[clivem2]

I've had mine 12 days so it seems our cars bunked up on the same boat.

I've come from an E93 335i, so not an M but still "respectable". The X3 is meeting or exceeding most of my expectations. The only hint of a niggle is the road noise from the the tyres on the motorway, it's not loud but just a bit more than it should be - I blame the RFTs because they are RFTs.....

I've not pushed the engine too hard yet but it's shown some considerable torque. Outright grip levels are nowhere near that of my E93 but it's are high enough and more importantly the car slides very evenly and progressively. I really never wanted my E93 to break away as when it happened the cornering forces would be so great that I'm not confident I could catch it on a public road safely.

The X3 is really impressive in quality and performance. Space is fantastic, especially in the rear. I transported my daughter and all her clobber to Uni and had 4 of us in the car.

Even at 32mpg I'm pleased vs the 19mpg my E93 did around town and 32 on the motorway. My X3 32mpg is only for my first tankful which includes quite a lot of local driving when the engine barely gets warm. I know it'll get a lot better (except when cold)

The car looks better in the flesh than it does in the pics. Where I live X3s are still very rare so it's pleasing to be exclusive for a while! It make a change from all the Range Rover Sport shopping cars around here.