Comparing three year olds... X3 vs. 330xi

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by Drum

When I can get myself in the right frame of mind to forget about the fossils I'm burning, that is really a fun car to drive!

One thing I am noticing... I have been bracing myself for sharp curves and even turns in a way that is completely unnecessary in this vehicle. Perhaps it is my (sole) prior SUV experience with a '91 Jeep Cherokee that made me think that I needed to lean forward and in to the corners.
Sure, the bouncy ride can be somewhat reminiscent of my old Jeep, but the cornering and handling is pure BMW through and through.

I think there's a reason for that. I don't know how the suspension is set up on the '05+ X3s, but on the '04s, the suspension was tuned a bit odd.

There's like, 3 "layers" to the suspension travel, but most folks wouldn't know all three unless you pushed the vehicle hard (like you and I). Around town, the ride is initially too choppy, as it bucks and responds to every road imperfection larger than a dime. As you push harder, towards ~50% of the handling capability, the suspension feels a tad soft. The vehicle rolls a bit and instinctively you get a bit spooked and start to brace yourself. In fact, most drivers give up at this point, a bit afraid to push on.

But as you push the absolute limit of the vehicle, the suspension seems to firm up at the very end. This is what I think makes the X3 such a hoot to drive. At tire-squealing cornering speeds, the driver realises that the X3 is damn capable of handling itself, and all he's gotta do is point the vehicle in the right direction and keep the foot to the floor. If you're bold, the X3 lets you hang the tail out a bit, or perhaps does a 4-wheel drift if the road condition and driving is done just right. But you've got to keep your foot down and let the xDrive sort things out! (If you let up on the throttle, you end up overcompensating most of the time) It's like you have to pass thru a ring of fire in order to get to the core handling capabilities of the X3.

My favorite testing ground is 10-15mi outside of Charlottesville, VA. From a stop sign, you've got a straight downhill that allows full throttle to the top of 2nd (about 90km/h in my 2.5i). Then its hard on the brakes for a slow right 270-degree turn, more full throttle thru the upper end of 3rd (120km/h), hard on the brakes again for a sweeping 270-degree left, partial throttle thru a couple S curves in 3rd, and hard on the brakes one last time for a left over a narrow bridge. I can do the whole thing in reverse too, but its all uphill that way and um, the 2.5 litre has issues with that. If done properly, ABS will never kick in. If you think I'm a hooligan, clearly this is a popular road for drivers, judging by the fair amount of black tire marks all over the road!!

Just my 2 cents

[Drum]

I have definitely noticed some different responses from the suspension to road conditions that I would have thought were fairly similar otherwise. I had mostly attributed that to relative speed, but I am open to suggestions as I am largely a techno-peasent when it comes to most things automotive.

That said, I have been driving BMW's since 1980 and I know what I like and what feels good.

This X3 steers and handles like a gopher through a sewer pipe. I love the brakes and I love this gearbox. The seats are superb. I am done kibitzing about the gas mileage. A pal of mine just picked up a 2008 3-series coupe with Xdrive and he tells me that he cannot get better than an average of 20mpg with mixed driving. I told him maybe it will get better when he breaks it in.



Got into a minor "race" yesterday with a very clean looking, late model Audi A4. With about 1500 feet between stop lights, we wound it up... me cranking my engine up to almost 6000 in 2nd gear before a quick shift and they were a car length behind and we were cresting 80 mph.

This sort of stuff rarely happens when I am out in the 540i.

I am done second guessing my purchase.

I LOVE MY X3!

(and I am not even afraid to admit it.)

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by Drum

A pal of mine just picked up a 2008 3-series coupe with Xdrive and he tells me that he cannot get better than an average of 20mpg with mixed driving. I told him maybe it will get better when he breaks it in.

I LOVE MY X3!

(and I am not even afraid to admit it.)

Tell your friend that fuel consumption will get better with mileage (over 10k miles). But he/she should learn smoother right foot control and smoother driving. I got 27mpg in a 335i loaner with 3k on the clock. My day's drive included: Beltway traffic, easy-cruise-control @ 110km/h, a friend having fun with the 306bhp , and AC-use. Thus, whoever claims EPA estimates for BMWs are too high, simply cannot control the throttle properly.

I filled up the X3 today with 2/3rds tank of premium. The mid-grade performance was getting to be annoying, and the weather has warmed up. Despite the $46.17 cost (ouch!), it was worth it. I had forgotten how responsive and eager the X3 is. I did a short stint on backroads, and then let a friend thrash it around curves. He was a bit shy, understandably, but was impressed by how crisp the throttle was, how the xDrive sorts everything out, and how he could point the X and mash the throttle without worry. I was literally at the side like an instructor, dictating "off. Brake a bit. Off the brakes, turn in........NOW FULL THROTTLE. YES NOW. GO FOR IT!" My god, the engine noise with the windows all down was intoxicating.

Sure we burned off 2 gallons of the fuel. But oh.....the fizz and excitement! Even from the pass. seat, it's still fun.

I will never buy an E90.

[Meiac09]

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

Tell your friend that fuel consumption will get better with mileage (over 10k miles). But he/she should learn smoother right foot control and smoother driving. I got 27mpg in a 335i loaner with 3k on the clock. My day's drive included: Beltway traffic, easy-cruise-control @ 110km/h, a friend having fun with the 306bhp , and AC-use. Thus, whoever claims EPA estimates for BMWs are too high, simply cannot control the throttle properly.
I will never buy an E90.

+1/-1

Using cruise between 60 and 90 with 80º weather from South Carolina to Maine, including typical NYC clusterfook last month yielded 33.5 total trip MPG. Almost 600 miles per tank. 26 on the Highway my ass.

M- TRY A MANUAL!

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by Meiac09

+1/-1

Using cruise between 60 and 90 with 80º weather from South Carolina to Maine, including typical NYC clusterfook last month yielded 33.5 total trip MPG. Almost 600 miles per tank. 26 on the Highway my ass.

M- TRY A MANUAL!

I know I totally should. My dad has a Mazda MX-5 and I enjoy rowing and shifting my own gears. The motor isn't special, but having a clutch and dictating the proper gear is special.

But the Valvetronic seems to dull the throttle response, and a manual 325i or 328i isn't going to any louder. The biggest issue I have with the newer BMWs is intangible: the excitement and feel of the car as a whole. If you read my 335i review (Premier section), I mention that it's brilliant engineering at its best. But I wouldn't have one.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

So am I a 335i convert? I had driven the 335i before, so the experience was not totally new to me. This was the first time I could live with it though. It is a great driving machine, perhaps a bit overdone on the power. But it's still missing something: passion. It's brutally fast, handles well with the sport model, and useable everyday. The drivetrain is probably the 8th wonder of the world. The iDrive is cool (CD playback needs work) and intuitive. But when I drive it, it gives me no reason to actually buy one and live with it for 10 years. And it is because it fails to do this, I come away impressed and disappointed with the whole E90-93 series. An engineering marvel? Yes. Something that speaks to me? No.

[Meiac09]

Originally Posted by Meiac09

M- TRY A SPORT PACK MANUAL!

fixed my post. haha, I'm not trying to be a PITA, just sayin'...

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by Meiac09

fixed my post. haha, I'm not trying to be a PITA, just sayin'...

I hate to be a PITA to my sales rep at the dealer. I probably already annoy her enough with the occasional "Please locate a car for me; Someone on a forum has interest in xxx model with xxxx options".

Plus, I've said this before: if you go into a local BMW dealer and ask for sport + manual 328i, they look at you funny, like you have 3 legs or somethin. .