So I had a 2007 G35S 6mt several years ago and really liked the car. I switched back to a BMW coupe and am thinking of going back to a nice used G or Q coupe next year.


I have a few questions:

1. does the S have a different suspension than the coupe? (on BMWs all RWD coupes come with sport suspension)
2. Does the XS have a different suspension than the X coupe?
3. Does the XS feel noticeably less sporty than the S coupe?

When I had my old G I had an X sedan loaner once and it definitely felt like a different car than my S with 6mt. Just wondering if that is the case with the coupes. I would kind of like to have all wheel drive again but not if it is too large a sacrifice of sportiness.


thanks!

 

All of the S models have a stiffer suspension than the non-s models. As for the xs, I haven't driven one, so not sure how it feels compared the the s or x. As an FYI you can't get a 6mt in any x model.

 

I had actually decided to go with an auto this time. So the xs has a stiffer suspension than the X? That is good to know.


Of course I'll drive an example of both before I buy but I like to spend months of watching prices before I get close to buying so it's good to know what cars I'm choosing from. Thanks for your input.

 

The all wheel drive model does not make it handle any sportier, its not that type of AWD. It's strictly for traction when the RWD slips. Some say it's splits it 60/40 when starting off from a dead stop but not sure that is written down anywhere (other than this forum).

 

Also the XS has the Big Akebono brakes, thigh bolstered seats, paddle shifters, and a couple other features that aren't found in the base X model.

 

The XS feels just a smidge less sporty than the S but still sporty and sportier than the X with its stiffer suspension. The XS , to me, feels like it had a little more oversteer (or less understeer) when pushed hard in the corners but a tad less linear.

Best to probably drive both to compare for yourself.

 

Well I don't own a G but I drove three 2013 g37 sedans (s,xs,x) last year back to back. There was about 2 inches of snow on the road so pushing them was a tad hard to do knowing none of them was my own. I didn't notice any difference between the s & xs in stiffness, they both were annoying riding over the compressed ice on the road way. I didn't like the xs taking a split second delay to engage the front wheels when taking off from a stop as the rear end came out a little on take off and turning, the s well the S acted like any rwd car would in snow, very similar to the xs except the back end will go out farther if you don't let off. The standard/journey X was much smoother going on the same roads as the pervious two in the exact lane, it acted the same as the xs as far as traction went but it was easier to drive in the snow. Though the X did have a strong nose dive in hard braking compare to the S models. All 3 had identical all season tires and all three were 7AT.

IMO if you're not gonna push the car you're not gonna notice the difference, you'll just feel more bumps with the S & XS than the Journey/X. Best place I can think off for you to test drive them back to back would be carmax cause after the test drive you can just leave compare to a brand maker dealer where the salesman won't stop annoying you.

As far as the S coupe vs S sedan I personally noticed the coupe rode stiffer and firmer than the sedan maybe cause I was more centered in the coupe than the sedan so I felt the backend more in the coupe.

 

^^ S sedan only comes with 6MT

 

Actually ALL 6MTs are S models but you can also get the S Sedan (and coupe) w/ a 7AT as well, it's just referred as a Journey with Sport package, and this includes everything that the 6MT has (except the 6MT, lol)