[bmw0perat0r]

Research in this area has turned up very little info, most likely due to the delayed shipment of the awd 335i to the states.

My question is this - the sport package on the 335xi will not include the sport tuned suspension, nor will it include the paddle shifters with the steptronic transmission. - If you own or have driven a 335xi what can you tell me of your impressions regarding its performance when compared to the 335i sedan?

Is the sport tuned suspension noticibly different than the standard suspension?

How would you say the awd effects performance (speed, handling)?

General impressions of the steptronic transmission would be helpful as well.

In the end the awd is more attractive since I would not have any other means of transportation should it snow - however, I would hate to spend $50,000 and be disappointed with the vehicle.

I would not normally post such questions, but I am unable to find any dealership in the MD/DC area who have the 335xi.

Any information and opinions would help, ty.

[Two Sheds]

Can you not find a dealer that has a 328i and a 328xi? Obviously its' going to have less power that the 335, but you should be able to compare the handling of an i to an xi which would at least give you an idea of the differences?

For what it's worth before buying my 330xi I test drove a 325xi, 325i and 33xi (in that order). When I started looking I was looking at the 325xi, during the test drive I talked to the agent about the differences so as soon as we got back we went out again the 325i to compare. For me during normal driving you can't really tell. The steering may be a feather more precise on the i, but it's marginal. All the test drives were taken in similar conditions - dry roads and in late summer/autumn.

I ended up with the 330xi and I've loved it this winter (I put winter tires on), incredibly stable and predictable in snow/slush and never had a problem getting going in it and in empty parking lots I was amazed at the acceleration on snow!

Maybe also have a look at this thread which has some info from a member with a 335xi.

[Titania]

The suspension tuning on the XI models is not equivalent to that of the i models. It's somewhere between the standard i and the sports package models.

[Neurorad]

Originally Posted by Two Sheds

Can you not find a dealer that has a 328i and a 328xi? Obviously its' going to have less power that the 335, but you should be able to compare the handling of an i to an xi which would at least give you an idea of the differences?

Good idea!

Which is more important to you, stiffer suspension and lower ride height, or AWD?

You could consider an aftermarket sport suspension for the 335xi, but it may not be available for another year or 2 (I'm guessing, based on the 330xi), and it will run you about $1500+ additional (springs & shocks). Maybe you'll luck out and the 330xi springs will fit the 335xi. If you want just lower ride height, you could get springs for about $5-600 installed (springs without shocks controversial, addressed in 20 other threads).

[LEDZEP]

Unless you are a race car driver or professional test track driver, I don't think you'd notice all that much difference. The XI adds other dynamics to the driving characteristics of the car, so there is no real direct comparison... but my 328xi has not disappointed me a bit.

[bmw0perat0r]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

Unless you are a race car driver or professional test track driver, I don't think you'd notice all that much difference. The XI adds other dynamics to the driving characteristics of the car, so there is no real direct comparison... but my 328xi has not disappointed me a bit.

I do appreciate the responses.

I am not a so I will assume I won't notice a difference. I have driven the 06' 325xi as a loaner while my 98 m3 was in for service at the dealer. However, I did not consider that these models would compare to the 335xi. I will make it a point to test drive the more recent 328i / xi.

Honestly i'd prefer a sportier ride having driven a M3 for a number of years, however, I need something that will negotiate poor road conditions.

Two Sheds - thank you for the thread link, that did not appear in my search - and it was helpful.

[theroyalwe]

the car honestly drives just the same unless you are really pushing it into a corner. in that situation it tends to rotate a little faster and easier and without rear tire spin... but in normal driving it's the same. BTW I have 3 335xi's with auto trans sitting within 200 feet of me and there is a 6mt coming soon also. am I the only dealer that has these or something? crazy!

[M4TW]

Originally Posted by theroyalwe

the car honestly drives just the same unless you are really pushing it into a corner. in that situation it tends to rotate a little faster and easier and without rear tire spin... but in normal driving it's the same. BTW I have 3 335xi's with auto trans sitting within 200 feet of me and there is a 6mt coming soon also. am I the only dealer that has these or something? crazy!

It seems all the Canadian deliveries are being held up at port waiting for a boat for Halifax. The US deliveries must have caught an earlier boat to NYC. That is why you have them on your lot (and another gent from NYC has already posted his initial driving impressions).

So maybe you are the only dealer who has them! How are your babies configured? Also do they have the external oil cooler?

[scb]

i'm loving mine so far

[theroyalwe]

Originally Posted by Sparkplug

It seems all the Canadian deliveries are being held up at port waiting for a boat for Halifax. The US deliveries must have caught an earlier boat to NYC. That is why you have them on your lot (and another gent from NYC has already posted his initial driving impressions).

So maybe you are the only dealer who has them! How are your babies configured? Also do they have the external oil cooler?

so far we have 2... one white, one platinum bronze. both have nav, cold weather and premium, auto and 6fl. I have one coming in that is black/beige with a stick, premium, cold weather, sport and 6fl. I'll have to check for the oil coolers... I know the new cars coming in have them so I imagine the xi's do too.

[bmw0perat0r]

Originally Posted by theroyalwe

the car honestly drives just the same unless you are really pushing it into a corner. in that situation it tends to rotate a little faster and easier and without rear tire spin... but in normal driving it's the same. BTW I have 3 335xi's with auto trans sitting within 200 feet of me and there is a 6mt coming soon also. am I the only dealer that has these or something? crazy!

What dealership is this?

[seevemonka]

To be honest with you, I test drove both a 530xi and a 530 sport. I could easily tell the difference. I thoght the awd was even more harsh of a ride, with out the handling of the 530 sport. I'm sure the 335xi is very similiar. You would also be missing out on the active roll stabilization. This allows a nice even ride with excellent handling. I live in mn, and I put on winter tires, no problem for me. In My Personal opinion, a bmw without the sport package, isn't that much different than any other luxury car. I think the sport package makes the BMW. However, you would be in the majority of the car buying public. BMW sells way more non sport package cars.

[flipmde786]

Originally Posted by seevemonka

To be honest with you, I test drove both a 530xi and a 530 sport. I could easily tell the difference. I thoght the awd was even more harsh of a ride, with out the handling of the 530 sport. I'm sure the 335xi is very similiar. You would also be missing out on the active roll stabilization. This allows a nice even ride with excellent handling. I live in mn, and I put on winter tires, no problem for me. In My Personal opinion, a bmw without the sport package, isn't that much different than any other luxury car. I think the sport package makes the BMW. However, you would be in the majority of the car buying public. BMW sells way more non sport package cars.

Active roll stabilization isn't available on the 3 series.

As for handling, suspension stiffness is: non-sport rwd< xi < sport rwd

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by flipmde786

Active roll stabilization isn't available on the 3 series.

As for handling, suspension stiffness is: non-sport rwd< xi < sport rwd

Dont forget

sport rwd < M sport rwd

[John 070]

Originally Posted by seevemonka

To be honest with you, I test drove both a 530xi and a 530 sport. I could easily tell the difference. I thoght the awd was even more harsh of a ride, with out the handling of the 530 sport. I'm sure the 335xi is very similiar. You would also be missing out on the active roll stabilization. This allows a nice even ride with excellent handling. I live in mn, and I put on winter tires, no problem for me. In My Personal opinion, a bmw without the sport package, isn't that much different than any other luxury car. I think the sport package makes the BMW. However, you would be in the majority of the car buying public. BMW sells way more non sport package cars.

I tend to believe you, though I must admit the only AWD BMW I've driven is the 8 cyl. X5. I do know that when I did the Ultimate Drive with the pro instructors, I threw the x factor at them...at the time, it was only the E90 330i, no xi yet. They said one should never get an x, it defeats the purpose of the car. A non x with 4 snows is acceptable, but to have another car to drive in bad weather is ideal. Keep in mind these are folks who are capable of pushing a E90 to the absolute limits. Also noteworthy is when BMW showed up with the new 3 and the G35 and A4, the 3's were 330i's, sports, active steering, and steptronic. My feeling is that combo was the best way to showcase the cars and make sure they could beat the G35 and A4.

In real life, we do make compromises, so I'm gonna guess that if you must drive your BMW in bad weather, the xi is a worthwhile compromise. Since I can drive my other car, I wanted the E92 with sport, manual, and if AWD had been available, I wouldn't have wanted it, nor the active steering.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by Sparkplug

It seems all the Canadian deliveries are being held up at port waiting for a boat for Halifax. The US deliveries must have caught an earlier boat to NYC. That is why you have them on your lot (and another gent from NYC has already posted his initial driving impressions).

So maybe you are the only dealer who has them! How are your babies configured? Also do they have the external oil cooler?

Can you imagine what a non-issue the xi is in Cali.? Even the Honda Pilots are FWD. There they've even begun to analyze the implications of the 50-state diesels and the ammonia-like byproduct they're gonna release into the environment....

[flipmde786]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Dont forget

sport rwd < M sport rwd

Hah of course, can't forget that

[seevemonka]

Originally Posted by flipmde786

Active roll stabilization isn't available on the 3 series.

As for handling, suspension stiffness is: non-sport rwd< xi < sport rwd

My Bad, regarding the active roll stabilization. I guess, everybody has there own needs and wants. If the original poster could drive both the awd and non awd with the sport suspension, he would be able to make a much better informed descision. For me it was a big difference, to others the awd factor is a must. I will say this, if it was my wife that I was shopping for, i would have her get the awd. I think the awd would give me a liitle more peace of mind, for her and my daughters safety. For me, I wanted the true bmw driving experience.

[kRUNCHe90]

Originally Posted by theroyalwe

the car honestly drives just the same unless you are really pushing it into a corner. in that situation it tends to rotate a little faster and easier and without rear tire spin... but in normal driving it's the same. BTW I have 3 335xi's with auto trans sitting within 200 feet of me and there is a 6mt coming soon also. am I the only dealer that has these or something? crazy!

We are getting them out here.. I agree with what you are saying, it depends on how you drive it. An M5 wont feel sporty driving 25mph in a straight line to the grocery store. If you hit the canyons a lot, get the sport suspension.

Another option is by the 335i springs and install them on the 335xi..

[flipmde786]

The xi isn't really bad at all. Yes, RWD is the most "pure" driving experience, and most fun, and steering feel is a tad better (as I've experienced driving rwd loaners). But you're not losing a whole lot in objective handling at all.

When i had non-sport 335i and 328i loaners, yes they were more fun to push around (esp the 335) with the RWD, but I still noticed that those cars were noticeably more softly sprung than my xi, and had more body lean on curves and felt slightly less composed. (Keep in mind these are all relative terms within the model line...as a brand, we all know the 3 series bmw in any spec is a very composed and superior handling car.)

I did have a chance to drive my friend's e92 ZSP 335, but didnt get a chance to throw it around curves, so I really can't make a surefire judgement...but im 100% sure that it's handling and steering feel are superior to the rest of the model line (not including M, of course, but that's a different level).

The main point of all this is that the xi's are not bad at all from a performance standpoint, and when you live in a snowy area, you'll be very glad that you have such a great compromise car. Yes, RWD and snow tires works well, but not all of us have the time or money for that, and I still doubt that RWD with snows will climb hills better than xi (with comparable tires).

If you can deal with just a slightly numb (again, relative term) driving experience in terms of steering feel and not being able to throw the car around into drifts and stuff, the 335xi is a great car. It's still a 3 series BMW. And if you do opt to get RWD, try to get sports package. I'm not hating on anyone with a non-ZSP RWD, but the additional softness is noticeable (again, still handles great overall).

One more thing...the 335xi is going to be quite different than the other xi's (i.e. 328, 330, 325) in that the AWD is actually going to help it apply it's massive power substantially better than RWD such that it'll increase dry performance. Thus, you will power through curves faster without losing grip, and it may even be faster in straightline.

I know my 330xi holds on tight to curves, as xDrive seems to have a strong point there (being able to power through curves hard and quite fast). However, the 330i can power through them just as nice too, as the engine doesn't overwhelm the tires the way the 335i does. Thus the 335xi is going to be different than the rest of the xi model line (currently existing or existed in the past) by potentially increasing overall dry performance. Also, no LSD in 335i.

Sorry for the long post...I guess I got carried away. And just so everyone knows, I'm not trying to downplay RWD, but trying to show how xi isn't a negative.

[bmw0perat0r]

Thank you again for the opinions, they are quite helpful.

I do not live in a notoriously snowy area, but this purchase of a 335 will eliminate 2 vehicles which I have - an aging fleet which are not practical and can't hold more then 2 people each...reasonably. The current vehicles ability to negotiate snow is virtually nonexistant - we all have to make it to the office despite bad weather. Buying the RWD and not having access to snow tires is a risk. A risk I could ...in part, avoid by going with the awd - I hope.

I may be trying to have the best of the rwd and sport pkg and the peace of mind afforded by the awd of the xi. In any event I should probably focus more on practical and long term use of the vehicle and less on outright performance - It sounds like the difference is only slight and maybe I shouldn't concern myself with it. I still need to test drive the various cars, but finding some to test drive has proved difficult at best. Some dealerships don't have any 335i's with the sport package, let alone any 335xi's.

As any bmw driver I want to make sure I'm getting precisely what I want - these aren't cheap cars and rightly so. I know all bmw drivers are discrminating and most are perfectionists - I suffer from this.

[seevemonka]

Originally Posted by flipmde786

The xi isn't really bad at all. Yes, RWD is the most "pure" driving experience, and most fun, and steering feel is a tad better (as I've experienced driving rwd loaners). But you're not losing a whole lot in objective handling at all.

When i had non-sport 335i and 328i loaners, yes they were more fun to push around (esp the 335) with the RWD, but I still noticed that those cars were noticeably more softly sprung than my xi, and had more body lean on curves and felt slightly less composed. (Keep in mind these are all relative terms within the model line...as a brand, we all know the 3 series bmw in any spec is a very composed and superior handling car.)

I did have a chance to drive my friend's e92 ZSP 335, but didnt get a chance to throw it around curves, so I really can't make a surefire judgement...but im 100% sure that it's handling and steering feel are superior to the rest of the model line (not including M, of course, but that's a different level).

The main point of all this is that the xi's are not bad at all from a performance standpoint, and when you live in a snowy area, you'll be very glad that you have such a great compromise car. Yes, RWD and snow tires works well, but not all of us have the time or money for that, and I still doubt that RWD with snows will climb hills better than xi (with comparable tires).

If you can deal with just a slightly numb (again, relative term) driving experience in terms of steering feel and not being able to throw the car around into drifts and stuff, the 335xi is a great car. It's still a 3 series BMW. And if you do opt to get RWD, try to get sports package. I'm not hating on anyone with a non-ZSP RWD, but the additional softness is noticeable (again, still handles great overall).

One more thing...the 335xi is going to be quite different than the other xi's (i.e. 328, 330, 325) in that the AWD is actually going to help it apply it's massive power substantially better than RWD such that it'll increase dry performance. Thus, you will power through curves faster without losing grip, and it may even be faster in straightline.

I know my 330xi holds on tight to curves, as xDrive seems to have a strong point there (being able to power through curves hard and quite fast). However, the 330i can power through them just as nice too, as the engine doesn't overwhelm the tires the way the 335i does. Thus the 335xi is going to be different than the rest of the xi model line (currently existing or existed in the past) by potentially increasing overall dry performance. Also, no LSD in 335i.

Sorry for the long post...I guess I got carried away. And just so everyone knows, I'm not trying to downplay RWD, but trying to show how xi isn't a negative.

I would agree with you. The suspension is less soft on a non sport package vs the awd suspension. I think the awd suspension is made of a heavier steel, to support the awd system. I have driven both. The awd would be some where between the std suspension and the sport suspension, along with giving you awd traction. Maybye this is a good all around compromise. It saves you from buying another set of rims, and gives you all season tires vs the low milage performance tires.