[shnaggs]

Hello, last weekend I went and downsized my wife’s car from a Cx9 to a x3 M-sport 35i with 25k miles and with all the bells and whistles. I started looking into these x3’s a few months ago and pretty much decided that if we were going to get one that it would need to be the 35i engine. Now, this is my first gasser BMW that I and my wife have owned, but I currently drive an ‘11 M-sport 335D. When I first went to look at the x3’s at a dealer, all the used ones, including the 2 35i versions they had, were sold that day or had down payments on them. So the salesman let me drive a ‘19 x3 with the 30i engine...turbo 4 cyl. Car was nice and the engine lacked the low end torque, which is what you would expect, but went decent up top. Now, fast forward to me finding the ‘17 35i that we bought. I am honestly pretty underwhelmed by this 35i engine. Of coarse it has a bit more torque than the 30i engine, but honestly it feels slower!!! It even feels slower than the turbo 4 cyl in the cx9 we traded. I would think that 300hp and 300tq would be quite a ride, but I’m beginning to think maybe something is wrong....No check engine light on and it has a clean Carfax report. Is there anything that usually goes bad, or something I should look into first??? Any input or suggestion would be appreciated

[pungo]

There's something wrong with your vehicle if it feels slower than Cx9. Maybe there's some low octane fuel in it, but even then it should pull pretty strong. I would take it back to the dealer for them to determine why it's so slow.
Mine 2011 pulls really good and I'm used to my 2007 Z4 ///M coupe.

[shnaggs]

Thanks for the feedback

[MichiganMike]

I own two 2016 BMW X3 35i vehicles. Both my X3s accelerate with authority.

One possible problem is the transmission in your X3 may have adapted to the sedate driving style of a previous owner. If you or your wife drive more aggressively over time the transmission in your X3 may adapt. You may also try to reset your transmission to factory settings as suggested in the link below.

https://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/thread...-10-mph.38817/

Have you tried driving your X3 in the sport mode setting? If so, does this make a difference?

You might also try adding a BMW fuel additive or Techron fuel system cleaner to your gas tank. This may help if the sluggish performance is related to deposits in the fuel injectors or system. Also, use a Top Tier fuel as recommended by BMW to help maintain performance.

https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

[Kiemyster]

This is interesting.... I think the main issue is that your coming from a diesel so you have higher expectations. When you get out of the diesel and jump into an N55, you should actually feel uninspired lol. The feel of acceleration is completely different and way more aggressive in the diesels.

Either way, I am sure you don't want to hear that. Have you had the opportunity to drive another x335? Until you do and can really confirm there is a massive difference in performance between the two, I really don't think there is any way to move forward on this.

I highly recommend the LiquiMoly additive kit, I just did it to my F25 that I picked up with 40k miles and it is like a whole new car now. Really impressed with the results, seems like throttle response is better, smooth idle, eliminated 90% of ticking noises from the engine. link here: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/6-c...hoCMuAQAvD_BwE

[pungo]

What kind of numbers are the Sport display HP/Torque showing?

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by Kiemyster

This is interesting.... I think the main issue is that your coming from a diesel so you have higher expectations. When you get out of the diesel and jump into an N55, you should actually feel uninspired lol. The feel of acceleration is completely different and way more aggressive in the diesels.

Either way, I am sure you don't want to hear that. Have you had the opportunity to drive another x335? Until you do and can really confirm there is a massive difference in performance between the two, I really don't think there is any way to move forward on this.

I highly recommend the LiquiMoly additive kit, I just did it to my F25 that I picked up with 40k miles and it is like a whole new car now. Really impressed with the results, seems like throttle response is better, smooth idle, eliminated 90% of ticking noises from the engine. link here: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/6-c...hoCMuAQAvD_BwE

I would agree with you that nothing feels like the M57 diesel, especially once tuned but in comparison to our 2018 cx-9 with the sky active turbo, this thing feels like a turd! Mind you the 2.5T skyactive does make 10ftlbs more peak torque than the 35i engine, but 70hp less! Yes the cx-9 is technically a fwd, so less drivetrain loss compared to the x-drives, but I would assume the cx-9 to weigh a good bit more.

I hooked up torque pro and looked at boost just now. @ 3-4k rpm’s it makes around 7ish psi and then slowly increases boost to just over 9 with a peak to 9.6 psi but that is around 5-7k rpm’s. Is this typical boost behavior??? I am assuming this year (‘17) is a EWG engine? Will have to look into that, if so, than it probably wouldn’t suffer from bad turbo control solenoids etc.

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by pungo

What kind of numbers are the Sport display HP/Torque showing?

Hmm, not sure. Didn’t realize there was such a thing.

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

"...but in comparison to our 2018 cx-9 with the sky active turbo, this thing feels like a turd! Mind you the 2.5T skyactive does make 10ftlbs more peak torque than the 35i engine, but 70hp less! Yes the cx-9 is technically a fwd, so less drivetrain loss compared to the x-drives, but I would assume the cx-9 to weigh a good bit more.

Car & Driver tested a 2018 Mazda CX-9 and reported 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.
Car & Driver tested a 2015 BMW X3 35i and reported 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. This is not a small difference and the X3 is 1.8 seconds or 25% quicker to 60 mph in the C&D tests than the CX-9.

If your seat of the pants impression is the CX-9 out-accelerated your BMW X3, imho there is something wrong with your X3 or memory.

There are also performance tuner chips available for the X3 35i, if you want to go in that direction.
https://www.dinancars.com/product/d4...eries=&mid=X3/
https://www.racechip.us/shop/bmw/x3-...-300lb-ft.html

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

Hmm, not sure. Didn’t realize there was such a thing.

Really? my 2017 f25 X328i has the hp and torque displays on i drive, i forget exactly how to get there. I havent checked on my 2011 X335i, but I don't think the 2011 has it. I think it was part of the newer idrive systems for the f25

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

I would agree with you that nothing feels like the M57 diesel, especially once tuned but in comparison to our 2018 cx-9 with the sky active turbo, this thing feels like a turd! Mind you the 2.5T skyactive does make 10ftlbs more peak torque than the 35i engine, but 70hp less! Yes the cx-9 is technically a fwd, so less drivetrain loss compared to the x-drives, but I would assume the cx-9 to weigh a good bit more.

I hooked up torque pro and looked at boost just now. @ 3-4k rpm’s it makes around 7ish psi and then slowly increases boost to just over 9 with a peak to 9.6 psi but that is around 5-7k rpm’s. Is this typical boost behavior??? I am assuming this year (‘17) is a EWG engine? Will have to look into that, if so, than it probably wouldn’t suffer from bad turbo control solenoids etc.

Well, remember the mazdas have that linear acceleration input/output ratio, so like every other cheap junker on the road, a little tap on the gas and the car wants to leap forward, FWD makes it feel alot "faster" as it is more jerky. I am going to attribute this situation to the fact that the mazda has that toy car feeling and gives that much faster feel than actually going fast. Now, I have no experience with a diesel so cant speak to it, but based on what I have heard from others, diesel feels wayy faster than a petrol because torque. It is one thing to "feel" like you are going fast, and its another to actually go fast and feel it.

In my N55 which is theoretically faster than my N54, it feels slow, sluggish and uninspiring, but is actually going faster than the N54. The N54 feels like its a fucking F1 car on crack, but its actually going slower than the N55.

So, call your Mazda the N54 and the X3 the N55 and it all makes sense. My '18 CX-3 is such a piece of shit, feels like its going super fast, but I know its going nowhere fast lol. Their throttle setup is designed to give you the illusion of speed.

Do you work on your own cars? If not, then just take it to your shop or service center and let them diagnose the issue. btw, pics of the X3? lets see this thing with 25k miles!!

[shnaggs]

Pic of the x3 and I’ll throw in a pic of my 335d for good measure

I do work on my own cars, used to be a truck mechanic years ago and then worked on euro bikes for 5 years. So I’m pretty handy around tools. Did all the work on my D myself, albeit not always fun.

I hear ya, and don’t disagree kiemyster. Torque is a vary persuasive feeling, almost intoxicating. It is hard to gain a good base to measure by after driving something like the m57. Although I have driven many cars through my years, and maybe I’m just outta touch with reality, but this n55 feels like a NA engine to me. Maybe bmw purposely designed the n55 to feel like that, but then when I search these forums I get 50% of people saying how the n55 is a torque monster, and the other 50% asking how they can increase torque cause they feel the same as I do. So I guess I’m just confused as to how this engine is supposed to feel. At the same time I’m hesitant that a dealer will give me a straight answer knowing that the car is still under warranty.

[HPR]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

So I guess I’m just confused as to how this engine is supposed to feel.

I'd try and find an X3 N55 at a dealer or through a friend that may know someone who owns one. A test drive should give you a pretty good standard of comparison. I can tell you mine is not sluggish and pulls like a mother when you put your foot in it...very quick.

[Bufalo]

Where in Northeast PA are you? It's probably only an hour or so drive from where I am in Harrisburg, we could meet up and compare our identical '17 X3's and not as identical space gray E90's.

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

Pic of the x3 and I’ll throw in a pic of my 335d for good measure

I do work on my own cars, used to be a truck mechanic years ago and then worked on euro bikes for 5 years. So I’m pretty handy around tools. Did all the work on my D myself, albeit not always fun.

I hear ya, and don’t disagree kiemyster. Torque is a vary persuasive feeling, almost intoxicating. It is hard to gain a good base to measure by after driving something like the m57. Although I have driven many cars through my years, and maybe I’m just outta touch with reality, but this n55 feels like a NA engine to me. Maybe bmw purposely designed the n55 to feel like that, but then when I search these forums I get 50% of people saying how the n55 is a torque monster, and the other 50% asking how they can increase torque cause they feel the same as I do. So I guess I’m just confused as to how this engine is supposed to feel. At the same time I’m hesitant that a dealer will give me a straight answer knowing that the car is still under warranty.

damnnnn she looks GREAT! I love the wheels on it too, i never see them that often in person. The e90 looks boss as well, love the setup on that as well she looks like she can eat a pothole or two with ease.

Since you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, check all the obvious things first that are within your scope... I.e for me I try to do anything that does not require heavy duty specialized equipment (but don't ask me to remove a wheel bearing lol). So if you have the tools to service the part, check it. I highly suggest getting a carly scanner, really straightforward and has not failed me yet among the fleet of 8 BMWs I work on. Check for codes, refer to bentley publishers manual and check all faults. Also, check intake filter, pull out & inspect coil packs and spark plugs, do a quick vacuum leak check, use engine bay cam or dental mirror and fully inspect all engine connections. You know the drill.

Maybe check 0-60 times with a free on phone app? If you have hp/tq dispays via idrive, see what they read out. Curious to see how this plays out. But since it is covered by warranty, have them assign a master tech to go over the car and see what happens?

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by Bufalo

Where in Northeast PA are you? It's probably only an hour or so drive from where I am in Harrisburg, we could meet up and compare our identical '17 X3's and not as identical space gray E90's.

Bufalo, that would be great if you are up for it. I’m right near Kutztown PA, so right about 1hr away from Harrisburg.

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by Kiemyster

damnnnn she looks GREAT! I love the wheels on it too, i never see them that often in person. The e90 looks boss as well, love the setup on that as well she looks like she can eat a pothole or two with ease.

Since you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, check all the obvious things first that are within your scope... I.e for me I try to do anything that does not require heavy duty specialized equipment (but don't ask me to remove a wheel bearing lol). So if you have the tools to service the part, check it. I highly suggest getting a carly scanner, really straightforward and has not failed me yet among the fleet of 8 BMWs I work on. Check for codes, refer to bentley publishers manual and check all faults. Also, check intake filter, pull out & inspect coil packs and spark plugs, do a quick vacuum leak check, use engine bay cam or dental mirror and fully inspect all engine connections. You know the drill.

Maybe check 0-60 times with a free on phone app? If you have hp/tq dispays via idrive, see what they read out. Curious to see how this plays out. But since it is covered by warranty, have them assign a master tech to go over the car and see what happens?

Kiemyster, thanks for the kind words

Not a bad idea asking for a master tech to check everything out.

I have Carly already but just realized I need to buy another license for this car. Maybe this weekend I’ll get a chance to look over everything and see if anything pops up.

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

Kiemyster, thanks for the kind words

Not a bad idea asking for a master tech to check everything out.

I have Carly already but just realized I need to buy another license for this car. Maybe this weekend I’ll get a chance to look over everything and see if anything pops up.

wait, what? different license? Im confused, I have one subscription and I use it across 8 different BMW's without issue. It may be a thing with newer versions, if so, roll back to a version with release date around 11/18 and it should work.

I assume you tried plugging in carly and it prompted you to buy a new license?

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by Kiemyster

wait, what? different license? Im confused, I have one subscription and I use it across 8 different BMW's without issue. It may be a thing with newer versions, if so, roll back to a version with release date around 11/18 and it should work.

I assume you tried plugging in carly and it prompted you to buy a new license?

Yes that’s what happened, but it’s been a long time since I’ve used it on my car own car. Will have to look into this. I do have INPA or what ever it’s called, but it’s on a shitty ass laptop that hardly works. lol

[pungo]

Once I found out Carly requires yearly payments, I looked the other way.

[02420X3]

Originally Posted by pungo

Once I found out Carly requires yearly payments, I looked the other way.

+1

on subscription pricing models.

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by pungo

Once I found out Carly requires yearly payments, I looked the other way.

I can understand that, but its only $60 a year. I use it religiously as I maintain my personal fleet of 6 bmws plus on my boys car and the wife. So the amount of benefit I get outweighs the cost, at the least I am changing out 2 batteries a year plus do all of my own diagnostics and repairs unless it is something that requires heavy duty specialized equipment. I cant live without it, it is so nice to send reports to my email instantly.