[mcdanielvzw]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Having owned 3 different iterations of the E90... the steering is up there with one of the last things that I miss... right behind reliability lol.

The steering numbed your hands w the crappy suspension that was used on the e90s... did it have feel? yes it did... was it fast and responsiveness? not at all... unless you had an m3... was it tiring and made you feel any tiny pebble in the road? yes it did... i hated it after a while lol

the F80 M3 comp or Cs F87 M2C after numerous iterations of EPS was near perfect to me... it was fast, precise and had ENOUGH feel for 99% of drivers

the x3 M40 is exactly what I want in an SUV... not sure why anyone would want a rack that makes your hands numb in a 4.5k lb suv

Interesting, my hands never went numb in my 2009 328i e90 - that was driving for 45+ minutes at a time. That car in RWD was definitely reliable with regular transmission fluid changes, I loved it until I sold it. It's at 200k miles now.

[bocabimmer]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Having owned 3 different iterations of the E90... the steering is up there with one of the last things that I miss... right behind reliability lol.

The steering numbed your hands w the crappy suspension that was used on the e90s... did it have feel? yes it did... was it fast and responsiveness? not at all... unless you had an m3... was it tiring and made you feel any tiny pebble in the road? yes it did... i hated it after a while lol

the F80 M3 comp or Cs F87 M2C after numerous iterations of EPS was near perfect to me... it was fast, precise and had ENOUGH feel for 99% of drivers

the x3 M40 is exactly what I want in an SUV... not sure why anyone would want a rack that makes your hands numb in a 4.5k lb suv

I’m going to provide a dissenting opinion on that. Had a base 325 E90, 328 E92 with the sport package suspension and wheels (later with M3 components), and an F30 330i.

Hands down I’d take the feel over responsiveness any day of the week. Knowing when the tires were on the limits of adhesion or what effect the road surface was having was really important to me. I also was okay with the harshness of the suspension because of the benefits of what that gave me in input… even more so after I added those solid bushings from the M3. By comparison the F30 was limp, numb, and unpredictable.

Also had a E70 X5 to compare to the X3. Being SUVs I will say I put less emphasis on tail happy driving. That hydraulic rack was HARD to turn back then. Communicative? Yes. Did it serve a purpose? Not really. I do appreciate the EPS on the X3 because quite frankly I’m not pushing this car to near the same extent as a sedan.

I guess what I’m saying is on a 3, hydraulic… X3: EPS.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by bocabimmer

I’m going to provide a dissenting opinion on that. Had a base 325 E90, 328 E92 with the sport package suspension and wheels (later with M3 components), and an F30 330i.

Hands down I’d take the feel over responsiveness any day of the week. Knowing when the tires were on the limits of adhesion or what effect the road surface was having was really important to me. I also was okay with the harshness of the suspension because of the benefits of what that gave me in input… even more so after I added those solid bushings from the M3. By comparison the F30 was limp, numb, and unpredictable.

Also had a E70 X5 to compare to the X3. Being SUVs I will say I put less emphasis on tail happy driving. That hydraulic rack was HARD to turn back then. Communicative? Yes. Did it serve a purpose? Not really. I do appreciate the EPS on the X3 because quite frankly I’m not pushing this car to near the same extent as a sedan.

I'll have to dissent back a little

I too had a VERY rose colored glasses UNTIL... i drove other cars.

The E90 rack did have a lot of FEEL and at the time compared to other cars was awesome... HOWEVER, in the NON M cars, it was very slow and the amount of resistance the rack had made it VERY hard to drift, slide or frankly do anything quick with it... that combined w the non lsd open diff rear end on those cars made those cars IMHO feel terrible. The F30 first gen is absolute trash in terms of steering... I was embarrassed it was a BMW when I first drove it... HOWEVER, drive a G20 M340i... and see how good it is. My F87 M2 didn't have the most communicative rack BUT man was it worlds above anything E90 in terms of speed and fast driving... I could ALWAYS feel when it was about to let go... I think the X3 M40i rack in our cars is far too slow IMHO however I understand the decision as this is an SUV...everything else is perfectly fine for what is it.

[Plimmie]

Guys, the topic poster is looking to get him talked into an M40i instead of a 30. You guys with all the steering stuff are talking him out of any X3 ;-)

[gphin]

Originally Posted by Plimmie

Guys, the topic poster is looking to get him talked into an M40i instead of a 30. You guys with all the steering stuff are talking him out of any X3 ;-)

OP made his decision days ago. Thread way off topic now. Need to start a new one.

[Plimmie]

I didn’t get that he actually bought one… I know he was leaning towards the 30i. I understand he was still thinking about the dynamic handling package.

[DSM517]

I just replaced my 21' 30i with a 24 30i. I also was going back and forth about the 30i vs the 40i. I did like how the 40i drove and I was going to bite the bullet, but I did not. The reason was price. I typically lease and the M40i was just way to high. The 24’ is still $300+ more a month than my 21’. The 21’ and 21’ were pretty similar in price. The market for new cars is crazy. I ordered both from the dealer, but this time around I ordered the 24' with everything, including the Dynamic Handling Package. I did not have the handling on the 21'. I do say it makes the ride better. In Sport Plus its great. I definitely felt the difference and I am glad I got it. Attached is what I have in the 24.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by DSM517

I also was going back and forth about the 30i vs the 40i. I did like how the 40i drove and I was going to bite the bullet, but I did not. The reason was price. The market for new cars is crazy. I just replaced my 21' 30i with a 24 30i. I ordered both from the dealer, but this time around I ordered the 24' with everything, including the Dynamic Handling Package. I did not have the handling on the 21'. I do say it makes the ride better. In Sport Plus its great. I definitely felt the difference and I am glad I got it. Attached is what I have in the 24.

Congrats! Looks like you're just missing the wireless charger and/or digital key!

Does the Premium Package now include the HUD? I don't see it listed!

[DSM517]

Originally Posted by EWL5

Congrats! Looks like you're just missing the wireless charger and/or digital key!

Does the Premium Package now include the HUD? I don't see it listed!

Thank you! I do have the wireless charger and digital key. The wireless charger is on there, it’s near the bottom. Yes, I think the HUD is in the premium package. I do have it as well.

[mcdanielvzw]

Originally Posted by DSM517

I just replaced my 21' 30i with a 24 30i. I also was going back and forth about the 30i vs the 40i. I did like how the 40i drove and I was going to bite the bullet, but I did not. The reason was price. I typically lease and the M40i was just way to high. The 24’ is still $300+ more a month than my 21’. The 21’ and 21’ were pretty similar in price. The market for new cars is crazy. I ordered both from the dealer, but this time around I ordered the 24' with everything, including the Dynamic Handling Package. I did not have the handling on the 21'. I do say it makes the ride better. In Sport Plus its great. I definitely felt the difference and I am glad I got it. Attached is what I have in the 24.

Wow, your '24 30 MSRP is what my 2021 M40i was - $64970.00. I didn't buy new, but that was sticker. It looks good though!

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by mcdanielvzw

Wow, your '24 30 MSRP is what my 2021 M40i was - $64970.00. I didn't buy new, but that was sticker. It looks good though!

Car prices have gotten out of hand! The average car bought in the US as of Jan '24 did "drop" to $47k but goes to show how everyone is still riding inflationary prices!

There's never been a better time to consider a used car or buy out your lease!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by DSM517

I just replaced my 21' 30i with a 24 30i. I also was going back and forth about the 30i vs the 40i. I did like how the 40i drove and I was going to bite the bullet, but I did not. The reason was price. I typically lease and the M40i was just way to high. The 24’ is still $300+ more a month than my 21’. The 21’ and 21’ were pretty similar in price. The market for new cars is crazy. I ordered both from the dealer, but this time around I ordered the 24' with everything, including the Dynamic Handling Package. I did not have the handling on the 21'. I do say it makes the ride better. In Sport Plus its great. I definitely felt the difference and I am glad I got it. Attached is what I have in the 24.

Our overall selections were remarkably similar, other than exterior color, Driving Assistance, and a couple of standalone options. I agree strongly with you about Dynamic Handling and also the effect on engine mapping and transmission performance when in the Sport modes.

[DSM517]

Originally Posted by mcdanielvzw

Wow, your '24 30 MSRP is what my 2021 M40i was - $64970.00. I didn't buy new, but that was sticker. It looks good though!

Exactly, that’s why I didn’t go for the 40i this time. It was $75k with everything. I just did not want a payment of $1500/mo.

[Leem40i]

The bottom line after all these comments is that if you need someone to talk you in to an m40i you probably don't need one. Save your money. The typical person who's buying an m40i is more trying to figure out whether he should get the full m or not. If driving something with higher performance is not typically your style then don't waste your money. I need more people to pass on the highway anyway...lol