In the case of the BMW 325e and 325i, the 325i is generally favored because it has a more powerful engine.
Overview of the BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is the most popular of all the cars BMW has ever made. The first 3 Series came out in 1975 and since then over 4.5 million examples of the 3 Series have been sold worldwide.
Currently, there are seven generations of the 3 Series, which are referred to by BMW as the (from oldest to newest) E21, E30, E36, E46, E90, F30, and G20 generations. The E30 generation, which was the first generation to offer an M3, is the generation that was responsible for really popularizing the 3 Series.
BMW uses a code to name their car models, and understanding this code can tell you a lot about what a particular car comes with (although BMW has somewhat abandoned this code in more recent years, so model names don’t necessarily reflect all the characteristics of a particular model anymore).
The code works like this; the three numbers signify both the model name and the engine displacement, and the letters after the number signify other noteworthy characteristics of the car.
Take “325i”, for example. In this case, “3” designates the model of the car (the 3 Series) and “25” designates the displacement of the engine (2.5 liters). The letter “i” stands for fuel injection, which was a fairly big deal at the time; in the early 1980s, fuel injection was still catching on, and many cars still came with carburetors.
BMW also has several other letter designations that it uses for its car models. The letter “e” is short for eta, a Greek letter that symbolizes thermal efficiency since BMW “e” engines are intended to be more economical than their other engines (nowadays, “e” denotes engines that are hybrids).
Additional letter designations include “d” for diesel-powered cars, “s” for two-door cars, and “x” for cars with all-wheel drive.
As we’ve mentioned, however, you can’t always trust the model name of any given BMW to accurately depict the features of the car. The 325e, for example, actually has a 2.7-liter engine, despite not being called the 327e. Why BMW does this sometimes is not clear.
325e and 325i Comparison
Now that you know some of the key details about the 3 Series in general, let’s have a direct comparison between the 325e and the 325i.
The 325e and 325i were released within the E30 generation of the 3 Series. The main difference between the two cars is that they use two different versions of the same engine. Both cars used variants of the BMW M20 inline-6, but the 325e used a 2.7-liter variant while the 325i used a 2.5-liter variant.
The engine in the 325e was the largest engine available in any E30 3 Series, with the exception of the engine that came in the BMW 333i (although that car was exclusive for the South African market and was never sold anywhere else).
Despite the fact that the 325e used a larger engine than the 325i, it had significantly less power (127 horsepower vs. 168 horsepower).
As for why BMW chose to use a larger engine for a vehicle that was intended to be more fuel-efficient, the answer comes down to BMW wanting to produce an engine that could make a decent amount of power at low revs. The 325e has peak power at 4,250 rpm, while the 325i has its peak power at 5,800 rpm.
The engine in the 325e was also designed to have a longer stroke than the 325i, and thus is better when it comes to producing low-end torque. The 325e could make 177 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm, while the 325i made 164 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm.
There were two versions of the 325e that were sold; one with catalytic converters, and one without. If you’re looking for a 325e to buy, you might want to look for one without catalytic converters, as this version of the engine makes more torque.
Both the 325e and the 325i were available as a sedan and a coupe, although the 325i was the only one to come with optional all-wheel drive (this version was sold as the 325ix).
Summary
So, which one of these cars is actually better? Well, it’s pretty clear that the 325i offers a distinct advantage in terms of its power output. Not only that, but the two cars are pretty comparable in terms of the equipment and features that come with each (and if you can find a 325ix, you get all-wheel drive to boot).
If you’re just looking for a cheap E30 to use as a project car and you’re planning on swapping the engine anyway, you may as well look for a 325e since they might be a bit cheaper. In terms of the cars themselves, however, the 325i is probably the option you’d prefer to go with if you’re in the market for a classic 3 Series BMW.
Hi, I hope this article was helpful to you. If you've ever owned a car before, it's inevitable that you will deal with your fair share of car issues. I know I have, and that's why my passion is to research common car questions and answer them.
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