Ownership Verified: Mehr Freudige Fahrten! (E46 330d)

rootrider said:
I understand. I'd still want a manual. That's just how I am. But I also really want more 6 cylinder diesel options here. A car with this amount of power would be sweet in diesel form.
Click to expand...

I assume you are the type of guy who thinks a manual is more fun than an automatic. Well, that certainly is true with high-reving petrol engines.

But believe me: With a 6-cylinder diesel that only revs 5000 rpm and has its maximum power output over a bandwidth of about only 2000 rpm, you'd go crazy with a manual. It'd be nerve-wrecking and a real annoyance. No fun at all. I suppose you still don't believe me but that's how it is.

I have lots of comments like yours in my YouTube channel. They criticize me for not using a manual. Apart from the fact that there is no manual option for big diesels in most cases, it only tells me that they have no idea what they're talking about. They only think a fast car must have a manual, full stop. Well, hat might have been true in the 1980's but we're in 2015 now and automatics nowadays have 7 to 8 gears and are computer-controlled high-tech parts. They accelerate faster, react quicker and shift faster than any driver ever could with a manual.

Manual clutches, my friend, are so much 20th century...
 
Last edited:
ITT: trying to convince rootrider to change his beliefs. Not gonna happen. :lol: :p
 
I remember test driving the then-new facelifted ~2006 Saab 9-5 with the 1.9 liter FIAT diesel and 5 speed auto. If you kept your foot welded to the floor, the diesel fell of a cliff (as it were) at the end of every gear. The gearchange put it back in the powerband and acceleration resumed. I guess this is the case with many slightly older diesel/auto combinations.

My car actually has a little bit of that as well, but only if you keep the kickdown switch pressed. Let go of that and you'll get way better shift points.
 
The best diesel/automatic combinations I encountered so far, give you the feeling of a never ending surge, almost like an electric motor.
 
I drove a manual diesel car for 140k miles. I've driven several different types of manual diesels. I know that I want a manual diesel. That doesn't mean that everyone else's desire or thoughts need to be validated. I just wish that it was easier to have what I want.
 
i am very happy with my manual diesel as well :nod:
mostly i know of some annoying situations with the stupid VW DSG box friends ran into... plus it's ridiculously expensive. do they even still do a regular automatic? I don't know...
whatever! bottom line: i see the appeal of an automatic diesel certainly, but i'm still happy i went with the manual.

Back to E46: When I got my driving license in 2006, my dad had an E46 320d Touring in black (manual). might be nostalgia and first car properly driven etc, but I loved driving that thing. Mum had a golf4 tdi at the time and the difference was like night and day, despite the fact that the golf was a perfectly fine car.

May it serve you well :)
 
I was explicitly talking about big 6-cylinder diesels. It's fine to have a manual with smaller 4-cylinder diesels.

In fact I used to have a Golf TDI with 90 HP until about 2005 and it was perfectly ok with the manual. The only thing about it was the turbo lag.
 
I've driven a diesel where the power band was effectively 1500rpm... still want manual.

Anyway... the point is: nice car, nice engine, wish it was available here, and with a manual. Move on :D
 
As the current owner of one of these I still maintain that auto is the way forward. You can push the stick over to the left and play if you want to select the gears on some twisty stuff but quite frankly sticking it in Sport and letting the car manage things is the way forward. The surge is, quite simply, relentless up to and way beyond 100mph.

"cough" On the Autobahn that is.*cough*
 
I have said it before, and I will say it again. The slush box is the best option for this car, the pairing is just fantastic!

I will still get a manual one if I do get one though :) - But that's preference rather than me thinking it is better.
 
Diesel and automatic, always and forever.
 
Took it to the Eifel on vacation last week, and the car is just epic there. The torque makes 14% inclines feel inconsequential, and the massive brakes will slow the car down no matter what.

On consumption, the BC is a bit optimistic, it's over 20% off. First tank was 7.49l/100km, the last one a bit higher at 8.3, but I blame the hills in the Eifel (and the fact that I had to drive up 2km of steep twisties to get to my holiday home from the town didn't help).

 
Last edited:
That's down to your huge feet. :tease:

I arrived at VS last August in mine after it had been remapped and spending most of the day at 145 kph on the highway and achieved 5.7 with 3 up and a boot full of gear. Even with spirited local driving and two hard Ring laps the whole trip average was around 6.4.
 
How about enjoying your drive and not giving a fuck about mileage? :p
 
If you own a diesel, you automatically have to mention how little fuel it's using. :p
 
Perc said:
How about enjoying your drive and not giving a fuck about mileage? :p
Click to expand...

How about you butt out when I suggest there may be a more sinister reason why the same car that I drive but in standard rather than enhanced tune isn't performing how it should and that a good friend of mine might want to consider investigating the reasons?

:tease:
 
I think you converted something wrong. The most economical 330d on spritmonitor.de uses 6.6l/100km. The 7.49 is almost half a liter less than the factory figures suggest, so I'd say it's performing exactly as it should.
 
Do it yourself. 49.8mpg from Hastings to Viktoria Station, shenanigans, drive home. Trip average 44.7 mpg.

And that's at the pump, not from the trip computer.
 
Then yours is a lot more frugal than it should be, but like I said, mine still outperforms the factory figures, and I have done my share of hoonage on both tanks, so it may drop even further, we'll see.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top