The L322 is a completely different beast to the P38....
The price differences no doubt reflect the cost to maintain and keep running...L322 parts can be silly money, one suspension strut on the front will cost as much as a complete set of 4 air bags on the P38....
It is a highly complex car, so diagnostics can be a right pain, with little niggly faults popping up.
If you can't DIY most stuff, with an L322 in a garage, your bank balance will go quicker than a crack addicts benefit cheque !!!!
From a fuel consumption point of view, a TD6 L322 is marginally more economical than the Diesel P38.....25mpg on the P38 compared to around 26mpg on the TD6.
The BMW M62TUB44 4.4 Engine is a mighty fine and beastly engine, it will accelerate the 2.4 tonnes of L322 rapidly and unfortunately the 4.6 THOR is no match for it!!...the delivery of power is brilliant, the sound is awesome and the drivability of it is great....a very willing engine.
MPG wise, they are pretty much on a par with each other...the M62 may just pip the THOR on a long steady motorway run but only by 1-2 mpg.
The THOR engine is easier to work on and a lot less complex, parts are cheaper and more available from aftermarket suppliers.....
In saying that the M62 is a longlived engine put into a lot of BMW's and was introduced in 1996/7 (Non-Vanos M62's) then with Vanos a little later.....so it is a time tested engine, and much better then the M60 which came before it!
I have a Non-Vanos M62 (M62B44) in my BMW and that has done 205k miles and is sweet as a nut, oddles of power and a real joy to drive. My L322 is approaching 195k miles and she runs fine (fingers crossed) she runs a tad rich on first start up, but no other issues!
A good, clean and sorted P38 will give little trouble aside from the odd hiccup.....but a cheap L322 will be a can of worms, so either pay a bit more and get a good P38 and be cheaper to maintain and run.....or pay a little more and get a powerful, fast and effortless L322....which when it goes wrong, budget for it.
Now......here comes the contentious issue of comfort......
The L322 is more of a drivers car, it is powerful, fast and effortless to drive.....you never have to worry about accelerating out of trouble or stopping on a dime.....she will smooth out bumps as if they weren't there, and she has fabulous road presence. But the seats are not a comfortable as the P38....that is for sure. Long journeys in the L322 are fine, and she will waft along all day, the seats are OK.....but a long journey in a P38 is more comfortable on yer bum, but the P38 doesn't 'waft' with the same ease....she is still a supple ride and will be a pleasure to drive, but the L322 feels more planted and 'car' like.
Me personally, I wouldn't change/swap my L322 for anything....even a sorted P38......but I would (and have) own both at the same time!!!!
