[Big Fabri]

Guys i'm asking your help for a friend who can't decide betweeb a 220I coupe and the 220D coupe. basically the same car, almost the same price but different engine. which is better and why. I told him to get the gas

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Big Fabri

Guys i'm asking your help for a friend who can't decide betweeb a 220I coupe and the 220D coupe. basically the same car, almost the same price but different engine. which is better and why. I told him to get the gas

There is no “better”. They are simply different. Your friend needs to drive both, learn about both, and decide which is most pleasing to him.

[Big Fabri]

this would be grat but there is no test drive availability. they let you drive, after you reserve the car for the day, the 218d or 218i. same thing happened with mercedes.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Big Fabri

this would be grat but there is no test drive availability. they let you drive, after you reserve the car for the day, the 218d or 218i. same thing happened with mercedes.

In that case, it would be helpful for him to do a lot of reading and comparison of economics. Living in Italy, I assume basic familiarity with gas versus diesel driving experience. You are asking if, based on our and your taste, your friend would prefer chocolate or strawberry...who knows? Neither is better; BMW makes both because different buyers want each. Some folks just like one more than the other.

[3rdcoast228i]

This is going to be highly dependent on the area the car is bought in. Are the taxes the same on both? Insurance the same? Price of fuel the same? Is gas or diesel more subsusceptible to price fluctuations? Fuel consumption the same on both? Quality of fuel available in the area? Does the diesel require DEF fluid?

Another consideration is plans to keep the vehicle after the factory maintenance expires. The diesel will have additional fuel filters that will need to the changed.

[msej449]

Buongiorno!

Ma perché non un cabriolet?

I think if I lived in an Italian climate I'd rather have the cabriolet than coupé. Last year, we drove over from the Valais across the St.Bernard Pass to Aosta and on to the Gran Paradiso National Park in our 2 Series cabriolet. A fantastic trip, even with the top down and only 7°C over the St.Bernard. We saw all sorts of exotic cars en route, but none of them were open-top and I would not have traded our experience for theirs.

d vs i - as mentioned, it is very dependent on yourcircumstances. If you do a lot of longer autostrada journeys, you may prefer the d. In town, you may prefer the i - it all depends.

[Unicorn123]

Big,

Interesting question.

It would make sense that he book each car for a day if your friend is that uncertain of what he wants. Considering the investment with the taxes and car prices in the EU, I expect it is a small price to pay.

I was looking at cars in the UK several years ago and booked a couple of cars to test out. It was well worth the effort and having the car for a day gives you some solid seat time to assess the car. Sure beats the "3 mile loop" most dealers use that typically suck here in the U.S.

[Big Fabri]

the diesel il much cheap than the gas but this friends doens't use the car enoght to justify the price discrepancy. last year he didi 4000km. he thinks the gas version needs to be pushed in order to overtake someone , when the diesel due to the torque peak is faster. i tried to tell him that a number doesn't make the car fast but....

[albertw]

Originally Posted by Big Fabri

he thinks the gas version needs to be pushed in order to overtake someone , when the diesel due to the torque peak is faster. i tried to tell him that a number doesn't make the car fast but....

It's a bit more complicated. The greatest acceleration occurs at the horsepower peak. However, in overtaking the time taken to accelerate is what needs to be minimized. That includes the time it takes to get the engine to the RPM that gives the maximum horsepower. Sometimes the quickest pass comes from flooring it in the gear you're in. If you're willing to drive along just below the hp peak while waiting for a passing opportunity, flooring it will give you the quickest pass.

The diesel is likely to make a bit more power at full throttle at cruising RPM. If the objective is to pass without downshifting, it should feel faster. Comparing torque will give you the correct answer as well, but first you need to correct for gearing to estimate the torque at the rear wheels. Using horsepower bypasses that step and gives you acceleration directly.

Since the two cars make the same peak horsepower, acceleration should not be different as long as each is run at the RPM that gives maximum power.

Turbo lag might be different between the two models, which will affect passing time a bit.

Another issue is how much power you can use while changing lanes. If using max power risks spinning the tires, you're likely to use much less than full throttle until you're going straight in the passing lane. At lower RPM you might be comfortable with flooring the gas pedal while changing lanes, so your acceleration might be greater for that part of the pass.