[allan1630]

Hi folks , that's me 800miles into my x4m ownership! I had done all the reviews prior to purchasing and was expecting a really poor ride quality. I can only say what a load of crap some of these YouTube so called experts talk, the car feels refined and comfortable and for a full m car very well behaved on the road even on the poorest Scottish roads I have been on. How has everyone else found the ride???

[aliwtsn]

I have to agree, 400 miles in I didn't move from comfort setting suspension (pre RIS) and thought WTF is this all about ....BMW got this wrong.....but then someone suggested sport instead and well that was a game changer never taken in out of sport suspension and has been the best yet.

I tried various SUV's and SAV's prior to that ranging from £75k to £120k and I have to say this X3MCP has nailed it .....I can't complain with body roll or anything it's exactly what I paid the money for !

[Zero71]

I took a 530d out for a test drive over some shitty roads around Giffnock yesterday. I expected to be wowed by plushness compared to the X3MC, but wasn't. Seats were better in the 5 though.

[DAC17]

I think it all depends on what your expectations are. I came out of a 2019 C7 Corvette (needed some extra space for the grandkiddies!), and find the X3Mc to be entirely fitting to it's performance status.

[daltonvaas]

I agree, I don't think the ride is anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be, it's mainly the road noise that's annoying, I've said in the past I believe the excessive road noise/tyre roar on poor surfaces exacerbates the stiffer ride quality.

I'm 2000 miles in and I can say that in my opinion the ride has softened a bit more (to the extent that I now user the sport suspension setting sometimes as otherwise the car 'bounces' too much for my liking)

Agree with Zero71 I took my friends 840i out expecting it to be ultra plush on the bad roads near me but it wasn't, the main difference was as I said the lack of cabin noise and tyre roar on the poor roads.

[dkhm3]

I think it rides harsher than my old 16 X5m and definitely harsher than my 911.

It’s slightly less harsh than my f80 m3.

[Craig 1527]

Totally agree about the bad press I have no complaint's about the ride comfort at all neither does my wife so win win.
I also drive in sport setting on suspension and its perfect for me.

[Zero71]

I think you only really notice the harsh ride when pushing harder. At sensible speeds it's fine.

[Carmicro]

I came from a g30 msport with 20 inch wheels and low profile tyres and the x3 imho rides better. Most reviews they instantly think “suv” so it must be very smooth they don’t understand this is not possible if you want a true M in this format. The x3 handles better than most rivals and yes it is stiff but what do you expect? Without the M setup it would be half the car. If BMW wanted to soften the ride it would be compromised so they didn’t.

[Macanakey]

Originally Posted by dkhm3

I think it rides harsher than my old 16 X5m and definitely harsher than my 911.

It’s slightly less harsh than my f80 m3.

What iteration of 911? I've been driving our 991.1 GTS & the GTS is definitely a harsher ride than the X3 is. My dainty & delicate tuchus feels every bump in the road in the GTS. The X3 is rough, but not nearly as much.

[dkhm3]

Originally Posted by Macanakey

What iteration of 911? I've been driving our 991.1 GTS & the GTS is definitely a harsher ride than the X3 is. My dainty & delicate tuchus feels every bump in the road in the GTS. The X3 is rough, but not nearly as much.

991.2 c2s i have Sport pasm, under the softest setting my ride is amazing, not to mention the 18 way seats are very well cushioned and bolstered. I have no complaints.

[sayemthree]

It’s too soft for me

[Wills2]

It doesn't like cats eyes (but no M car likes those) the damping is brilliant though at speed it never crashes or bangs. Firm does not equal harsh (look it up in the dictionary)

[Tweaksta]

2011 X3 M-spec here: I bought the car about 2 weeks ago and the previous owner sold the runflats and fitted 19" rims with 50 profile tyres. Australia has some pretty poor roads which easily get damaged. The tyres recommend pressures of 40 PSI. I've got mine on 29 PSI and it's still harsh. Sport plus mode is almost unusable.

Councils tend to just patch up potholes and imperfections which only makes the road bumpier. I must say, some roads are woeful and sometimes my car will bounce and bump so significantly that the steering column and dash shake painfully. I'm certain I've got new dashboard squeaks and groans due to the impacts I've had. The gravel road through a national park a few days ago to get to a picnic was so bad I couldn't keep up with a Camry.

I've now bought a set of 18 inch rims with 55 series tyres. Before buying I did a test fitting on one wheel and taking it for a test drive was amazing.

The car has 130,000 km on the clock. Has anyone replaced the shocks and at what mileage was it performed? i.e what is the working life of the shocks?

[M3Pilot09]

Bottom line is the people complaining need be driving a Lexus RX. I have had 16 M cars and have enjoyed the aggressive ride in every one of them.

[FBF01]

The ride is brutal and very harsh over speedbumps and the cobbles of Edinburgh, its almost laughable when you have a passenger sitting alongside

[Offer50Fives]

After seeing so much about this, I was expecting a very harsh ride when I picked up my x3m this weekend. After a full tank of driving, I have 0 issues with the ride quality. I've driven quite a few different people so far and I kept asking them is it harsh and they all say the ride is great so to me it's really just nitpicking.

[MackSea70]

Wow. Sign me up for a Lexus I guess. No seriously here's my thoughts.

I've had a bunch of BMWs - this is my third M (had some Porsche in the past as well).

The ride in the F97 is the worst by far of them all. The key word here is harsh. My F80 was firm - very firm and definitely could be harsh. However, the F97 is just harsh over everything with WAY too much rebound in the dampers - this leads to a jarring / uncontrolled feeling.

I was ok with super firm in my F80 platform - because it's the "ultimate" M car. My F90 BTW - very firm, not at all harsh (but also not as precise as the F80). But I'm not ok w the harshness in a SUV - I don't give a crap that it has an M badge on the back - it's not a track car it's a SUV w a great engine.

For reference, drove my neighbor's X5MC - same comment waaaaaaay too harsh over even the smallest expansion joints.

I guess it's pretty obvious I'm not a fan of my F97 and am counting down the days until I can get back into a F90. . I picked up the F97 to have something to drive while I'm playing the allocation waiting game.

[harperium]

I have a pre-LCI X3MC. For me it's not the harshness or firmness of the suspension - all the 3 modes are very similar in firmness. It's the side-to-side jostling that occurs. Comfort is the worst. Sport and Sport+ are better with Sport+ controlling all the side-to-side jostling. I drive in Sport almost 100% of the time now.

I had a Lincoln Navigator for an Uber recently - that car, over the roads I drive, was way more bouncy and jostled us around a lot.

[95wildtt]

Originally Posted by harperium

I have a pre-LCI X3MC. For me it's not the harshness or firmness of the suspension - all the 3 modes are very similar in firmness. It's the side-to-side jostling that occurs. Comfort is the worst. Sport and Sport+ are better with Sport+ controlling all the side-to-side jostling. I drive in Sport almost 100% of the time now.

Agreed, me too... 2020 X4MC

[fatalius]

I think it is time to put an end to this myth, at least for the LCI. The ride is firm but exactly as expected (and wished) for an M car and not at all "uncomfortable". Wife and 2 small children just love it and not once have they expressed any complaint about the ride.

[jareedo]

Another from Scotland here - wouldn't say the roads in the North East are very well maintained but the X3M Comp does a great job - I also read all the reviews and was a little apprehensive. No need.