[knali8]

Originally Posted by bk_g80_m3

Well, I know I'll likely get flamed for this, but this is a stiff car. I need to qualify this observation. I'm from the Bay Area - and for the first time over the weekend I drove this car on 680 from around north east SJ to Pleasanton area. This car is brutal on that road. There are tons of cracks, potholes, grooves, and whoops on the freeway. 4-5 times my family actually had our butts lift off the seats from these bumps. This car is likely one of the roughest cars I've owned.

It's fairly odd because just loafing around town the car is fine, but when you're doing 75ish on the highway then hit these bumps it's really stiff. I was running the suspension in comfort mode, with the tire pressure set to the recommended pressure on the door jamb sticker (I think 33/38psi F/R).

It's unfortunate because I love the car for all the other reasons, quick, looks good, great interior. But the suspension is STIFF.

So no shame on the car I like it for every other reason - but if you live in an area with trashed pavement you should know.

I'm thinking about doing that spring mod - but don't want to give up the handling in the twisties - but comfort on the road isn't great.

I think the airborne part is mainly due to the rear suspension.. I used to test this on a road - going over train lines. The car is better damped in sport mode.

Eibach springs should have been the standard springs for this car from factory. Heaps better. Also, tyre pressures at 33 cold/35 hot round feels great on PS4S.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

An X3 M Comp (pre-LCI) with nice PS4S tires properly inflated & aligned is never harsh, bumpy, crashy or hard to live with on rough roads.

Ride quality is subjective & everyone has a different point of reference.

The F97 X3 M is not harsh by most means & I highly suggest you go drive a used one with decent tires before you form an opinion / assumption based on what you may read here with your eyes. Not everything is what it seams to be. But you would have to experience these things in real life to determine it for yourself.

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

And yet you took the time to post a pissing post on my post that didn't add anything to the OP's question. LMAO Talk about irony from another Vette owner. If you're going to bark at someone, at least mention what you're barking & fussing about. The ride quality issue that only exists to a select few is a relatively non existent matter to others. Those who are inclined to continually bring this up often tend to have no remotely comparable reference point to pivot from & are often the ones bringing this up despite never riding in any other super SUV's in factory stock trim. Care to explain & enlighten us since you felt the need to say my words were contradictory (to you in your eyes)... ?

1. I provided my opinion to the OP in post #7 in this thread comparing my M2 & my X3MC. Considering the OP has an M3, and is asking about the ride quality of the X3M compared to his M3, my post/opinion is a comparable reference point as you suggest above.

2. Regarding contradictory statements, I highlighted them above. "X3M is never harsh..." "ride quality is subjective..." "Don't form an opinion by what you read here..." "I'm telling you the ride quality isn't harsh on bad roads and anyone who says it is is an old hypochondriac...".

And yes, since you mentioned it, I would rather daily my Z06/Z07 with it's track suspension than our X3MC because the ride is more compliant. Out of all the vehicles we have, the X3MC is the harshest ride. It got a little better after I swapped the super high-performance tires for a set of Michelin all-seasons, but it's still jarring on the roads in my area (probably similar to the roads the OP was discussing). Sure if you live in an area with perfectly smooth roads, the ride in the X3M will be just fine.

I didn't see your honorary thread police badge anywhere giving you the authority to give anyone a "free pass" for posting here, so your lengthly diatribe towards the OP for posting his questions was unnecessary. If you don't want to read the same questions, scroll on by. And FYI - it's ad nauseam not "in nauseam"

[bk_g80_m3]

Update - I want to be fair here. This car is awesome and rides just fine over 90% of roads. I’ve been driving the car around this weekend to SF etc. It was fine. And quite enjoyable.

The suspension just really hates those small dips / jolts. Which I suppose can be said for most suspensions however this car handles them more as a jolt. Or the more severe “airborn” bumps are hitting the bump stops.

So far it’s only one highway where this is a problem.

broken pavement also isn’t great.

I have started running the suspension in sport mode which really helps during compression and rebound.

Originally Posted by bk_g80_m3

Well, I know I'll likely get flamed for this, but this is a stiff car. I need to qualify this observation. I'm from the Bay Area - and for the first time over the weekend I drove this car on 680 from around north east SJ to Pleasanton area. This car is brutal on that road. There are tons of cracks, potholes, grooves, and whoops on the freeway. 4-5 times my family actually had our butts lift off the seats from these bumps. This car is likely one of the roughest cars I've owned.

It's fairly odd because just loafing around town the car is fine, but when you're doing 75ish on the highway then hit these bumps it's really stiff. I was running the suspension in comfort mode, with the tire pressure set to the recommended pressure on the door jamb sticker (I think 33/38psi F/R).

It's unfortunate because I love the car for all the other reasons, quick, looks good, great interior. But the suspension is STIFF.

So no shame on the car I like it for every other reason - but if you live in an area with trashed pavement you should know.

I'm thinking about doing that spring mod - but don't want to give up the handling in the twisties - but comfort on the road isn't great.

[Chris C.]

I have found my 2024 with lower tire pressures (34/33) to be mostly fine around town on Hankooks, and terrific on smooth roads. The car has very stiff roll bars though which makes side to side shocks too jarring. And it's stiff on big dips/

I live in the Bay Area and it's still a bit too jarring on freeway joints and broken pavement so I am installing Michelin PS4S on 20" rims to provide a little more sidewall and compliance. Can report back on that change in a week or two.

I value the tight ride feel and agility you get with the X3M so I'll optimize it and live with it. I had and X5M in the past and sold it as it was boring and didn't feel sporty enough (just fast in a muted kind of way). I don't think the car needs an MSS kit but good to know thats an option.

[AndyX3M]

Hi guys

I am happy to report I was able to test drive both an 2020 X4M Comp and a 2022 X3M40i today. I was hoping to drive an LCI X3M due to the small suspension changes but I'll take what I can get!

X4M:
Ride - rides as rough as my Golf R does. In fact I think my Golf is a bit more comfortable when on the winter rims (17s) vs the stock rims (19s). The X4M side-to-side stiffness is worse than the Golf, as it kind of see-saw back and forth when you hit a bump on one side versus the other. You notice every bit of bad pavement. Steering was very direct, just felt like a sports car on stilts.

Seats - both my wife and I found the seats uncomfortable. This was a used car so it was decently broken in, and I did play with the side bolster adjustments. Overall it pinched my lower back / butt area more than I want in an SUV. Tried the cooled seats, as expected they did very little.

Tech - loved the heads up display. Found the stereo to be better than the reviews made it out to be - it was better than my wife's Grand Cherokee or my Golf.

Performance - exhaust sounds great, and it is very very quick. Much faster than my Golf. So much fun. Transmission was super responsive. You do have to rev it out a bit but it has enough low-end grunt to get around.

X3M40i:
Ride - comfortable. You can go over bumps without realizing it or thinking about them.

Seats - also comfortable, not as supportive as the M of course but wholly sufficient. The heated seats also worked better. FYI these were not cooled.

Tech - the HUD is decent but the tach on the M was sorely missed. Stereo seemed a bit echo-y, not as good as the X4M, but I didn't check the settings.

Performance - it's alright. According to tech specs it's slightly slower than my Golf, and it felt about there. Transmission was adequate. You can hear the turbos spooling and get an occasional backfire, but I prefer the sound of the Golf. I did notice the low end torque and it felt more responsive than the S58 side of things.


Conclusion - honestly I can't believe I am saying this but I don't think either one of them is the right car for me. The full M was really, really fun to drive and I think it would be fun enough to replace both my E92 M3 and my Golf. The problem is the ride is way too stiff, and the seats are uncomfortable. Great marks on performance, not great marks on daily useability. The M40i is perfectly adequate for daily useability, quite a bit more comfortable than my Golf, but at twice the price the lack of a real step up in performance makes it a hard sell.

If I didn't find the seats uncomfortable I would probably go for the M and get the MSS springs, some better tires, and live with the stiff ride. The performance factor is amazing for an SUV. But the seats being uncomfortable kinda closed the lid on this.


Hope that helps anyone else who happens to be cross shopping a Golf R and an X3/4M!

[tekphobius]

I wouldn't own my x3mc if I had to drive on crappy roads. It's downright violent how the ride is sometimes.

[AndyX3M]

Agreed. It's really shame, I suddenly know why I never see any X3/4Ms around here. if the M40i suspension could be moved to the X3M it would really be a fantastic option.

[65fastback]

Good write up but interesting that it was the seats that killed it for you!

just goes to show how little someone's else's opinion matters and why its so important to check things out for yourself.

pretty sure most who post here would say the seats are not a issue ! including myself I like em better than my E92 and all 3 f8x's I owned.

[AndyX3M]

Originally Posted by 65fastback

Good write up but interesting that it was the seats that killed it for you!

just goes to show how little someone's else's opinion matters and why its so important to check things out for yourself.

pretty sure most who post here would say the seats are not a issue ! including myself I like em better than my E92 and all 3 f8x's I owned.

Very true! Honestly I have a bad back that is more sensitive than most, so I'm kind of used to not liking seats. Surprised to hear my wife didn't like them too.

[Th3Walrus]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

Seats - both my wife and I found the seats uncomfortable. This was a used car so it was decently broken in, and I did play with the side bolster adjustments. Overall it pinched my lower back / butt area more than I want in an SUV.

And we're the opposite. My wife and I love the feel and support of the Sport seats.

[65fastback]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

Very true! Honestly I have a bad back that is more sensitive than most, so I'm kind of used to not liking seats. Surprised to hear my wife didn't like them too.

So it's not the seats in the X3M...it's your back ! My wife had a regular 2017 X3 with m-sport. Those seats would roast my " good " back on road trips.
good luck out there lots to choose from.

[AndyX3M]

Originally Posted by 65fastback

So it's not the seats in the X3M...it's your back ! My wife had a regular 2017 X3 with m-sport. Those seats would roast my " good " back on road trips.
good luck out there lots to choose from.

Hahaha that was my original conclusion but my wife not liking them was a surprise considering she's half my size. Very jealous of you guys who fit well in them, it really is a superb driving mini-SUV.

[65fastback]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

Hahaha that was my original conclusion but my wife not liking them was a surprise considering she's half my size. Very jealous of you guys who fit well in them, it really is a superb driving mini-SUV.

It really is! we just got back from a roughly 2500 mile road trip in my stage1 tune X3M ( Seattle to LA and back ) . I have no complaints at all I don't feel any loss of fun or sportiness even coming from a F80 and other sports cars.

Bummer it's not for you even though it checks just about all of your boxes. It's a unique vehicle.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

Hahaha that was my original conclusion but my wife not liking them was a surprise considering she's half my size. Very jealous of you guys who fit well in them, it really is a superb driving mini-SUV.

I've never heard anyone called the 4,500 lb beast we know as the X3 M a mini-SUV. But then again most don't realize the F97 is the same size as the first gen X5. LOL That's too bad that the seats aren't to your liking & it's what's preventing you from enjoying such a superb AWD monster. Good luck in your search & hope you eventually find what you're both looking for out there.

[BigMonkeyWrench]

Originally Posted by Chris C.

I live in the Bay Area and it's still a bit too jarring on freeway joints and broken pavement so I am installing Michelin PS4S on 20" rims to provide a little more sidewall and compliance. Can report back on that change in a week or two.

Did you put the 20"s on? Verdict?

[knali8]

Born in M town - where too much is just right

[Jnat]

It's interesting isn't it, i don't find the ride harsh at all, really don't. Is it stiff, yep, but it's an Suv M and i've said this before that i'm not sure how BMW could have done it differently. It's a Suv that handles almost and i say almost like a sports car M. This is why comparisons like the OP did are very important because not everyone see's it the same.

[car_fan]

If you locate a base X3M/X4M “without” the sport seats you might solve your seat issues, as they are essentially the same as M40i variants.

[AndyX3M]

Originally Posted by car_fan

If you locate a base X3M/X4M “without” the sport seats you might solve your seat issues, as they are essentially the same as M40i variants.

That's good to know. Are those the seats you get by default if you want cooled seats?

[car_fan]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

That's good to know. Are those the seats you get by default if you want cooled seats?

You stumped me on the that. I want to say ventilated seats were only available with the Sport Seats on the F97/F98.

[Potatohead-M2]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

That's good to know. Are those the seats you get by default if you want cooled seats?

I don't know if the base seats were an option in Canada or not, I think maybe all X3M's came with the M Sport seats (which are also heated/cooled).

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by AndyX3M

Seats - both my wife and I found the seats uncomfortable. This was a used car so it was decently broken in, and I did play with the side bolster adjustments. Overall it pinched my lower back / butt area more than I want in an SUV. Tried the cooled seats, as expected they did very little.

Interestingly enough, I find the seats in my wife's '22 X3MC less comfortable than the exact same seats in my '23 M2. The only differences between the seats are the full merino leather & ventilation (which does nothing) on hers. I can never seem to get her seats adjusted right either. I love the sport seats in my M2 & they're some of the best I've had in any vehicle I've owned. If I could get a set to fit in my Z06, I'd do it.