[pacificnwbmw]

I currently drive a RWD performance sedan, and looking to move to something different with AWD. Basically I want something that's fast, handles well, and the big kicker is something that can go down some semi-rough roads for occasional camping or hiking.

I test drove an X3, and it was quick, but didn't feel too sporty. I test drove 328 and 335i GTs and they seem to check every box, including the hatchback to put our 40lb dog in the back.

Given the kicker of the casual "off-road" capability, is this going to be the right choice? The only other car I could find that checks most boxes is the Audi Allroad, however I do prefer the BMW.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by pacificnwbmw

I currently drive a RWD performance sedan, and looking to move to something different with AWD. Basically I want something that's fast, handles well, and the big kicker is something that can go down some semi-rough roads for occasional camping or hiking.

I test drove an X3, and it was quick, but didn't feel too sporty. I test drove 328 and 335i GTs and they seem to check every box, including the hatchback to put our 40lb dog in the back.

Given the kicker of the casual "off-road" capability, is this going to be the right choice? The only other car I could find that checks most boxes is the Audi Allroad, however I do prefer the BMW.

Unfortunately, as much as I like the GT, it does not seem to be the right car for you. I'm trying to reply nicely as I know this does irritate some people, but here's the problem. If you fill up the car with enough passengers that the dog is relegated to cargo, you need a larger vehicle. I don't know how you feel about the dog, but let's think about the people. Force=mass x velocity, so when the day comes that you have a crash at, perhaps, 30 mph, and a loose dog in the cargo area, you now have a missile with the potential force of 1,200 lbs coming at the back or side of the head of someone in the rear or front seats. Possibly fatal for both dog and person who is hit.

My sincerest and best advice for something sporty that deals with this better is a BMW X5M with the optional 3rd row and a proper dog restraint, such as:

https://sleepypod.com/car-harnesses

Our 37lb Goldendoodle wears this in the back seat, as we have the open seating there.

The X5M will also do better on the off-road journey, as the GT is really a car with only 1" more ground clearance than a 3 Series sedan. The X5 at 8.7" offers more than an additional 2" of clearance beyond that.

Good luck.

[Probgonnabreakit]

I can speak from experience taking my GT for some dispersed camping (dirt roads, rocky, rain-washed ruts) that I would not do that again. We got through it without damage, but failed to realize the back end really comes down a good bit when it's all loaded up so when we came down from a rock the undercarriage can scrape. It's not for trails. It is an awesome awd highway cruiser and a fantastic road trip car with plenty of cargo space. I just did 4000 miles to the east coast and back and loved it the whole time. If you want a BMW for light off-roading but still sporty, I would parrot the previous post about the x5m or just the x5 xdrive50i. I would also try out the xdrive35i. The 300 HP in the X5 xdrive35i with only 600lbs on the GT isn't going to be far from the performance of the 328i GT. They have identical 0-60 times for instance.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by pacificnwbmw

the big kicker is something that can go down some semi-rough roads for occasional camping or hiking.

If that means dirt roads you're OK, if it means off road the GT doesn't have enough ground clearance.

[KCee]

I would have to agree that if you want the dog in the hatch there may not be as much room as you'd need. Our dog is ~ 40 lbs and I know he has plenty of room in the back seat, but I wouldn't put him in the hatch area. The roofline is too sloped I think. He can roam about in my wife's MDX as it's basically a box on wheels.

That said I think you could easily have 2 people in the back seats with a 40 lb dog and load the hatch with whatever else. The back seat of the GT is huge.

[WhiteCollarMetalHead]

A roof box on the GT would go a long way to solving the dog+ cargo situation. However, it would limit (or even elimiante pending size) the motion of the hatch opening with a box on the roof. I agree with others on loading up the car and having it sit to low to take "off road" well groomed gravel/dirt roads, sure, but not the type of cleche road you think a subaru can take.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by WhiteCollarMetalHead

A roof box on the GT would go a long way to solving the dog+ cargo situation.

Please tell us you're not proposing the Mitt Romney solution?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...xCS_story.html

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2..._his_roof.html

[FotografBMW]

I think BMW GT is not beautiiful car

[InVermont]

Much as I dearly love our GT, I can’t see it as off-road. We also enjoy an Allroad…while it’s better it is still not “off-road”. Just not enough ground clearance. The Allroad is fine with rough dirt roads, but don’t think either vehicle can be a rock-climber! Look somewhere else.
BTW for off road excitement check “Matt’s off-road recovery”. Now there is an off road vehicle or three!

[MJBO]

You think an Audi Allroad will feel more sporty than an X3?

X3 is an excellent all-rounder, and easily one of the most sporty feeling drives in its class. My wife and I love our G01 2020 xDrive30i.

[pacificnwbmw]

I really appreciate all the great feedback, and the dog tips. My wife actually has a Subaru Outback, but I was just hoping to get my own vehicle that checked all the boxes. That said, I could still get the GT for the handling and a bit of extra space, and just take the Outback for any rougher roads. There aren't too many 335i or 340is, so now it's just a waiting game.

As for the Allroad, no idea how sporty it feels as I haven't had a chance to test drive one yet, but I do see your point. If we didn't already have the Outback then I'd likely go the X3 or X5 route.

[Billfitz]

If you've got an Outback for when you need it then by all means the GT makes sense as a daily drive. Mine is turning seven years old next week. That's usually the age when I start thinking about moving on to something new. I don't see myself moving on from my GT for at least another seven years, it's just that good.

[rambleon84]

Originally Posted by WhiteCollarMetalHead

A roof box on the GT would go a long way to solving the dog+ cargo situation. However, it would limit (or even elimiante pending size) the motion of the hatch opening with a box on the roof. I agree with others on loading up the car and having it sit to low to take "off road" well groomed gravel/dirt roads, sure, but not the type of cleche road you think a subaru can take.

the GT can handle a decent size box without interfering with the hatch opening (although, the car does let you chose how far to open the gate, if you want to limit it.)

full opening, hatch clears the box fine.


I concur with the others, the trunk is no place for a pet. We have a sub 5lb dog, even though he'd fit in his carrier very comfortably in the hatch, thats a crumple zone. He's gonna ride up in the cabin with us everytime.

I'll take the car on gravel/dirt even at my height but im not going to take it on any proper off road situation. The car suits my family of four just fine. We only use the roof box on longer trips when we need the extra room, otherwise the roof rack stays in the garage

[skyline408]

I think an SQ5 would suit you well.

[Billfitz]

The SQ5 has less rear seat legroom and less cargo space than the GT.

[WhiteCollarMetalHead]

Originally Posted by rambleon84

the GT can handle a decent size box without interfering with the hatch opening (although, the car does let you chose how far to open the gate, if you want to limit it.)

full opening, hatch clears the box fine.


I concur with the others, the trunk is no place for a pet. We have a sub 5lb dog, even though he'd fit in his carrier very comfortably in the hatch, thats a crumple zone. He's gonna ride up in the cabin with us everytime.

I'll take the car on gravel/dirt even at my height but im not going to take it on any proper off road situation. The car suits my family of four just fine. We only use the roof box on longer trips when we need the extra room, otherwise the roof rack stays in the garage

Looks amazing, im a sucker for a roof box on almost anything. Good to know it clears the box generally. I was looking into a box setup for mine too on OEM rails but COVID and 2-under-3 kids have put a temp hault on any road trips / vacations so I stopped looking.

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

The SQ5 has less rear seat legroom and less cargo space than the GT.

But that was not part of his criteria.

He wants something sporty to drive (the GT with it's long wheelbase isn't as sporty as a regular 3-series) and wants something with higher ground clearance for semi-rough roads.

[Billfitz]

I wouldn't call the SQ5 sporty. IMO it's just another toaster on wheels. As for the ground clearance, he said he has a Outback for off-road. Besides, the higher the ground clearance the higher the COG, which isn't conducive to being sporty either. In any event every vehicle is a collection of compromises. The GT is the best combination of performance and utility that I've come across yet, which covers the last 55 years.

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I wouldn't call the SQ5 sporty. IMO it's just another toaster on wheels. As for the ground clearance, he said he has a Outback for off-road. Besides, the higher the ground clearance the higher the COG, which isn't conducive to being sporty either. In any event every vehicle is a collection of compromises. The GT is the best combination of performance and utility that I've come across yet, which covers the last 55 years.

I'm not even sure you're reading what the op is looking for.

Basically I want something that's fast, handles well, and the big kicker is something that can go down some semi-rough roads for occasional camping or hiking.

The SQ5 pulls .96 in the skidpad, and drives really sporty for what it is. I'm glad you like your f34, I liked mine too, but there are a lot of other cars in this world.

I owned a 2016 335i GT. I bought it because of it's usable cargo space and uniqueness, but coming from my previous cars (F80 M3, 2018 GTI, 2018 S5) I would not classify the GT as all that 'sporty' but again, I knew what I was getting into. The long wheelbase on the GT makes the car a lot less nimble than it should be and I never found the N55 motor to be all that punchy or remotely fast. What the GT shines in is it's cargo carrying ability and rear seat room.

"jack of all trades, master of none" accurately describes the f34 IMO.

[pacificnwbmw]

I considered the SQ5, but I’m thinking I’d like to stick with something closer to a sedan. MPG isn’t a top criterion, but that certainly favors the GT too in comparison.

I think jack of all trades and master of none sounds about right, and likely what I’m looking for. Thanks!

[Ragnar The Redneck]

I don't really know what kind of roads you think are semi-rough, but one of the reasons I purchased my 335i GT was the, while small, increase in ride height. I wanted a jack-of-all-trades, as well.

To get to a nearby shooting range, there is, what I consider, a semi-rough road. It isn't something that you need a lifted vehicle to traverse, but it is rutted and you must cross a creek. This creek crossing isn't just a little drive through some water, but rather a crossing that you need to watch how you cross or you will scrape the bottom. My GT traversed beautifully. Color me impressed, as my beater Corolla would bottom out and scrape.

Now, let's talk about performance. I was impressed here as well. I'm not impressed because it was faster than my beater 'Rolla, no, but how close in performance it was to my beloved Supras! No, it won't outperform a Supra with a modded 2JZ-GTE (that's the twin turbo monster), but stock for stock, the N55 is stronger than a stock 2JZ-GTE. That's with the GT weighing 500 pounds more!

Will the GT handle as well as sport sedan? No. To that end, it was enjoyable on the Tail of the Dragon, but the longer wheelbase made it a little more difficult, but not any less entertaining. I did pull over more than a few times to let modded Miatas pass, which never happened in any of my Supras. To be fair, my GT has a stock suspension, while all of my Supras had modded suspensions.

Like you, I was wanting something between sportscar/sedan and SUV, and really, the GT fits very well. Is it the best thing out there? No, but as has been said before, it is a jack-of-all trades, but master of none. It does shine in many areas, and if you can live with the compromises, it will make a fantastic vehicle.

[Billfitz]

My GT is a jack of all trades and a master of one, which is making me glad that I chose it every time I drive it.