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      08-25-2012, 09:15 PM   #23
gator4life108
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Awesome pics. You just helped confirm for me that Space Gray was the right way to go for me. I was having doubts since I never got to see the color personally, but now I know this is going to be an awesome color.

Thanks
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      08-26-2012, 03:34 AM   #24
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The N20 is a great engine, I had a really hard time deciding when I ordered mine whether to go with the 28i or the 35i. In the end I had to let my internal Jeremy Clarkson out and go with MORE POWAH!!

Anyway, one thing I think is odd is that the grilles are normally silver for 6-cyl models and black for 4-cyl models, but yours are silver. You sure you didn't accidentally get a 35i instead?
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      08-26-2012, 06:45 AM   #25
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Great car Sid... Thanks for sharing your thoughts ! I've been throught similar road tests (except for the Cayenne) and also narrowed it down to the 28i. Ordered two weeks ago and I can't wait to get it :-)
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      08-26-2012, 05:13 PM   #26
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Hello Sids, Congrats on the new X3 and great post with mini-reviews plus ranking from other similar cars. I'm all for it!

BTW, Looks like you have silver grilles from the pics. I thought 28i has black grille gards and 35i gets the silver grilles for 2013 X3 models...Any chance you need to make a special order? Thanks,
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      08-27-2012, 05:25 PM   #27
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Cool

Sorry for the delay guys. We're expecting a baby this week plus work got crazy. To clarify some questions raised ...

Engine noise: In one sentence, it's not loud. Details: Inside the cabin it's quiet and sounds like any sedan. Outside and on a cold start, it sounds like a 2012 Audi diesel engine ... huh!?! Well, it's quiet (not hybrid quiet), but it doesn't sound like a usual gasoline engine. The audio tone components in that sound are different. I noticed the different sound right away but my wife felt it was normal("All I know is it's on, what should I be hearing?").

Front Grill: No idea about this. Based on the factory-built video (I 'custom' built mine) they install this at the factory itself by hand-snapping it in. I didn't request one way or the other. Actually I don't care about this.

Color: Space grey is awesome in person. It's a lot better than I thought. It's got a very neutral tone without undertones of yellow or red. With black leather seats it looks great. And oh, with the black leather seats you get contrast stitching (white threads) without asking for it. Its not the extra thick threads you get with a custom 911 or on an M3 I once drove but it's NOT thin and it's visible.

Interior trim: I got the dark wood interiors. My order of preference (=> personal choice!) is dark wood > brushed aluminum > regular aluminum > light wood. I refused to buy a car with the light wood, requiring me to put a custom order.

Weight (or "@Tangsta" )
Regarding the remark about "328i coolaid" and following discussions: I wish; but I wasn't. Heck I didn't register on any board till a few days back. I say I wish because if I had lurked around I would have learnt about BMW's "Bluetooth Standard" actually being "Bluetooth Castrated". And my product premium assessment figure of $4000 wasn't a hyperbole; it's my valuation of the product (2.5k to 4k). BMW won't price them that way, not till most customers feel that way and it's still profitable, but thats my valuation.

Weight distribution:
The "110 lbs on a ____ lbs automobile" argument is oversimplification. WHERE that weight is, matters. Don't take my word, pop up the hood on an xDrive28i - there is a huge vacant spot between the front grills and the front edge of the N20 engine. Apart from lateral placement, even vertical placement and # of moving parts (50% extra on a 6 cylinder) influence the handling. And between running two startups and prep'ing for a baby, I admittedly didn't do as much homework as I would have liked. So I didn't have any prior knowledge apart from "N20: worth a test drive". I just drove the X3's back to back and made notes of what I felt. I did the same for the other SUVs.

Weight of the options:
The panoramic moonroof weighs the same on both the xDrive28 and the xDrive35. As do the other options. So while they do add weight, those are fully independent factors from the engine options. That leads us to ...

Weight philosophy:
Through the history of car designs, there have been engineering tensions in weight vs power. There is no "right" answer but my ... philosophy is "less weight". Other might prefer more power and it's not my business to tell them right vs wrong.

To each their own and although I'm 100% capitalistic, in the grand scheme of things, it's just a car ...
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      08-29-2012, 01:01 AM   #28
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Regarding the hesitation on sudden flooring or power demand, it seems to be a very annoying BMW peculiarity. Don't get it in my Toyota but even my mighty N54 had it before the tune, with tune I'm not smiling; rather giggling like a silly young girl when the foot goes to the carpet and rear lights up. . But yes I did have that in the E46 330 too and even the prior E46 M3 I had. The M3 though was an SMG and it would buck then literally catapult ahead. Talking of coolaide, that damn car with the SMG was just awful. I traded it for a new 330 step tonic never looked back. I couldn't drive it smoothly in the pothole infested NYC environs I lived in at the time. Power was on off affair where it was always too little or too much.

Dealer couldn't understand my wanting to dump it for a 330ci. I test drove one and ordered one same day and dealer was just dumbfounded. So I can understand your wanting the 28i over the 35i, but for me no argument here I'd go with the 35i and yes drove both. By the way when you really step on that N20 it is noisy in a strained kinda way compared to the relaxed N55. I don't really care for a tune on the SAV though, I'll leave that to the car. I don't particularly like the looks of the X3 but can live with the M-Sport. But it's leagues better than the the older model it replaced. I picked the Toyota RAV4 over the older model that it thoroughly spanked though few BMW fanboys will admit that.

Welcome, never mind our opinions go enjoy what you paid for is all, we will all have an opinion.
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Last edited by vase330; 08-29-2012 at 01:08 AM..
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      08-29-2012, 08:16 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cj168 View Post
BTW, Looks like you have silver grilles from the pics. I thought 28i has black grille gards and 35i gets the silver grilles for 2013 X3 models...Any chance you need to make a special order? Thanks,
I just picked up my 28i yesterday and it also has the silver grill.

Unless one of the packages I ordered changed the grill, I did not special order it.

My car:
28i Titanium Silver/Black Interior/Fineline Wave Trim
Convenience Package
Cold Weather Package
Cold Weather Package II
Dynamic Handling Package
Premium Package
Technology Package
-Bruce
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      08-29-2012, 08:59 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sids911 View Post

Weight distribution:
The "110 lbs on a ____ lbs automobile" argument is oversimplification. WHERE that weight is, matters. Don't take my word, pop up the hood on an xDrive28i - there is a huge vacant spot between the front grills and the front edge of the N20 engine. Apart from lateral placement, even vertical placement and # of moving parts (50% extra on a 6 cylinder) influence the handling. And between running two startups and prep'ing for a baby, I admittedly didn't do as much homework as I would have liked. So I didn't have any prior knowledge apart from "N20: worth a test drive". I just drove the X3's back to back and made notes of what I felt. I did the same for the other SUVs.

Weight of the options:
The panoramic moonroof weighs the same on both the xDrive28 and the xDrive35. As do the other options. So while they do add weight, those are fully independent factors from the engine options. That leads us to ...

Weight philosophy:
Through the history of car designs, there have been engineering tensions in weight vs power. There is no "right" answer but my ... philosophy is "less weight". Other might prefer more power and it's not my business to tell them right vs wrong.

To each their own and although I'm 100% capitalistic, in the grand scheme of things, it's just a car ...

Very well said sir.

And congrats on the new addition to the family (both X3 and baby ;-) ) We just had our first baby 5 weeks ago. It made our perfectly sized X3 seem a bit small now with all the baby stuff. Especially the front passenger seat which takes a huge hit in leg room with the baby seat in the back. I'm using the leg room argument to try and convince the wife we need to add an X5 or 5 series to our current stable! Especially if we decide to have another little screamin demon.
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      08-29-2012, 06:49 PM   #31
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Thanks for the detail answer and hope you enjoy new car!
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      08-29-2012, 08:14 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlr_1304 View Post
Test drove the X1 also with the 4 cyl turbo. I couldnt understand what the Rep. what telling me in the car. Very noisy engine. When i test drove the 35i in sport mode, i was sold.
Sport mode - with the sport shift auto - is no joke. No dissrespect to the N20 but it is not the N55 no way no how...If it was there wouldn't be a need for the N55. You can't really appreciate the virtues with a short test drive... however on my first drive I put it in manual mode and worked the paddle shifters and was actually surprised... I actually started to get an X6M , but I knew the E70/E71 was being replaced soon, so went with the F25 35i for now. The shifts in the 35i are treated with off throttle burbles and the turbo makes it self known that coupled with that BMW inline 6 "free rev" flexibility I was sold. The only thing I don't really care for is the sound of "DI" (direct injection) on idle... but all the cars I have owned with "DI" technology N/A or not exhibit the same characteristics.

We all vote with our wallets...and often the practical side outweighs the emotional side. I think with me personally the emotional side outweighed the practical side as I clicked off 3rd gear in manual mode in the 35i: on my test driveD
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