[doinoyou79]

I am having the hardest time deciding between an E92 335xi or E92 335i. So without starting a battle amongst the loyal RWD and AWD fans, I'm just asking do y'all think it's necessary to have an XI here in the metro Detroit area. I know I will be happy with either, but I don't want any regrets either.

Any comments would be appreciated...

[E38James]

We live in the snow belt son, if you have any plans of driving in the winter get the awd! Besides in terms of performance AWD is the shit for traction. if you can afford the upgrade it's always worth it haha.

[Stinger]

I drove my 335i RWD convertible with snow tires all last winter. ZERO ISSUES. And it was a "bad winter" supposedly.

Here are the details about my setup: http://e93fanatic.blogspot.com/2007/...-not-high.html

But if you are not a good winter driver and unsure how to handle a car in the snow, then AWD is probably better. I had an AWD Audi A4 right before my 335i and it was of course more forgiving in the snow.

[Sinister Stairs]

If you plan on modding, particularly suspension, there's more parts for the E92.

If you're particular about your car's looks, the xi rides higher and has the amber corners; but the i has the corner reflectors.

The xi has better grip, even on drive pavement. Great for hole shots or going WOT in a corner; but the i does better from a roll and gets slightly better MPG.

It's just a matter of taste. I went with the xi and not just for the snow. But I think the i looks better, and has more mods in general.

[UdubBadger]

well i'm just across lake michigan but you guys probably get it worse so...

I got the xi (mainly because Madison doesn't like to plow the streets or put down salt... they use a sand salt mix which sucks), I love the handling in deep snow, light snow, even just plain old rain even with the stock RFT tires. Never had an issue or situation i didn't feel 100% in control of the car.

RWD BMW's are also very good in snow because of the traction control, however I could see potential problems with it if you're driving through packed snow on the ground. dedicated snows help eliminate most of those in a RWD car but, just think of how much better AWD would be with snow tires (which is what I'm doing this winter).

However there are a few other things to consider when choosing:

1. Xi is about $3k more than i
2. RWD is more balanced in weight distribution than the xi (rwd is almost perfect 50/50 and xi is 52/48), also the xi is about 300lbs heavier than the rwd.
3. You live in a metro area which means plowing streets/hwys is very frequent so you might not be driving on as much snow as you think (maybe only a few days per winter season when a big storm hits) in which case you would probably be fine with rwd and snow tires.
4. Where the xi is beneficial to performance in the 335 is that you're taking 300hp/tq and dividing it by 4 wheels instead of 2 so you will actually be able to launch a little bit better than in the rwd... however the extra weight gain will hinder on the other end of the spectrum and will reduce the top speed a little (unless you are tracking the car or drive 150mph frequently this probably doesn't matter much). Also if you plan on adding MORE power such as juice box or split second timer then the xi will again be dividing the power up more efficiently.

its totally up to you, either way congrats and welcome to the family.

[Michael Schott]

I'm a little late chiming in but I drove all last winter in my 328i with the stock tires and was never stuck. I say AWD is not a must here particularly since our winters (except for the last) have been pretty mild recently.

The RWD version also handles better and is lighter so it is slightly faster.

Thanks, Mike.

[beauderek]

I have an 06 330xi, and tried the 328i out as a loaner when mine was getting some work done. I will say the difference is night and day. That hazard light with the caution triangle and round arrow went on a lot when I drove the 328i and it felt like it was struggling. The traction in the xi is outstanding. This year I will be using winter tires too, so I imagine it'll be like heaven driving in the snow. Go for the xi!

[roho3323]

Go with the 335i and a winter tire/wheel setup.

[535desire]

my experience with very old (pre ABS and traction control) bimmers is that they handle very well in the snow- probably due to excellent weight distribution of the design.

have you considered waiting a month and evaluating the 335d?

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

The RWD version ... is lighter so it is slightly faster.

I thought the AWD had better 0-60 times?

[mkoesel]

To answer your question: no AWD is not necessary in SE MI.

It sure won't hurt though. My advice to you is to test drive both cars now, while the weather is nice, and decide which one you like better. You may prefer the AWD car over the RWD one anyway. Or, you may find that you like the RWD car so much more that you can live without the benefits of AWD in the winter. The next step, if you are still undecided, would be to put off your purcahse a bit until we have some snowfall and then do a winter test. Unfortunately, if you are looking to jump on the good financing deals on an '08, that might not be possible.