[spuntyb]

Congratulations!

[Luminor513]

Congrats on the X3M. Very partial to your color as I had two F10 535i in dark graphite. I've seen a few X3M's at my local dealer and it definitely stands out, great looking package. Congrats again and enjoy the new ride.

[positiveions]

Congrats on the car. Your review is spot on. Hopefully you can do a 10k review and a 20k too.

[secretariat]

Congratulations on the X3M. It appears that you really like it so that's all that matters. A few things about your review 1)-"I would happily trade off daily usability for slightly slower downshifts" 2)-"Steering-What can I say it's not hydraulic but it's good enough" These statements turn me off about the car. My X5M is completely numb with steering, I use to drive the hydraulic versions back in the 90's and there was a feeling/connection with the car which was enjoyable. Now you have nothing. I never had a problem with the transmission in the X5M always shifts very fast but again slower downshifts why does there have to be a trade off. Other manufacturers solve this problem why not BMW?

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by secretariat

Congratulations on the X3M. It appears that you really like it so that's all that matters. A few things about your review 1)-"I would happily trade off daily usability for slightly slower downshifts" 2)-"Steering-What can I say it's not hydraulic but it's good enough" These statements turn me off about the car. My X5M is completely numb with steering, I use to drive the hydraulic versions back in the 90's and there was a feeling/connection with the car which was enjoyable. Now you have nothing. I never had a problem with the transmission in the X5M always shifts very fast but again slower downshifts why does there have to be a trade off. Other manufacturers solve this problem why not BMW?

Don't get me wrong, shifts are quick, but they aren't DCT/PDK. I haven't driven a better torque converter setup and I doubt there could be much improvement. I don't have any complaints about manual shifting in actual use and in auto mode it downshifts gears very quickly with a deep press of the throttle. Steering is not anything special but it is precise and has fair heft to it. I didn't test drive an X5M because it is too big for my needs (and my small garage!) but I am sure the X3M must be more sporting.

For me, I accept some of these compromises compared to buying let's say a new M4 or Cayman 718 GTS because I want the utility. It's an SUV and can't be 100% racecar. Macan has probably the best driving experience and lessens the compromises but it is down on power in all trims, has worse utility, and is WAY up on price. So for what it is, the X3M is a major accomplishment toward scratching the sports car itch while allowing for increased usefulness and outdoor recreation options, which are more important to me than dicing corners on track days.

[c5ride]

OP, did you order yours, or find it on a lot?

If so, and for anyone else here that did order theirs, I'm looking for lead times from order to delivery. I'm trying to get close to another lease end knowing I won't be exact, but not wanting to be 5 months apart.

I've heard everything from 45 days to 3-4 months.

Thanks for the input and congrats on your beautiful car!

[SteveSpy]

Originally Posted by Transfer

As many of you know I've been oogling the X3M for a very long time and waiting for the hourglass on my SQ5 lease to come up. That time has arrived and while saying goodbye to the Audi is actually a little bittersweet, the new era of X3M is delivering the car I've wanted for the last 7 years. I've had both gens of SQ5 because BMW took such an agonizing long time to bring this M car to market and also recently revisted a second ownership of E9x M3 for a while, trying to fit square pegs into the triangular hole that is my "perfect" car. Perfect for me is RWD biased AWD with the right diffs, lots of power and sharp response to my inputs, utility for recreational road trips, hauling dog, bikes, going skiing, light off road, and a vehicle that to me is a pinnacle in it's series and class. Our M340i xDrive is close in a number of these areas (goddamn is it fast), but misses that extra magic that would make it a true M car.

We all heard the rumors about X3M for years and as of last year FINALLY BMW makes an M car with AWD that is <$100k! I recently test drove an X3M base and a comp and decided the comp was the one for me. I watched the dealer lots for months and haggled for at least a month, eventually settling on my build after realizing my time was running out and placing an order for a car was going to significantly impact discount off MSRP as well as 2021s may not be available until June or later. So here it is, my X3M Competition in dark graphite over black!



Woooo-eee what a color. Gonna be a pain in the ass to maintain but damn it looks amazing. I was set on Donington and "settled" for dark graphite but at least for the time being absolutely no regrets. I picked it up down in Portland, drove the 200 miles back home and today went out for a 200 something mile romp over the mountains.

I only have just shy of 500 miles on the clock but I've already driven a 3 hour fall asleep boring interstate drive, city streets and alleys with broken pavement and potholes, an absolute blitzkrieg over the pass on winter worn interstate, and through country backroads with high and low speed corners, and dips and dives that can be crazy fun or can chuck you right off the road. I'm having a really hard time finding something this rig can't do.

Power: It's very very good. We all have different experiences and metrics for power but I'll put it this way... I've driven Model 3 Performance and considered Model Y Performance but I'm glad I didn't get the Tesla. The S58 power is excellent to me in this package. The new M3, well, we all know it's going to be insane.

Throttle, transmission: For just putt putting around, I'm surprised at how responsive it is. Yes there is boost threshold lag until about 3k RPMs but it will still move for basic around town driving even in efficient throttle and D1. If you want to ask it for any of the real available power though you've got to go to sport or sport+ throttle and D2 or manual shifting. I'm not yet sure where I would use D3. For really sporty driving keep the revs around 4k and you will be rewarded with instant power from the throttle. The transmission is quick and satisfying but this is no DCT, particularly on downshifts which are fine, but not cracking blips. No complaints from it though as I would happily trade off daily usability for slightly slower downshifts. I don't miss DCTs and their clunky issues.

Suspension: Have you owned or lived with an M3 before? What did you think of that? The X3M Comp suspension is so far exactly what I was hoping for and with many properties of an M car but with significant added comfort. It is firm and not cushy but it is by no means harsh or crashy. To me, M3s are crashy at times, banging off road hazards and the X3M doesn't do that. You get suspension travel that rebounds quickly and firmly but is well damped at all times. It is slightly busy compared to average cars but very liveable and allows for truly amazing handling. Also the range from comfort to sport+ is very real. In comfort, take a high speed sweeper and you'll feel a little subtle squishiness. Click it into sport or sport+ while in that sweeper and it will immediately hunker down further with each step up in stiffness. All three suspension modes have a purpose and are useful. I've been spending time in each mode with sport being the favorite so far but I will be using all of them on the street depending on the driving conditions.

Handling: People have been saying it for a while now and it's true, this thing corners flat, particularly in sport and sport+ suspension. You shouldn't be able to change direction in a heavy, tall car like this, but it grips and goes. In MDM with M-xDrive you can feel the diff keeping the power to the outside and rotating the chassis. Yes you also feel some of the weight but it really is a marvel in the corners. Once I learn the 8 out of 10 limits a little better, I am sure I won't desire a sports coupe for a long time.

Steering: What can I say, it's not hydraulic, but it's good enough. I don't mind the steering and it's something that kind of fades to the background a bit in the twisties but I do notice it's a tad busy on the interstate. I can't tell if the Continental tires are tramlining, or there is wind, or if the whole car just likes to grab wind and occasionally give a subtle pull left or right, but you have to be paying attention on the interstate. It's not bad, and the car is steady as a tank but small steering inputs were common. On the twisties I never felt this was a thing. I'm changing to PS4S this week so will see if that changes the freeway feel.

Interior/Exterior: The in and out looks are great. I won't belabor more text but in person I really dig the subtle under the radar look of this M car. If you want to be flashy, certainly pick a brighter color but don't expect the X3M to be anything other than a shiny expensive looking BMW to most people. Interior comfort to me is fantastic. I love these seats and haven't had any back pain so far which I haven't said in a long time. The lower seat cushion bolsters are slim and I fit in them, just barely, but could see larger individuals having a real problem with that. A+ for the seats IMO.

So there you go, that's enough. If you made it this far, congrats I'll buy you an ice cream some time. Hope you enjoyed another perspective and to sum it up I am so far incredibly happy with this purchase. Thank you BMW for finally getting your shit together and giving us an X3M.

Some more pics from my drive today:

You've done well, but then again, I'm biased

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by c5ride

OP, did you order yours, or find it on a lot?

If so, and for anyone else here that did order theirs, I'm looking for lead times from order to delivery. I'm trying to get close to another lease end knowing I won't be exact, but not wanting to be 5 months apart.

I've heard everything from 45 days to 3-4 months.

Thanks for the input and congrats on your beautiful car!

Thanks! I bought off the lot because 2021 production was supposed to start in April but was shut down. Build time to delivery should be like 3-5 weeks once production begins since they are built in S. Carolina. Getting an allocation on a 2021 vehicle and seeing production start may be the challenge.

[Jaszm]

that is such a gorgeous spec. i'm in love

[clee1982]

Great write up

[ppahal]

Congrats, welcome to the X3MC Club! Trust me this whip never gets boring!

[Sebap3]

Love the color, it was my second choice after Donington.
Also, great write up. I agree with everything you wore. It has the perfect balance between power, handling and suspension.

I also considered the Model Y performance for the tech and speed. But this is just as fast, sounds amazing, and has a much nicer interior.

[lago1974]

I absolutely love this machine. The color combo is perfect too. Really makes me wish I was in the market for something new.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Transfer - she's an absolute beauty & I can't wait for mine to arrive next month...

[w2blw_x3m]

Awesome enjoy fella👍🏼

[Transfer]

Since this got bumped up I will update now that I'm at 12k miles and almost a year of ownership.

Everything that I've said so far in this thread still holds up. The last 5 months I've been driving on winter Pirelli Scorpion Winter 255/45/20 square setup and they have not adversely affected handling at all. The suspension softened a small but noticeable amount around 1500-2000 miles in and while the althleticism remains and it is a firm (occasionally bouncy) ride, it is fairly soft over road imperfections, bumps, and to me is a very good compromise suspension for daily and sporty use.

I've become very familiar now with the handling and drivetrain characteristics and let me tell you this thing is a blistering rocket when you know how to manage the throttle and gears. You certainly have to keep the revs up, and power is quite linear feeling very similar to a much more potent S65 although the >3k RPM power is far more torque than the NA motor. Power carries all the way to 7k RPMs and I do hit redline with fuel cutoff occasionally because I want to keep going, plus the transmission is not the best for manual redline shifting. I've learned that starting between 60-70 mph, a 3rd gear pull to redline (90 mph?) is the true sweet spot of this S58. 5-7k RPMs is so good, I can't wait to drive the G80.

For handling, I've learned most of the limits and have found some understeer but this is rare and seems to be fixable with more throttle. Corner speed limits are very high and I keep pushing my speed higher on an off ramp corner sweeper near home, recently getting to 75 mph (on winter tires no less) making me question the sanity of pushing much faster. You do absolutely feel the weight shift at speed during initial turn-in setup but it holds a line like it has no right to do. The sensitive steering is fantastic when you're having fun but the tramline feeling on the interstate has persisted and can be annoying. The car will pull in whatever direction the road and steering guide it and you better hold on to that wheel at all times. The traction is so strong that it almost feels like torque steer in certain situations.

A couple of special usage notes over the last year for me:
1) I took it to the track! That discussion can be found here https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1761331
2) I've driven it in significant snow and that discussion is here https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...3&postcount=76
3) I added a stealth hitch and regularly take it into the mountains such as here https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...postcount=1332
4) Front window tint https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...postcount=1447
5) Winter wheel/tire setup info here https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=53
6) Gas mileage about 15 mpg all usage, but rarely taking it easy on the throttle.

All in all very happy with the X3M competition. The only thing I would change is make the steering a smidge less sensitive.
Next up is swap the M340i for a G8X AWD...

[Razel]

Thanks for the write-ups. Good reads.
Who was your CA when you bought this from Portland?

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by Razel

Thanks for the write-ups. Good reads.
Who was your CA when you bought this from Portland?

David Padgalskas. He's great, no nonsense.