[Hawkshaw]

Originally Posted by MA78

I have no idea what this means.

Sorry, as has been confirmed - I was just agreeing with the earlier post.

[Nahoa]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

I'm buying my first ever BMW and need help deciding on the engine. I'm leaning towards the 35i although everyone I have talked to, including the dealership, says "you don't need it." Thoughts?

I guess you might have to consider whether you're buying what you need or what you want. Need might beg the question of whether something other than a BMW might be more economical and still do the needful. If it's want, how could you not want as much power as possible? And more than the Audi owner down the street . . . oops, that's bad, I never compete with the Jonses . . .unless they're aiming for my lane, that is . . .

[kmarei]

why would you choose an engine that produces less power and uses more fuel?
that's what sold me on the 35i
more power, less gas
xenon standard ($900 option on 28i)
better trim
and 18" wheels

[Upgrade15]

Originally Posted by kmarei

why would you choose an engine that produces less power and uses more fuel?that's what sold me on the 35i
more power, less gas
xenon standard ($900 option on 28i)
better trim
and 18" wheels

Why do I feel like this is the first time I'm hearing that?

[Jasonskitchen]

Man, this is a tough tough room... I have a 28 on order as well, spending the money on other things other than the turbo. premium package, premium audio, navigation etc... BMW is a crafty bunch. Honestly if the 28 came w/ a choice of an upgraded wheel, it wouldn't hurt as much...but they do this to you - the shimmy the 35 w/ its turbo, w/ its 18's, w/ its zenon in front of u like a twinkie in front of the class chubby and u sit there, and sweat....what to do, what to do......

[MA78]

Originally Posted by kmarei

why would you choose an engine that produces less power and uses more fuel?

Because a lot of people aren't interested in the histrionics of a turbo.

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

Why do I feel like this is the first time I'm hearing that?

OTOH, the N52 28i engine is well proven and is an enjoyable engine that loves to rev. The new B20 I4 turbo will be a new and yet-to-be proven engine. Personally, if I were getting the 28i, the current N52 engine would be my preferance. I just prefer a 6 over the 4.

[Upgrade15]

Originally Posted by Jasonskitchen

Man, this is a tough tough room... I have a 28 on order as well, spending the money on other things other than the turbo. premium package, premium audio, navigation etc... BMW is a crafty bunch. Honestly if the 28 came w/ a choice of an upgraded wheel, it wouldn't hurt as much...but they do this to you - the shimmy the 35 w/ its turbo, w/ its 18's, w/ its zenon in front of u like a twinkie in front of the class chubby and u sit there, and sweat....what to do, what to do......

YES! This exactly!

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by MA78

Because a lot of people aren't interested in the histrionics of a turbo.

have you driven the 35i?
it doesn't drive like the turbo's of yesteryear
i drove both the 28 and the 35 before we bought the 35
28 felt sluggish, same as the Q5 3.2
the 35 felt totally different
power whenever you need it, and we're getting 21mpg avg

[Beyu]

Originally Posted by kmarei

why would you choose an engine that produces less power and uses more fuel?
that's what sold me on the 35i
more power, less gas
xenon standard ($900 option on 28i)
better trim
and 18" wheels

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

Why do I feel like this is the first time I'm hearing that?

It's true the 35i actually gets better mileage than the 28i. Not by much, both cars get the same city and the 35i gets 1 mpg higher on the highway, not bad for a lot more power and basically a $2k difference.

[Cx35i]

For me, it was the following:

1. The turbo is a game changer -- the 28i is by no means anemic, but it didn't feel like I was driving a BMW (granted, I know it's an X3)
2. 'Sport' steering wheel
3. Xenon
4. Aluminum trim
5. 18"

[Nahoa]

Histrionics of the turbo? Not.

[Upgrade15]

Now heavily leaning towards the turbo

[Nahoa]

If you think you can handle it . . .

[bsilk904]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

I'm buying my first ever BMW and need help deciding on the engine. I'm leaning towards the 35i although everyone I have talked to, including the dealership, says "you don't need it." Thoughts?

I drove both and the 28 has plenty of power. I've read articles to stay away from bmw's turbo.

[MA78]

Originally Posted by kmarei

have you driven the 35i?
it doesn't drive like the turbo's of yesteryear
i drove both the 28 and the 35 before we bought the 35
28 felt sluggish, same as the Q5 3.2
the 35 felt totally different
power whenever you need it, and we're getting 21mpg avg

Yes, I've driven the 35i. Daily. I own one.
I'm not referring to the driving dynamics but rather the difficulty of owning a turbo charged car. For some, it's just not worth it. The 28i is far from sluggish, and will provide more than enough go power for most people.

[Upgrade15]

Originally Posted by MA78

Yes, I've driven the 35i. Daily. I own one.
I'm not referring to the driving dynamics but rather the difficulty of owning a turbo charged car. For some, it's just not worth it. The 28i is far from sluggish, and will provide more than enough go power for most people.

Please tell me what you mean by this. This will be my first BMW. The only turbo I have had before this is our Ford F450! LOL What do I need to know about getting into the turbo?

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by MA78

Yes, I've driven the 35i. Daily. I own one.
I'm not referring to the driving dynamics but rather the difficulty of owning a turbo charged car. For some, it's just not worth it. The 28i is far from sluggish, and will provide more than enough go power for most people.

explain difficulty?
my wife is driving the X3
she says the car is much easier to drive than our old Volvo XC-90
even she commented on how smooth this engine is Vs the turbocharged 2.5 we had in the XC-90. so me thinks there might be something wrong with your car.

[jsublime]

Do you guys really think you're going to see better MPG in the real world driving a 35? Those ponies are very tempting, and then the mpg's aren't gonna look so good.

As for wheels - if you get the 28 with sport pkg you get .... 18 rims! Seems like some people are buying the 35 just for wheels (IMO the 18 sport are much better looking than the 35 stock)

Has anyone ordered a 28 with a trim option? A few days ago the online configurator was letting you select any trim without premium pkg.

[MA78]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

Please tell me what you mean by this. This will be my first BMW. The only turbo I have had before this is our Ford F450! LOL What do I need to know about getting into the turbo?

I just mean that turbos are, historically, more temperamental and prone to catastrophic failure. Mind you, that didn't stop me from buying one. And if shouldn't stop you either if you feel like you will regret it later. It's unlikely that you will have major issues, but it's still more likely than with the 28i. Just something to consider.

[MA78]

Originally Posted by kmarei

explain difficulty?
my wife is driving the X3
she says the car is much easier to drive than our old Volvo XC-90
even she commented on how smooth this engine is Vs the turbocharged 2.5 we had in the XC-90. so me thinks there might be something wrong with your car.

See my previous post.

There isn't anything difficult about driving the 35i. The difficulty I'm speaking to is the tendencies of turbo charged BMW engines have for dying in a bad way. They are great engines, and a lot of fun. I love driving mine. But there is a lot more that can go wrong with a forced induction engine than with an NA one. For some people, it's not worth the risk.

FWIW, my last car was a 328i. While it was no 335i, it was still fast as hell and a lot of fun to drive. The X3 28i isn't sluggish or slow by any means. It's faster than many other high end SUVs as well as a few sport sedans. It's a damn good engine with proven reliability. I wouldn't blame anyone who wanted to sacrifice a little hp for a lot of reliability.

[sfax]

For what it's worth, if we only had these two petrol options here rather than diesels, I would get the 35i because you get more options as standard that I would want anyway, it's faster, and it's not less fuel efficient (can that be right!?)