Difference between a 323i and 325i

[LordGop]

IS there any difference between the two, because doesn't the 323i come with a 2.5L?

[Ximian]

Different body and suspension I would guess. Its identical to the 328i, but an engine with .3 liters less.

So for marketing reasons, it was named 323 so it would sounds that there was a bigger difference in the engine then there actually was. Just marketing.

(I though it was 2.3 liter too)

[LordGop]

Yea I totally thought it was a 2.3, because of the name (323i) makes sense that it would be a 2.3 but when I went to a dealership (for a part, I just wondered around) and the window stickers said 2.5L engine. Strange....

[calystar]

There are no differences between the e46 323i and the 325i except for the year it was produced. Both have 2.5L engines. I think that BMW wanted to differentiate the 323i as the new e46 (which debuted with the e46 328i in '99). Only e36 318i/328i were produced in '96-'98, and from '92-'95 the only e36 sedans produced were the 318i/325i. There was never a 323i before, so BMW named the entry-level e46 the 323i so consumers wouldn't think that it was an e36. (e36 323is/ic were made '98-'99.) Like Ximian said, they probably also did it to further differentiate the e46 323i from the e46 328i. The e46 323/328 was produced '99-'00 and the e46 325/330 was produced '01-present. If you are looking to purchase an e46 323i vs. 325i, I'd go for the 325i because the bugs have been worked out of it.

[tdc]

Here are the facts.

The E46 323 and the 325 have the same displacement of 2.5L.

There are significant differences between the two vehicles however:

1. Intake system is larger on the 325.
2. Exhaust system is dual pipes all the way through compared to the 2-1 system on the 323.
3. Engine management is different on the two cars.
4. Final drive is higher on the 325.
5. Brakes are larger on the 325 - Basically they took the 328 brakes and threw them onto the 325.
6. Horsepower is up to 184 on the 325 but with only 170lb/ft torque compared to 170HP and 185lb/ft torque on the 323.

Of course there are the option changes when the 325 was introduced along with a better list of standard equipment but otherwise, that's about it for the differences.

Originally posted by calystar
There was never a 323i before, so BMW named the entry-level e46 the 323i so consumers wouldn't think that it was an e36. (e36 323is/ic were made '98-'99.)

There was indeed a 323i for the E36 chassis. It was the sedan.

Ximian hit it on the nose on why the E46 323 was named such. To differentiate it more to the layperson compared to the 328 - even though the engine was in fact a 2.5L from the very beginning. It was all marketing.

[LordGop]

Thanks for the info guys and gal might be selling my car for an e36 m3 or an e46 3er (323,325, or maybe a 330) but really having trouble debating over the m3 power over the newer e46 3er hmmm....

[mpower325]

Originally posted by tdc
There was indeed a 323i for the E36 chassis. It was the sedan.

correct me if im wrong, i never seen a 4 door e36 323

[maxse01]

So you know a 330Ci is only a tad slower than a e36 m3.

[tdc]

Originally posted by mpower325
correct me if im wrong, i never seen a 4 door e36 323

You're right. I was having a brain fart when I wrote that originally.

The 323 was only in coupe form in E36 (and it was still a 2.5L engine).