Possibly upgrading from sDrive28i to xDrive35i. Questions

[Grovsnus]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I'm a manual driver, but after driving the X1 28ix, X3 35ix and 335i with autos, I really still prefer the 6s. It's just weird for me driving cars that have shifted five or six times by 40mph.

I agree that I prefer the 6-speed to the 8-speed. Too much time is spent shifting instead of accelerating, and no matter how fast the shift occurs, it can never be zero. With the torque range being as wide as it is on the N55, there is no big advantage to shifting more often.

I had a 28i loaner, and must say that the difference is quite noticeable going that way. In particular, going from full stop to 35 is substantially slower and less smooth on the N20.
Once up to speed, the difference doesn't seem noticeable, until the speed is higher than most would normally drive, at which point the N20 seems rather loud in noise coming from the actual engine and not the rear.

[zeevette]

Originally Posted by Grovsnus

I agree that I prefer the 6-speed to the 8-speed. Too much time is spent shifting instead of accelerating, and no matter how fast the shift occurs, it can never be zero. With the torque range being as wide as it is on the N55, there is no big advantage to shifting more often.

I had a 28i loaner, and must say that the difference is quite noticeable going that way. In particular, going from full stop to 35 is substantially slower and less smooth on the N20.
Once up to speed, the difference doesn't seem noticeable, until the speed is higher than most would normally drive, at which point the N20 seems rather loud in noise coming from the actual engine and not the rear.

I agree, that from a tactile feeling of being more "one" with the car, a M/T is superior. However it feels, a modern automatic is more effecient from almost all performance parameters.

[themishmosh]

Can't say enough about how much I love my 35i with JB4 and Alpina B4 flash. And I'm coming from M/T cars only before this.

[Grovsnus]

Originally Posted by zeevette

I agree, that from a tactile feeling of being more "one" with the car, a M/T is superior. However it feels, a modern automatic is more effecient from almost all performance parameters.

I'm quite sure that for most, the automatic is the most economical and does an excellent job.
But I find I use the paddle shifters quite a lot except when cruising. The extended high torque range from low RPM to high RPM means you don't really have to shift as often as on most other cars, and by not shifting up and down again (or down and up again), you can often save time. At the expense of fuel, of course, but then again it's a BMW, not a Prius.
The only thing I miss with the paddle shifter is the ability to enter neutral (emulate clutching) while holding both paddles. Now that winter is here, i appreciate being able to put the car in neutral to improve steering on extremely slick road conditions, but i have to use the stick to do that.

But boy, is it fun to slide through a snowy curve with the RWD-favoring AWD. That will be gone with the new FWD X1.

[waldron80]

My wife and I just picked up a xdrive28i. We were trying to decide between this one and a xdrive35i with less options, more miles, but both the same price. Jumping in both I feel that the 28i has a better power to weight ratio. The 28i just feels lighter. I know the 35i has more power but we ended up going the the 28i because of the low miles, more features (every option), and my wife loves the color (Orange with oyster interior). The 8 speed and n20 is a great combo.

[MNTim]

I actually traded my 2014 x28i sport for a 2013 x35i xLine. I love the X1 form factor but I didn't love my x28i (after driving it for ~6 months). Now I'm in no way bashing the x28i. It's a fine vehicle in many respects, especially the N20/transmission pairing at high revs. What bothered me was:

1) Unless in sport mode or manually shifting, the car would lug whenever driving around town on city streets. The car wants to get in the highest gear as soon as possible to save gas, and the result is RPMs in the 1200-1300 range, and engine lugging. So I found myself always driving in sport or manual mode, resulting in:

2) Poor gas mileage. I would typically get about 19mpg around town, which was much lower than hoped/rated. Decent mileage was one of the reasons I originally opted for the N20 over the N55, but I wasn't getting much better than that of the car I traded, an E90 335xi, which was averaging about 18mpg around town. With the x28i I was trying to go "green" (or at least greener), but unless driven in the intolerable eco pro mode, the mileage is far below the rated value. My 2005 6-cyl 4Runner gets 20 mpg around town.

3) Natty exhaust note. Maybe I've become too accustomed to a nice sounding exhaust from the 3-series cars I've owned (2 E46's and 2 E90's), but BMW could have done a better job on the sound of the x28i exhaust. At higher revs it was "okay", but for normal driving it sounded like anything but a BMW. And no one seems to make a replacement exhaust for the N20 X1.

4) Ride quality. I really don't know why, but the x28i ride was not only firm, but downright harsh compared to the x35i. Especially expansion joints and pressure ridges, these imperfections were coupled into the car and steering column much more so than on the x35i. It's my understanding that both vehicles have the hydraulic steering, but the x35i feels so much better. It's almost as though the sport and xLine suspensions are different, but from the specs they should be the same (vs. the M sport). The x28i came with the Continental SSR RFTs, the x35i has the Pirelli P7s. But I don't think the tire difference can explain the difference in ride quality I experienced.

So, although I miss the faster shifts of the x28i (at least at higher revs) and certainly the sport seats, I'm not missing the engine lugging, and am enjoying the better ride quality and sweet exhaust note (oh, and of course the effortless acceleration!). And for those things I'm willing to accept the not-quite-as-good mileage of the x35i. I feel I can love this car for at least the next 3 years, versus the "it's okay" feeling I had for the x28i. The x28i is fine vehicle, one to be proud to own, it just wasn't for me. And in case you're wondering, this experience set me back about $1500, and yes I am an idiot for not test driving more vehicles before buying. But hey, as the saying goes, live and learn!

[skychismo]

I wouldn't give up the ZF 8 speed in order to get the x35i. My last BMW had the same 6 speed that's in the x35 and while not terrible, it makes the car incredibly boring compared to the 8 speed, even with the extra power. If you're worried about inclement weather, just get a good set of winter tires.