4.4i vs 4.8is

dan_fitz · #1 09-07-2005, 01:36 AM

For those of you that have had the chance to drive both, I am wondering if you can give an assessment of how different the two are. The 4.4 seems to pull pretty hard and is definitely nimble. I have not had the chance to drive the 4.8is yet. Any feedback would be helpful. Is it worth the extra $$?

JJF · #2 09-07-2005, 01:52 AM

I drove both back to back before I bought my X5. Although the 4.4 is great, the 4.8 was that much better. The 4.8 just felt like it could go and go. I am completely satisfied. Shop around, though--and get the best deal that you can.

LeMansX5 · #3 09-07-2005, 08:10 AM

I owned a 4.4 before and the ride on 4.4 is softer than 4.8. Both have power on the go, but the 4.8 has more. The brakes are stronger on 4.8. The exhaust tone sounds more sporty. You will really feel the extra HP when you step on gas. I fell in love when I drove the 4.8. My 4.4 was non-sport but the 4.8 handles very sporty on turns.

When I was shopping to replace 4.4i I started looking at another 4.4i but when I loaded it up with all packages and options the differences was not that much, so decided to go with 4.8is which has all packages and options standard other than NAV and retract. load floor. Besides when I sell it will hold more value.

X5Jay · #4 09-07-2005, 08:26 AM

I have an 04 4.4 and I drove a 4.8. Yes, the handling, breaking, power, and sound are certainly better in the 4.8, but I just couldn't get past how hard it rode. I have the sport package on my 4.4 w/19's and the ride is much better than the 4.8. If I was younger and didn't have to drive my dad or GF around in my car, I would have no problem with the 4.8, but even in the much better riding 4.4, my dad says "you spent how much money on this thing and I can feel every bump?". If he ever rode in a 4.8 he'd surely think something's wrong with it. When I was driving the 4.8 I had my kids with me. We went over a rather wide expansion joint in the road and those 20's slapped so hard even my 13 yr. old son said "whoa, what was that?" When I go over the same spot in my 4.4, you can certainly feel it, but no one even acknowledges it. And the power in the 4.4 is still damn good... The 4.8 is just a little too high-strung for me. You definitely need to drive it for yourself. Is the 4.8 worth the extra money? Hell yes, if that's the type of setup you like. In my experience, the 4.8 was about $7k more than my fully loaded 4.4 - fairly significant I think. Good luck!

DinanX5 · #5 09-07-2005, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X5Jay

I have an 04 4.4 and I drove a 4.8. ... I just couldn't get past how hard it rode. I have the sport package on my 4.4 w/19's and the ride is much better than the 4.8. ... We went over a rather wide expansion joint in the road and those 20's slapped so hard even my 13 yr. old son said "whoa, what was that?" When I go over the same spot in my 4.4, you can certainly feel it, but no one even acknowledges it.

I love the extra power and brakes on the 4.8is, but you can get pretty close with a few Dinan mods on the 4.4i. In terms of handling, the 4.4i sport has the exact same suspension, so with 20" wheels/tires they should be identicle.
Also, I'm not sure how much more the 4.8 would be to insure, but that may be another consideration (?)

What made me go with the 4.4 was primarily price (of course) but also, I thought if I'm buying an "SAV" then I'd actually prefer to have a little more sidewall on the tires (like 18's or 19's) to keep the ride a little more reasonable, as X5Jay illustrates above. And although I like the look of the front/rear body-colored ground effects, I think it detracts from the nature of what the X5 is intended to be... a great handling road vehicle that has the flexibility and ground clearance to play off road when asked to do so

dan_fitz · #6 09-07-2005, 11:06 AM

How well do Dinan modified X5's hold their value vs factory mods like the 4.8is? Does anyone know?

pepatrick · #7 09-07-2005, 11:25 AM

Not well...Go with the 4.8...The 4.8s hold their value much more than the 4.4i. Both do well...the 4.8 holds it and maintains it. Look at 02 and 03 4.6is...they are still brining rediculous money...

TahoeM3 · #8 09-07-2005, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepatrick

Not well...Go with the 4.8...The 4.8s hold their value much more than the 4.4i. Both do well...the 4.8 holds it and maintains it. Look at 02 and 03 4.6is...they are still brining rediculous money...

I'm not sure about this, or at least BMW doesn't agree. If you look at the leases, the residuals for the 4.8is are actually lower than that for the 4.4i.

My lease on a loaded 4.4i is $750 per month on a 39 month lease vs. $1350 for the 4.8is. Considering the price difference between the two was less than $10K, that means the 4.8is will be valued at roughly $10K less than the 4.4i at the end of the lease.

Doesn't sound right, but that's the way it seems to be according to BMW's numbers. Now it could be that you could turn that 4.8is around and sell if for more and pocket the difference, but BMW puts the residual surprisingly low.

vendettabmw · #9 09-14-2005, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepatrick

Not well...Go with the 4.8...The 4.8s hold their value much more than the 4.4i. Both do well...the 4.8 holds it and maintains it. Look at 02 and 03 4.6is...they are still brining rediculous money...

yup..i was lookin a t 4.4 for 4700$ more i got 4.6 all options, so u vant go wrong, more options, better re-sale, and sh!t a lot of fun to drive..simple, buy a 330i or an m3....thats the differnce, more $, more car, better resale.

dan_fitz · #10 09-07-2005, 12:29 PM

My biggest fear is that with the '07 model comes a new standard V8 which is said to have more power than the 4.8. I wonder if the large premium for this version will be greatly reduced when this new V8 becomes available and the performance does not seem so exclusive. Any thoughts?