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Car info,r.e., 2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i

Now , among other things I'm searching for more "creature space". In the CTS, which is a very good(not great) road car, when you have the 2 cup holders in action it requires creative effort to place your sunglasses,spare keys,etc., out of your way!Many late model sedans have become cramped as such. I never hankered for an SUV but seem headed that way to get some space (and seems I like to sit up higher) as the "other car" is a truck which actually does everything except get better gas mileage & we have to have 2 cages.
 
Now , among other things I'm searching for more "creature space". In the CTS, which is a very good(not great) road car, when you have the 2 cup holders in action it requires creative effort to place your sunglasses,spare keys,etc., out of your way!Many late model sedans have become cramped as such. I never hankered for an SUV but seem headed that way to get some space (and seems I like to sit up higher) as the "other car" is a truck which actually does everything except get better gas mileage & we have to have 2 cages.

Fleetwoods are gone from the line-up?
 
Biggest question with BMW cars these days is can you live with run-flat tires?

I'm hearing that the RFT tires are much better than in the past-of course that still doesn't solve the extreme high cost issue of the tires or the lack of a jack ,wrench & spare.
 
Fleetwoods are gone from the line-up?
I'm not a "Fleetwood" kind of guy! Never will be.
I'm now looking hard @ doing the SC delivery program. A nice side benefit is that you can buy the car from any USA dealer (meaning get the best price via web/phone) & then I'm fairly close to SC for delivery in a very informational way-plus free hotel & meals-they get the $895 destination fee to play with either way!
 
Yes, saving fuel and saving on cost of a gallon of fuel are mutually exclusive. High compression = efficiency. The legislation considers only the former.
FWIW I did the math last night , comparing my CTS @ 24.5 mpg on regular/87 & the X3 28i 4cyl @ 30mpg(what others say they get hwy) on 89 mid grade. I used a 10 cents per gallon difference (which might be beaten at times) & using 12,000k per yr the X3 actually saves me several hundred $ per yr over my CTS due to better mpg. Of course the increased cost of the car negates any saving.
 
I'm not a "Fleetwood" kind of guy! Never will be.
I'm now looking hard @ doing the SC delivery program. A nice side benefit is that you can buy the car from any USA dealer (meaning get the best price via web/phone) & then I'm fairly close to SC for delivery in a very informational way-plus free hotel & meals-they get the $895 destination fee to play with either way!

I think you would really enjoy a SC delivery. I have toured the plant twice and watching them build them made me want to buy one. It's one amazing tour in addition to the training you will get with the purchase.
 
I think you would really enjoy a SC delivery. I have toured the plant twice and watching them build them made me want to buy one. It's one amazing tour in addition to the training you will get with the purchase.

It also opens the price search up to ANY DEALER! that makes you the best deal. My search is focused around Invoice plus $$$-incentives + dealer fees. Fees that I've seen recent dealer contacts : $95 to wash your new car, advertising fees which vary from 0 to lots$$$, clearcoat protection,undercoat, training fees, VIN etch, window tint, nitrogen, upholstery protection & the standby document fees which vary from 0 to $500+. This doesn't include the tire protection insurance, extended warranties & other stuff they try to sell you. I just cannot savy paying $500+ for filling out some papers, most of which are free from the government & all done by a clerk that is not all that highly paid in the first place. If I had that $$$ for all the stuff I've done paperwork on myself @ the clerks office...

I'm wondering what the BMW money amounts to that the dealer gets besides the invoice factor? Also, I'm trying to find out if I qualify for the BMW "Loyalty Credit" with 3 BMW bikes & no BMW car? I've probably owned 30+ BMW cars over the yrs starting in 1969.
 
Have to agree run flats are not exactly forward progress in auto utility. All the problems noted are real. We dumped the run flats on the SOs 535, replaced with regular stuff and carry plug kits, etc. instead. Way prefer a real spare or even one of the dinky ones to a run flats.

Older BMW 4 cyl motors were not exactly models of power and refinement- and hanging a turbo on one won't change its relative character. Have no direct experience with latest 4 cyl BMW versions but their neighbors at Mercedes make and use 4 cyl motors that could be right at home in tractors- they are far less refined than their 6 and 8 cyl motors. If big fuel savings are your thing, 4 cyl stuff is not necessarily the answer. Big fuel cost reductions will come only from stuff like hybrids, diesel, or significant weight reduction of a vehicle coupled with major aero improvement. The best real world change you're likely to get with a swap to 4 cyl turbo is less than 10% reduction compared to a 6 in same vehicle.
 
It's all in increments of course.

A four can be more economical simply because it's lighter.

The key to efficiency in internal combustion engines is compression.

Diesels are high compression and adding a turbo to a gasoline engine increases its compression as well.

Remember, efficiency is defined as gallons used and NOT the cost of those gallons, and today's and tomorrow's efficient gasoline engines are going to require premium, i.e. more costly fuel. And will use less of it. There is NO knock sensor escape from this, despite lots of wishful thinking.

Diesel fuel is the most expensive of all (it should be as it contains most power) but diesel engines use it most efficiently.

Another thing in diesel's favor is the absence of pumping losses due to absence of a throttle. BMW handles this pretty well with gasoline engines with valvetronic, which eliminates the throttle, too, and changes engine speed by on-the-fly changes in valve lift and timing.

Fours are back simply because displacements are decreasing while power per displacement measure is increasing (because of turbos). There's no sense in a four larger than, say, 2.5 liters, and very little sense in a six much smaller than 2.0 liters. Some of the big power boys like Corvette, Porsche, AMG, etc. are decreasing displacement for better economy by electronicly shutting off cylinders at times of less-than-maximum power requirement. They still carry the weight, of course.
 
The key to efficiency in internal combustion engines is compression.

Diesels are high compression and adding a turbo to a gasoline engine increases its compression as well.

.

Ever so slightly misleading statement as long as "compression" is not clearly defined. The "compression" which can also be commonly be referred to as "compression ratio" does not change with adding a turbo. It is a geometrical number that describes the ratio between the cylinder volume with piston at LDC and TDC.
A different term is "mean effective pressure". This actually changes with a turbo and results in performance as it produces the force that pushes the piston downward.
And Diesels have a high compression ratio, because they rely on self ignition of the fuel, which occurs when compressed above a certain level.
The efficiency of Diesel engines isn't really because of the high "compression". It is because Diesel fuel has a higher specific gravity and thus a higher level of energy.
Multi-fuel engines with adjustable compression ratios produce the highest performance output when run with engine oil, like 10W30.
 
We just tested the 4cyl X3 28i today & it is a pretty sweet car! The engine is smoother than my Caddy CTS & doesn't shift down(unlike the CTS) into what seems like "one too low gear" if pushed hard. It is tight in handling-we never owned an SUV- and dosen't have the float in the suspension of the Caddy. The Caddy is nice on L & R but too bouncy. RFT tires are much improved, still the spare,jack wrench missing & expensive to replace. $600 for wheel/tire insurance. Good sales guy(there are a few lot lizards that still belong to the human race) , commented that one person told him the way to do it is live with RFT , wear them down a bunch then dump a box of nails , make a run through & collect...

In trying for the BMW "Loyalty Credit", I don't qualify after buying my 1st BMW car new in 1969 & I counted them up-have owned 16 since then , not counting my kids driving them too. Last was a 2008 but 2 yrs in a Caddy since then & now going back I'm seen as "un-loyal"! Also have 3 BMW bikes & owned 5 total. Hmm! Another issue is the BMWCCA credit is $500 I cannot collect as you must have been a member for the 365 days preceding the new buy- I was a member for probably 20+ yrs, but no $$$ . Why doesn't this come our way via BMWMOA membership , at least on bikes? Is that clubs suction greater?
Question: How much is the dealer payed as holdback money on a 2013 X3?
 
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Before you buy the X3, do yourself a favour and check out the Audi Q5. Comes with either a 4-cyl turbo or a 3.2L V6. And it has - arguably - the best 4-drive system in the world.
 
I,ve worked on the AWD systems in both & owned both. Had 2 quattro's. My current CTS4 is AWD too. It easily climbs my steep & curved private gravel road in the snow with OEM all season Michelins-only issue w/CTS is the "cow catcher" rubber air thingy under the front bumper cover is too low for snow very deep.
I recently did a survey of AWD systems in modern cars and it seems there's more there than one might think. When you get into the guts of whats there mechanically & also look at the electronic controls there are quite a few diffs in whats being put into vehicles. The Mercedes 4matic is not so good after that reading. The Audi is better than several others but not necessarily the best.Several mfg's use the cheapest AWD, not the better choice but IMO many people think "if you've got it, then you've got it".
I have had by actual count 16 BMW cars since 1969 & all but a couple(Z3 & 318i) of them since 1989 have been one form or the other of their Xi or iX cars. The x-drive cars work fantastically in wet ,ice & snow. FWIW, My Tundra does too. It's too nice to run in the woods the way I've done lots of rough PU trucks but I turn the 4wd selector every time I come up my road as it keeps my gravel in place. It has never failed to climb my hill in any amount of un-plowed snow. Same for my BMW's -if the clearance allows. Subaru-sameo,Audi-sameo, Z3-of course not,UPS man & FedEx man-of course not.
Quattro is one of the "better versions" of AWD but not the only one that has merit. There's a neat video on web of some Euro types driving an Audi vs. a BMW up a ramp equipped with steel rollers on each side of the incline-guess who wins & hands down at that...
Of course theres way more to AWD than climbing a ramp. IMO, there's also much more to AWD than just the "driving fast(too fast) in the winter " thing as the safety benefit extends to wet roads and staying on the road & under control. E.g., the 4x4 pu's like a old Dodge power wagon(ala new TV show Vegas, see Denis Quaid go zoom) or other early versions are simply not capable of giving the road control of the new stuff-at least some new stuff.
 
Before you buy the X3, do yourself a favour and check out the Audi Q5. Comes with either a 4-cyl turbo or a 3.2L V6. And it has - arguably - the best 4-drive system in the world.
I did & much prefer the new X3 which is much improved over older versions. I also drove an A4. It's time for us to get into an SUV and sit higher & ride with more space than a sedan offers these days. Remember when BMW refused to put cupholders in the vehicles? My Caddy has 2 spots & a door space that barely holds glasses. The glovebox barely holds the manual and zero cuholders,etc in back other than back of seat nets back passgrs have no place to sit anything-trunk is good. Q5 has more body roll than X3 with standard suspension in BMW. I like the engine in seat of the pants much better in BMW & the rear drive feel is better maintained in BMW. I also like the interior better & Audi has always done well in that area. Far more choices to customize the BMW via long option list. A huge diff is the price structure. At 1st glance the Q5 is lower base price but if you learn the ways to get the BMW price down it is a cheaper car after that happens & even better, with far more features. Not cheap, but very nice!
Anyone buying a BMW feel free to PM me as I've done the homework in buying a new BMW car & as you know it can be tedious out there "on the lot", the web & the phone! also recently did the same in shopping for an adult son w/busy job on 4Runner-he owes me big time!
 
^^^OP, I own a '13 X3 35iMSport. I had the car serviced last week, and I was provided a '12 X3 28i as a loaner.

I was very impressed with the performance of the 28i. I did not expect the 28i to perform the way it did, but boy was I impressed. The 28i has considerably more torque than the old six cylinder 28i of yore. Don't let the four cylinder fool you...

I even provided my impressions of the 28i on the X3 Forums...

Long & short, the 28i revs a bit higher and stays in gear a bit longer than my 35i, but the performance was there...

Of interest, I found the 28i to be a bit un-economical. It might be b/c I did not drive it leisurely. :german

GL/Cheers,

BB
 
Try this for economy: 70/55 in AR/Oct. on 4 lane = $170 + $20 for no points charged +$3 to get proof of not having 2 tics in 2 yrs. Fast= poor!
 
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