Following on from the E21, the E30 was fitted with M10 4cyl and M20 straight six engines. The 316 used a 1766 cc M10 fed by a carburettor and producing only 66 kW but this allowed BMW to offer a cheap entry level car in the range. The 318i used the same M10 but with Jetronic injection, pushing power to 77 kW/103 hp and improving economy. Finally the 320i (2.0 M20 with 92 kW/125 hp) and 323i (2.3 M20 with 102 kW/139 hp) completed the range.
Later, a 2.5 version of the M20 boosted the power of the top model to 120 kW/168 hp.
In 1988 the E30 was revised. The revision contained two significant changes in the engine department. First, the M20 straight six motors changed from Bosch Jetronic to Bosch Motronic. This boosted the 320i to 95 kW and the 325i to 126 kW/172 hp, all the while improving the economy, especially on the 320i. The M10 was replaced by the new belt-driven cam M40 which also incorporated Motronic injection. The new 318i now had 85 kW/114 hp and was noticeably smoother than the old 77 kW/103 hp version. The 316 was replaced by a 316i, which used a 1600 version of the M40 producing 75 kW/100 hp. Not quite as torquey as the 66 kW/88 hp 1800 M10 it replaced, it nevertheless offered superior performance. In some markets, like South Africa, the old M10 powered 316 continued a lot longer, gaining the new bumpers of the other models. In South Africa, fans had to wait till 1991 for the 316 to make way for the 316i.
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