[P1Fanatic]

Firstly hello as this is my first thread on these forums. I was glad to stumble across this busy X3 forum as all the others I found were very slow in terms of replies / user base.

I been running a Ford Focus RS MK2 for the past 30 months or so. Love it but 300bhp through the front wheels is not much fun in the wet & cold UK winters. Due to various hobbies I am also often down dirt tracks which the RS is not that practical for due to low ground clearance. So I have been on the lookout to trade it in against something more practical whilst its still holding its value. I still want some decent grunt so it would have to be a 6cyl and in the UK we only get the diesels so its a 30 or 35d.

My budget will only allow a used 1yr old 10k mile example and looking at the thread about UK lead times on new I wouldn't wait that long for a new one anyway.

I was all set on a pre LCI Sapp Black or Alpine White M Sport 30d or 35d (the latter harder to find) as I really like the looks. However having now seen the M Sport LCI I do like it (don't like the X line trim at all). So am now contemplating if its worth extending my budget for an LCI model which will obviously age better. As far as I can tell the main differences (other than the subtle cosmetic updates) are that the LCI M Sport includes as standard:

-Powered bootlid (does this open and close via keyfob?)
-Heated front seats
-Piano black dash trim
-Cup holder cover (same as X5)
-BT audio streaming (I really want this as use my iphone 6 for music and Tom Tom SatNav)

Also I understand that picking BMW options is almost like a black art but you need to make sure you have certain items to aid future resale value (especially if I go pre LCI). These are what I have so far in order of importance:

1. Professional Sat Nav / Media
2. Xenons / Visibility Package
3. Heated Front Seats
4. Powered Bootlid

The panoramic sunroof I am not bothered about but would not turn a car down if it had it.

Regards
Simon

[clivem2]

I would add VDC to your list.....at the to if you go for an MSport.

The power boot opened via the key fob.

I don't know if non MSports get paddles (great for downshifts for engine braking), also Performance Control may be MSport only....I don't know, it is all quite complex!

[P1Fanatic]

I have yet to see a used car with VDC listed as an option unless they call it something else. The 20d I test drove seemed fine on RFT but I am coming from a lowered hot hatch so our expectations on ride quality may differ.

I believe the paddles are standard on msport 6cyl models. Do the paddles only work in manual mode?

Are you saying the bootlid only opens from the key fob and to close you have to press button on the boot? Seen this review from car buyer that shows boot closing from key fob (2:10):

[clivem2]

If you hold the button of the fob the hatch closes but it's much easier to press the button on the hatch as you don't have to hold that.

The paddles work in D as well as S (manual). In D the auto reverts to full auto after a short time.

I came to the F25 30D MSPort (my pre-LCI, previous car) after a 335i MSport, so rock hard suspension and almost no tyre walls. The ride with my 30D was pretty good and only a little harsh at times, it was fine for me really but VCP is more refined.

[Northandy]

It still bugs me that in the UK xenons are extra, I think they are a definate if you do much country road driving at night.

I went for LED as it was only £500 more than the vis pack.

I went for the pro nav upgrade too, but it's not essential I don't think.

My toys were HUD, speed limit display, sun prot glass and reversing camera, none of which were anything other than I fancied them.

If you are buying new consider a broker like coast2coastcars I got 4.5k off versus the 2k I was offered by my local couple of dealers.

[TuffLittleUnit]

Being brutally honest - I don't think there are any "must have" options. The SE is so well specced in the first place. There are plenty of desirable options but I think all the basics are already in place ... but I guess it comes down to expectations and perceived value after that.

Oh yeah, and how deep your pockets are

There are lots of options I wish I'd been able to add - 3.0d, xLine, electric seats, HUD, VDC, HK speaker, LED lights, surround view, storage pack etc but it's easy to turn a £35k car into a £57k+ car at which point I'd start to think about an X5, ML etc

It's also easy to become a hypocrite I was happy with standard seats, halogens and no nav on my first F25 and yet I've added them this time around (because I can, so there). And because I've added pro nav then it seems daft not to have the reversing camera ... and so it goes.

[P1Fanatic]

Thanks for the input chaps. I swear one LCI review I watched said xenons were included but do not see that in any of the official BMW literature.

I think for me the priority would be squeezing the 35d engine into my budget but that severely limits the number of used cars avail. Seems Sytner in Maidenhead have both a 30 and 35d LCI currently. Same engine used in LCI and pre LCI so should be a good reference whichever way I go. So I will ask to test drive them back to back driving the 30d first.

[Andy_o]

Originally Posted by P1Fanatic

Thanks for the input chaps. I swear one LCI review I watched said xenons were included but do not see that in any of the official BMW literature.

I think for me the priority would be squeezing the 35d engine into my budget but that severely limits the number of used cars avail. Seems Sytner in Maidenhead have both a 30 and 35d LCI currently. Same engine used in LCI and pre LCI so should be a good reference whichever way I go. So I will ask to test drive them back to back driving the 30d first.

Different countries different standard specs .. You need to bear that in mind


Also some so called car journalists are baffoons

[clivem2]

P1, check out the shifts in sport mode. My 30D 2011 had much softer shifts than my LCI 35D which has fabulously aggressive fast shifts in Sport. It could be the shifts were reprogrammed for the LCI or sometime before.

[JSY]

Originally Posted by P1Fanatic

Thanks for the input chaps. I swear one LCI review I watched said xenons were included but do not see that in any of the official BMW literature.

I believe in the US it's only standard with the 35i.

[Northandy]

Originally Posted by P1Fanatic

Thanks for the input chaps. I swear one LCI review I watched said xenons were included but do not see that in any of the official BMW literature.

I think for me the priority would be squeezing the 35d engine into my budget but that severely limits the number of used cars avail. Seems Sytner in Maidenhead have both a 30 and 35d LCI currently. Same engine used in LCI and pre LCI so should be a good reference whichever way I go. So I will ask to test drive them back to back driving the 30d first.

Prior to ordering I looked at some slightly used pre lci cars, all 3.0d with good spec such as pano roof and pro nav etc, but no xenons was the deal breaker.

Don't forget there is the bmw performance upgrade for the 3.0d which gives about 290bhp not sure on cost though.

[Andy_o]

Originally Posted by Northandy

Prior to ordering I looked at some slightly used pre lci cars, all 3.0d with good spec such as pano roof and pro nav etc, but no xenons was the deal breaker.
.

Total deal breaker for me too .. Just don't get how you'd spec a 40k car without them

But maybe the sort of orange laydee that will be double parking them outside the school gates just don't care as long as it's white !

Funnily enough a few have just appeared on the auc site, mainly white msports without zenons on 14 plates

[TuffLittleUnit]

Weren't the xenons criminally expensive when the F25 first came out? I know I couldn't get them on my 2011 X3 because we have a PUC cap and adding the xenons wiped out several other options that I wasn't prepared to give up.

Maybe it's just the height that they're mounted but the halogens on the 2011 X3 were adequate for me - I don't ever recall being worried about the lack of illumination and I'd just crossed over from an Audi A5 with xenons and LEDs.

They're much cheaper (for me) this time around so were one of the first options I added.

[Northandy]

Originally Posted by TuffLittleUnit

Weren't the xenons criminally expensive when the F25 first came out? I know I couldn't get them on my 2011 X3 because we have a PUC cap and adding the xenons wiped out several other options that I wasn't prepared to give up.

Maybe it's just the height that they're mounted but the halogens on the 2011 X3 were adequate for me - I don't ever recall being worried about the lack of illumination and I'd just crossed over from an Audi A5 with xenons and LEDs.

They're much cheaper (for me) this time around so were one of the first options I added.

I'm going on the fact we have 2 nearly identical 1 series currently, only one of them has adaptive xenons, honestly joking aside the difference is night and day.

We do a lot of night driving and the car without the xenons is always the one we hate using at night whoever has it that week.

[Andy_o]

Originally Posted by Northandy

I'm going on the fact we have 2 nearly identical 1 series currently, only one of them has adaptive xenons, honestly joking aside the difference is night and day.

We do a lot of night driving and the car without the xenons is always the one we hate using at night whoever has it that week.

My wife has a c class with standard halogens and it feels like you are driving with no lights on compared to the adaptive Zenons on my X1 on the dark pennine roads near us

[P1Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Northandy

Prior to ordering I looked at some slightly used pre lci cars, all 3.0d with good spec such as pano roof and pro nav etc, but no xenons was the deal breaker.

Don't forget there is the bmw performance upgrade for the 3.0d which gives about 290bhp not sure on cost though.

Agreed on the Xenons. Have them in the RS and they are like full beam on halogens.

Interesting on the performance upgrade. Will do some research on that.

[cooldude00]

currently have a pre LCI and didn't spec sat nav or powered bootlid as options... regretted it since and have retrofitted prof sat nav but have to live without the powered bootlid which is a daily pain due to prams/baby... won't be making that mistake again

agreed about xenons/heated front seats.. deffo must haves...

[philtrick123]

Just to chip in- there's a BMW video showing the adaptive LED lights. It seems to be that the system puts the lighting across the road, and then uses a camera system to create a moving blanked out 'light wedge' for oncoming drivers. Not sure how good the system is in practice.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by philtrick123

Just to chip in- there's a BMW video showing the adaptive LED lights. It seems to be that the system puts the lighting across the road, and then uses a camera system to create a moving blanked out 'light wedge' for oncoming drivers. Not sure how good the system is in practice.

The system is excellent in practice. I have Xenons, not LED but comparing the video with normal xenons with Adaptive and High Beam Assist, they work exactly the same.