TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 This may have been covered off previous but I am looking for a wagon to tow the track car, been looking at a 335i or 535i wagon. Would these tow a car ok fine? And how big of a difference will it make between the n54 and n55 (may end up tuning etc) but need something as reliable as a turbo car can be (I get maintenance costs etc will be higher) just looking for any feedback on these options? Cheers Sam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewm 236 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 You consider an x3 or x5? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 I have looked at them. Not a fan of the V8s and prefer to be lower to the ground so looking at the wagons Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balancerider 752 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 N55 less tunable but probably more reliable. F11 doesn't feel that quick but the e91 335i facelift is probably the sweetspot. F31 335i are hard to find. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 I am finding that f31 aren't very common. Are the n54 actually unreliable? Seems to be a lot of fresh import n54 335i, are they worth avoiding? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balancerider 752 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 There's plenty of F31 335d's on tardme atm, they'd have no problem towing! coils and plugs aren't cheap on the n54, turbo wastegates can go and potentially a fair bit of deferred mantainance as they're now 12-13 years old. the ones that have been in nz for a little while are liable to have been thrashed... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 So would you reccomend a fresh import n54 335i? Or avoid them? How are the 335i hybrid versions in the f30-f31? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balancerider 752 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Probably someone who's owned an N54 powered car might be able to give you more insight? @KwS I'd personally steer clear of the Activehybrid - seems like something that'd expensively bork itself. There's a reason the x35i versions sell for more than the Activehybrid. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2421 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) Mine didnt have a towbar and tbh it would've been the worst car to tow anything heavy with. Very thirsty, and the power came on with a huge whack. It would tow, but it'd be on boost all the time and traction would be an issue. I'd go with a diesel for towing. I feel that even a 330i would be better for towing just due to not having boost and having a nice linear power/torque curve. Edited March 21, 2021 by KwS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Will have to look into that, or maybe the X3/X5 will have to be a option. Did you find the n54 motor to be reliable enough? Any thoughts on the fresh import n54 X35i vehicles? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2069 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Check on the 3 series tow rating. Pretty sure it would be over the limit. 5 series or X5 if you want a BMW tow vehicle. Get the official tow kit which is vastly superior to any NZ aftermarket kit I have seen. Expect bushes to have a short life. Get self leveling suspension if available. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Any idea if these fresh imports are any good? Have previously had singapore import Subaru etc and were all dogs. How are these fresh Japan imports? But am thinking 5 series is the way to go Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2421 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 2 hours ago, TheCowboy said: Will have to look into that, or maybe the X3/X5 will have to be a option. Did you find the n54 motor to be reliable enough? Any thoughts on the fresh import n54 X35i vehicles? My N54 had a huge amount of work done before I got it, so no, i wouldn't consider them reliable. It had the turbos, injectors, coils, HPFP, LPFP all replaced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCowboy 4 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Damn. I had heard n55 was a big improvement but seems to be only used for a few years Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2069 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Best BMW tow car I had was my E60 530D. With a heavy Hirepool trailer and a full weight E30, the E60 barely noticed it. 10.5L/100km from Wellington to Auckland. The best tow car I had was my fathers Merc E55 AMG. It actually didn't care there was something attached to it. I did stupid things like destroying an SS Holden racing onto the motorway with my E30 series car being towed along. But 27L/100kms haha. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted March 21, 2021 Ive got a F25 X3 Xdrive 35i (N55) for sale if you're interested. You will need to install your own towbar though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2956 Report post Posted March 22, 2021 The torque delivery and economy (under load) would make me steer towards diesel for a tow wagon every time. My E46 330d with 600kg+ trailer and E30 behind it was nice to drive. The engines have come a long way since then as well with 2nd and 3rd gen common rail injection. X5 is a great tow wagon, but depends how often you tow as to whether it outweighs the day to day use priorities. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
str8_6 275 Report post Posted March 22, 2021 Best thing I ever did was ditch petrol tow vehicles (X5 v8, Cayenne V8) and get a diesel X5. Self leveling suspension, trailer sway control, outstanding economy. It has no issues keeping up. Generally towing around 2 ton. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted March 22, 2021 Diesel 5 series or x5 for sure. E60s are cheap now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
