The question was... 'Why do almost all E36 enthusiasts hate 318ti?' I obviously like the 318ti, I'm here, I have 2 of them and a Z3 Coupe. I'll continue to play devils advocate though.
1. It's opinion. There is no winning argument. As long as you like the 318ti, great, if not there are plenty of options.
2. The rear suspension in these cars came about in the 1960s, showing up in the 2002, then the E21, then E30, then 318ti, and finally in the Z3. Is it that bad? Subjective... but I would say no, it is old technology, there is better now and there was better at the time of 318ti production. The 'E30 style' rear suspension gives a different driving feel than the multi link rear suspension. I like them both but if I had to put it into one sentence I would say... 'The E30 rear suspension is more fun than fast and the multi link rear suspension is more fast than fun'.
3. Your numbers are off. The 325 bested the 318 by closer to 40hp and was over 2 seconds quicker 0-60.
The auto 325 was still faster than both a manual 318ti and auto 318ti.
2850 seems to be the going weight for a fully fitted 318ti. Depending on how a 325 was optioned it may not weigh much over 3000lbs. My E36 318i 4 door weighted in at 2900 lbs with a half tank of gas. It takes more than 200lbs to overcome 40hp. Speaking of power. For under 1000 dollars you can buy a set of M3 cams, used injectors and software for the M50/M52. That should yield close to 20hp at the wheels. This is just the tip of the modification iceberg for the M5X engines. On the other hand, the best bang for your buck with an M42/4 is a DASC. The DASCs are out of production and getting difficult to find. Even if you find a complete kit to spend 2000 on you will still end up with less tq than a stock M52b28 (hp is about the same).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hakentt-MS41.1  1: I agree this may be the biggest turn off, rear does look too short and odd. but it is not ugly. If you install a lip and M style rear bumper cover it actually looks pretty good. E30 has very boring boxy rear and the chassis is popular. 2: So does Z3. BMW made the same suspension all the way until year 2002 so it can't be that bad. Plus E30 has the same suspension and the chassis is very popular. 3: 325i is not that more faster, you have 20hp more but heavier chassis. And 325i/325i automatics are dog slow. |