Hey guys,
So it's time to get a new car (yay), and we've narrowed our choice down to the 328xi. If money were not an issue*, which would you choose - the Classic or the Sports line?
*To elaborate on this, I meant that we can afford either one; however, of course, we'd love to save where we can if possible.
To my knowledge, the differences between the 2 are:
- Classic is cheaper by ~$4-7k (depending if we add the Lights and/or Premium Package to the Classic)
- Classic has 17" rims vs Sports' 18" (cheaper wheels FTW!)
- Classic does not have Servotronic, whereas Sports does
- Classic has leatherette, Sports has Dakota leather
- Sports has the HiFi Sound System (not entirely sure what the Classic has, or what the difference would be...)
- Sports has the "High-Gloss Shadow Line" and "Anthracite Roofliner" (not a big deal to us, but just thought I'd list it for completeness :P)
Lighting Package:
- Without it, Classic does not have auto dimming interior mirror, bi-xenon headlights, and lights package (not sure what the last one is)
- Classic has auto dimming exterior mirrors (with the Lights Package), whereas the Sports does not
Premium package:
- Without it, Classic does not have a glass sunroof, Burl Walnut wood trim, chrome accent trim
- Classic has the through loading system (with the Premium Package), whereas the Sports does not
My questions/concerns:
1. Are auto dimming mirrors necessary? In my Mazda, I can dim the rearview mirror by manually flicking the mirror (not sure if the result/quality of the dim is the same though) - is it possible on the Bimmer?
2. Along the same lines, do you think the Lighting Package is necessary? We are leaning towards getting it, but it'd be nice to hear your thoughts on it.
3. Is Servotronic necessary? Servotronic is power steering assist, so if the Classic doesn't have it, does it just mean that the steering wheel feels "heavier" when turning? Or is there more to it? Is it safer to have it?
4. What are your thoughts on the Leather Sport Steering Wheel of the Sports line - is it much better than the normal steering wheel?
5. Same question as #4, but re: sports seats.
6. Same question as #4, but re: HiFi sound system.
7. We are leaning towards not getting the Premium Package - we survived without having the through loading system and sunroof in our current MB (and if we really wanted sun, we have our Miata for that
), but I suppose the Burl Walnut wood trim does make the Bimmer seem a bit more like the $ we're going to spend on it vs. I dunno... a Honda? lol
But $1850 for a wood trim... I'm quite conflicted at the moment. What are your thoughts on it?
Well, that's the end of my long post - have I missed anything?
Thanks for reading/answering!
