I took delivery of my new X3 3.0 d just over 2 weeks ago, and I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on it....
My previous ride was an E90 335i (shown below) and while it was an awesome ride, it just did not have the space I needed for my 7 week old twin boys. I initially decided that I'd shop around for a family car and keep the 335 but after driving a few VW's, Nissans, Toyota's etc I realized nothing appealed to me in that range. Then I had a thought - sell the 335i and replace it with a family car that made me happy as well. I tested a Q5, a Toureg, a Hyundai IX35, Kia and a few others and then finally tested the X3. I tested both X35i and 3.0d, and as per the title, I settled on the 3.0d.
Why you may ask not the 35i? Well, simple - the 3.0d is just a lot smoother than the 35i in terms of power delivery, it sounds better (most people don’t believe me on this) and its lighter on fuel. Also, I figured that a car this big is going to be lugging around quite a load so the additional torque over the 35i would certainly come in handy. In terms of cost - the difference was not much - US $ 2000 more for the X35i.
So, order was placed and the options chosen were:
3.0 d
Alpine white
19 inch wheels
Panoramic sunroof
Professional Nav with Connectivity Pack
Internet
Xenons
8 speed auto (no option for manual0
Now for the short review:
Look and feel
The F25 looks great. The Msport kit makes it look a lot bigger and definitely more aggressive. Combined with the 19 inch wheels, it’s a head turner of note. The Alpine White in this form and with the 35% tint is just great. On the inside - what an improvement in terms of layout and feel compared to my E90. Everything just looks and feels right. If there was anything I'd change it’s the quality of some of the dash plastics.
Performance, consumption and Handling
This is what sold me on the car - it’s actually quite a rocket. 0 to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds on a vehicle this big is impressive. I'd also swear that in gear acceleration after 100 km/h feels faster than the X35i.....but that just may be the torque that makes it feel that way. All in all, the acceleration on demand at any time is magnificent. Handling feels like a car - planted, confident and really forgiving....especially in SPORT mode. There have been a few people on this forum querying whether sport mode improves handling - what I can tell you is that the steering wheel definitely tightens up in sport / sport + mode and the accelerator becomes quite a lot more responsive.
The best part of the 3.0d has got to be the tone....this car hauls ass when you floor it and it sounds as if there is a small V8 motor under that hood. The turbo hiss is very audible on the outside too.
Consumption in comparison to my 335i is self explanatory - on the highway the 3.0d gives me roughly 5.5 l/100km. The 335 was around 9l/100kms. City driving yields around 12 l/100kms while the 335i used to give me 19l/100kms. Same driving style of course. The Efificient dynamics stop/start takes a bit of getting used to, but at least its switchable.
Space and Comfort
The X3 is very practical. One of the criteria for me was to see if my twin's car seats could fit at the back and still leave enough space for mommy to be there with them as well. The pic below (tried it in the demo car of course) illustrates this. Driver comfort is excellent. It took me about 1 week to find the best position, but now that I have it, it’s perfect.
Entertainment
I love the toys in this car. Internet access works like a charm, as does the e-mail and sms synch with my Blackberry 9700. The IPOD integration is flawless - album art on IDrive FTW! The standard sound system is the only disappointment - it sounds fairly OK, but my previous ride had Logic 7, so there is a fair difference. I will definitely be looking at a retrofit of the Hifi audio or logic 7 when it becomes available.
Problems so far - well noe really....just one odd occurence of a "FTM sensor failure" coupled with "Brake system malfunction" fault that occurred this week. Dealer had a look and advised that all was well and could possibly have been a low voltage to a sensor which may be 'cos the car is new and battery may not be fully charged. He advised to watch it and return if it happens again.
So all in all, this is an awesome ride. It has the performance and handling that Daddy loves when driving alone and the space and practicality and comfort that Mommy and Twins love.
Some cr@ppy cellphone pics follow:
The 335i:
The x3:
Magic Button:
Space for Babies and Mommy:
Internet:
Album Art:
Display with Pro Nav:
