It has recently come to my attention that the 3.0 liter engine in the 325i is unique to US/CANADA, elsewhere in the World the 325i is equipped with a 2.5 liter motor.
What is interesting is that horsepower, torque and acceleration figures are identical for both versions. The actual 2.5l is rated at 218 hp with 0-62 mph at 7.0, the same as the numbers for the 3.0l 325i. I can understand how the new 2.5 produces more HP due to Valvetronic and lighter engine components, but with these same upgrades I cannot understand how the new 3.0l in the new 325i produces 10 hp less than the e46 3.0l and 30 less torque. The displacement of the new 3.0l is actually a little larger than the outgoing e46 and torque is generally a factor of displacement whereas HP can vary substantially based on how efficient the motor is, especially at higher RPMs.
Just a thought...
http://wetterauer.de offers an ECU upgrade for the real 2.5l engine that brings power to 231 hp and 202 torque, so I would be very surprised if a CAI and ECU won't provide a notable boost for the 3.0 liter US/CANADA motor...
The real question is this, if both motors produce the same figures, why would BMW offer a 3.0l in the US/CANADA and a 2.5l elsewhere... I can only assume it is a gas consumption issue and that they simply de-tuned the North American 3.0l (Intake/ECU) for the 325i as it is cheaper to manufacture the same displacement in volume for the North American market.
K.