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.
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Another +1.
FWIW, we did not test drive the 28i, went directly to the 35i when we ordered. This was based on being spoiled by the turbo engine in our '08 535Xi compared to the non turbo '06 330Xi and '06 X3 vehicles we previously owned. Not an apples to apples comparison, but for example the difference in responsiveness between the 535Xi and the 330Xi was very noticeable and the 330Xi was no slouch.
Each peson will have their own preferences and priorities. I've read posts from people who prefer lower powered non turbo cars because they feel its more fun to rev the engine / change gears / extract performance out of them.
Bruce