Compact four-door vehicle with the 3 Series available as a sedan, sports wagon, or Gran Turismo. The 4 Series is a small coupe-style vehicle that comes in four-door Gran Coupe, two-door Coupe, or convertible body styles. 5 Series: A four-door, mid-size car with a sedan or Gran Turismo body style.
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What Do the Numbers In BMW Models Mean?
You might have seen the designations 530i, 540i, or M550i on a 5 series sedan. The performance of the engine increases with the size of the last two digits in the number. A 540i, for example, will have greater power than a 530i. Originally, this number was directly related to the engine’s litre capacity; however, it is now used to denote overall power.
The fuel type is indicated by the letter at the end of each vehicle’s name. Gas models are identified by a “i,” diesel vehicles by a “d,” and plug-in hybrids by a “e.” BMW’s electric I Models feature a “i” before the digits in the car name, which is confusing. Therefore, a BMW 330i is gas-powered whereas a BMW i4 from 2022 is electric.
How BMW Naming Schemes Work
Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW all employ an alphanumeric naming scheme. BMW vehicles are available in numbered series from 1 to 8. A bigger automobile equates to larger odd-numbered series. Even-numbered series typically feature variations on the preceding series’ body design. X models are SUVs (note that series names do not use hyphens like Mercedes-Benz classes: 3 Series versus E-Class). Roadsters are Z models. The prefixes sDrive (two-wheel drive) and xDrive (all-wheel drive) can also be added to models; however, not all RWD BMWs are identified with a sDrive badge. Cars beginning with a lowercase I are electric or hybrid models.
The size of the engine is indicated by the second set of numerals in a model name. Previously, they monitored engine displacement. A larger number today just denotes a larger engine. The last letter (for instance, 230i) designates the vehicle’s engine type. For gasoline fuel injection, most automobiles terminate with i. There are also “e” electrified hybrids and “d” diesel vehicles in some markets.
There are “M Cars” that are created by BMW’s M performance division, such as the M5. These stand apart from vehicles such as the M550i xDrive, which frequently have more power and sportier tuning and styling than the basic variants. Alpina is another tuner that creates high-performance BMWs that are made and offered by BMW. They start with the letter B.
If you put it all together, “X6 xDrive50i” succinctly describes the car in BMW lingo, yet telling someone you just bought it can be a mouthful.
BMW Clarifies What Model Numbers Mean Currently
The latest episode of the official BMW podcast explores the evolution of the company’s renowned naming scheme. You should feel (somewhat) less perplexed after reading this.
In the past, reading the model name of a BMW would reveal a lot about it. You were looking at a 3.0-liter gasoline engined 3-series if the badge on the boot said “330i.” The displacement didn’t always equal the last two digits, but generally it worked out that way. We could go on, but the majority of models adhered to the standard or at least didn’t wander too far from it. The E39 540i featured a 4.4-liter engine, the E82 125i utilized a 3.0 liter, and so on.
This approach was employed for many years, as stated in BMW’s most recent podcast, which makes use of portions of the business’ quite lengthy naming guide website page. Prior to World War Two, all automobiles had a 300 number to distinguish them from BMW bikes and airplanes (100s). Following the war, names were all over the place, but the ‘E12’ 5-series brought order to the chaos in 1972. BMW wanted a new system that would be simple for customers to comprehend regardless of the language they spoke.
The naming convention no longer functions this way, as some shockingly irate keyboard warrior types will loudly inform you. A human being! However, since displacement is no longer the primary method by which BMW delivers its customers greater power, the conventional approach is no longer viable.
The same size engine is currently used by numerous variations of each model, with the power outputs changed by various levels of turbocharging and occasionally by the addition of hybrid technology. We’re sure you’ll agree that having three separate products with the same name as 520d might be a little perplexing.
More recently, battery electric vehicles, which have no engines at all, have added to the complexity of the situation. Similar to what Audi started doing a few years ago, the last two digits of this and the majority of other BMW models now denote various output “tiers.” According to BMW, “45” refers to vehicles with an output of between 300 and 350kW. That is the total output with electrical aid, which explains why, despite the fact that the 540i and 545e hybrids both have the same internal combustion engine, the 545e hybrid has a higher figure.
The initial “e” did originally stand for the Greek letter “eta,” designating cars that were “optimised for torque and RPM,” according to BMW. These days, plug-in hybrid models employ it. Although “leccy M stuff” receives a simpler naming scheme, e.g. i4 M50, complete EVs like the i4 eDrive40 get a more modern moniker called “eDrive.”
Exclusively the Z and X model lines are designated for two-wheel drive, whereas the moniker xDrive is only applied to all-wheel drive derivatives that are available with and without the technology but are otherwise identical. As always, a badge with a “i” or “d” at the end denotes gasoline injection or diesel.
For example, a M Division’d 3-series is an M3, but on SUVs, the magic letter is coupled with just one number designating the “series” and appears after the model name. If it’s a M vehicle, you get the standard three-digit number, such as M550i, even though electric vehicles and SUVs only have two, for instance. X3 M40i.
3 Series BMW
The German company BMW has been producing the 3 Series brand of small executive automobiles since May 1975. It has been built in seven distinct generations and is the replacement for the 02 Series.
Initially only available as a 2-door saloon, the 3 Series now comes in 4-door saloon, 2-door convertible, 2-door coupe, 5-door estate, 5-door liftback (“Gran Turismo”), and 3-door hatchback body styles. Since 2013, the 4 Series has been used to sell the coupe and convertible vehicles, therefore these body types are no longer part of the 3 Series lineup.
BMW’s best-selling model, the 3 Series, has won numerous honors throughout its history and represents about 30% of the brand’s yearly total sales (excluding motorcycles).
For its models, BMW used a complex alphabetic nomenclature:
Bayerische Motoren Werke, one of the “German Big 3” upscale automakers, is referred to as “BMW.” The English translation is Bavarian Motor Works. For its models, the BMW nomenclature has also adopted intricate Alpha-Numeric combinations. BMW models therefore employ a somewhat different combination than Audi.
For several of its models, BMW Nomenclature use numbers, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8, followed by alphabets, such as “i,” “d,” & “x.” Other times, the BMW nomenclature includes an alphabet, such as “M,” “X,” or “Z,” followed by a model number. So, we made an effort to decode these letters and digits.
The odd numbers (3, 5, and 7) and even numbers (2, 4, 6, and 8) in the BMW Nomenclature are designated for 4-door sedans and 2-door coupes, respectively. The 1-Series is the smallest and least expensive BMW model offered, and is available as a Hatchback or Coupe/Convertible with a 3-door or 5-door option. The 8 series is the largest and most expensive BMW Luxury vehicle, though.
What does a BMW series mean?
How do you crack the model names in the BMW code? The three-digit combination’s first digit denotes the series. The next two digits used to represent the engine size, but now they represent performance.
How do I determine which BMW series it is?
Finding the most fundamental details about your model is rather simple. You only need to glance at the rear of your vehicle:
It might also be a 320d or another vehicle similar to this 335i. What knowledge can we glean from this? The last two numerals in a model name refer to the engine, and the first digit, “3,” refers for the series (in this example, 3 Series). These numbers used to correspond to the size of the engine, i.e., 320i signified a 2.0 l engine and 335d meant a 3.5 l engine. This is no longer the case due to downsizing throughout the years as engine technology advanced.
Then, which BMW model is the swiftest?
We can say that a larger number, albeit not necessarily a bigger engine, indicates a better performing engine within one engine type (for example, gasoline). Despite the fact that both engines are 2.0, the 330i’s sixth-generation engine has a lot more horsepower than the 320i’s. Therefore, a greater number indicates improved performance.
Given that gas and diesel engines operate differently, comparing different engine and fuel types is a little more challenging. For instance, the engine in a sixth-generation 335d is larger than that in a 320i, but the engine in a 316d is larger than the engine in a 318i (2.0 l vs. 1.5 l). In contrast, a 325d also has a 2.0 l engine, the same size as the 316d.
According to other diesel and gasoline engines of the same model generation, the 40d and 40i will both have rather high performance engines, whereas the 18d and 18i will both have relatively low performance for what they are.
Which BMW series is the best?
- BMW E30 M3 (1986–1991) The BMW M3 that started it all, the E30 was the first M3 produced and is regarded as the best ever by many auto aficionados, including ourselves.
- BMW i8 (2014-2020)
- 4 Series BMW
- 3 Series BMW
- BMW X1 (2009-present)
- BMW Z3 (1998-2003)
How is BMW numbered?
Have you ever wondered how BMW names its cars or what nomenclature they use? Even if BMW changed the pattern in recent years, it’s still fascinating to look at earlier models and understand why.
BMW automobiles are typically identified by a three-digit number followed by one or two letters. The first number is the series number, and the next two numbers are the cubic centimeters (cc) of the engine divided by 100. With the E39 5 Series vehicle, which was named the 523i despite having a 2.5-liter engine, BMW’s rational model naming policy took a turn.
Different types of engines, body types, and platforms are represented by the letters that come after the numbers.
As I’ve already indicated, new engines with the same displacement but new technologies have naturally changed the name practice. The N54B30, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine utilized in the 335i model, and the N53B30, a 3.0-liter straight-six engine, are the most recent ones that come to mind.
The fastest BMW Series is which?
The BMW M5 Competition variant, which accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, is now the company’s quickest production vehicle. Even some of the quickest cars under $100,000 are available from BMW, in a variety of styles ranging from coupes to SUV Sport Activity Vehicles(r).
What does a BMW 340i mean?
BMW modified some of their cars’ badging in 2016. The majority of 28i models started wearing 30i badges, while 35i models switched to 40i. The new BMW B58 engine was introduced at the same time as these modifications. Simply put, the BMW 340i is the 335i’s updated model. Both vehicles are aimed towards a comparable customer base and have similar performance out of the box. However, there are a lot of distinctions when you get down to the details. In this post, we examine performance, handling, tuning, and dependability between the 335i and 340i.