Strange BMW model designations

TCJBOLDIE

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Am I the only person totally confused/bewildered by the numbers on the rear of various models ??
For instance the 318I had a 1.8 litre and the 323 a 2.3 litre motor.
Now we have a 135 with a 3000cc motor and the 540 had a 4.4 litre motor so what's the reason/logic behind this?
 
I've never quite understood these.

325 2.0 petrol?
Then you have e38 and e35 which refers to the chassis iirc - enthusiasts tend to go bt this rather than the model no.
 
It gets a lot worse as well guys!!
the 116i came in either 1.6 ( no surprises there ) and 2.0 :lol: bot variants had a 122ps power output\B Whats the story with that eh!!??
The brand new 520i is a 1.6 for gods sake!\B:rofl:
 
I gave up ages ago trying to work out the BMW thinking process behind their model numbers :confused:
 
@T9 You would think they would be a lot more logical than they are really.
P.S. The new 740 has a 2.0 engine :lol::lol: maybe something to do with it being hybrid tho so i might let them off with that oneo_O
 
The 323 was actually a 2.5, restricted in power to allow for a 325 model

Rudders you are not quite right and I beg to differ :)
I am a fair bit older than you so I was referring to the very first E21 that had a 2.3 m20 motor
 
It gets even worse when you look into the 1 series and all the different variants of 114d 116d 3 cylinder 1.5 4 cylinder 1.6 all badged the same.V(.V(.V( I give up :rofl::rofl:
 
One of these days just for a laugh, I will pop into a BMW dealership and test the salesman's knowledge of all these model numbers, I will be the customer from hell ;)
 
Haha, Next time im down your way visiting the family its a date T9 |B
P.S. Im not going to hijack this post but am going to write a new one which i think you will be able to answer so keep your eye out for it :woot:;)
 
I think I'll spend the next year writing a comprehensive guide to BMW model designations!
 
Early cars it denoted engine size, later cars it was more relevant to trim level.

Don't forget the complicated engine codes too!
 
I hope not. I quite like it, but that being said one of the first things I did to mine was take the model badge off the boot lid!

Well you would not fit in around here then Olley, every BMW whatever the year or model has an M-Sport badge on it :lol:
 
Well you would not fit in around here then Olley, every BMW whatever the year or model has an M-Sport badge on it :lol:

Only BMW that deserves an M badge is a true M car.
M sports should only have them if they have a "performance package" all the rest are tacky!
 

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