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Originally Posted by adc
So this car is bigger than previous, taller, with a longer wheelbase, and a longer shell than the X1 upon which it’s based, but somehow all these things are supposed to enhance the agility. I just don’t see it.
However a DCT and LSD built into the transmission, that could be money.
The old X2 M35i is a surprisingly fun car, on and off the track. It is properly quick on a give and take road, and beating Vettes on a damp track has a charm of its own. Looking forward to try the new one (but won’t buy it).
I think design-wise the X1 is a much more cohesive package, sharp, no weirdness, so in my book the X1 M35i is the one to get.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tturedraider
Agreed on both points. I’ve enjoyed driving the X2 M35i every time I’ve driven one even though I can tell it’s fwd and not rwd, but it’s always been fun to drive. And the new X1 is much more cohesive.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tturedraider
And my comment wasn’t addressed to “some people”. It was addressed to one specific person whose post sounded like he was considering going from an M240i to an FWD BMW with a transverse mounted motor and a transaxle and it turns out that person is one of the “car nerds on forums like us.” Fortunately, that’s not what he’s considering. And it was prefaced by basically saying I can understand those cars appealing to other people. Maybe you should read the post again.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adc
Four types of snobbery here: transmission manufacturer, drivetrain layout, AWD type and engine configuration.
None of this truly matters - the only thing that does is the driving experience. When we got rid of our x3, I went and test drove a bunch of BMWs for our next family car. I wanted to like the 540i xDrive MSport but didn’t, just way too relaxed/lazy for our preference. Another X3 was more of the same thing as before, even though the X3 M40i was nice to drive. The X3M way too harsh riding, compromises the daily aspect unnecessarily. X5 is obese, lifeless and without finesse. The dealer offered a drive in an X2 M35i and I went out in it without any preconception at all. Wasn’t expecting to like it but 45 min of car-foolery and 2 winding roads later I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Haven’t looked back since, and it will make a great graduation gift for my son in a couple of years.
The X2 M35i requires a different driving style to my other cars. It doesn’t have the wild turn-in rotation the Z4 has (but not many cars do), and it doesn’t have the brutal grace of a track-tuned M3 (but not many cars do). It does come alive under throttle and you must find ways to keep it like that. It has a very engaging character, always ready to play, with an unexpected wild side. Even running on all seasons, it is properly fast on a twisty road and it wouldn’t be easy to keep up with it in my other two cars.
All of my car buddies who’ve driven it come out impressed, a bit bewildered as if they’re not sure what just happened.
In the end it’s very simple. $50k is a good deal for a family car that can put this smile on your face. Not sure what those other limitless options for less money would be, but I’m willing to listen.
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Apparently you completely missed the post right above the one you just made and forgot about the post I made in response to your initial post about the X2 M35i.
I completely disagree with you that none of it matters. All of it matters. It all makes the driving experience what it is. Just as one example, as I mentioned regarding the fact that I enjoyed driving the X2 M35i it still was apparent it was a fwd car and not rwd and there was zero sensation of being “pushed” around the corners that comes with rwd BMWs and even with traditional rwd biased xDrive BMWs and when pushed hard there was some front torque steer that non-fwd BMWs do not have.
Just a small note regarding transmissions. I don’t think anyone will offer a dispute that the ZF transmissions BMW is using today are significantly superior to the GM transmissions they used in some of their cars in years past. The Getrag transmissions were also preferred by most over the GM transmissions. That’s not even to say the GM transmissions were bad. GM has been known for having good automatic transmissions, but the ZFs and Getrags were better suited for BMW’s applications. So, yes all of the factors matter.