new bimmer dude

[kamachi]

hey all.. was just reading some good info here. it will come in handy in my 3 series purchase.

right now i am looking at a 335. i test drove the xi this past weekend and was impressed. in the sleet and freezing rain i punched it on turns and didn't budge at all.. the salesman recommended the RWD and i am reading here that RWD seems to be popular. aside from being sportier how does it compare to the AWD? i liked the XI because the AWD would help so much in bad weather.. which is a big plus for me. i live in indy right now and the winters have a bit of snow but i'm moving back home to raleigh in 09 with the rain all year long. is there a huge dropoff in handling with the RWD in the elements? if there isn't then i could see myself going with the RWD. so if you could please give me your opinions.. and i'm definately getting the sport package, premium, snow.. loaded.

thanks in advance and looking forward to yappin on here some more

[mryakan]

Price is really the biggest issue here. If you don't need/want xi, then save a couple of thousand, otherwise they are both great cars esp. in 335 guise, the xi has almost no practical penalty.

[forrestpilot]

I defer to the Northern Guys and Canadians. My understanding is you can get the 335i with sports package and in winter conditions change out the tires and the performance is acceptable even with RWD. The 335xi may negate the need to replace the tires, but you don't have the dry weather performance. Question of how much risk and willingness to pay.

[Bonds 25]

I would argue that the 335i has better dry weather performance than the 335xi. The xi might not be as fun (breaking the rear wheels loose) in dry, but i dont think it will perform any better overall.

[MrOffshore]

I have a 335xi...wouldn't have considered the car if it wasn't available in AWD...even if I lived in sunny Florida...the xDrive technology affords better all around performance than the RWD models. xDrive is faster 0-60, even weighing in approximately 200lbs. more...handling is unsurpassed...the car is on rails when hammering it on off ramps and on ramps. Snow and rain make it a bonus, but let's not equate the xDrive system as "just for adverse weather", I prefer the AWD system in all conditions.

[CTT]

I'm in the same boat as offshore (get it?)

[trek1500]

The 335i is an awesome ride! I initially was considering the 328i but am glad I went for the twin turbos! The engine is a monster! I really do feel like I'm driving an M3 for 20 to 30K less no less..