Ordered an X3M Competition
Very nice review, thank you!
Here are some observations:
I drove a dealer's X3M Competition on two different days over some fairly rough paved roads. The ride, while firm, was acceptable and not "flinty" like some tightly sprung cars. For example I had a 2016 X1 which I mistakenly ordered with the sport suspension. Even with standard 18" wheels, it was BRUTAL when driving in San Francisco's potholed streets. The X3MC, even with its 21" wheels, was much, much better as it ran over the rough pavement and felt extremely solid. I liked it so much, I ordered one to be built for me with all the options except M-drivers package (it's coming in Feb 2020). What amazed me was the X3MC cornering was flatter than my 435xi with M-sport and all the options! It was just plain fun to drive. And wow, was it powerful. Reminded me of my old '70 vette (with a custom 461 c.i.d. engine modified for high torque) for its effortless power.
The other thing to note is the "hump" in the back cargo area. It is awful. This is created by the automatically included spare tire that comes with the X3M. But you lose almost 3 inches of cargo height, and you also lose the space under the floor to store the rollout cargo cover. All the X3MC's at the local dealers had the hump and no one could explain it. But I knew it was somehow possible to eliminate it because I saw online photos and videos of X3MC's with NO hump. It took a lot of calls to find the solution. Even BMW NA's "genius" was completely clueless about it.
The solution is to order the "$0" Mobility Kit. No spare, no hump.
Note that when you look at BMW's website build-your-own options, the mobility package does not show that it actually removes the hump, but recent changes now say it removes the spare. When you look at the spare tire option for the normal X3, you see a photo that I think is deliberately made so dark you cannot see the hump created in the rear cargo floor.
On another note, your review mentioned no sunroof. If you order the Executive Package with the X3MC, you get the sunroof.
So yes, I can and will live with the stiff suspension. It's OK for me.
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