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318i vs 318is vs 320i

25K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  Autotechnica 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,
Pardon my ignorance here, but I value your opinions as you actually own BMW's rather than trying to sell me one.

I am in the process of buying a BMW e36 Series. I have been looking at the 318i, 318is, and 320i. Is there much diffence in torque between all 3 models? I've test driven a few 318is manuals, and feel they are a beautiful car to drive. I am very curious to know if there is much difference in torque between the 318i and the 318is, and also, beteen the 318is and the 320i...? I have read the engine specifications.

Any help would be welcomed.
 
#2 ·
i have heard that the 320 is slower than the 318, but i am not sure. the 320 is a 6 cylinder, which makes it heavier, and doesnt have much more power than the 318.

the 318i is a 4 door, while the 318is is a 2 door. besides that, i dont know. possibly "sportier" wheels or something.
 
#4 ·
like any older car, check as much as you can.

i just had to replace 2 rotors, 60 bucks each, not too much of a biggy.

listen to the exhaust sound when accelerating. this is the 2nd time i have had to have my exhaust welded. i am not sure if it just because i am unlucky or whatever. getting it welded will set you back 80 bucks or so. if you leave it as it is, unwelded, it will lose a lot of power. trust me... make sure taht all windows are working. i think that sometimes the window regulators will go out, and it isnt cheap to fix.

i am not sure what the main common problems are, but those have been some of mine.
 
#5 ·
Ok lets start 318i very sluggish and get m43 not m40 with cambelt. 318is best to get m44 engine not m42 ones 1800cc and other 1900cc. If 320i make sure its vanos model. 320i is best as you cant beat bmw 6cyl engines bullet proof. 318is m42/44 as fast as 320i but drink petrol. All depends what year your looking at as 320i is m50/m52/m52tu/m54 all different 2000cc engines.
 
#7 ·
I would say get the 318is for the stock LSD, however, they kinda went cheap on a few of the trim pieces in the s drs that I have seen. Such as on the steering wheel some of them just have the roundle embossed in the steering wheel, where as the 4drs have the roundel placed in the steering wheel. They are all 3 good cars, I would say stick to the 318's I've heard mixed things about the 320i. But since I am in the US I've never seen or experianced a 320i with my own eyes.
 
#8 ·
HI guys Ali-bumble here.
Right lets start at the beginnig The 318i has 115 bhp and comes as four door saloon. It uses a 4 cylinder 2 valve per cylinder giving 8 valves and not much guts 0 - 62 mph in 12.9 sec. The 318is comes as a 2dr coupe up to 1997 and then a limited run of 4 door is saloons were launched with the whole mtech pack side skirts recaros etc. this model uses a twin cam unit giving 4 valves per cyclinder developing 140 bhp but torque is still lacking. You need to drive it hard between 4500 and 6800 rpm to get the best out of the engine. A full service history is a must as a neglected engine will cost you. Use a high grade fully synthetic oil. Still only a 4 pot engine tho. 0 - 62 mph in 9.9 sec. Sweetest of them all is the 320 2 litre 6 pot engine. Get a model built after september 1993 which has the vanos unit. without getting too technical it means variable valve timing which in the real world gives greater torque lower down in the rev range. The 6 cylinder engine has won numerous engineering awards and the exhaust note from the 6 pots is just fantastic. It has 150 bhp but does not need to be driven like a hooligan to get the best performance out of it. 0 - 62mph in 8.2 sec. It certainly is the pick of the bunch having owned 19 differente36's trust me it is a superior machine in all respects. :yup
 
#10 ·
The 318is has a 1.9L engine (later ones) is lighter than a 320i. I may be a bit late to be of help. But I've driven all 3 and I own a 318is. Needless to say I like the is more.
But in Australia, the 318is is about the same price as the 325i....
Now I would get the 325 for speed, but hey, I wanted something to look like a M3... so.....
(I know you can get a E36 M3 in HK for dirt cheap!)
 
#11 ·
318is coupe 16v DOHC generates nearly the same bhp as the 320 - add a OBDI chip and broom broom...quicker, torquier, sexier than the 320

J
 
#14 ·
I think we're mixing UKers with North American models here.

We don't have M40 or M43 here in NA. We have the M42/M44, both produce the same power. M42 and M44 is 138HP and 129lbs*ft of torque.

Secondly, 320 is NOT faster, it's actually slower than the 318, both 1/4 mile and 0-60

318 0-60 - 9.9 seconds
320 0-60 - 10.1 seconds

318 1/4 mile - 16.6 seconds
320 1/4 mile - 17.0 seconds

You guys are obsessed with bigger engines, you should be looking at the intelligent question of power to weight ratios. A 320 is much heavier and produces only slightly more power. Makes you wonder why there are no mods for the 320. It was only sold here in Canada for 1 year, which tells you a lot about how poorly it sold as well.

318 is a 16V (4 valves per cyl) DOHC 1.8L 4 cyl. The 320 isn't a good engine, if you want a 6 cyl, get the 325. 320 is far from bullet proof, it isn't even the same block as the M50, it has a much smaller block which is why the motor is often refered to as the "baby six". The only reason I'd trade up my 318 for the 320 would be that nice smooth sounding straight 6 engine, the 4 cyl sounds like a wheezing donkey. That said, I'd still take the 318, it's faster, lighter, handles better, there are more mods for it, and it's more fuel efficient. Get a 325!

Bry
 
#16 ·
Originally posted by ghettozn+Aug 5 2004, 05:21 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ghettozn @ Aug 5 2004, 05:21 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-frank de jonge@Aug 5 2004, 11:03 AM
Wrong, the 318is has 140bhp and the 320i has 150bhp and alot more of torque.

A 318is can never keep up with the 320i
If the increase is 10hp, from the 318, how can the 320 have a lot more torque? [/b][/quote]
318 - 138HP
320 - 160HP

The difference in HP gained has nothing to do with how much more torque a car could have. It has more displacement therefore produces more torque. Remember that Torque can easily be traded off for more HP.

Bry
 
#19 ·
The 320 does sound a lot better than the 318. However, is that enough to justify spending more money, maintaining a 6 instead of a 4, more gas consumption, more weight and no mods? All that with similar acceleration to the 318? I'll stick to my 318. But getting a 325 over a 318 is a no brainer from a performance aspect. The 318 is much cheaper to maintain though. Suspension replacement parts, clutches, ignition components, etc. That's really important to me because lately I find myself constantly repairing the car. The engine is VERY low maintainence, so I have no complaints.

The 318's and 320's were raced in BTCC because both engines were very lightweight and met the BTCC weight and displacement regulations. If you're planning some serious engine tuning for a race car, the 320 is the car to go with. It's lightweight and very tuneable. Unfortunately, it will never be a good performer on the streets where modifcations are very limited. If you want a good street car with the option of being able to do some moderate modifications, go with the 318 over the 320.

Bry
 
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