[Daas]

I just placed an order for a 428i GC, and during this process I spent a lot of time comparing and test driving the following vehicles:

2007 335i coupe manual (existing car)
2014 335i sedan auto
2015 428i coupe auto
2015 428i GC auto
2015 435i GC auto
2014 Lexus IS350 F Sport

- In a nutshell, I found all the 428i versions to be surprisingly quick and more than sufficient for street and highway driving. The 8 speed auto tranny is excellent, and for comparison purposes, gears shift a bit faster than the new tranny in the Lexus IS350.

- IS350 is a fine car and I will give credit to Lexus for the improvements they have made. Their exterior styling is a bit too extreme though.

- The new 335 and 435 versions have a noticeably quieter exhaust, as compared to my 2007 stock 335i. Call me crazy, but there was not a big exhaust sound difference between the 428 and 435. 428 in Sport mode sounded pretty good too. I tried this experiment with the windows up and down. 335/435 were a bit louder than 428, but there was no wow factor to it.

- I did not feel the 428 engine to be rough or noisy at all. It was silky smooth to redline. Maybe they have been improved over the last couple of years.

- The standard 9-speaker sound system on 4 series is not at all horrible. You just have to adjust the bass and treble properly to get a balanced sound. With that said, HK is noticeably better.

- Carbon Black is a nice color, but a bit over rated. I think it has too much blue/purple in it. I wanted to get it, but went with Sapphire Black instead. Carbon Black should be renamed to Carbon Blue.

- The red dash which comes with the Coral Red on 4-series is a bit too much "red" for my taste. Ivory leather is very light and too sophisticated.

- M Sport brakes are worth getting on the 428 because the stock rotors on the 428 seem small. The M Sport brakes also had more bite than the stock brakes. I would get them on 435 too, but definitely on the 428.

- The standard M sport suspension was never too harsh, even with 19" wheels. If you are not living on a track, you should not complain about the body lean. Surprisingly, the body lean on the IS350 was less.

- When compared side-by-side only, black SansaTec (letherette) and the black dakota leather had a slight difference in color, texture and feel. I was being very critical and noticed the differences, but the other person with me couldn't tell the difference. I choose the Dakota because of the more natural leather feel and texture, but you can save some money by going with SansaTec as an alternative.

At the end, I picked the 428i GC because it was a more sensible decision. More power is always good, but I don't drag race and I also don't care about acceleration past 85 mph. Maybe I have matured? So long E92 335i (you will be missed).

[newoldbeemer]

Congrats!
I think you will miss your E92 335i no matter what car you get now .

BTW why isn't 328i in your comparison? And something from the 2 series?

[Daas]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Congrats!
I think you will miss your E92 335i no matter what car you get now .

BTW why isn't 328i in your comparison? And something from the 2 series?

I needed a 4 door with an automatic transmission to make it "family friendly". I did not consider the 3-series because I think the 4 GC looks sleeker and will have a better resale value down the road, as compared to a 3 series.

[335i_4D]

Nice color choice, and nice model, congrats.

Only thing I'd have changed, is a 435i instead of the 428i.
But that's just me.

[Daas]

Originally Posted by 335i_4D

Nice color choice, and nice model, congrats.

Only thing I'd have changed, is a 435i instead of the 428i.
But that's just me.

Since I am used to driving an E92 335i, I wanted to get the 435i, but somehow the 428 did not disappoint because of the low-end torque. There is no doubt that 435 is faster, but you'll notice it more when getting closer to triple digits. Frankly, the 428 allowed me to play with the engine a bit longer, while the 335/435 would exceed the speed limits quicker. This would cause me to hit the brakes and put an end to the fun.

Another turn off was the exhaust note, which lacked the growl of the previous generation 335.

[rjpeaks]

congrats OP

[destroid]

I'm in a similar situation but trying to replace an SUV, so AWD with a hatch and roof rack hard points are my requirements.

I've driven a 428i X, 435i X with dynamic handling, and a 435i to get a feel for the 4GC since none are available for test drives yet.

Some notes:

Agree on the M Sport brakes - they look great. Only upgrades needed would be two-piece rotors from AP someday.

Dynamic handling package steers great and I really like the dual mode dampers.

At 6ft I can fit in the back seat of the 4 coupe but it's tight on head room (though not as ridiculous as the GT-R) - so the 4GC should be fine with it's extra 1" of head room. Leg room is fine in back but it's no 3GT limousine.

The N55 3.0l is very smooth and has more upgrades from the factory (MPPK, LSD).
The N20/N26 2.0l works well - with a Stage 1 tune and catted downpipe should be great. The 4GC is still hundreds of pounds lighter than an SUV so under 6 second 0-60 times are possible stock.

Also, does anyone know the measurement on the 4GC from cargo floor to the inside of the roof? Looks like about 35".

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats!!

[Blubaron79]

Not going to agree with you on the exhaust. Had an E92 N54 and my N55 sounds so much better. Slap on the MPPK and it sounds amazing. No way the N20 sounds similar. With my array of 328/428 loaners I've driven over that years, I can say that BMW had made the N20 sound better.

Congrats on the new ride!

[bacampbe]

Originally Posted by Saad

- M Sport brakes are worth getting on the 428 because the stock rotors on the 428 seem small. The M Sport brakes also had more bite than the stock brakes. I would get them on 435 too, but definitely on the 428.

Did one of the test cars have the sport brakes? Do the M-sport brakes change the peddle feel from the standard brakes?

I'm considering a 435 convertible. My wife has a 2012 328. I like her car a lot, but find the weakest part of the driving experience is the brake feel. The peddle is so soft that I often over-brake before my foot feels resistance. The 435 I tested was the same. I might get used to it if it was my everyday drive, but it always surprises me as an occasional driver.

[Daas]

Originally Posted by bacampbe

Did one of the test cars have the sport brakes? Do the M-sport brakes change the peddle feel from the standard brakes?

I'm considering a 435 convertible. My wife has a 2012 328. I like her car a lot, but find the weakest part of the driving experience is the brake feel. The peddle is so soft that I often over-brake before my foot feels resistance. The 435 I tested was the same. I might get used to it if it was my everyday drive, but it always surprises me as an occasional driver.

I don't think that I can accurately answer your question, but the pedal feel was very linear and natural on the M Sport brakes.

[kyouhakuteki]

Seriously, the MPG on the 2.0T is ridiculous.

I just got 570 miles out of a tank (most freeway) going about 82-83 mph for the most part with the A/C on.

The power to go with that MPG is amazing as well