i love the new bmw 335i coupe i am wondering if its really worth waiting untill late fall for the xi all wheel drive. the dealer is trying to tell me that i will be pleased in the traction control currently in the 335i. i think hes just trying to make a quick sale considering the vehicle is fifty grand with all the options i want. am i wrong in assuming this?? i really do like the car and if its true that the existing traction control is adequite i would buy right away.
2007-04-23 16:58:20 · 4 answers · asked by Thomas B 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ BMW
Ask yourself this question. Why do you need all wheel drive? Is it because you frequently have difficulties climbing up a hill where you work/live during winter? Do you even plan to use this car in the winter??
Most people want all wheel drive because they live in the snow-belt and frequently experience traction problems.
I live in NH, believe me, it SNOWS here. I put on a set of winter tires on my BMW 328ci. In a year, I probably wished I had all-wheel-drive 2 out of 365 days. For the 363 days, I'm quite pleased with the car.
In fact, the accidents I see on the roads when it snows are mainly four-wheel-drive SUVs and even some Audi (with quattro all wheel drive). The reason being many of these owners think they are bullet-proof when it snows just because they have four/all wheel drive vehicle... and push their vehicle beyond sensible speeds and drive recklessly.
Also, many people are still ignorant to the fact that even if they have AWD, they still would need winter tires to be really safe. When there's no grip, even if you have 6 wheels on your car with 6-wheel drive and it wouldn't make any difference.
The DSC on my BMW works very well with my winter tires. And I would imagine you would find the same on yours.
The 335i is a nice powerful car. Why add the extra weight of an AWD system (which makes the car SLOWER and adds $$$ of extra gas money per year) if you're only going to need the AWD system 2 days in a year? I'm not even saying that without AWD, you'll be dead stuck for those 2 days, just drive sensibly and you'll be fine.
If your reason for wanting AWD is not even related to snow driving (ie; if you believe the car handles in high speed curves better), I would disagree. BMW has been making "the ultimate driving machines" with RWD-only historically (only very few models had AWD). Go for the 335i.
Maintenance cost in the long run would probably be higher in the xi - because you now have more moving parts (extra drive shafts, joints...etc), and chances of having something failing would be higher.
If you want the xi, I'd get the 328xi instead. Because I feel the 335i engine would be a waste in the 335xi.
Good luck, and enjoy the car! I envy you :)
2007-04-23 18:58:35 · answer #1 · answered by Snowie 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've had an e46 M3 which was my 9th BMW so far and I think that car merited the most worry for reliability due to how high strung the engine is. Fortunately I had 0 issues with the car, the 335i with it's sequential turbo's is initially cause to worry but from the research I've done so far that seems debatable. If you want a BMW for sure then by all means buy the 335i but if you're still worried about reliability but still looking to make an upgrade consider the 330ci. You can always come back to the 335i when it's in it's second year of production. Remember they don't claim to be the ultimate driving machine for nothing, enjoy.
2016-05-17 09:05:02 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you drive in the snow i would say wait for the xi. if you have ever driven an AWD Audi or BMW in the snow you will find that it is far superior in the traction department especially with the newer traction control systems that will bring your car almost to a stop when it looses traction (Mercedes is the worst for this i had an S550 come to almost a complete stop going up an icy 10 degree grade into a parking lot. i had to back up and get a running start ) so if you are going to drive it in the winter i say go with the xi if this is a summer only car than the rear drive would be best. (keep in mind AWD will get you going in a hurry in almost any conditions but it does not help you stop once your going).
2007-04-24 06:07:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the snow - yes
2007-04-24 07:18:27 · answer #4 · answered by oneurbanite 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋