Help me compare 2 configs for my wife's new car (320xi vs 328xi)
 

We plan to do European Delivery in June 2013 and with the new 320xi out I am a bit undecided what to buy.
It will be my wife's daily driver (I will drive it once in a while) and she is not a spirited driver but likes the size and look (so I get to decide on everything but the colors). She is currently driving a 2011 328xi.

If I compare on MSRP basis here are the options that seem to make sense for her (we are in Colorado). The car will be a 3 year lease.

Car 320xi 328xi

Base 34550 38850
Melbourne Red 550 550
Black Dakota Leather 1450 0
Silver Matte Trim 0 0
Cold Weather 950 950
Driver Assistance 950 1900
Premium Package 3200 3100
Fold Down Rear 475 0
Destination 895 895

Total 43020 46245
Invoice ED (est). 37400 40095

There is a difference in the driver assistance package (blind spot and more cameras) so I understand it is not fully apples to apples comparison. But those 2 things were not really on the list anyway (was mainly looking for the park distance).

Couple questions:

1. anybody sees any errors in the math above ?
2. For her the 320xi seems to have enough horsepower so not sure what else I would get in the 328xi (if its my car I would get DHP but I doubt she would use it or notice)
3. I don't see the point about Nav, she uses her current Garmin maybe every 2 -3 month, also we got like 3 Nav systems on our iphones (Waze, Google and Apple). I have it in my car and it is nice but a lot more money then any good Garmin.
4. Anything you would change on the options and packages ?
5. Any idea about money factor and residual differences ?
6. Is the 328xi worth the 2.7k in this configuration ? Main difference I see is the higher tuned engine (seems to be the same one otherwise)
7. any other feedback is welcome

thanks for your help

You can knock a few $ from the 328i by adding PDC (or PDC + camera) as individual options.

Try and test drive the cars before you order.

Thanks, good point, missed this. So this will save 750$ on the 328xi and bring it to pretty much 2k invoice total price difference and being pretty much identical. Fuel economy seems to be pretty much the same.

Will try to drive the 320 on my next Germany trip in 10 days if they have one in stock at the local dealer.

Only other thing is if we take the 328xi I might put more toys in it (HUD, DHP) :)

If you go 320xi kill the leather and put the $ towards Nav. The LCD screen is the centerpiece of the interior, and if you don't have the widescreen display it looks awkward to go 4:3.

Also, if either of you uses an iPhone or an iPod you need to get the BMW Assist w/ Enhanced Bluetooth & USB option to have any modicum of decent integration and functionality.

BJ

2k will cost roughly $25 more a month. i think its worth it

Forgot about this, my car has it in the tech package. Might be another reason to just get the 328xi with the tech package because it got Nav and the iphone integration.

My wife wants leather, I am not too worried about the payment being in a specific range, its more about paying for stuff she doesn't need or use and I like to get a good deal as much as the next guy.

My wife is a reasonable pedestrian driver (wouldn't believe it though if you look at the tickets on her driving record) so the lower horsepower would do ok for her.

Need to do a little more math and also curious about the residual and money factor differences and what the end result is. Not sure when I can see those though. I also noticed they did get rid of the Ultimate Package on the 328xi.

Thanks for your feedback

Glad to be of assistance, and since money isn't a big deal consider this:

The 335i is overkill. The 320i is underkill. The 328i is The Car.

So if you don't need to shave a few bucks, don't. I wouldn't. You don't need to mess with perfection. The 328i is perfection. So discard thoughts of 320i, focus on the 328xi, and get it with the right options.

The 320i is a car to help those that can't afford a BMW get into one at $299 a month. Sounds like you're not in that place, so don't force it.

BJ

Not sure I agree. Without driving the 320 it's impossible to say whether it's "underkill" and there's no reason to spend money just because you can afford to. Seems like it's the same engine, just tuned differently. Why would anyone want to spend the extra cash?