[chrismia]

Longtime lurker, but first post . . .

Looking to purchase a x3 as my wife's daily driver in the near future - took a test drive a few weeks ago and we both fell in love with it (which btw has me stoked - I've always liked the 3 series and x3, while my wife's more of a jeep/land rover "rugged" vehicle fan; I was concerned for a while about potentially owning a LR4 out of warranty after a few years).

The 35i is still an option, though not likely. This will be the family hauler, and we'd probably rather trade some pure performance for more optional features. The question becomes then: should we move on a 28i now, or wait until the turbo 4cyl comes out? Any new information on the latter engine? It would be a special order and wait type of deal with either vehicle we went with.

Many thanks in advance.

[Harplayr]

Whether to wait for the 4 or buy now is not something anybody can tell you for sure.
The 4 is supposed to have more power, greater torque range and get better mileage…sounds good don’t it?

I chose to buy now because the current 6 had been around a while now and is very reliable. Getting an early production car is a risk for potential bugs, and I chose to buy it with the 6 to eliminate some potential growing pains with a new engine. If the potential gains were greater with the 4 VS the 6 I might have waited, but the increased benefits of the 4 are not too significant IMO.

There’s also the “I want it NOW” syndrome at play here too.

[tuco44]

Totally your own call.

For me, I would buy the 28i now, as I prefer 6s to 4s and the N52 is a proven engine. Just my likes/dislikes. I am sure both will have their plus and minus points.

[jlr_1304]

Go try the X1 as it has the 4 cyl turbo. Found it to be very noisy.

[Lucky13]

There is no X1 in the US so it would be pretty tough to test drive one. I don't think he is going to fly from Miami to Canada just to do a test drive. I'd wait for the turbo 4 because its going to get 3-4 miles per gallon better milage.

[ManMachine]

Unproven new engine / turbo: haven't we learned anything about the N54?

Get N52 while you can, because soon it may not be available any more.

[chrismia]

Thanks for the replies so far. As one mentioned, no X-1 in U.S. so no opportunity to test drive, but I do appreciate the insight that you find the 4-cyl a little noisy.

As I see it, here is how things break down for me:

NA 6 pros: tried and true, smooth operator, a veritable legend of an engine
NA 6 cons: probably higher price than 4-cyl, not as fuel efficient

4-cyl pros: probably lower price, more fuel efficient, more power
4-cyl cons: unsure whether 4-cyl turbo will work as smoothly in this size a vehicle, unknown engine reliability

Overall, I think I'm probably leaning toward jumping on the NA-6 now. Anyone know when we can start ordering 2012 models?

[BXM3W]

I'm still holding off and hoping the turbo4 will be here later this year. It is a tough call though since there is no guarantee that the T4 will be here at the end of the year. Audi has their 2.0T and I thought it was fine for what it was for after test driving it. I'm hoping the BMW version is better or at least as good as Audi's.

[Beyu]

Which engine to get depends on how long you're keeping the car, if you get rid of it in four years or six years with the extended warranty then the inline 6 vs turbo 4 doesn't really matter.

The X3 handles great for an suv and is blazing fast but it seems you are looking for features more than performance.

[colton_matthias]

I drove the X1 with the new turbo 4 and compared to the 328 inline 6, there is significant difference. The turbo 4 is a lot more peppier and livlier, however, the inline 6 is a little smoother

[Argent60]

I'm waiting for the 4. Details are sketchy, but the X3 should be a bit quicker and have significantly better mileage. We will see...

[jlr_1304]

as stated, i test drove the X1, then 10 minutes later went to test drive the X3 35i, and the dealer guy agreed that the ride was noisy (X1) for a BMW, especially on the highway.

[frankwin]

When I got my car, someone else getting an X1 at the same time left the delivery room and the sound of the engine was like a lawnmower, it did not sound like a real BMW

Cars are like computers, you can wait all your life for more features or more powerful stuff available in the next model but you will never buy anything if you do this!! To me when you can afford a 65000$ truck, you can afford the price of the gas otherwise better take Bus Metro Walk

[Bimar]

Originally Posted by frankwin

When I got my car, someone else getting an X1 at the same time left the delivery room and the sound of the engine was like a lawnmower, it did not sound like a real BMW

Cars are like computers, you can wait all your life for more features or more powerful stuff available in the next model but you will never buy anything if you do this!! To me when you can afford a 65000$ truck, you can afford the price of the gas otherwise better take Bus Metro Walk

but interesting i4 is noisy, who wants noisy bimmer? better buy a kia for 1/2 the price instead and use the balance to do something else.

[clivem2]

If you want performance get the 35i. If you need smoothness get a 6 cylinder. The 4 pot seems to fall between these two stools.

[frankwin]

BMW is forced to reduce the total pollution emission of his model lineup and one of the solution is to produce 4cyl to compensate for their turbo V8!

[Upgrade15]

I think for me that the 4-cylinder would have sealed the deal for me on the X3. I find the 35i to be almost too much power for me...yes, I said it. The 28i, while quick and definitely not sluggish...has a heavier feel that V6's usually do in my opinion. I think the new turbo will be a great fit. The Q5 has a 2.0T and while you can hear it working, it's definitely got enough power to haul the weight of the car around with a zippier and more fun driveability the the Q5's V6...and I think the X3 weighs less...anyway, it's a hard call. I love the zing of the turbo though and God forbid we haven't made the purchase by then, the new engine could win me over.

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

I think for me that the 4-cylinder would have sealed the deal for me on the X3. I find the 35i to be almost too much power for me...yes, I said it. The 28i, while quick and definitely not sluggish...has a heavier feel that V6's usually do in my opinion. I think the new turbo will be a great fit. The Q5 has a 2.0T and while you can hear it working, it's definitely got enough power to haul the weight of the car around with a zippier and more fun driveability the the Q5's V6...and I think the X3 weighs less...anyway, it's a hard call. I love the zing of the turbo though and God forbid we haven't made the purchase by then, the new engine could win me over.

No 4 can be like a good straight 6 (not V6). No competition, even if the 4 is a little faster.

[jlr_1304]

Originally Posted by MrsAdams2007

I think for me that the 4-cylinder would have sealed the deal for me on the X3. .

I'm pretty sure, unless the X1 has much worse noise isolation than the X3, that you would find the 4 cyl. noise to be annoying, especially on the highway.

Tough call indeed has you would have to wait for a 4 cyl X3 to make your decision with probably no way to order a 28i if you dont like it.

[Upgrade15]

Originally Posted by clivem2

No 4 can be like a good straight 6 (not V6). No competition, even if the 4 is a little faster.

Could be...guess we'll see. Will be interesting!

[mole7374]

As everyone else stated, this is a personal preference entirely, and not only a preference but a "where am I right now" question...meaning do you need a car now (is your lease up etc) or can you wait until whenever you want...only you can answer that.

And honestly all of this completely hinges on the fact that the I4 is coming in 2012....which right now is complete speculation on everyone's part. just b/c BMW had the engine at the NY Auto show does not mean it's coming to the X3 in 2012...I mean anything can happen but it would seem unlikely for such a radical change (adding one engine while removing another) only one year into the model refresh. I mean again anything can happen but seems logical that this would not be a 2012 thing. I just picked up my X3 last week and both the general sales manager and finance manager told me that the 2012s will be here in a matter of a few month...probably Q4 2012...so 4 maybe 5 months....seems like an awful stretch to drop a completely new engine into a new model that quickly.

....just my opinion here nothing else...

[pokerface]

FWIW, I have a 325 with the 6 cylinder and an A4 with the 2.0T. I get better mileage on my 325i... and I obviously enjoy the drive more even though it has less torque.