Buy a 35i or 50i?

[PentH20 Fan]

Hey guys - I'm currently in a C63 AMG, looking to switch up for a bigger car for the family without losing all of the nice sport feel that I really enjoy in cars. Obviously this is an SUV, so I know it's not going to be anywhere near the feel of a car....just looking for the closest feel towards one which I'm reading falls in the lap of an X5 or Macan/Cayenne (not interested in porsche). I don't know which engine to go with at this point. I've located a 35i with m adaptive suspension and a 50i as well.

I guess my question is....which one would you choose to go with and why? I had an e90 with a cobb tune and that was fun, but I'm not sure a tune with this heavy of a car would really do anything? My concern with the 50i is the reliability.

Any feedback from you guys would be much appreciated. Torn on which one to go with and I have about a week until my c63 is gone!

Thanks

[Alan l.]

If you want something that's FAST the 50i is the only way to go.

A tuned 35i isn't slow but it won't feel special in the power department if you are used to big power cars. Its quick compared to your typical Japanese/American suv's. The 50i will stomp on most suvs in its class and even most cars on the road.

With that said the concern with reliability is real. Personally i would NEVER want to own a BMW twin turbo V8 engine out of warranty.

[PentH20 Fan]

Thanks Alan. Totally agree with warranty, that's why I'm looking at CPO. What kind of numbers hp/tq are we looking at for stable tunes on the 35i? Can't seem to find that anywhere on this forum. I'm not looking to go crazy, just want to have proper acceleration.

[Alan l.]

I've driven a 35i with the factory MPPK tune and stacked it with the racechip extensively. Its pretty quick off the line and the only time i feel like it needs more oomph is on the highway when you are going 50-60 and you want to get around someone fast. It just doesn't have the V8 grunt once you are on the highway. BMW rates the MPPK cars at 321hp-ish and if you stack it with the piggyback you are looking at maybe 350-360hp at the crank is my guestimate.

[Apple Corps]

I agree with Alan's comments. For me, it really boiled down to driving style vs durability concerns. My past Bimms have included an M5 / 550i / some 3 series w/ZHP suspension / X5 5.0.

I went with a new X5 335i with DHP - very pleased thus far. My MPPK should be installed this week - so, should be plenty of power on tap for 98% of my driving.

Road conditions, traffic, and reducing that "race driving" stress on longer trips all guided me to the in line 6. I found that I was using the power of that V8 less and less in my real world driving.

YMMV....

[PentH20 Fan]

You all are bringing up great points. I've learned after weeks of searching that DHP is literally impossible to find on a 2014/2015 CPO. The m adaptive suspension will have to do....

[double_j]

50i with CPO. Question answered. If you're coming from a C63, anything else will feel inadequate.

You might not use all of that power everyday but it's really nice to have (and you'll probably end up finding reasons to use it)!

The 6 cylinder is a great engine but it's not the v8. This can be both a good and a bad thing.

[gmazet]

I was in this position, had driven a couple 50i's and really loved the power. it's addictive.. but the thought of a v8 out of warranty...plus the premium, and the MPG's... I say, if you are going to lease, go v8. there's a reason the used cars not CPO are about the same price as the 35i - they are a liability. I asked a dealer about a warranty on a 24K e70 50i, it was 21K. lol.. they got better but they still are not great long term cars. oh yeah, they replace the battery every oil change coz those turbos are hot and drive a lot of post power down battery drain for cooling.

if buying and keeping long and not a speed addict I think the 35i is the move. and that's what I did. it's not slow, but it's no 50i not anywhere close in the power dept.. CPO is nice but that only goes so far.

[crackerjack15]

I stepped up to 50i and I had racechip on my 35i. 6 cyl was quick, no doubt, and I could get to 140 easy, but v8 is another animal. You floor it and think holly crap this thing is too heavy to be this fast. The torque is addictive and just oozes out. Supremely effortless acceleration. Only downside I see besides cost and decreased fuel mileage is that 50i feels heavier and a little bulkier than the 35i to drive. No big deal, just something I notice. And both my 35i and now 50i were/are m sport, 20's, and standard suspension.

[Alan l.]

A tuned 35i is quick enough for day to day driving.

A stock 50i is a muscle car disguised as an suv. Overkill for most day to day driving situations but the feeling you get when you put your foot down is priceless.

In my X5M 90% of the time I am stuck in traffic but when I get a small chance to romp on it the feeling is exhilarating. It blows my mind something this big can move this fast and corner so well.

[Kzang]

As per BMW the X5 35i stock runs 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds. With MPPK BMW claims 0.5 shaved so the 35i is doing 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. And this isn't considering how conservative BMW is with their numbers.

Add the Racechip and the 35i is probably doing 5.2/5.3 if not faster.

[Apple Corps]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

A tuned 35i is quick enough for day to day driving.

In my X5M 90% of the time I am stuck in traffic but when I get a small chance to romp on it the feeling is exhilarating...

Alan - the highlighted area of your quote is what has been most relevant to me in deciding between the two. Of note - stuck in traffic may mean doing 80mph in a gaggle of cars per my other thread on driving strategy to deal with that increasingly annoying reality.

That said, I found that after a few months of driving the 50i the thrill of romping was kind of gone - kind of a "been there - done that". I suspect that some of our Bimm drivers have an over abundance of adrenaline receptors and others of us are influenced more by practical use of the power. I'll admit there have been a few times when I looked out the window at some person driving a rice burner trying to engage me and smugly dismissed the opportunity knowing the acceleration I had available - but why waste the time and gas and run the risk of a big moving violation? Also, the "small chance to romp on it" usually involved a 4 - 8 second window before I had to get on the brakes for traffic or tight turns. All of that resulted in my latest decision to get into my new 35i. MPPK is scheduled for this Friday morning install - it will only be better.

A final thought - yes, my thoughts do drift back to the thrill of the 50i and earlier M cars - but we change, driving conditions change, priorities change - decisions / decisions

[Dilmorecg]

Originally Posted by PentH20 Fan

You all are bringing up great points. I've learned after weeks of searching that DHP is literally impossible to find on a 2014/2015 CPO. The m adaptive suspension will have to do....

+1 on this. It took me a month and a half to find a 2014 CPO 50i with DHP and all the options I wanted...and I had to ship it from TX to Seattle.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by Dilmorecg

+1 on this. It took me a month and a half to find a 2014 CPO 50i with DHP and all the options I wanted...and I had to ship it from TX to Seattle.

+2 Only a month? It took me 7 months, searching nationwide, to find mine, and I still wasn't able to get M Adaptive or DHP. They are fairly hard to find, especially if your also looking for other specific options.

[Dilmorecg]

Originally Posted by Rotzy

+2 Only a month? It took me 7 months, searching nationwide, to find mine, and I still wasn't able to get M Adaptive or DHP. They are fairly hard to find, especially if your also looking for other specific options.

I was expecting it to take way longer. I guess I got lucky. I was able to find one with every option except 3rd row and rear seat entertainment...the 2 options I didn't want. The only thing I didn't get was the color, I wanted white but I am actually really happy with the Carbon Black. When I was looking there were usually only 2-3 for sale with M adaptive or DHP at a time and they usually went quick. I jumped on the one I found the day it came up for sale.

[Flying Ace]

OP, read what I'm about to write VERY carefully. I am writing with experience. I owned a E90 M3 (V8 M3) before I got married.

When my wife was due, I was in the same situation. Needed a bigger car, but what do I do? My answer for you is this:

1. DO NOT sell your C63. DO NOT. It will be your fun car. Your family car will suck ass compared to the C63, short of buying a X5M. Every day when I drive my M3 to work, I have a shit eating grin on my face when i show up at work, bc on the weekends and on trips, I MUST take the X5.

2. if you need to save money buy a preowned 2014 X5. If you want to go into poverty spec mode, go with a 50k miles 2013 E70 X5 35i for $22k. I shit you not, bc that's how fast depreciation is going to ream you anally with a new X5.

I kept my M3, and bought a preowned, CPO, '12 X5d. Sure I could have sold my M3 and gone with a $60k 2015 X5, but I would have eaten $25k in depreciation and driven a shitty fake tinsel of high performance car in the X5 (compared to my M3).

Don't get me wrong, my X5 or the F15 X5 is a fantastic car for what it is designed for, a sporty large cruiser. But it is not a performance car. Not even close.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

OP, read what I'm about to write VERY carefully. I am writing with experience. I owned a E90 M3 (V8 M3) before I got married.

When my wife was due, I was in the same situation. Needed a bigger car, but what do I do? My answer for you is this:

1. DO NOT sell your C63. DO NOT. It will be your fun car. Your family car will suck ass compared to the C63, short of buying a X5M. Every day when I drive my M3 to work, I have a shit eating grin on my face when i show up at work, bc on the weekends and on trips, I MUST take the X5.

2. if you need to save money buy a preowned 2014 X5. If you want to go into poverty spec mode, go with a 50k miles 2013 E70 X5 35i for $22k. I shit you not, bc that's how fast depreciation is going to ream you anally with a new X5.

I kept my M3, and bought a preowned, CPO, '12 X5d. Sure I could have gone with a $60k 2015 X5, but I would have eaten $25k in depreciation and driven a shitty fake tinsel of high performance car in the X5 (compared to my M3).

Don't get me wrong, my X5, the F15 X5 is a fantastic car for what it is designed for, a sporty large cruiser. But it is not a performance car.

What if I told you that another Sporty Large Cruiser (X6M) matched the lap time of a E92 M3 coupe car on the Nürburgring track?

[sandwi54]

Originally Posted by Kzang

What if I told you that another Sporty Large Cruiser (X6M) matched the lap time of a E92 M3 coupe car on the Nürburgring track?

That's why he said "short of getting a X5M"

[MN2///M]

Fully agree with Apple Corps and Flying Ace. The power the 50i delivers is great, but what the 35i delivers is more than adequate nearly all the time, so better to have your fun car and another vehicle.

I drive up to the mountains here in Colorado quite often which are tight two lane roads with small opportunities to pass. When I jump out to pass, the 35i gets right up and goes, hitting 90 in no time from 50 at 6-9000 foot elevations.

My M does it faster with less effort, but the X5 35i is no slouch.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by MN2///M

Fully agree with Apple Corps and Flying Ace. The power the 50i delivers is great, but what the 35i delivers is more than adequate nearly all the time, so better to have your fun car and another vehicle.

I drive up to the mountains here in Colorado quite often which are tight two lane roads with small opportunities to pass. When I jump out to pass, the 35i gets right up and goes, hitting 90 in no time from 50 at 6-9000 foot elevations.

My M does it faster with less effort, but the X5 35i is no slouch.

While my point was that you'll only be satisfied with a real performance car as a 2nd car, most people cannot afford 2 cars.

So I'm emphasizing that these people who wants their cake and eat it too should look into a preowned X5.

[Apple Corps]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

..."So I'm emphasizing that these people who wants their cake and eat it too should look into a preowned X5".

I guess it all depends what flavor of cake you savor. I want performance, road feel, safety, comfort, reliability/durability and the options and color scheme that tastes just right. All of that gets very hard to find in a used vehicle - and you also wonder what that used X5 has been put through.

So, the OP's question is a good one, all of our responses make sense from one or more perspectives, and it gets down to what the right balance is for each of us.

My balance is probably different than yours.

Interestingly, I have been researching a few smaller, high performance fun cars. While I can afford those cars adding another garage space is another matter given the building code restrictions in our neighborhood.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by Apple Corps

I guess it all depends what flavor of cake you savor. I want performance, road feel, safety, comfort, reliability/durability and the options and color scheme that tastes just right. All of that gets very hard to find in a used vehicle - and you also wonder what that used X5 has been put through.

So, the OP's question is a good one, all of our responses make sense from one or more perspectives, and it gets down to what the right balance is for each of us.

My balance is probably different than yours.

Interestingly, I have been researching a few smaller, high performance fun cars. While I can afford those cars adding another garage space is another matter given the building code restrictions in our neighborhood.

I prefer german chocolate cake.