Drove an E90 328xi loaner. Comparison to my 335xi Coupe

undecided · 12-31-2007, 09:52 AM

The loaner had about 11000 miles on it.
Here we go:
Overall the loaner felt "sloppy" compared to my 335xi. The steering felt too light, the steering wheel felt too big. Basically the car felt more disconnected from the road than my car. My car feels a lot tighter.

Other than that, everything else felt good. The GM tranny well, I couldn't tell it was a GM tranny. The brakes were good. Actually there was one thing where the 328xi beat my 335xi. Smoothness. With the 17 inchers it was quieter and smoother at highway speeds.

One more thing. The coupe doors, although they are frameless, they feel more substantial than the sedan's. Of course, they are longer but they feel as if they are made more solid.

p.s. The 328 was peppy enough. I think the 335 is overkill for most people. It's hard to find a place to use that power.

Fraggy · 12-31-2007, 10:33 AM

Does your car have ZSP?

FirstClass · 12-31-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fraggy

Does your car have ZSP?

Both were xi's so they had the same suspension. Had the same wheel too. Only difference between them is the engine and the 328 has smaller brakes. I think you were imagining any difference.

GoRedSox · 12-31-2007, 11:34 AM

I drove a 328xi loaner with 5000 miles on it. No surprise in terms of the huge difference in terms of power. I would agree that the steptronic was not as different as I had expected and also brakes and steering felt very similar. Generally just a very good car but nothing fancy about it. The car I had was pretty basic in terms of extras - It just did not feel that much like a near luxury type car at all costing 35 grand or so. I wonder if the driving experience alone or "BMW feel" would make me want it so much more over an Infiniti, Lexus or Accura that has all the goodies and gadgets for the same price. I would have to think really long and hard over this one. I always felt similar when I had an A4 loaner when my S4 was in service.
Amazingly this car still beat out the competition with so much more power and features in the latest comparison test.

undecided · 12-31-2007, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstClass

Both were xi's so they had the same suspension. Had the same wheel too. Only difference between them is the engine and the 328 has smaller brakes. I think you were imagining any difference.

It's an 08 so it has the aluminum front suspension of the 335i coupe. The 328xi Sedan loaner has steel front suspension. My car has the 18 inch package as well.

p.s. I know that ZSP does not affect the suspension but something was different.

FirstClass · 12-31-2007, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by undecided

It's an 08 so it has the aluminum front suspension of the 335i coupe. The 328xi Sedan loaner has steel front suspension. My car has the 18 inch package as well.

p.s. I know that ZSP does not affect the suspension but something was different.

The 335 suspension is different from the 328? Or is it a coupe/sedan thing? I haven't heard that before.

12-31-2007, 09:52 AM	#1
undecided Captain 83 Rep 985 Posts Drives: 08 M5 Sapphire Black Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: CT iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 335xi SOLD!!!! ... [0.00] 2008 M5 [0.00]	Drove an E90 328xi loaner. Comparison to my 335xi Coupe The loaner had about 11000 miles on it. Here we go: Overall the loaner felt "sloppy" compared to my 335xi. The steering felt too light, the steering wheel felt too big. Basically the car felt more disconnected from the road than my car. My car feels a lot tighter. Other than that, everything else felt good. The GM tranny well, I couldn't tell it was a GM tranny. The brakes were good. Actually there was one thing where the 328xi beat my 335xi. Smoothness. With the 17 inchers it was quieter and smoother at highway speeds. One more thing. The coupe doors, although they are frameless, they feel more substantial than the sedan's. Of course, they are longer but they feel as if they are made more solid. p.s. The 328 was peppy enough. I think the 335 is overkill for most people. It's hard to find a place to use that power.
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12-31-2007, 10:33 AM	#2
Fraggy Brigadier General 193 Rep 3,469 Posts Drives: 2016 M3 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: San Diego iTrader: (11)	Does your car have ZSP? __________________ 2016 Alpine White M3 (gone) 2019 Alfa Romeo Guilia (Totaled) 2020 Car-less 😁 (no more) 2020 M340
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12-31-2007, 11:34 AM	#4
GoRedSox Goldmember 1 Rep 56 Posts Drives: 2011 135i Coupe M-Sport DCT Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Newburyport, MA iTrader: (1)	Same experience. I drove a 328xi loaner with 5000 miles on it. No surprise in terms of the huge difference in terms of power. I would agree that the steptronic was not as different as I had expected and also brakes and steering felt very similar. Generally just a very good car but nothing fancy about it. The car I had was pretty basic in terms of extras - It just did not feel that much like a near luxury type car at all costing 35 grand or so. I wonder if the driving experience alone or "BMW feel" would make me want it so much more over an Infiniti, Lexus or Accura that has all the goodies and gadgets for the same price. I would have to think really long and hard over this one. I always felt similar when I had an A4 loaner when my S4 was in service. Amazingly this car still beat out the competition with so much more power and features in the latest comparison test.
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