Which car to buy?

[SJersey]

Totally new to BMW and having dilemma as to which vehicle to buy.
The 328i RWD or X1 280i Xdrive? Both have great attributes but coming into this new class of owning a BMW from a minivan. Yes a minivan! It is almost a shock going into a sedan but I love the look of the 328i. Also the X1 it definitely has a nice amount of room for travel to the Jersey Shore in the back. My son who is 23yrs old is a Subaru snob and thinks the back of the X1 is ugly. I didn't see that, but now he put that thought in my head. I shouldn't care what others think, but I am a woman. Also the 328i is RWD because of cost. Will that be a problem during when raining or snowing. I don't plan on driving in a lot of snow but you never know. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciative.

Need to make decision ASAP!

[New Car Smell]

This is the F30 section, so we're going to be biased towards the 328.

[Reedo]

I would test drive both and see where you stand after that. Iif cost is a major factor, the X1 xDrive28i is going to be a lot more affordable.
The X1 has more head room in both the front and back, as well as more cargo area. However, the 3er has more leg room in the back, and it's a noticeable difference. It has a more upright seating position when compared to the 3er. The X1 drives like a car, but obviously it's not going to be as tight or precise as the 3er.
I like the X1, but the M Sport looks much better than the other versions. It looks a lot different in person than in a picture. If your son is on the fence about it, or you are, make sure you go look at one and take a look it from different angles. Still, the 3er is beautiful car (post Bangle era FTW).

But, like I said, ultimately it will depend on how they drive and what you want out of the vehicle.

As far as the RWD vs AWD argument, it's age-old and it's never going to get solved. Yes, AWD is nice for poor weather, but it's important to note that a lot of people do not get snow tires with AWD, which is stupid and makes no sense. On snow and ice, would take a RWD car with snows before I would take an AWD car with all-seasons or summers. For uneducated drivers, AWD is sort of a placebo and does a good job at instilling a false sense of security.
If you do apples to apples and go with snows with both, then yes, the AWD is better. However, you only benefit from it when you are applying the gas. In normal cornering and straightline driving, the benefits are non-existent. It's when you are powering out of the turn or accelerating that see the benefits.
With that said, the 328i has a mid-front mounted engine that is mounted behind the front axle. This gives it perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Then you add in an electronic differential, and Dynamic Stability Control, and you have a very good drive system that handles snow and ice quite well. Keep in mind that BMWs were designed to drive in Bavaria, which isn't exactly flat or warm.
I'm not saying go with RWD over AWD. What I'm saying is that the BMW RWD is amazingly capable. On my last Bimmer that I drove in the winter, it was an E46 M3 with snows and I would pass SUVs on the highway in heavy snow without a problem. The reason was because they didn't have the stability control, the differential, and most didn't have snow tires. I live in a metropolitan area where there aren't too many big hills. If I lived in a rural area with poor snow removal, or lived in an area with a lot of hills, or a high amount amount of snowfall like the lake effect stuff they get in the Upper Peninsula, I would likely get xDrive.