[kent11202]

Anything I need to be aware of? (new engines? Etc.)

Currently have a 2013 328i (Luxury Line) and it's been good OTHER than a Comfort Access system that is SO intermittent, it drives me nuts!

I know the X3 won't brake as quickly and the fuel economy won't be as good but are there "quirky" things I should know before getting involved with a dealer.

Thanks!

[FSociety]

mge92 has 13' X3 28i
Crashnbrn5 had 13' X3 35i
i had 14' X3 28i for 2yrs and now X4 M40i

If i were to do it again, X3 35i for many reasons! and do not have any reasons why to pick the 28i this time around. The MPG in the M40i is same or better than the 28i because now I am having even more fun with the car and its a faster engine.

I truly dont feel the 28i is that much better in the X3 platform due to weight of the X3 and the weakness of power the 28i has to move it.

[Crashnbrn5]

Originally Posted by FSociety

mge92 has 13' X3 28i
Crashnbrn5 had 13' X3 35i
i had 14' X3 28i for 2yrs and now X4 M40i

If i were to do it again, X3 35i for many reasons! and do not have any reasons why to pick the 28i this time around. The MPG in the M40i is same or better than the 28i because now I am having even more fun with the car and its a faster engine.

I truly dont feel the 28i is that much better in the X3 platform due to weight of the X3 and the weakness of power the 28i has to move it.

Good point Rob.With gas prices at this price, I'll take smiles per gallon over miles per gallon! Even if you drive spirited 20% of the time OP. The extra cost of fuel will be marginal. You'll get 28-30 mpg on the hwy with the 35i anyway. The only painful thing about getting the 2017 X3. Is you're only 1 tiny year away from the new ridiculous model.

Now mind you, a fully loaded 2018 X3 M40i will be $850 a month without question. The 2017 maybe $700-750. It's your call my friend. I would wait if you can....

(Maybe 2018 X3 30i w/ a flash tune or something, just a thought)

-Sean

[brissim]

We are seriously looking at not waiting for the new 2018 X3 and will be looking at a 2017 X3 30d to replace our current 2011 X3 30d (ie pretty much the same spec). Only last week we had a test drive of a (2016) X3 28i and came away unimpressed. With the weight of the X3 (which is 150-200kg / 300-400lb heavier than your 328i), the X3 28i really does struggle. There a number of posts concerning poor fuel economy of the 28i.

As an aside, personally I would leave out the comfort access on the X3. It only operates on the front doors and the hatch (and even them I thought I read somewhere even the hatch gets left out with the addition of the M Sports package). Doesn't work on the rear doors which for us are the last doors we close and the first to open most of the time.

Tony

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by brissim

As an aside, personally I would leave out the comfort access on the X3. It only operates on the front doors and the hatch (and even them I thought I read somewhere even the hatch gets left out with the addition of the M Sports package). Doesn't work on the rear doors which for us are the last doors we close and the first to open most of the time.

Tony

In contrast, I find the comfort access on my X3 to be a very useful option. My wife insisted on CA as she does not want to take the time to find the key fob in her purse.

If I need to open the rear door first, I normally simply put one hand through the door handle in the front to unlock the car while opening the rear door with the other hand. If one hand is otherwise occupied, it only takes a second to unlock via the front door handle and then open the rear door. In my opinion, CA is still much more convenient than using the key fob to unlock the X3. It is not a big deal for me that the handles on the rear doors do not unlock the X3.

[Alfisti]

We just picked up a CPO 35i and it is THIRSTY about town. Cruising on the hwy it is not too bad but fuck me it's sucks some gas on city cycle.

[JSGR8]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

We just picked up a CPO 35i and it is THIRSTY about town. Cruising on the hwy it is not too bad but fuck me it's sucks some gas on city cycle.

I agree.

I have the 28i, do mostly short city trips and average 15L/100km....I think that works out to be around 15.5mpg. Pretty crappy.

[Alfisti]

EXACTLY what I am getting, well the mrs anyway. We do mostly short trips and i jumped in the thing yesterday to see 15.3/100 .. jesus effing christ.

My 9-3 gets 12/100 and feels just as fast as it's 30% lighter than the X3.

[morphomeman]

It all boils down to the cost/pleasure ratio. The 35 costs several thousand dollars more than the 28 but is much more fun to drive. The differential in fuel cost is minimal, especially at today's prices, unless you drive 20K miles or more per year.
I would not forego the comfort access, which is a godsend, especially for the hatch. Yes, the rear door thing is an annoyance, but nobody is perfect.
Our solution: an M235 for going fast and a reasonably well equipped X3 for everyday driving. I drive the M235 most days and my wife uses the X3 for her much longer commute. About once a week, we switch off.
So, unless you buy both 28 and 35, you have to decide if you value the smooth pleasure of the beautiful BMW inline 6 enough to be willing to pay $5000 or so for that pleasure.
Remember also, that if you are leasing, you will eat most of that $5000 in extra payments over the very short life of the lease. We bought both of the cars, which means that we are paying about $800 each per month, but we plan to keep them for at least 8 years, or 3 beyond the life of the loan. Imagine what we will be able to do with $1600 per month!

[dreaming440i]

I agree with the recommendation of the 35i. Your satisfaction with a given level of power is mainly based on what you had before. Going from a 328i to an X3 28i will probably be a big step down for you. I doubt you'd be happy with it. If I had it to do over again, I'd drop some of the option packages and get the 35i.

[Alfisti]

I did not drive an X3 with the 28i but the 3T feels slow, no idea what the 28i feels like.

[kent11202]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

There's no question the X3 will get a lower MPG than our 328i because it's a lot heavier (3,410 lbs vs. 4,150 lbs - +22%) and the coefficient of drag (based on an internet search) indicates the X3 has a CD of 33 vs. 26 for the 328i - +27%) but that's not a big concern because we don't put a lot of miles on the car (retired) or drive like we're at Nurburgring very often.

The brakes are a little bigger on the X3 - rotors are 12.9 diameter front and 13.0 diameter rear - on the 328i it's 12.3 front and 11.8 rear. That difference, when factoring in weight, indicates the X3 is not going to stop as quickly and that's been noted by Edmunds - 60-0 for X3 was 127 feet vs. 115 feet for the 328i. I wouldn't lose sleep over that difference

Next step is to take the time to drive one and see how it "feels." Only 70 days until the lease is up but who's counting

[atomic]

Originally Posted by brissim

We are seriously looking at not waiting for the new 2018 X3 and will be looking at a 2017 X3 30d to replace our current 2011 X3 30d (ie pretty much the same spec). Only last week we had a test drive of a (2016) X3 28i and came away unimpressed. With the weight of the X3 (which is 150-200kg / 300-400lb heavier than your 328i), the X3 28i really does struggle. There a number of posts concerning poor fuel economy of the 28i.

As an aside, personally I would leave out the comfort access on the X3. It only operates on the front doors and the hatch (and even them I thought I read somewhere even the hatch gets left out with the addition of the M Sports package). Doesn't work on the rear doors which for us are the last doors we close and the first to open most of the time.

Tony

Just open the front doors and the rear doors open. Lock the front doors and the rear doors lock. the X3 doesn't struggle with the 28. It is faster than 99 percent of the cars on the road.

I wouldn't go without comfort acces but xenon headlights I have but really are worthless to me.

[BatteryPowered]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

Imagine what we will be able to do with $1600 per month!

I would imagine a chunk of it would go towards buying BMW or 3rd party extended warranty.

[BatteryPowered]

Originally Posted by kent11202

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

There's no question the X3 will get a lower MPG than our 328i because it's a lot heavier (3,410 lbs vs. 4,150 lbs - +22%) and the coefficient of drag (based on an internet search) indicates the X3 has a CD of 33 vs. 26 for the 328i - +27%) but that's not a big concern because we don't put a lot of miles on the car (retired) or drive like we're at Nurburgring very often.

The brakes are a little bigger on the X3 - rotors are 12.9 diameter front and 13.0 diameter rear - on the 328i it's 12.3 front and 11.8 rear. That difference, when factoring in weight, indicates the X3 is not going to stop as quickly and that's been noted by Edmunds - 60-0 for X3 was 127 feet vs. 115 feet for the 328i. I wouldn't lose sleep over that difference

Next step is to take the time to drive one and see how it "feels." Only 70 days until the lease is up but who's counting

Make sure to take it to a highway during test drive. 28 feels very spirited up to around 40-50mph, which is your typical city driving. Once past 60-70mph it starts to struggle a bit and you have to press that gas pedal to make it move.
28 is a great car, but it's not a sport sedan. If I had an opportunity I'd have two cars (135 or 235) and 28 for everyday driving. 35 X3 is still an SUV, albeit faster one. Do you really want to carve canyons in an SUV or do spirited driving with your whole family inside?

[drewxnyc]

Originally Posted by BatteryPowered

Make sure to take it to a highway during test drive. 28 feels very spirited up to around 40-50mph, which is your typical city driving. Once past 60-70mph it starts to struggle a bit and you have to press that gas pedal to make it move.
28 is a great car, but it's not a sport sedan. If I had an opportunity I'd have two cars (135 or 235) and 28 for everyday driving. 35 X3 is still an SUV, albeit faster one. Do you really want to carve canyons in an SUV or do spirited driving with your whole family inside?

I had a 2013 535 M sport, then ended up looking into the 2016 X3 M sport since we needed more room for the baby. During my test drive I thought the 28i was fine, but now after driving it for the last 6 months BatteryPowered's description is right on, once you go past 70+ you really start to miss the power a 35i would have. Of course with a wife and kid in the car I am not driving too "spirited" but when I am driving alone, I really miss my 535 and the power.

If I could do this all over again, I would probably go for the X3 35i, but with looking for the M sport and color and features and taking advantage of pull ahead offer and dealer inventory (I picked up my car on 12/30) so I was rushing a little bit. Ideally I wanted the X5 but with options and stuff adding up, my wife didn't want to overspend. I do miss the 535 but the interior space was terrible in that car. Felt way too cramped.

[kent11202]

OK, test drive completed for a 2017 X3 28i. She liked how it drives and I found it to be just fine overall. Remember, we seldom drive Nurburgring style so the "performance" met humble expectations. That said, I think I'd still like to try out the 35i.

The one she tried had just about every option available (short of a spare Corvette) and had an MSRP slightly over $54K. A VERY quick inquiry (NOT a negotiation) with the dealer revealed they would knock 6% off the MSRP and provide another $1K "loyalty" credit - it's a start. No, I did not get into MF or residual value at this point.

The only really bad thing about the car was that it, like apparently all other X3's, had that damn Comfort Access which has been nothing but a PIA on our 328i that they STILL can't fix and I've only got 60 days until the lease is up.

Sigh - I freaking HATE shopping for cars - there are so many out there that have varying options - some you like and others your don't so the "decision" process can get to be more like work.

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by kent11202

That difference, when factoring in weight, indicates the X3 is not going to stop as quickly and that's been noted by Edmunds - 60-0 for X3 was 127 feet vs. 115 feet for the 328i.

FWIW, the X3 35i is reported by Edmunds to stop in slightly less distance - 60 to 0 mph in 123 feet compared to the 127 feet in the X3 28i.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/t...rack-test.html

My wife loves her X3 35i. I strongly preferred the 35i because the driving experience was more comparable to my 535i wagon. In my case, the net cost difference relative to a similarly equipped X3 28i was just over two thousand dollars due to the differences in standard equipment. I liked my wife's X3 so much that I recently exchanged my 2010 535i wagon for a second 2016 X3 35i. The higher seating position and easier entry and egress are pluses at my age.

Sorry for your bad experience with CA, but this may be an isolated case. My wife would not have a car without CA.