) to get the power I crave.

I took the ESS spec sheets to my amazing Z4 mechanic at the dealership (thanks Rob at Zimbrick!!!) He gave the part a thumbs up compared to other types of supercharges he's seen. So I can't wait to hear from someone who has installed this part on a 5-speed manual 2.5l. The supercharger option is the only thing keeping me from upgrading. Hope that helps with your decision and happy motoring!!
 
This question has been asked many times off and on. I've driven both: I could not justify all that extra money for the tiny bit of extra 'juice' you get from the 3.0. I just didn't feel that big of a gap. I did feel some difference, but really, not enough IMO to spend the extra dough. If you have the money and want the mint garnish on your plate, go for it. Otherwise, if you really want power, pull all the plugs and go for the ///M. You wont lose any way you go :thumbsup:
T.
 
I will buck the trend here, as I drove both the 2.5 and the 3.0 when I bought the first Z. The biggest difference was coming out of roundabouts. The 2.5 was just, well, dead. The 3.0 was blasting away at low revs from a roundabout but the 2.5 was really, really sluggish in comparison. The torque difference was rather a lot.
 
You know, there are so many opinions on this one. It probably is quite subjective and totally depends on each individuals' experience and driving capabilities/opportunities. Bear in mind also that temperatures, road conditions, curve degrees and angles will all affect your driving experience. Drive them both and see which you want then go for it. My 2.5i is hardly a slump coming out of a curve. But there again, if you're used to driving an ///M or other such vehicle, it probably would seem like a lazy bag of crap. But compared to a 3.0...while I did feel a difference, I didn't feel the significant difference obviously that pvr did - and I can push a car. Still, take all this info., incorporate it into your own experience then make the decision that's best for you.
Let us know what you decided :) , you've got lots of great and differing opinions here.
T.
 
I have never driven a 3.0 but I did drive a 2.5 before ordering my Z4M in January 2006 0 - I drove it just to see if I fit in the Z4.... (I had issues with the E46 M3 (head would touch the roof when the seat was in the optimal position for me.)) The 2.5 felt very sluggish. My Infiniti FX45 handles and accelerates better than the 2.5 in my opinion. An SUV should not out-handle a 2-seater but it does.... I would suggest get a 3.0 if you can. If you can get a Z4M then go for that - you only live once and a shroud has no pockets.
 
I would say upgrade, but wait for better options. I know i'm going to be beating myself up and throwing myself off the balcony for not getting heated seats in a few months. What can I say, I was impatient. :D
 
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