Quote:
Originally Posted by Beyu
While the 28i is a great car and plenty fast, fast enough to get you into trouble here are a few things to take into consideration when comparing to the 35i.
1. While 0-60 times and HP/torque figures are a great indication for the performance of a vehicle you also need to take into consideration other factors such as the rpm range. The difference between the two cars is that the 28i produces 221 ft-lb @ 2750-4000 rpm and the 35i produces 300 ft-lb @ 1300-5000. Not only does the 35i produce more HP/torque than the 28i but you can access all this power 1450 rpm sooner and hold it in this range for 1k rpm longer.
How this translates into the real world is that when driving in "normal" mode the X3 cruises around the 1200-1500 rpm range and upshifts between 2-3k rpm. When driving in "sport" the X3 cruises somewhere in the 2k range and upshifts between 3-4k rpm; sorry for not be able to give the exact rpm, I can't remember it off the top of my head.
What this means is that the 35i will almost always be in it's peak torque range when driving in "normal" mode and is always in this range when driving in "sport". The 28i will only be in it's peak torque range when driving in "sport" and when driving in "normal" by the time the 28i reaches 2750 rpm the X3 is about to or already has upshifted to the next gear. According to BMW the 35i also gets 1 mpg more on highways but I'm sure results vary.
2. Some items come standard on the 35i while being an added option on the 28i. The 35i comes standard with xenons ($900), adaptive light control, chrome exhaust tips, and upgraded wheels. In addition when adding the SAP the 35i gets the sport auto transmission (gear selector is different) and paddle shifters, both options are unavailable for the 28i.
3. When taking into account the added options for the 28i that come standard on the 35i the $4300 difference becomes reduced to something like $2000-2500. While the extra power isn't needed, $2000-2500 seems like a very good deal for 60 more HP & 79 more ft-lb torque.
Plus the resell value on the 35i might be better than the 28i due to the fact that the 28i's NA engine is being replaced by the turbocharged N20 sometime soon. The 35i might have trouble competing for resell if the 35d eventually makes it to the US but not all Americans are too keen with diesels.
PS: Sorry for the long post, I suck horribly trying to write short posts.
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thanks for these thoughts. very helpful and spot on. sigh
all this boards seems to do is get me to spend more $$!
<hehe>
here's a question:
28 sport vs 35 non sport?
what's the better driver?