[onthercks07]

Thought I would share a few thoughts after 4 months with Alessandra, my 2021 X3 M40i

Executive pkg
Driver's assistance pkg
Shadowline pkg
20'' wheels
M sport differential
Adaptive M suspension
Tow hitch
Space Saver Spare
Harmon Kardon system

MODS:
50% Front/Rear 3M crystalline window tint
70% moonroof 3M crystalline window tint
PPF front, sides, hood, lower fenders

Overall, I love this car and adore it everyday. This is going to sound like a list of complaints but no car is perfect. And no, none of these issues would make me reconsider buying the car.

1. BMW roadside assistance is USELESS and the spare tire is ESSENTIAL.
I commute a lot, nearly 60 miles a day. And I got my first "flat" on my run-flat tires in the 2nd week I owned the car. In the Bay area, we have an insane amount of debris from the endless construction and someone thoughtfully left a jagged allen wrench on the highway. Tire was not drivable but was luckily repairable at America's Tire. So much for "run"-flat tires.

Called BMW assistance - busy signal or just rang forever and took me into endless automated menu hell. This was a Weds evening before 7 pm. Completely useless. Called AAA, 1 hour to come out to me. I said screw it and put on the spare myself. A can of fix a flat would have been worthless in my situation and burned my OEM tire with plenty of life left in the tread.

2. Run flat OEM Bridgestone Alenzas do NOT work in the cold. I was fortunate I found this out during a particularly brisk morning in Sacramento before I attempted to go to Tahoe. But these summer RFTs are downright dangerous when the temp goes below 40F and lose virtually all grip, which is actually per spec. So yes, you have an $60000 plus ALL WHEEL DRIVE car that cannot actually be driven in the snow until you change the tires. Incredible.

3. IDrive is not the most reliable system. Wireless carplay is great, until it doesn't work. Almost every week, something weird will happen. Random disconnections. Radio not working or turning on. Luckily, it usually is self-limited to either just a few seconds or a single drive. Often is fixed by resetting my iphone or turning the car on/off. Hasn't been bad enough to ask for a look-see but something to monitor as my iphone's updates outpace BMW.

4. Active shutters are expensive, had a joint fail and require replacement under warranty. Without warranty this would've cost $1900.

5. Window tint is crucial. The moonroof is incredible on this car and the visibility is fantastic but that means there is a lot of window surface in this car. I tinted everything except the front and back windows and this cut down on heat/glare considerably. Highly recommend tint, cyrstalline if you can afford it.

6. PPF is critical. The frontal area of this car is big and if you drive a lot, you're going to pick up a lot of debris. Highly recommend PPF at least to cover your frontside. Choose a reputable shop because the front surfaces are complex and amateurs will screw this up.

7. Gas mileage has been excellent - avg speeds of 75-80 mph on highway and you can expect 24-26 mpg. Gentle highway use 65-72 and you'll see 28-30 mpg. City mileage with gentle use is 21-22. Perfectly in line with my expectations.

8. Sport mode is hilariously fast. I think I would have killed myself with the X3M because as it stands, the sports mode acceleration 0-60 is insane. I think the 4.5 seconds est is too long given how many AMG cars I've dusted.

9. Adaptive suspension is critical. The ride is firm but livable but I cannot imagine having the 20 inch wheels without it.

10. M differential is awesome, I can keep up with 911s on twisty roads, much to their dismay.

11. Executive package is fairly worth it, depending on what you want
a) Ambient lighting is fantastic and gets the ladies all excited.
b) HUD is easy to use and makes my Tesla look bad
c) Gesture control is useless and is the first thing I disabled
d) Parking assistance package is a mixed bag. You're never going to have enough free time to have your car park itself. But the surround view and parking sensors are excellent. Auto-stop from rear cross traffic has already saved me from an accident.
e) Heated steering wheel - almost an essential.

12. Oyster leather looks fantastic and holds up very well. I admit to being nervous about this but have had plenty of passengers with jeans with no staining whatsoever. Easy to clean as well.

13. You don't need ventilated seats. I opted not to have the ventilated seats because many in the forums noted how uncomfortable they were. Given how comfortable these seats are and the fact that I've never had any issue with a sweaty back, I have not regretted saving some money.

14. Harmon Kardon system is excellent. Base BMW systems are not. Get it.

15. ConnectedBMW app is great. Don't upgrade to the new version until they make you. Basically gives you as much functionality as a Tesla app (almost).

Hope this helps, love this forum and all the advice it gave me!

[StellersJay]

Great stuff and agree just about everything.

Considering PPF as well, I'm also in the bay and notice a ton of debris. Also picking up a lot of tiny windshield chips in my 2000 miles so far.

Where did you go for PPF?

[Banana Clipper]

Repair a run flat? Stevens Creek America Tire told me no way do you patch a run flat when my wife caught a nail....��

[MangoSlush]

Originally Posted by onthercks07

13. You don't need ventilated seats. I opted not to have the ventilated seats because many in the forums noted how uncomfortable they were. Given how comfortable these seats are and the fact that I've never had any issue with a sweaty back, I have not regretted saving some money.

I recently picked a fully loaded CPO 2018 M40i with only 26K miles. Being fully loaded meant that it came with ventilated seats also. I wish I came across the posts complaining about the ventilated seats ahead of time. I can live with the firmness of the seats, it doesn't bother me but coming from an F36 i hate that it doesn't have the side bolsterings. I want to be able to carve windy roads without being tossed around in my seat.

[leon360x]

The sub M-models are really good, for people who love powerful cars but don't do tracks is a perfect answer. Test drove a M440i last month, both me and my wife like that a lot, so planning to get aM340i or M440i later this year, before switch to EVs.

[satz]

Have you been using Sport mode or Sport Plus mode more often?
Would be good to get your views on both.
From gut feeling on my car I feel that generally Sport mode feels quicker than Sport Plus....but surely that can't be right

Originally Posted by onthercks07

Thought I would share a few thoughts after 4 months with Alessandra, my 2021 X3 M40i

Executive pkg
Driver's assistance pkg
Shadowline pkg
20'' wheels
M sport differential
Adaptive M suspension
Tow hitch
Space Saver Spare
Harmon Kardon system

MODS:
50% Front/Rear 3M crystalline window tint
70% moonroof 3M crystalline window tint
PPF front, sides, hood, lower fenders

Overall, I love this car and adore it everyday. This is going to sound like a list of complaints but no car is perfect. And no, none of these issues would make me reconsider buying the car.

1. BMW roadside assistance is USELESS and the spare tire is ESSENTIAL.
I commute a lot, nearly 60 miles a day. And I got my first "flat" on my run-flat tires in the 2nd week I owned the car. In the Bay area, we have an insane amount of debris from the endless construction and someone thoughtfully left a jagged allen wrench on the highway. Tire was not drivable but was luckily repairable at America's Tire. So much for "run"-flat tires.

Called BMW assistance - busy signal or just rang forever and took me into endless automated menu hell. This was a Weds evening before 7 pm. Completely useless. Called AAA, 1 hour to come out to me. I said screw it and put on the spare myself. A can of fix a flat would have been worthless in my situation and burned my OEM tire with plenty of life left in the tread.

2. Run flat OEM Bridgestone Alenzas do NOT work in the cold. I was fortunate I found this out during a particularly brisk morning in Sacramento before I attempted to go to Tahoe. But these summer RFTs are downright dangerous when the temp goes below 40F and lose virtually all grip, which is actually per spec. So yes, you have an $60000 plus ALL WHEEL DRIVE car that cannot actually be driven in the snow until you change the tires. Incredible.

3. IDrive is not the most reliable system. Wireless carplay is great, until it doesn't work. Almost every week, something weird will happen. Random disconnections. Radio not working or turning on. Luckily, it usually is self-limited to either just a few seconds or a single drive. Often is fixed by resetting my iphone or turning the car on/off. Hasn't been bad enough to ask for a look-see but something to monitor as my iphone's updates outpace BMW.

4. Active shutters are expensive, had a joint fail and require replacement under warranty. Without warranty this would've cost $1900.

5. Window tint is crucial. The moonroof is incredible on this car and the visibility is fantastic but that means there is a lot of window surface in this car. I tinted everything except the front and back windows and this cut down on heat/glare considerably. Highly recommend tint, cyrstalline if you can afford it.

6. PPF is critical. The frontal area of this car is big and if you drive a lot, you're going to pick up a lot of debris. Highly recommend PPF at least to cover your frontside. Choose a reputable shop because the front surfaces are complex and amateurs will screw this up.

7. Gas mileage has been excellent - avg speeds of 75-80 mph on highway and you can expect 24-26 mpg. Gentle highway use 65-72 and you'll see 28-30 mpg. City mileage with gentle use is 21-22. Perfectly in line with my expectations.

8. Sport mode is hilariously fast. I think I would have killed myself with the X3M because as it stands, the sports mode acceleration 0-60 is insane. I think the 4.5 seconds est is too long given how many AMG cars I've dusted.

9. Adaptive suspension is critical. The ride is firm but livable but I cannot imagine having the 20 inch wheels without it.

10. M differential is awesome, I can keep up with 911s on twisty roads, much to their dismay.

11. Executive package is fairly worth it, depending on what you want
a) Ambient lighting is fantastic and gets the ladies all excited.
b) HUD is easy to use and makes my Tesla look bad
c) Gesture control is useless and is the first thing I disabled
d) Parking assistance package is a mixed bag. You're never going to have enough free time to have your car park itself. But the surround view and parking sensors are excellent. Auto-stop from rear cross traffic has already saved me from an accident.
e) Heated steering wheel - almost an essential.

12. Oyster leather looks fantastic and holds up very well. I admit to being nervous about this but have had plenty of passengers with jeans with no staining whatsoever. Easy to clean as well.

13. You don't need ventilated seats. I opted not to have the ventilated seats because many in the forums noted how uncomfortable they were. Given how comfortable these seats are and the fact that I've never had any issue with a sweaty back, I have not regretted saving some money.

14. Harmon Kardon system is excellent. Base BMW systems are not. Get it.

15. ConnectedBMW app is great. Don't upgrade to the new version until they make you. Basically gives you as much functionality as a Tesla app (almost).

Hope this helps, love this forum and all the advice it gave me!

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by onthercks07

2. Run flat OEM Bridgestone Alenzas do NOT work in the cold. I was fortunate I found this out during a particularly brisk morning in Sacramento before I attempted to go to Tahoe. But these summer RFTs are downright dangerous when the temp goes below 40F and lose virtually all grip, which is actually per spec. So yes, you have an $60000 plus ALL WHEEL DRIVE car that cannot actually be driven in the snow until you change the tires. Incredible.

My vehicle is basically like yours except I did not get the Shadowline Pkg, which if I could do it over again I would. And I have 19" wheels with the Bridgestone Alenzas, which for my car were listed as summer performance tires, so I wouldn't expect them to perform well under 40 degrees F. I live near Sacramento in the foothills, but I haven't noticed them to be as slippery as the OEM RFTs I had on my 335d originally. But even without trying the Alenzas out in "slippery" conditions, I wouldn't ever take them in the snow or serious cold; they're not designed for that. Summer rubber doesn't like cold.

I like the car a lot. I can hot rod when I want or drive like a grandpa when I want, and the car cooperates. When the Alenzas wear out I will likely use the 19" wheels for snow or semi-all-terrain tires, and buy some good 20" wheels and put non-RFT Michelins on them; on the other hand I might just stay with 19".

Back to the cold performance: I also have a Subaru Forester and it also doesn't like summer or all-weather tires in the cold. So when I took it over the pass on I-5 over the OR-CA border, I was able to just press on while many other vehicles AWD and 4WD were off the road in the median or the shoulder, but I was driving Michelin X-Ice3 tires. Cold weather rubber makes all the difference in the world.

I also got PPF for all the high-impact surfaces and ceramic coating all over on top of that. I used a company called Detail Maniac in Sacto. I was noticing the front was not going to last long. Now I just take a wet cloth and wipe off the bugs when I get it back home in the garage.

[GS - X3]

Those 911s you are keeping up with must be driven by little old ladies on their way to Sunday services.

[methodtim]

The options I got are worth it, and those I didn't aren't needed. Check!

[Yellowmattei]

Originally Posted by Banana Clipper

Repair a run flat? Stevens Creek America Tire told me no way do you patch a run flat when my wife caught a nail....��

Not true - repairing the rubber most places on the tread is no problem. It's when the screw is on or near the sidewall that you can't repair it, but that's true of any tire. I've picked up screws and nails on my last two BMW's with RFT's, and repaired all of them without issue.

[Alias1431]

Originally Posted by satz

Have you been using Sport mode or Sport Plus mode more often?
Would be good to get your views on both.
From gut feeling on my car I feel that generally Sport mode feels quicker than Sport Plus....but surely that can't be right

I think Sport+ keeps it a gear higher than Sport. Might be wrong. But if not, that means you'll get more engine braking when you're not on the gas. It's good in track use, which is what Sport+ is meant for.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by Alias1431

I think Sport+ keeps it a gear higher than Sport. Might be wrong. But if not, that means you'll get more engine braking when you're not on the gas. It's good in track use, which is what Sport+ is meant for.

Did you mean a "gear lower" instead of a "gear higher"? I guess it depends on whether you were thinking of the gear ratio or the assigned gear number, right?

[Grand Moff Alpina]

Originally Posted by onthercks07

Thought I would share a few thoughts after 4 months with Alessandra, my 2021 X3 M40i

Executive pkg
Driver's assistance pkg
Shadowline pkg
20'' wheels
M sport differential
Adaptive M suspension
Tow hitch
Space Saver Spare
Harmon Kardon system

MODS:
50% Front/Rear 3M crystalline window tint
70% moonroof 3M crystalline window tint
PPF front, sides, hood, lower fenders

Overall, I love this car and adore it everyday. This is going to sound like a list of complaints but no car is perfect. And no, none of these issues would make me reconsider buying the car.

1. BMW roadside assistance is USELESS and the spare tire is ESSENTIAL.
I commute a lot, nearly 60 miles a day. And I got my first "flat" on my run-flat tires in the 2nd week I owned the car. In the Bay area, we have an insane amount of debris from the endless construction and someone thoughtfully left a jagged allen wrench on the highway. Tire was not drivable but was luckily repairable at America's Tire. So much for "run"-flat tires.

Called BMW assistance - busy signal or just rang forever and took me into endless automated menu hell. This was a Weds evening before 7 pm. Completely useless. Called AAA, 1 hour to come out to me. I said screw it and put on the spare myself. A can of fix a flat would have been worthless in my situation and burned my OEM tire with plenty of life left in the tread.

2. Run flat OEM Bridgestone Alenzas do NOT work in the cold. I was fortunate I found this out during a particularly brisk morning in Sacramento before I attempted to go to Tahoe. But these summer RFTs are downright dangerous when the temp goes below 40F and lose virtually all grip, which is actually per spec. So yes, you have an $60000 plus ALL WHEEL DRIVE car that cannot actually be driven in the snow until you change the tires. Incredible.

3. IDrive is not the most reliable system. Wireless carplay is great, until it doesn't work. Almost every week, something weird will happen. Random disconnections. Radio not working or turning on. Luckily, it usually is self-limited to either just a few seconds or a single drive. Often is fixed by resetting my iphone or turning the car on/off. Hasn't been bad enough to ask for a look-see but something to monitor as my iphone's updates outpace BMW.

4. Active shutters are expensive, had a joint fail and require replacement under warranty. Without warranty this would've cost $1900.

5. Window tint is crucial. The moonroof is incredible on this car and the visibility is fantastic but that means there is a lot of window surface in this car. I tinted everything except the front and back windows and this cut down on heat/glare considerably. Highly recommend tint, cyrstalline if you can afford it.

6. PPF is critical. The frontal area of this car is big and if you drive a lot, you're going to pick up a lot of debris. Highly recommend PPF at least to cover your frontside. Choose a reputable shop because the front surfaces are complex and amateurs will screw this up.

7. Gas mileage has been excellent - avg speeds of 75-80 mph on highway and you can expect 24-26 mpg. Gentle highway use 65-72 and you'll see 28-30 mpg. City mileage with gentle use is 21-22. Perfectly in line with my expectations.

8. Sport mode is hilariously fast. I think I would have killed myself with the X3M because as it stands, the sports mode acceleration 0-60 is insane. I think the 4.5 seconds est is too long given how many AMG cars I've dusted.

9. Adaptive suspension is critical. The ride is firm but livable but I cannot imagine having the 20 inch wheels without it.

10. M differential is awesome, I can keep up with 911s on twisty roads, much to their dismay.

11. Executive package is fairly worth it, depending on what you want
a) Ambient lighting is fantastic and gets the ladies all excited.
b) HUD is easy to use and makes my Tesla look bad
c) Gesture control is useless and is the first thing I disabled
d) Parking assistance package is a mixed bag. You're never going to have enough free time to have your car park itself. But the surround view and parking sensors are excellent. Auto-stop from rear cross traffic has already saved me from an accident.
e) Heated steering wheel - almost an essential.

12. Oyster leather looks fantastic and holds up very well. I admit to being nervous about this but have had plenty of passengers with jeans with no staining whatsoever. Easy to clean as well.

13. You don't need ventilated seats. I opted not to have the ventilated seats because many in the forums noted how uncomfortable they were. Given how comfortable these seats are and the fact that I've never had any issue with a sweaty back, I have not regretted saving some money.

14. Harmon Kardon system is excellent. Base BMW systems are not. Get it.

15. ConnectedBMW app is great. Don't upgrade to the new version until they make you. Basically gives you as much functionality as a Tesla app (almost).

Hope this helps, love this forum and all the advice it gave me!

Thanks for sharing so much info. Nice spec on your X3 too!

Question: Do you feel like the vehicle would significantly suffer if you had the same spec only withOUT the M Differential? (at least in non-road course or truly hard driving situations)

[prototyp]

Great roundup... Agreed. Have nearly the same build in terms of the critical items; M Diff, Adaptive suspension, 20", HK, Exec, simple-spec driver assist, hitch. Silver was my next choice in color (shows off all the cool shapes better than DGM imo).

I'm heading through my second year with my X3, perhaps what's most encouraging is there's so much depth of character built into this car that all those characteristics carry on after the brand-new-car excitement subsides. Errands around town, yep, actually kinda fun. Freeways are fine. Winding backroad blasts in Sport+ and manual mode, yep, that's a blast too.

Grand Moff asked about the M Diff:
Doubtful handling would suffer "significantly" without the M diff, that said I'd get it again without hesitation. Given it's really most effective in more dynamic contexts, it's effectively invisible puttering around town. When you start chucking around then it helps rotate the car like a much lighter, lower, smaller vehicle. Think pointy go-kart vs reasonably agile SUV... I smile at every intersection and sweeping bend, and those winding backroad blasts are just ridiculous. It helps bend the physics, which is handy because we can't get the lower, lighter M340i wagon here.

Pro tip - the 20" runflats' ride gets brutal really quickly at even a couple psi over the minimums.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by onthercks07

Thought I would share a few thoughts after 4 months with Alessandra, my 2021 X3 M40i

It would be good if Nigel could meet Alessandra sometime. Nigel was the best I could do after name negotiation with my wife. I wanted Heinz or Horst or something Germanic, but it was a non-starter. And yet when I'm not thinking I am referring to the vehicle as she or her. Freudian slip?

[MrPorter]

Originally Posted by Banana Clipper

Repair a run flat? Stevens Creek America Tire told me no way do you patch a run flat when my wife caught a nail....��

Mine went in for my first service and lo and behold, the service dept is telling me I have to replace all 4 tires because one was damaged, and you "can't repair RFTs."

I smelled BS, went to the tire shop that helped me when my old Audi "needed all new tires," and they repaired it for like $30.

My sister in law even went to an independent shop that said she needed new tires. Again, she went to my spot and they repaired it no problem.

Can you officially repair RFTs? Sounds like no, at least according to BMW. But my tires haven't blown up, it's been 2 years, and I still trust anyone more than my local service department.

[Alias1431]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

Did you mean a "gear lower" instead of a "gear higher"? I guess it depends on whether you were thinking of the gear ratio or the assigned gear number, right?

You are correct, definitely meant a gear lower.

[Alias1431]

Originally Posted by MrPorter

Can you officially repair RFTs? Sounds like no, at least according to BMW. But my tires haven't blown up, it's been 2 years, and I still trust anyone more than my local service department.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=226

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by MrPorter

Mine went in for my first service and lo and behold, the service dept is telling me I have to replace all 4 tires because one was damaged, and you "can't repair RFTs."

I smelled BS, went to the tire shop that helped me when my old Audi "needed all new tires," and they repaired it for like $30.

My sister in law even went to an independent shop that said she needed new tires. Again, she went to my spot and they repaired it no problem.

Can you officially repair RFTs? Sounds like no, at least according to BMW. But my tires haven't blown up, it's been 2 years, and I still trust anyone more than my local service department.

There is a considerable element of BS with "you can't repair RFTs". There is also another angle. The tyre repairers can't tell whether or how far you drove on the RFT when it's flat, nor can they know what speed you've driven on the tyre.

Their issue is commercial (sell more tyres) but also anti-litigation in that they don't want to be responsible for the tyre failing following the repair. I'm sure they use the latter to justify the former but I have some sympathy for them. Tyre repairers tell me they don't trust people when they say the tyre has only been flat for a short distance and they've driven very slowly.

[MrPorter]

Originally Posted by clivem2

There is a considerable element of BS with "you can't repair RFTs". There is also another angle. The tyre repairers can't tell whether or how far you drove on the RFT when it's flat, nor can they know what speed you've driven on the tyre.

Their issue is commercial (sell more tyres) but also anti-litigation in that they don't want to be responsible for the tyre failing following the repair. I'm sure they use the latter to justify the former but I have some sympathy for them. Tyre repairers tell me they don't trust people when they say the tyre has only been flat for a short distance and they've driven very slowly.

That makes sense. I guess I never considered my tires "flat" - in the original case, my tire pressure hadn't even dipped - but there's levels to everything.

[Anmolbains23]

Welcome to the club!
Local to Bay Area as well, Where are you located?

[onthercks07]

Originally Posted by StellersJay

Great stuff and agree just about everything.

Considering PPF as well, I'm also in the bay and notice a ton of debris. Also picking up a lot of tiny windshield chips in my 2000 miles so far.

Where did you go for PPF?

Went to OCDetailing in Fremont. $$$$ but really good. Also did a great job with window tint and ceramic coating