Advice needed - xdrive for F30

[spervez]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and even newer to BMW's. Been waiting for my first bimmer for quite a while now and finally think I can afford one. My choices are among a 2011 335xi, 2012 328i and 2012 335i, most likely lease if I qualify. Really not sure yet but leaning toward the 328. My question for you guys is, should I wait for the xdrive?

I live in Chicago so we get a fair bit of snow, but not as bad as some other places. I've been advised to go with an AWD car but it will be a tough wait. Basically what I'm saying is, if one of you does not convince me to wait for the xdrive I will be driving home in a brand new F30 in a couple of days. :)

[Rudolph320i]

well that depends on how much experience you have with RWD in the snow. if you are comfortable with that kind of setup in the snow then a good set of snow tires should do you just fine. if not then go with awd.

[mryakan]

well that depends on how much experience you have with RWD in the snow. if you are comfortable with that kind of setup in the snow then a good set of snow tires should do you just fine. if not then go with awd.
+1. AWD is not even mandatory here in the frozen north. But many people are more comfortable with it, esp. if you live uphill or someplace plows don't hit often/early. I'd rather spend the extra $$ on a good set of snows and work from home on days that prevent me from going anywhere, not that it has happened to me in the past 15 years of RWD only cars.

[spervez]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it. Unfortunately I do no have any experience driving RWD cars. I understand mryakan's perspective and I've been thinking the same thing, jsut avoid the heavy weather and you'll be fine. My question is, how bad can it get? I do have a family and I would not want to risk their health for my benefit. So for instance, say I were to get caught in the middle of a light blizzard, say couple of inches of snow on a RWD, how much worse off will I be compared to FWD.

I know its a difficult question to answer but i'll appreciate it if you gave it a shot!

I am probably being over-cautious here, mryakan is thinking he already answered my question! :)

[AlpinaClearLake]

I have to agree with mryakan. AWD is not the "end all" answer when it comes to frozen rain or snow. Tires and chains will be of greater value to an inexperinced driver. However if your in a lot of sleet or rain that's close to freezing temps then AWD is great. Especially on the Xdrive cars. What you need to look at is incentive money on the Xdrive cars. Down here in the south we dont sell a bunch of them and therefore incentive money on Xdrive cars is good and could offset the cost of the expensive option. My two cents. CC

[mryakan]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it. Unfortunately I do no have any experience driving RWD cars. I understand mryakan's perspective and I've been thinking the same thing, jsut avoid the heavy weather and you'll be fine. My question is, how bad can it get? I do have a family and I would not want to risk their health for my benefit. So for instance, say I were to get caught in the middle of a light blizzard, say couple of inches of snow on a RWD, how much worse off will I be compared to FWD.

I know its a difficult question to answer but i'll appreciate it if you gave it a shot!

I am probably being over-cautious here, mryakan is thinking he already answered my question! :)
If you follow the safety rules of driving in the snow (slow down, give yourself distance, easy on the pedals, smooth input/steering, etc), then anyWD is fine, with the proper shoes of course. The only problem with these cars is deep snow due to clearance, and the xDrive cars do give you a bit of extra clearance, but you can also opt for non-sport editions which I believe also have more clearance. Even xDrive will not help you much if you bottom out (not as bad as RWD but you could also get stuck).
In my experience, the only time I had an issue with my RWD BMWs in the snow is one of the following situations:


Snow tires not on yet (now I put them on early, take them off late. Just switched to summers today :D:D:D).
Clearance (an uncleared road or a crest of snow from a plow truck). I usually try to take another road if I can anticipate it, but sometimes it is too late. I keep a small shovel all winter long in the trunk for this, and I have yet to use it (spinning the wheels did the trick the couple of times I got stuck this way).
Parking on an inclined road. Learned the hard way, avoid that with RWD at all expense. Without LSD, if you are pulling out opposite to the inclination of the road, you will end up perpendicular (unless you get a push).
An idiot does something stupid in front of you. Luck, anticipation, reaction-time, and good tires are your best friends in this situation, AWD will not help.

Also with RWD, you need to be a bit more patient off the line, but once you get going, DSC works extremely well to keep you straight and going.


Hope this helps.

[Rudolph320i]

all ive had was RWD so ive been doing it for years, LSD is a must and find an empty parking lot covered in snow and screw around for a little while. you can learn how the car reacts to the snow without worrying about killing yourself. It takes some getting used to but at this point i prefer RWD with some good snows to FWD in the snow.

[mryakan]

It takes some getting used to but at this point i prefer RWD with some good snows to FWD in the snow.
+1. I hate understeer with a passion. Oversteer I can manage. Before I bought my 1st bimmer, the only snow experience I had was in FWD cars (previous car to the bimmer was a Prelude). I never once missed FWD, nor wished I had AWD (I tend to rent an SUV if I am going somewhere/sometime and expect lots/deep snow and cannot be interrupted). Mind you I learned to drive on RWD cars with crappy tires (so that is as close as you can get to simulating snow), and my early driving years were all RWD cars (in fact only had FWD cars for 2-3 years max).

[spervez]

Woah...guess I'm paying the bmw dealership a visit this weekend. Feels like I might be in a dream. :D

Thanks a lot guys! And if I ever get stuck on snow I *will* come back here.

[Georgere]

Look at it this way. FWD cars were not available until what? 80's? AWD cars were not available until 90's (I mean to most pple) and all this times people were fine driving what was available. Yes, AWD is the best option if you need to go onto a bad road but the good old RWD can handle that as well. All you need is proper tires and more careful driving style (no need to learn any tricks).
Now with RWD you burn less fuel all year round and enjoy driving more for 80% of the year and you save $ at purchase time.
A friend of mine buys xdrive only. Bc he got business to run and does not want to change tires and doesn't mind paying more for AWD as long as he can operate. For my wife to drive kids around I'd get xdrive bc I don't want jeopardize my family, but for myself it is RWD. And when I have family in my car, I just drive more carefully in bad weather.
My 2 cents.

[The X Men]

Woah...guess I'm paying the bmw dealership a visit this weekend. Feels like I might be in a dream. :D

Thanks a lot guys! And if I ever get stuck on snow I *will* come back here.

If you live in Chicago and have a light weight RWD sport car like the 3 series, snow tires are almost a must. We were in the same situation as you were, the wife was going to either buy a 2011 328xi, 2012 328i or wait for the 2013 328xi. We test drove the 1st two cars and she actually like the 2011 328xi the best, driving experience wise. The 2011 was also about $6000 cheaper with incentive and AWD. Need less to say, we ended up with the 2011.

[spervez]

Hard to believe she liked the 2011 better. Just test drove the 2012 328 for the first time and I was blown away. My experience was miles better than the 2011. The extra torque is GREAT and I felt like I was in complete control of the car with the way the steering worked, more so than the 2011. Did I just imagine this? Also, the interior seems much better.

I am looking at a 328 with the tech package (gotta have the HUD), the premium and the cold weather package. Although I might just go with the heated front seats and ignore the backseat. Looks like its gonna cost me about 44K. I built the car I want online and the MSRP is $45,860. Judging by some of the offers I've been getting it looks like I can take about $1300 off this price. Does anyone know if this is reasonable or should I be trying to lower it?

I havent been through a chicago winter yet but it will be hard for me to find a storage place for my tires if I buy an extra set. Will have to look into this.

The salesperson was not the most knowledgable which I found surprising. So I have a couple of questions for you guys that she couldnt answer. I want the rear window shades, and I know they have an option for the side windows, but does the 3 come with rear window shades as well? This video seems to suggest it does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x3f1SzfteV0

Right around 8:18. Or is that just for the 335 and not the 328?

My other question is, some of the 2012 328's were rated at 36 highway which I expected. Some others were rates at 33. And the salesperson, much to my surprise, had no idea why this was the case. Does anyone here know or did the dealership just mess up on this?

[AlpinaClearLake]

I agree its a huge difference between the 2011 328i and 2012 328i. I just took some folks for a test drive in both back to back. Even I didnt know that there would be that much difference between the cars. Its a huge difference.

[Rocket99]

I agree its a huge difference between the 2011 328i and 2012 328i. I just took some folks for a test drive in both back to back. Even I didnt know that there would be that much difference between the cars. Its a huge difference.

And is the "huge difference" all favorable to the 2012?

[Titanium09]

And is the "huge difference" all favorable to the 2012?

Yes, please! More detail!

[JeffCharger]

I would suggest that you reconsider the AWD. It's fabulous. The first time you get in snow you will be glad to have it. I think if you're a purist, you'll want to go RWD, but if your wife is going to drive it too, the AWD will protect you more from those little crunches.

The AWD drives beautifully. It's really worth it in my opinion.

[rolltidef30]

Yes, please! More detail!

Well, I've had my 2012 328i (sport line) for a month now and can tell you there is a world of difference between this and the last model.

The F30 is just smooth; almost too smooth even in sport. Basically, the. Character of how the car drives and behaves is more to the luxury side by default, i.e Comfort mode. I switch to Sport upon entering the car each time. It's somewhat a pain to have to press a button to make the car feel like a real BMW, but all types of drivers or moods can feel happy.

Another difference is the size, as the car feels larger and more sturdy. I am tall, so the extra room is great, as I hate large cars.

The gas mileage is great o the highway in particular. I drive hard and fast (85-90, w/ Valentine One detector) and I still average 32 mpg which is remarkable. Again the car is smooth on the highway.

Next is the engine. I know some who haven't driven the new car complain, but that ignorance is just that. This car can move and power comes when you need it. Before my lease, I tested the 335 also and felt that it was a bit much for a daily driver. Trust that the 328 is all the power you need for street or highway driving unless you want tickets or just like being dangerous. Even at 100+ mph, the 328 stays planted well without any sign of strain.

Just go for a test drive I am sure you'll love the car. I also appreciate the new tech. I got the premium, tech, and sport trans as options when ordering my car. The HUD is the coolest thing.

Hope this helps. .

[Rudolph320i]

did you get manual or the 8spd auto?

[Titanium09]

Thanks, rolltidef30. This is exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to know.

Cheers!

[mryakan]

did you get manual or the 8spd auto?

Manual not available yet.

[Rudolph320i]

alright fine, i still think the version with the clutch should be coming out first. stupid market veering toward autotragic....

[rolltidef30]

Manual not available yet.

The sport trans is the auto. Can't get a manual because of my wife. However, the 8 sp is just great and the paddle shifters are very responsive on both up and downshifts.

[AlpinaClearLake]

We test drive customers all day in all BMW cars, but when it comes to 3 series buyers the difference that rolltidef30 stated above is spot on. The 2012 328i puts smiles on the most difficult customers faces. The 2011 vs 2012 328i diff is so big that I wouldn't consider an 2011 unless it was an M. The 2012 328i is more refined in comfort mode, and more sporty in sport + than the 2011. Even the ECO mode is impressive, you could say its high performance heritage, redefined. And by the way the technology thats on these new 3 series is just amazing.

[spervez]

AlpineClearLake, since you are a BMW salesperson, could you tell me if the 2012 328i's come with driver-controlled rear window shades? I know they have rear-side shades, but what about the rear window? I've seen some evidence of it but no confirmation.

[AlpinaClearLake]

The new 2012 3 Series now offers the rear sunshade and side shade option. Option number 415 or 417 and it should cost around 575.00.

Hope this helps.

[Bzal1122]

How are you guys carting your winter tires to the service center for installation. I'm thinking the trunk isn't going to cut it. Anyways I am also in the market to buy a 328i but I am not sure about waiting for the coupe. Looks like the coupe will not show up until 2013

[Rocket99]

How are you guys carting your winter tires to the service center for installation. I'm thinking the trunk isn't going to cut it.

Put a blanket down in the back seat and put them there.

[mryakan]

Put a blanket down in the back seat and put them there.
+1, depending on size of wheels, you may not be able to fit more than 1 in the trunk.

[Georgere]

How are you guys carting your winter tires to the service center for installation. I'm thinking the trunk isn't going to cut it. Anyways I am also in the market to buy a 328i but I am not sure about waiting for the coupe. Looks like the coupe will not show up until 2013
i now have a garage but for 3 years before now I was installing them on a street...

[Daedalus34r]

RWD+Winter Tires > FWD+A/S Tires

Ive never been stuck in my RWD car with snow tires. I can push through snow piled higher than my ground clearance.

OP just get good snow tires and you'll have no problems. Stability+traction control will intervene before you even notice the car getting out of control.

[Montaraz]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum. My doubt is also related to this topic. Currently I am thinking about buying a BMW series 3 2012. Is it worth an AWD car taking into account that the area from Spain where I live in, snow is not a concern but rain tends to be present from time to time or are DSC, DTC, CBC and all the electronic stability systems present in modern cars more than enough for rainy days? I would appreciate any advise related to this topic.

Thank you in advance.

[mryakan]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum. My doubt is also related to this topic. Currently I am thinking about buying a BMW series 3 2012. Is it worth an AWD car taking into account that the area from Spain where I live in, snow is not a concern but rain tends to be present from time to time or are DSC, DTC, CBC and all the electronic stability systems present in modern cars more than enough for rainy days? I would appreciate any advise related to this topic.

Thank you in advance.
AWD is overkill for you.

[ECSTuning]

Rear wheel drive is fine in the snow, just drive slow be cautions and don't fight the slide.


Mind you I learned to drive on RWD cars with crappy tires (so that is as close as you can get to simulating snow), and my early driving years were all RWD cars (in fact only had FWD cars for 2-3 years max).
My first snow driving experience was in a RWD with crummy tires. I managed it just took a really long time to get to work that day.

[Montaraz]

AWD is overkill for you.

Thanks for the reply. I´m weighing up the RWD F30.