US vs. European BMW's

[xi guy]

Happy Holidays Everyone,

Its either been snowing or puring torrential rain here in New York for the past week.
Not to worry, my tow month old 2004 325 xi is tucked away safely in teh garage with a mere
1200 miles on her. barely broken in.

Anyway....are BMW's made for the American market the same as those to remain in Germany? I know there may be little aesthetic differences, but overall, are they the same cars? Is the car I'm driving really the same as one some dude named Hans is cruising on teh Autobahn????

Thanks!

 

[PuShAkOv]

Isn't the driver seat on the right side of the car?

 

[Tom]

It should be pretty much the same car, the only difference I can think of is perhaps a more restrictive exhaust system for US vehicles.

The M3 that we get here is pretty much the same one they have in Europe.

 

[snowsedan04]

Dude

Why go for the AWD 3-Series and leave it in the garage when it rains or snows? The reason I got mine was to destroy the bad weather, and it's been worth every penny so far.

 

[xi guy]

Hey Snow,

Always gret to hear from you. Yeah, I know I should be driving it. Its just that I do have another car to drive and I'm babying the Bimmer whilke I can. Soon enough, it will be my
everyday car. SO tell me...you notice a difference when driving in inclement weather? I have never owned an all wheel drive car so Im looking forward to testing it. You ve been impressed so far?

Happy Holidays

 

[snowsedan04]

The car is unbelievable in the bad weather. I have driven a lot of SUVs, from the Lexus to the Tahoe. There's just no comparison. The Bimmer is like driving a rally car. You can actually accelerate coming out of turns, especially in the rain. Snow driving was a blast.

The only thing that sucked was having the car covered in salt. I had no choice but to take her through a car wash, and that was a very disturbing experience. Last resort for sure. But, I waxed the crap out of the car after getting home. Finish seems to be OK, though I rarely see the car in the light these days.

You should get out and try the car on the wet pavement.

Happy holidays!

 

[xi guy]

Sounds cool snow. You're right...Ill definitely taker her out, especialy since all the salt has been washed away by the rain. I have to go to Jerssey next week for a meeitong oa our other site; think I'll take her there. Hey have you seen any other 04's yet? I have yet to see one with the new style 137 rims.

 

[Kirby]

The 3 series cars are structurally & mechanically identical in the US and Europe. Only a few differences such as emissions controls, etc. might exist but unlikely. Most of the options are also identical, but a few are not. Your BMW is 95% the same car that Hans is driving on the 'bahn.

For example, I bought my car via Euro delivery. I was told that I could not order any Euro options even though the car was being picked up over there. However, the car came with a road hazard safety kit (warning triangle and first aid kit) which is required by law in Europe. But you can't order this European requirement for a US delivery vehicle. They said the triangle does not meet US DOT requirements, and I had to carry it home in my luggage, or BMW would remove it from the car before they shipped in to the US.

 

[adrean8j]

They are pretty much the same except for the options like Kirby said...although Europe gets more versions of the 5series than the states does. if you look at my car you will see that the interior I have doesnt come on any American 5series that I have seen. Same goes for the color of my car which is a special MSport edition. Oh yeah and all the bordcomputer menus are in german of course!!!

 

[brahtw8]

Isn't the driver seat on the right side of the car?

Only for UK market cars. The rest of Europe is LHD.

 

[BMWdude]

I always thought that the Euro M3(at least the E36) had a little more horsepower - maybe I dreamt it?

 

[brahtw8]

I always thought that the Euro M3(at least the E36) had a little more horsepower - maybe I dreamt it?

There have been a variety of differences in european and US models.

The European E36 M3 had a different engine, making 286 hp in 3.0 liter form and 321 in 3.2. The US cars were 240 hp in both sizes.

A complete set of different models available only in Europe and the differences between those models available on both continents would take a long time to compile.

Notable models include the euro-only turbocharged E23 745i, the M535i, the original Euro 635csi, etc.