The Student Room Group

BMW 3 Series Opinions

What does everyone think about the E90 3-series?

Particularly the inline four petrol engined variants.

Are they reliable? How are they in terms of handling/road manners? Road noise? Refinement?

Anyone own one?

EDIT: 318i
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 1
4 cyl = :frown:
Original post by Sgt.Incontro
What does everyone think about the E90 3-series?

Particularly the inline four petrol engined variants.

Are they reliable? How are they in terms of handling/road manners? Road noise? Refinement?

Anyone own one?

EDIT: 318i


Get a 6-cylinder - the 330 or 325 (although the latter is somewhat strangled...) if you can afford get the 335i - what a beaut! The 2.0 petrols are fairly dull.
Original post by JC.
4 cyl = :frown:


Yes, but still not too bad for the size of the car I guess? Still an upgrade I guess, coming from a 1.6L.

Original post by shaymarriott
Get a 6-cylinder - the 330 or 325 (although the latter is somewhat strangled...) if you can afford get the 335i - what a beaut! The 2.0 petrols are fairly dull.


Main priority is reliability, and I also need something that can achieve decent MPG. The 3.0L I6's seem much more rare, and more expensive.

But how reliable are these cars? And the 2.0L I4 specifically? That's mainly what I am wondering.
The i6's are peaches. Prefer the e46's though
Reply 5
Original post by Sgt.Incontro
What does everyone think about the E90 3-series?

Particularly the inline four petrol engined variants.

Are they reliable? How are they in terms of handling/road manners? Road noise? Refinement?

Anyone own one?

EDIT: 318i


Yes, great car. I learnt to drive on it (318i) . Loved it so much. They are very reliable and amazing when it comes to handling. Not too much noise either. Be warned though, it does have a stiff steering.
Original post by NPWorld
Yes, great car. I learnt to drive on it (318i) . Loved it so much. They are very reliable and amazing when it comes to handling. Not too much noise either. Be warned though, it does have a stiff steering.


Thanks for the reply.

What do you drive now?

Why is the steering stiff? Is it electric or hydraulic?
Reply 7
Original post by Sgt.Incontro
Thanks for the reply.

What do you drive now?

Why is the steering stiff? Is it electric or hydraulic?


I still have the BMW. I think having a stiff steering is now a trademark for BMW, they are known for it. From what I have heard, the 3 series has got the stiffest out of the all their models. I think it is meant to improve handling and safety especially at higher speeds. It also acts as a kind of feedback mechanism, you can really get a feel of the road. The steering is electric. But once you get used to it, you eventually will start loving stiff steering and prefer it to the looser ones.
Original post by NPWorld
I still have the BMW. I think having a stiff steering is now a trademark for BMW, they are known for it. From what I have heard, the 3 series has got the stiffest out of the all their models. I think it is meant to improve handling and safety especially at higher speeds. It also acts as a kind of feedback mechanism, you can really get a feel of the road. The steering is electric. But once you get used to it, you eventually will start loving stiff steering and prefer it to the looser ones.


Ok cool thanks.
Original post by Sgt.Incontro
Yes, but still not too bad for the size of the car I guess? Still an upgrade I guess, coming from a 1.6L.



Main priority is reliability, and I also need something that can achieve decent MPG. The 3.0L I6's seem much more rare, and more expensive.

But how reliable are these cars? And the 2.0L I4 specifically? That's mainly what I am wondering.


What year? The 330i is renown for being pretty reliable (any model of car will of course have some issues! And any individual car may or may not be as reliable as you'd expect...).

Also the 2.0 i4 is available in 316, 318 or 330i guise - if you're going to get one go for the 320. The others are all doe tuned to varying degrees.
e90s are good however if you have a small engine in a big car then you end up with high mpg and sluggish speeds so try going for a 1 series with a 2l d or 2.5d
Original post by ikhan94
e90s are good however if you have a small engine in a big car then you end up with high mpg and sluggish speeds so try going for a 1 series with a 2l d or 2.5d


Diesels are out of the question. Both emotionally and logically. I do low miles, and dislike diesel engines in general.
If you're doing low miles you might as well go for a six cylinder (325i and 330i have the same tax and basically the same MPG)
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Sgt.Incontro
What does everyone think about the E90 3-series?

Particularly the inline four petrol engined variants.

Are they reliable? How are they in terms of handling/road manners? Road noise? Refinement?

Anyone own one?

EDIT: 318i


If ever I bought a 3-series it would at bare minimum be a 325i else it simply isn't the ultimate driving machine.

Reliability, they are average to below average. BMW electronics and engines hasn't quite lived up to their so-called German engineering superiority, loads of them seem to have coil and injector failures. They also seem to only like it when you feed it the most premium of fuels.

Personally I would never buy a 2nd hand 3-series, especially a 4cyl model. 99% of not bought by car enthusiast but more by people who simply want the badge. Most don't take care of them as once it reaches 3-5 years old many parts start to fail and replacements don't come cheap thus the easy way is often to sell it on especially if it is leased.

Road manners, for the most part it is good but its handling characteristics are mostly over-rated.
Original post by Alfissti
If ever I bought a 3-series it would at bare minimum be a 325i else it simply isn't the ultimate driving machine.

Reliability, they are average to below average. BMW electronics and engines hasn't quite lived up to their so-called German engineering superiority, loads of them seem to have coil and injector failures. They also seem to only like it when you feed it the most premium of fuels.

Personally I would never buy a 2nd hand 3-series, especially a 4cyl model. 99% of not bought by car enthusiast but more by people who simply want the badge. Most don't take care of them as once it reaches 3-5 years old many parts start to fail and replacements don't come cheap thus the easy way is often to sell it on especially if it is leased.

Road manners, for the most part it is good but its handling characteristics are mostly over-rated.


Thanks for the advice.

I haven't been so keen on getting one lately, and your opinion pushed me even further away. :smile:

Seems counter-productive to spend heaps of money, only to end up with a less reliable car than the one I am currently driving.
I had a E90 318d M Sport for a good while. It was a beast, never got around to the remap. I'd not buy a BMW that wasn't an M Sport, the stiff springs on them are pure cornering pleasure! The car was refined and you truly get what you pay for, especially the M Sports, worth the extra! It also managed bit over 800 miles to a tank! I do a lot of motorway!

Personally as a petrol, I'd not get anything with less than 6 cylinders! I owned a E36 2.8i for a little bit, and it was a missile! (Although very uneconomical).
If you do low miles, just get an E90 330i or even a 335i, OR go for a classic like an E46 M3! The only thing that stopped me was my heavy motorway mileage would ruin my fuel.

A 318i is boring, it's the budget BMW (on par with the 116i(& d), 118i(& d) for old people) and the value is dropping rapid. At least the 318d 320d hold their value and have outstanding economy.
Reply 16
Original post by Shellshocker93
I had a E90 318d M Sport for a good while. It was a beast


No it wasn't.
Original post by FXX
No it wasn't.


Pulled better than the Fiesta your mum lends you to go school in :wink:
Reply 18
Original post by Shellshocker93
Pulled better than the Fiesta your mum lends you to go school in :wink:


Funny, I see an RS3 on the drive, and I wouldn't call that a beast either.

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