[Max Well]

Originally Posted by minn19

Pick it up this Friday or Saturday depending on winter tire set arrival and time to get to the dealer etc. Phytonic Blue with Black interior.

Early congratulations! That is my wife's exact combination as well (without the spare for us, not sure if you got the Mobility Kit or not). Here was an image I took when I met her at a local restaurant for lunch one day. Looking forward to your images when you take delivery.

[DimM3]

Originally Posted by Max Well

Early congratulations! That is my wife's exact combination as well (without the spare for us, not sure if you got the Mobility Kit or not). Here was an image I took when I met her at a local restaurant for lunch one day. Looking forward to your images when you take delivery.

I bet you are the only one in the world that husband and wife own a X3M each😃👍!

[ando]

Originally Posted by Max Well

Early congratulations! That is my wife's exact combination as well (without the spare for us, not sure if you got the Mobility Kit or not). Here was an image I took when I met her at a local restaurant for lunch one day. Looking forward to your images when you take delivery.

Best garage around with two X3 MCs. Did you both get the drivers package with the moonroof delete?

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by ando

Best garage around with two X3 MCs. Did you both get the drivers package with the moonroof delete?

Thanks, ando.

With the excellent deals in December we were fortunate to find one on the lot exactly like she would have spec'd (except for the moon roof). We'll never use it, but the savings were so great it just didn't make sense to order one with the M Drivers Pkg for her.

There really isn't another vehicle either of us would rather own, so for us it makes sense to have two of them but I can understand if some are shaking their heads wondering why. This gives us flexibility to take either vehicle on a drive or trip without compromising utility/cargo volume, performance or handling, so having two of the same fits our needs well.

[csh212]

Originally Posted by Mr. Bimmer

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.

I'd take the hump and spare tire over an electric pump and can of quick fix (mobility kit) every day of the week.

The tire sealant rarely works and when it does it's never permanent but the degradation of PTMS and rubber it causes is.

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by Max Well

Early congratulations! That is my wife's exact combination as well (without the spare for us, not sure if you got the Mobility Kit or not). Here was an image I took when I met her at a local restaurant for lunch one day. Looking forward to your images when you take delivery.

Now THAT is a quality pair there

[RoyB]

Originally Posted by csh212

I'd take the hump and spare tire over an electric pump and can of quick fix (mobility kit) every day of the week.

The tire sealant rarely works and when it does it's never permanent but the degradation of PTMS and rubber it causes is.

I agree.

I added a spare to one of my other cars that didn't come with one. Much more comfort knowing that I have one should I get a flat.

[spta97]

Originally Posted by Max Well

Thanks, ando.

With the excellent deals in December we were fortunate to find one on the lot exactly like she would have spec'd (except for the moon roof). We'll never use it, but the savings were so great it just didn't make sense to order one with the M Drivers Pkg for her.

There really isn't another vehicle either of us would rather own, so for us it makes sense to have two of them but I can understand if some are shaking their heads wondering why. This gives us flexibility to take either vehicle on a drive or trip without compromising utility/cargo volume, performance or handling, so having two of the same fits our needs well.

That’s all well and good, but who would win in a race?

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by spta97

That’s all well and good, but who would win in a race?

LOL - I've got a bit more experience with M School, a few days at the Strip, and I don't have the heavy moon roof, so for now I think I would.

But, as she has first dibs on the upcoming 2022 X3MCS, which is rumored to have an amazing channeled CFRP roof, factory tune with full OEM warranty at 610 crank HP, light-weight custom forged racing alloy wheels saving 40 lbs unsprung weight, wind-tunnel refined aerodynamic enhancements, and 80 lb weight reduction throughout the suspension and frame, she'll definitely smoke me then.

[Disclaimer: this is a purposeful hint to M Division and is not an actual rumor]

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by csh212

I'd take the hump and spare tire over an electric pump and can of quick fix (mobility kit) every day of the week. The tire sealant rarely works and when it does it's never permanent but the degradation of PTMS and rubber it causes is.

Originally Posted by RoyB

I agree. I added a spare to one of my other cars that didn't come with one. Much more comfort knowing that I have one should I get a flat.

I guess it's a matter of perspective depending on one's driving locations and needs. We don't drive through far-off, remote locations or in the middle of the night, and rarely have time-limited trips planned in which a strict schedule needs to be met, so even if I had a spare, there is no way I would try to replace a flat anywhere in downtown Jacksonville on I-95 or 1-10, nor would I anywhere on I-4 even remotely close to Tampa or Orlando. I don't trust the traffic flying by and it just isn't worth getting injured. I have the wheel and tire protection through BMW - I'll call for assist and wait eating snacks and drinks I always take on trips in case of emergency. And even if it occurred on a more lightly-traveled roadway, 50% of the year the heat index down here is usually over 100 degrees, and I'm not in my 20s anymore. It would be a different story if I was taking a cross-country trip through deserts or remote backwoods where assistance would be hard to come by - in that case I'd purchase a spare and place in the trunk just for the trip out of caution, but that kind of travel is nowhere on the horizon for us.

For the remainder of the 99.9% of the time I'm using our X3MC when the tires are healthy, I need the flexibility for having all of the usable cargo space I get by not having that hump (see post #15 in this thread), so just comes down to a matter of personal choice as to which provides the most sense in our individual situations.

[RoyB]

Originally Posted by Max Well

I guess it's a matter of perspective depending on one's driving locations and needs. We don't drive through far-off, remote locations or in the middle of the night, and rarely have time-limited trips planned in which a strict schedule needs to be met, so even if I had a spare, there is no way I would try to replace a flat anywhere in downtown Jacksonville on I-95 or 1-10, nor would I anywhere on I-4 even remotely close to Tampa or Orlando. I don't trust the traffic flying by and it just isn't worth getting injured. I have the wheel and tire protection through BMW - I'll call for assist and wait eating snacks and drinks I always take on trips in case of emergency. And even if it occurred on a more lightly-traveled roadway, 50% of the year the heat index down here is usually over 100 degrees, and I'm not in my 20s anymore. It would be a different story if I was taking a cross-country trip through deserts or remote backwoods where assistance would be hard to come by - in that case I'd purchase a spare and place in the trunk just for the trip out of caution, but that kind of travel is nowhere on the horizon for us.

For the remainder of the 99.9% of the time I'm using our X3MC when the tires are healthy, I need the flexibility for having all of the usable cargo space I get by not having that hump (see post #15 in this thread), so just comes down to a matter of personal choice as to which provides the most sense in our individual situations.

I believe in being over-prepared and don't like waiting for someone to come bail me out while I wait on the side of the road.

Case in point: I ordered a 2nd spare for my Camper and my truck for when we go camping. I don't rely on a single spare for those vehicles when traveling.

Sadly, the X3 I chose did not come with a spare and I am not sure if it's even possible to easily add one to this car.

I don't think you lose enough storage to not have the spare should you need it. If I need to haul, I use my truck.

[RoyB]

I decided to buy a plug kit to keep in the car instead of figuring out the spare tire thing.

I have one of these that I keep on my bike at all times I used it on one of my cars and it was so simple to use. Since the car already comes with a compressor, I just ordered a plug kit.

Just make sure you have a pliers to pull whatever is stuck in your tire out.

https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Go-1075-.../dp/B0018EUDHW

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by RoyB

I decided to buy a plug kit to keep in the car instead of figuring out the spare tire thing. ... Since the car already comes with a compressor, I just ordered a plug kit. Just make sure you have a pliers to pull whatever is stuck in your tire out.

Thanks for sharing, RoyB. Your comments (and others) prompted me to also research this a bit, so I also ordered 2 plug kits and portable compressors which will easily fit in our cargo sub-areas.

And as an aside, my wife and I took a 'Staycation' day trip down to Orlando in her X3MC today as it could use some more miles compared with mine. I've never enjoyed driving on congested high-speed Interstates more than I do in our X3MCs. Confidence across the board. Visually - 360 degrees situational awareness, power (I keep in Sport+/D3/Sport susp/Sport steering for highway) to avoid/anticipate potential issues, and knowledge of being able to handle the 85-90 mph fast lane flow if you need to - priceless.

And this image is for SWOT1 - suspect he's been there a few times.

[SWOT1]

Originally Posted by Max Well

And this image is for SWOT1 - suspect he's been there a few times.

I live less than ten min away. Next time give me the heads up and we'll meet for a few side-by-side pics!

[Max Well]

Originally Posted by SWOT1

I live less than ten min away. Next time give me the heads up and we'll meet for a few side-by-side pics!

Will do. It was literally a last minute decision - Tampa/St Pete vs Jax vs Panhandle vs Orlando. Decided as we were going out the driveway, so maybe next time.

That area has changed a lot since the last time we drove down - now looks like there are entire towns on the South side of the FL Turnpike which were just cattle pastures before (and years before that, orange groves). And the traffic - really glad we have our X3MCs!

[Max Well]

Another day trip on the Interstate today, so stopped at an exit for lunch and parked next to a black F-Pace (not an SVR). I've never seen them side-by-side so took this image. 360 degree visibility is key for me while driving, and this view seems to suggest it should be less in the F-Pace? Wondering if anyone who has driven one (or owns one now) can comment on that aspect?

[mondayze]

Originally Posted by Mr. Bimmer

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.

How have you liked your X3M?

[Gsavarese]

Seems helpful for those on the fence which X3 to choose

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/bmw...mpetition.html