2007 is350 vs. 330i?
09-17-06, 01:09 PM
#32
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Sometimes magazines are the ones to start all the hype, not the customers. That I guess you can say is "Smart" advertising.
Alright, I am going to stop arguing before it gets out of hands. I guess I cannot convince some of you and some of you cannot convince me, so I'll leave it at that....
09-17-06, 06:57 PM
#33
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Okay I suggest some of you to chew on this for a while....
"This is NOT an "all-new" motor. The motor which is twin turbo is essentially an N52 engine (330i) which had been retro-fitted with a small, low-boost twin turbo kit. Of course their turbo package includes the proper factory ECU programming, a small intercooler, larger injectors, and a heavy duty head gasket...but otherwise its the same all-aluminum, cast piston having, high compression motor. Which means MAJOR horsepower increases are NOT a reality (sorry to burst your bubbles) without going into the motor and fotifying the bottom end and dropping the compression ratio-(i.e. $$$). Just like the E36 M3 motors. I was praying BMW was going to go all out and drop forged pistons with beefier con-rods and a turbo friendly low compression ratio (<9.0-to-1) so that all the tuners had to do was simply turn up the wick on the boost, re-flash the ECU, and bolt in a striaght thru exhaust (basically a "BPU" set-up) and see an additional 100+rwhp gain with ease..."a la MKIV supra." This will NOT be the case with this "N54" motor."
It's like having 330i modded with 2 AFTERMARKET turbos along with a new design of the exterior. The engine is pretty much same as 330i. This is EXACTLY why I was ARGUING about when I said compare is350 to the 2006 330i!!
"This is NOT an "all-new" motor. The motor which is twin turbo is essentially an N52 engine (330i) which had been retro-fitted with a small, low-boost twin turbo kit. Of course their turbo package includes the proper factory ECU programming, a small intercooler, larger injectors, and a heavy duty head gasket...but otherwise its the same all-aluminum, cast piston having, high compression motor. Which means MAJOR horsepower increases are NOT a reality (sorry to burst your bubbles) without going into the motor and fotifying the bottom end and dropping the compression ratio-(i.e. $$$). Just like the E36 M3 motors. I was praying BMW was going to go all out and drop forged pistons with beefier con-rods and a turbo friendly low compression ratio (<9.0-to-1) so that all the tuners had to do was simply turn up the wick on the boost, re-flash the ECU, and bolt in a striaght thru exhaust (basically a "BPU" set-up) and see an additional 100+rwhp gain with ease..."a la MKIV supra." This will NOT be the case with this "N54" motor."
It's like having 330i modded with 2 AFTERMARKET turbos along with a new design of the exterior. The engine is pretty much same as 330i. This is EXACTLY why I was ARGUING about when I said compare is350 to the 2006 330i!!
Last edited by Cornellian; 09-17-06 at 07:06 PM.
09-17-06, 07:39 PM
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Actually I believe the 335 engine is new. Its designated name is N54. The 330 engine is N52.
BMW's other approach to modern 6-cylinder power
It is the most powerful engine within BMW's wide range of inline-six driving machines that does not wear an "M" badge. This brand-new engine, designated N54, develops a maximum output of 300hp in U.S. specifications from 3.0 liters displacement and generates peak torque of 300 lb-ft for powerful acceleration in any situation. And it achieves these results using technology that might surprise students of BMW history: turbocharging.
Although it is standard equipment on BMW's highly acclaimed diesel engines, BMW has not used turbocharging with a road-going gasoline powerplant since the 1980's. Until now, the BMW 745i Sedan, which debuted in 1981, and the iconic BMW 2002 Turbo, introduced at the 1973 Frankfurt auto show, were the only two standard production, gasoline-powered BMWs to employ the technology.
While the technology works as advertised, BMW engineers were not satisfied with the most often-cited downside to turbocharging; the frustrating lag between when the driver presses the accelerator pedal and when the turbocharger develops sufficient rotation to increase power. This lag is at its worst at low engine speeds. Other drawbacks included relatively high fuel consumption and available materials did not always fare well under the high-heat, high-rpm operation of the turbocharger, which gets its energy from hot, flowing exhaust gases and typically spins up to 5-figure rpm's. For these and other reasons, BMW put turbocharged gasoline engines on the shelf for more than 20 years.
Two recent developments caused BMW to reconsider turbocharging: a trend among many luxury-performance carmakers to achieve power gains by building engines of ever-increasing displacement and technology transfer from turbocharged diesel engine development to their gasoline-fired counterparts.
Accordingly, BMW recently articulated its new approach to developing high-performance engines as part of its EfficientDynamics initiative. Beginning with the N52 normally aspirated engine and the N54 turbocharged unit, BMW will achieve its performance goals with smaller, lighter, more efficient and cleaner-running engines.
The all-new N54 features twin, relatively small turbochargers to boost performance significantly, but, at the same time, minimize the response lag. Thanks to their lower inertia, two small turbochargers build up pressure much faster than a single, large turbocharger, thus eliminating even the slightest lag.
The front turbocharger feeds cylinders 1-3; the rear unit delivers super-compressed air to cylinders 4-6.
A further advantage of turbocharging is that this is the most weight-efficient method to boost engine power and performance. The N54 turbocharged inline 6 weighs approximately 150 lbs. less than an equally powerful eight-cylinder engine displacing 4.0 liters. This lower weight means a significant advantage not only in fuel economy, but also in balancing the car's weight distribution.
To enhance efficiency to an even higher level, the turbochargers are made of a particularly heat-resistant material which makes them immune to high exhaust gas temperatures in the interest of a fuel-efficient combustion process particularly under full load.
As a result, the twin turbo technology in the BMW 335i Coupe represents a significant achievement in terms of both performance and fuel economy. The advantages over a conventional turbocharged engine are not only clearly measurable, but easy to feel on the road.
This new high-performance engine gives the light, aerodynamically sculpted Coupe outstanding acceleration and flexibility. The twin turbo powerplant in the BMW 335i Coupe develops its power and performance much more spontaneously than a turbocharged engine of conventional design.
At the same time the new engine offers all the smoothness and refinement which made BMW's award-winning inline sixes so admired. Last but certainly not least, the impressive increase in power on the twin turbo engine versus a conventional normally aspirated six-cylinder engine comes without any significant increase in fuel consumption.
Turbocharging typically includes intercooling of the engine's induction air, that is, cooling the compressed air that emerges, very much heated up by the compression process, from the turbocharger(s). Sometimes it's done with coolant; in the case of the N54 engine, it's accomplished with outside air. Intercooling is desirable, often necessary, to reduce the temperature of the incoming air to preclude detonation or "knocking" that can reduce power or, in the extreme, damage the engine. Of course, the N54, like the N52 and all other current BMW engines, is equipped with knock control.
As effective as the magnesium/aluminum engine construction is for saving weight, the significantly increased loads and cylinder pressures of the N54 300-hp engine required the use of an aluminum engine structure with cast-iron cylinder sleeves. Of course, some, but not all, of the N52's magnesium/aluminum weight saving was lost. Altogether, the N54 weighs 419 lb.; the N52 357.
A new high-precision direct fuel injection system with piezo injectors also enhances performance and fuel efficiency. A 2nd-generation evolution of the system found on the 760's V12 engine, it is a key factor in achieving BMW's goals for this engine. The new system's main advance over its predecessor is that it provides the engineers a greater degree of freedom in the calibration of fuel quantity and timing and the distribution of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber.
A piezo injector, a recent advancement in fuel injector technology, uses an actuator that takes the place of the solenoid valve in a conventional injector. The actuator, which works significantly faster than the solenoid, significantly reduces the injector's response time. That results in, according to researchers who led the piezo injector's development, a 2-3% fuel savings and 20% less emissions.
For the first time in a 3 Series model, the 335i Coupe's dual exhaust system runs at both sides of the vehicle - logical, as each contains its own turbocharger turbine and therefore requires extra space. At low loads, a flap channels most gas through one side to reduce low-frequency exhaust "rumble." The 335i Coupe features an air-to-oil external oil cooler mounted in one wheel well as opposed to the N52's coolant-to-oil unit.
The peak power of 300 hp has already been mentioned; this is fully 45 more than the 2006 330i Sedan and 70 hp up on the new 328i Coupe. At least as important is the fact that this engine can deliver its peak torque from 1400 rpm - not far above idling - to 5000 rpm. On the road, this power and torque result in outstanding performance. The 335i Coupe with manual transmission accelerates from 0 - 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds. This sense of urgency continues all the way to the electronically limited top speed of 155 mph when equipped with the optional Sport Package.
BMW's other approach to modern 6-cylinder power
It is the most powerful engine within BMW's wide range of inline-six driving machines that does not wear an "M" badge. This brand-new engine, designated N54, develops a maximum output of 300hp in U.S. specifications from 3.0 liters displacement and generates peak torque of 300 lb-ft for powerful acceleration in any situation. And it achieves these results using technology that might surprise students of BMW history: turbocharging.
Although it is standard equipment on BMW's highly acclaimed diesel engines, BMW has not used turbocharging with a road-going gasoline powerplant since the 1980's. Until now, the BMW 745i Sedan, which debuted in 1981, and the iconic BMW 2002 Turbo, introduced at the 1973 Frankfurt auto show, were the only two standard production, gasoline-powered BMWs to employ the technology.
While the technology works as advertised, BMW engineers were not satisfied with the most often-cited downside to turbocharging; the frustrating lag between when the driver presses the accelerator pedal and when the turbocharger develops sufficient rotation to increase power. This lag is at its worst at low engine speeds. Other drawbacks included relatively high fuel consumption and available materials did not always fare well under the high-heat, high-rpm operation of the turbocharger, which gets its energy from hot, flowing exhaust gases and typically spins up to 5-figure rpm's. For these and other reasons, BMW put turbocharged gasoline engines on the shelf for more than 20 years.
Two recent developments caused BMW to reconsider turbocharging: a trend among many luxury-performance carmakers to achieve power gains by building engines of ever-increasing displacement and technology transfer from turbocharged diesel engine development to their gasoline-fired counterparts.
Accordingly, BMW recently articulated its new approach to developing high-performance engines as part of its EfficientDynamics initiative. Beginning with the N52 normally aspirated engine and the N54 turbocharged unit, BMW will achieve its performance goals with smaller, lighter, more efficient and cleaner-running engines.
The all-new N54 features twin, relatively small turbochargers to boost performance significantly, but, at the same time, minimize the response lag. Thanks to their lower inertia, two small turbochargers build up pressure much faster than a single, large turbocharger, thus eliminating even the slightest lag.
The front turbocharger feeds cylinders 1-3; the rear unit delivers super-compressed air to cylinders 4-6.
A further advantage of turbocharging is that this is the most weight-efficient method to boost engine power and performance. The N54 turbocharged inline 6 weighs approximately 150 lbs. less than an equally powerful eight-cylinder engine displacing 4.0 liters. This lower weight means a significant advantage not only in fuel economy, but also in balancing the car's weight distribution.
To enhance efficiency to an even higher level, the turbochargers are made of a particularly heat-resistant material which makes them immune to high exhaust gas temperatures in the interest of a fuel-efficient combustion process particularly under full load.
As a result, the twin turbo technology in the BMW 335i Coupe represents a significant achievement in terms of both performance and fuel economy. The advantages over a conventional turbocharged engine are not only clearly measurable, but easy to feel on the road.
This new high-performance engine gives the light, aerodynamically sculpted Coupe outstanding acceleration and flexibility. The twin turbo powerplant in the BMW 335i Coupe develops its power and performance much more spontaneously than a turbocharged engine of conventional design.
At the same time the new engine offers all the smoothness and refinement which made BMW's award-winning inline sixes so admired. Last but certainly not least, the impressive increase in power on the twin turbo engine versus a conventional normally aspirated six-cylinder engine comes without any significant increase in fuel consumption.
Turbocharging typically includes intercooling of the engine's induction air, that is, cooling the compressed air that emerges, very much heated up by the compression process, from the turbocharger(s). Sometimes it's done with coolant; in the case of the N54 engine, it's accomplished with outside air. Intercooling is desirable, often necessary, to reduce the temperature of the incoming air to preclude detonation or "knocking" that can reduce power or, in the extreme, damage the engine. Of course, the N54, like the N52 and all other current BMW engines, is equipped with knock control.
As effective as the magnesium/aluminum engine construction is for saving weight, the significantly increased loads and cylinder pressures of the N54 300-hp engine required the use of an aluminum engine structure with cast-iron cylinder sleeves. Of course, some, but not all, of the N52's magnesium/aluminum weight saving was lost. Altogether, the N54 weighs 419 lb.; the N52 357.
A new high-precision direct fuel injection system with piezo injectors also enhances performance and fuel efficiency. A 2nd-generation evolution of the system found on the 760's V12 engine, it is a key factor in achieving BMW's goals for this engine. The new system's main advance over its predecessor is that it provides the engineers a greater degree of freedom in the calibration of fuel quantity and timing and the distribution of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber.
A piezo injector, a recent advancement in fuel injector technology, uses an actuator that takes the place of the solenoid valve in a conventional injector. The actuator, which works significantly faster than the solenoid, significantly reduces the injector's response time. That results in, according to researchers who led the piezo injector's development, a 2-3% fuel savings and 20% less emissions.
For the first time in a 3 Series model, the 335i Coupe's dual exhaust system runs at both sides of the vehicle - logical, as each contains its own turbocharger turbine and therefore requires extra space. At low loads, a flap channels most gas through one side to reduce low-frequency exhaust "rumble." The 335i Coupe features an air-to-oil external oil cooler mounted in one wheel well as opposed to the N52's coolant-to-oil unit.
The peak power of 300 hp has already been mentioned; this is fully 45 more than the 2006 330i Sedan and 70 hp up on the new 328i Coupe. At least as important is the fact that this engine can deliver its peak torque from 1400 rpm - not far above idling - to 5000 rpm. On the road, this power and torque result in outstanding performance. The 335i Coupe with manual transmission accelerates from 0 - 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds. This sense of urgency continues all the way to the electronically limited top speed of 155 mph when equipped with the optional Sport Package.
09-17-06, 08:19 PM
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09-17-06, 08:50 PM
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09-17-06, 11:21 PM
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Okay I suggest some of you to chew on this for a while....
"This is NOT an "all-new" motor. The motor which is twin turbo is essentially an N52 engine (330i) which had been retro-fitted with a small, low-boost twin turbo kit. Of course their turbo package includes the proper factory ECU programming, a small intercooler, larger injectors, and a heavy duty head gasket...but otherwise its the same all-aluminum, cast piston having, high compression motor. Which means MAJOR horsepower increases are NOT a reality (sorry to burst your bubbles) without going into the motor and fotifying the bottom end and dropping the compression ratio-(i.e. $$$). Just like the E36 M3 motors. I was praying BMW was going to go all out and drop forged pistons with beefier con-rods and a turbo friendly low compression ratio (<9.0-to-1) so that all the tuners had to do was simply turn up the wick on the boost, re-flash the ECU, and bolt in a striaght thru exhaust (basically a "BPU" set-up) and see an additional 100+rwhp gain with ease..."a la MKIV supra." This will NOT be the case with this "N54" motor."
It's like having 330i modded with 2 AFTERMARKET turbos along with a new design of the exterior. The engine is pretty much same as 330i. This is EXACTLY why I was ARGUING about when I said compare is350 to the 2006 330i!!
"This is NOT an "all-new" motor. The motor which is twin turbo is essentially an N52 engine (330i) which had been retro-fitted with a small, low-boost twin turbo kit. Of course their turbo package includes the proper factory ECU programming, a small intercooler, larger injectors, and a heavy duty head gasket...but otherwise its the same all-aluminum, cast piston having, high compression motor. Which means MAJOR horsepower increases are NOT a reality (sorry to burst your bubbles) without going into the motor and fotifying the bottom end and dropping the compression ratio-(i.e. $$$). Just like the E36 M3 motors. I was praying BMW was going to go all out and drop forged pistons with beefier con-rods and a turbo friendly low compression ratio (<9.0-to-1) so that all the tuners had to do was simply turn up the wick on the boost, re-flash the ECU, and bolt in a striaght thru exhaust (basically a "BPU" set-up) and see an additional 100+rwhp gain with ease..."a la MKIV supra." This will NOT be the case with this "N54" motor."
It's like having 330i modded with 2 AFTERMARKET turbos along with a new design of the exterior. The engine is pretty much same as 330i. This is EXACTLY why I was ARGUING about when I said compare is350 to the 2006 330i!!
09-18-06, 12:58 PM
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funny to see ppl arguing about useless stuff... go turbocharge your car.. 
make it even.. than test drive a bmw.. who cares wat the "magazine" thinks..
as long as it fits you.. id say its a choice between you and the car..
make it even.. than test drive a bmw.. who cares wat the "magazine" thinks..as long as it fits you.. id say its a choice between you and the car..
09-29-06, 10:02 AM
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I am in the 330i vs IS 350 boat. I have been test-driving both and am at a total loss on which one I want. I was hoping some good spirited dialogue here might resolve some of my angst. Sadly, it looks like this broke down into a 335i vs IS 350 thread! 
09-29-06, 10:57 AM
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Operation, what is the angst ? There are plenty of threads/articles/info on the 330i, so all you need to do is read up and draw your own conclusions. IMHO, write down on a sheet of paper all your criteria that concerns this car purchase (ie: buy or lease, daily driver or weekend car, single occupant or need to sit 4 adults regularly, handling more important than acceleraton, etc, etc) Next see which car better suits each criteria. If you do this diligently, it will be very obvious which car you should get. Good luck.