Quote:
Originally Posted by onfireX5
Quote:
Originally Posted by noushy
Ok so I have read most of what the press and early HEA purchasers have written but this is just a brief note from someone who special ordered his vehicle and is a long standing BMW and ///M fan. I have owned 13 BMWs before this including a E63 and E64 M6 modified by Dinan, F13 M6 heavily modified to 720hp, a X5M F85 with 725hp and two Alpina B7s so I am used to vehicles with 600+ hp. With that said...
I took early delivery of our new X3M Comp after initial prep and install of ALP jammers. No detail no clear bra and no upgrades yet. First drive out I noticed how stiff the suspension is. Much stiffer than the M40i in the startup softest settings. After a few miles you get used to it but if you are not accustomed to M vehicles and want a daily driver in bad roads like Michigan this is not your vehicle.
Next complaint from most was the initial throttle lag from start. Yes its there but not for the reason most think. It is 100% due to the car being in efficient throttle mode from start. Quick change to sport and this is a whole new animal. Rocket off the line and very responsive at all legal speeds. Of note the vehicle is a blast at highway speeds on smooth pavement. All the power you need to pass and get a speeding ticket very quickly. It also limits the car to 7th gear max without changing any other settings and turns exhaust to loud.
Handling and steering... where should I begin. First the steering is the absolute best I have driven on a BMW since my E39 540i sport. Sharp as a razor and perfectly weighted, dont bother changing the settings. Handling is every bit as precise and way more than a SUV should ever have but at the tradeoff of ride comfort. Again no need to change from comfort and in fact comfort is a joke, should be labelled sport and the others sport +/++. Will update after I put more than 200 miles on it.
Seats and extremely firm and supportive but not comfortable if you are a wide or heavy person. Clearly a European fit. The upgrades in the interior make the vehicle much nicer than a garden variety X3 but no match for a 5 series/X5 or better. Enough said about that
Exhaust note is average until you put it in sport throttle and then it wakes up. Nice and with really nice sounds on downshift but no comparison to an Akrapovic I had on the X5M. We will see if I upgrade this.
Color. First car I have ever owner with Dark Graphite/Soohisto Gray. Spectacular and way better than carbon black. Touch of purple if bright sun and goes well with the black shadowline trim. Questions just message me.
Sorry have to get back to my kids swim meet but will try to post updates when I can.
Peace, Noushy
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Excellent ! I thought the same thing about throttle response at M Days. Slow in EFF, fine in Sport.
I had Akra on my X5M also. Was perfect for me. Now you have me thinking about upgrading the X3M when it arrives. Akra sound is a "minimum" for me.
IND just ran an 11.8 at 116mph pure stock X3M. It took a RC to get my X5M to run that fast. |
Oh this thing is light and that gives it a huge advantage plus this is the new generation xDrive called ///M xDrive that debuted on the M5. I think the combination makes this thing a rocket for what it is. Plus typical BMW sandbagging. My guess is closer to 540hp. We will see when someone puts it on the dyno... cough IND cough cough.
Noushy