I think BMW is starting to back away from twin turbos to a more efficient single turbo. The 330 was a twin turbo I6, but i think the newest version is single. But you are right, a big single turbo can result in turbo lag issues.
Not entirely relevant, since Iām comparing a newish apple to an older orange, but Iām in a fairly recent turbo-charged 2 liter 4 cylinder, and it has a very different but engaging feel compared to the V6 Accord that I was also driving for awhile.
The basic performance specs on the two are very similar: the 2008 Jetta is listed as delivering 207 lb/ft of torque @ 1800 RPM and 200 hp @ 5100 RPM, vs. the ā00 Accordās 195 lb/ft @ 4700 RPM and 200 hp @ 5500 RPM. I would have expected the 3L V6 Accord to have more torque at lower RPMs, and it certainly felt like it wasnāt working as hard for the push I was getting, but maybe thatās just how it came across behind the wheel.
Estimated gas mileage for both is almost identical, too: 20 city, 29-30 highway. In my experience, the Jetta was better in both categories ā but Iām sure the 8 year age difference factored in there.
Of the two, the smaller Jetta suits my preferences better. No over the top power, but itās quick, nimble, and has none of the flimsiness that you (used to?) find with the economy-minded four-bangers.
Im quoting this for irony. I just signed on a 9 year old BMW 530i. Its in great condition, mileage is low for the age, and Iām the second owner. There is only one defect I can find on the vehicle. The passenger side cupholder is broken.
I donāt do much driving except between home and work (about 12 miles one way, max, depending on how long I have to circle for parking), so I donāt need much of a vehicle for that, but the old Volvo 240 DL I was driving finally racked up a repair bill far greater than its value. So, I ditched it, and my mechanic sold me a 1995 Volvo 850 GLT sedan for below book value.
Itās a pretty nifty car, so far. Sure, the A/C doesnāt work, but itās got all sorts of nice options, including functional cruise control. The handling is a revelation coming from the 240. I wonder how of that is from the switch to front wheel drive?
Awww. My '86 240 was the best car I ever owned. I finally gave it up after it needed a lot of suspension work that I couldnāt do myself.
My 2002 lexus IS200 finally had a big repair bill (about 1800 USD) but I got much of that back from the bus company that swiped me.
New front suspension & tyres, new ABS sensor. Didnāt bother with the cosmetic stuff, dinged wing is fine
You are driving an IS and think dings are fine? Blasphemy! Think of your pride. Think of the ladies. If nothing else, think of your resale value.
Yeah, those things are amazing workhorses. But every time you turned around, this one needed something. A new timing belt, a new catalytic converter, a new exhaust system, another new timing belt, plus it was leaking fluids copiously. Oil, steering fluid, and even a little gas.
The leakage could be attributable, I suppose, to the car-destroying road salt they employ up here in winter.
Also, not only did the A/C not work, but the windows didnāt roll down reliably, and it ran hot. It had issues.
Otherwise, though, she was a stalwart beast, with well over 200K miles on her. At least I assume so: The odometer conked out at 168K some ten years ago.
My father liked Volvos, and every one we had in the seventies was pretty much the sameāalways worked, always had something wrong with it, always needed some sort of work done. But they never actually stopped running.
These days, that C30 actually looks kind of nifty.
I have a question about snow tires and wheel sizes, etc. For a variety of reasonsāclutch withdrawal, my garage actually being slightly too small for it, and a sudden realization that I really didnāt need a five passenger car when I drive 90% of the time solo, coupled with the ability to lower my monthly payments a lot thanks to really good financing termsāI ended up trading my Ford Fusion Sport for a 2012 GTI.
In between rhapsodizing about the wonderful gearbox on this thing, Iāve begun worrying about the upcoming winter (which here in Vermont is like, tomorrow). Sadly, i have a beautiful set of Michelin snow tires in 225 45R18, from the Ford, but the VW uses 225 40R18. An online calculator thingy I found indicated that the diameter difference would be just large enough to cause Bad Things to happen (and really, looking at the wheel wells on the VW, it would be too tight a fit Iām thinking). So, I am planning to sell those tires if I can.
But my dilemma is, do I get another set of similar snows in the VWs sizeāand use the stock rims during the winter, which is iffy in terms of fit and finishāor do I get a wheel/tire combo, which is a better idea but more costly? Or I guess I could get snows, and then next spring get new wheels for the summer tires and relegate the original ones to winter use.
The most economic wheel/tire option seems to be, based on Tire Rackās stuff, going with a 16" steel wheel/snow tire combo. Thereās a 17" option too, with cheap alloy wheels. Some people have voiced concerns over the clearance of the brake calipers with smaller wheels, though, and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with GTIs in snow gear and what theyāve done?
I bought a Mazda 3 Sport a month ago. Itās the basic model (2.0L, 5-speed manual) and A/C, but the basic model includes things like power windows and alloy rims. I love having the hatch, too, even though it looks like one of the largest five-door hatchbacks on the road.
Yeah, I was this close to getting a 3 5 door HB in the Grand Touring trim, but the damn things simply donāt exist up here, not with the manual. After six different attempts to get cars that were sold out from under us, the dealer I was working with finally got their normal allotment of exactly one, and it had the tech package I was so-so about. But it would have taken six weeks at least to get here, at which time my financing would have to be renegotiated and who knows what interest rate I would have gotten? As the GTI was pretty much equal, but for different reasons (the less fancy interior and features being offset by a bit more performance, and a slicker gearbox), and I could get it now, I went that route. But the Mazda 3s are sweet rides I think.
How do the two compare in terms of size? The GTI appears much tighter, like a proper hatch. I drove a five-door Focus hatchback in Ireland, which is essentially the same car as the 3 Sport and from the outside it looked smaller. On the inside it didnāt seem much smaller, although it didnāt have room for an armrest.
Iām curious about this, too. After driving a 323 for years, I test drove a couple of Mazdas in 2008 before settling on the Jetta, and one of the things that swung me over was the design and quality of the VW interior. But I understand that VW re-vamped some of the 2012 models to make them bigger and cheaper.
Volkswagen Polo 1.4, what a powerhouse.
It will cost you $25 per tire for a quality remount and balance. So, $100 when you swap to snow tires, then another $100 in the spring when you go back to all-weather.
So after five years of this, youāll have spent $1000 (A). Or, you could buy a set of wheels and only pay the mount/balance fee once (B).
If $1000 is less than $100 + four new wheels, choose (A). Else (B).
The GTI is cozy inside, though mineās a two door vice a four door (three/five if you count the hatch, I guess). Itās smaller inside than my 2005 Focus ST I used to have. I like smaller cars so it works well for me.
VW did sort of bloat the Jetta a bit for 2011 and 2012 and in the opinion of some folks downgraded its overall feel and quality, but I canāt comment personally, having never driven one. The GTI didnāt get the same treatment, and still feels pretty rock solid Teutonic overall.
Thanks; I figured that part out, but the part Iām curious about is really whether I can safely use 16 or 17-inch wheels vice the standard 18s for my snows, to save some bucks. I think thatās probably true, given what Iāve read, but I was just wondering if anyone has any personal experience going minus sized for winter.
They only made that move in cars formerly powered by the N54 engine (135, 335, 535) as one of the turbos in the N54 had a well documented tendency to blow out, causing repair bills around 8k dollars. But the other turbo engines, in the more expensive cars, are all twins; the N63 (in the 550, 650, and 750), the S63 in the M3, the N74 in the 760, etc.
From what Iāve read the next gen BMW 3 series are all going to be twin turbo 4 cylinders. BMW engineers appear to have recently become big fans of forced induction.