Quote:
Originally Posted by Riick
When I got my X3 I specifically wanted the N20. It's almost 5-8mpg better on average and only 35hp less.
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My 2016 X3 35i has averaged over 23 mpg in the 2+ years that I have owned it. My range is routinely over 400 mpg on a tank of gas. Do you honestly believe I would get 28 mpg or more with a similarly equipped X3 28i? Were you thinking of the X3 28d?
Most sources I have read suggest the X3 28i might get 1 to 3 mpg better fuel economy than the X3 35i. EPA fuel economy only reports 2 mpg difference between the 2016 X3 28i and 35i in both city and highway driving and 3 mpg overall. In Car and Driver tests a 2015 X3 35i achieved 20 mpg compared to 23 mpg for a 2012 X3 28i with the turbocharged 4 cylinder engine.
The improved and smoother performance of the N55 engine relative to the N20 engine is worth a perhaps 10% reduction in fuel economy to me.
I am also mindful of what Mike Miller, Technical Editor for Roundel magazine of the BMW Car Club of America, said in the July 2018 issue regarding turbocharged 4-cylinder engines: "The overarching concern in the technical community is that these engines are under built, under maintained and overworked." YMMV