28i owners...do you regret not getting the 35i?

[rory breaker]

Just curious - the 28i feels plenty zippy to me, but Im kind of a "if there's more power I want it" kinda guy, and the full throttle grunt of the 35i is appealing. It's really a toss-up....both drive great, but the 28i has the better transmission (and you can feel it), but the 35i sounds better and has that raw power the 28i doesnt have.

So best way to decide - for those that have the 28i....honestly, do you regret not spending a few extra k for the more powerful pkg? Ego aside, honest feedback appreciated.

[Lucky13]

I really had no interest in the 35 because of gas mileage and it's my wife's. It has a lot of power, not as fast as my 335i but it has great passing power and is quick off the line. Based on the poor gas mileage my 335 gets around town there is no way I would want the 35 (3.0) engine.

[paradoxical3]

I got the 35i and I'm GLAD I did. Threw a JB4 on there and I'm positive I'm in the high 4's for 0-60. It's stupid fast for a SUV.

[wcinvest]

Originally Posted by rory breaker

Just curious - the 28i feels plenty zippy to me, but Im kind of a "if there's more power I want it" kinda guy, and the full throttle grunt of the 35i is appealing. It's really a toss-up....both drive great, but the 28i has the better transmission (and you can feel it), but the 35i sounds better and has that raw power the 28i doesnt have.

So best way to decide - for those that have the 28i....honestly, do you regret not spending a few extra k for the more powerful pkg? Ego aside, honest feedback appreciated.

Admittedly I don't have the X1 delivered yet but I've test driven both motors and went with the 28i. I went with the 28i since I realize the 35i would lead to more tickets and lower gas mileage. Besides the savings, I like not having to fill up quite as often so in one sense the car is faster in the real world since I'm not wasting my time at the gas stations.

When ordering the X1, I took the approach of a minimalist good all around car whereby I only paid for the options I know I would really appreciate on a daily basis and get the value out of them. My big decision when ordering the car was going with the sDrive over the xDrive. I live in CA and I decided I just don't ski enough to justify the added expense and not having RWD which I prefer unless there is snow/ice on the ground.

With the money saved, I can more easily justify a second car with a manual transmission that is less practical and even more fun to drive.

[Bimmerized]

Yes, the 35 is hands down a better engine, but I wouldn't give up the economy and transmission of the 28i for it. The 28 is plenty quick from my wife. My only complaint is the sound of the 28; sounds like a four alright. So far my (not broken-in) X1 w/o Start/Stop or EcoPro is getting approximately 3 MPG better than my 3.0 E46 and I expect it to go up another 2 MPG after it loosens up.

Power aside, the 28 will handle better than the 35, so that's a plus.

If the X1 were my only car, I'd get the 35, but I have more powerful sports cars w/ manual transmissions that satisfy my hunger for power/sound, so the 28 is fine for us.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by rory breaker

Just curious - the 28i feels plenty zippy to me, but Im kind of a "if there's more power I want it" kinda guy, and the full throttle grunt of the 35i is appealing. It's really a toss-up....both drive great, but the 28i has the better transmission (and you can feel it), but the 35i sounds better and has that raw power the 28i doesnt have.

So best way to decide - for those that have the 28i....honestly, do you regret not spending a few extra k for the more powerful pkg? Ego aside, honest feedback appreciated.

No way. My wife just got her 2013 x1 .

The 8 speed tranny makes up for the loss of power. Plus, the 2.8 will hold its value. The bigger engined x1 will take a hit once the 8 spd tranny is announced for the larger motor.

[bigdnno98]

I love the n20 in the 28i. Don't get me wrong, i would love to have a FBO + meth X1! that would be awesome! but this will be the wife's car so we're going 28i with that 8spd tranny and a jb4 tune

[scassio]

I have a 135i and love the N54 with 6-speed manual. It's great fun and it's mine. The wife's X1 xDrive 28i is also great fun. But since it's hers it's also practical. I don't miss the bigger engine as I have it in another car. Having said that, I wouldn't miss it anyway. The 8-speed auto is an excellent mate to the N20. And the gas mileage is sooo much better.

[BEAMERBOI]

this sucker will fly

[Stockwell]

I test drove both when I was at San Francisco recently,, If you can afford the $, go for the 35i !! Life is short so enjoy the best or the better......

The sound of the N55 engine + fast act from your accelerator command make such a big difference... My friend and I both can feel the N20's turbo lag when start from a traffic light..... it just missing that BMW touch.

[TX65]

I test drove both the 2.8 and 3.5 and ordered the 2.8 S Drive. 0-60 in 6.1 sec and 33 mpg on the highway,,, works for an SUV.

I don't need the X-Drive (if it snows, I stay home) and my 2009 Dodge Challenger has 425 hp with a 6-speed and hurst shifter for my brute power fix.

[Transfer]

Just drove and bought an xDrive28i and loved it while I did not like the 35i. The 8 speed tranny is just excellent and makes the 28i feel so responsive. The power is definitely there and I'm used to my M. I stepped on it during our test drive with 3 passengers while it was in 3rd gear going up a slight hill and was so stunned with the immediate power I caught myself saying "whoa!"

Dynos of the N20 show it's putting power to the wheels close to their crank figures and you can really feel it.

[tierwun]

Originally Posted by Lucky13

I really had no interest in the 35 because of gas mileage and it's my wife's. It has a lot of power, not as fast as my 335i but it has great passing power and is quick off the line. Based on the poor gas mileage my 335 gets around town there is no way I would want the 35 (3.0) engine.

Same here. Plus the 28 has idle stop. I hear the 35 doesnt?

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by tierwun

Same here. Plus the 28 has idle stop. I hear the 35 doesnt?

Correct, it does not have ASS.