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      01-21-2022, 11:07 AM   #1
zer0cool
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Saying goodbye to the X3M

I bought a lightly pre-owned (~3000 miles) X3M about a year ago. I moved from a hybrid Cayenne to the X3M because I felt the Cayenne hybrid was just too heavy and wanted a lighter, better driving SUV.

The X3M is of course much lighter and drives much better. Overall I would say it's a great car, has tremendous power and handles extremely well for an SUV. Technology wise, honestly after CarPlay came out, I rarely ever use a car's own OS, and both cars had ACC, so it's basically a wash. The big difference, and pretty much the reason I am saying goodbye to the car after just 1 year, is comfort. The Cayenne was just so much more comfortable compared to the X3M. I kind of could put up with the extremely stiff ride of the car (still found it to be annoying), but the wife absolutely hated it. She found the car extremely uncomfortable, to the point of painful and wanted me to sell it soon after we got it. She also felt the msports seats are way too hard. Moreover took a road trip late last year with my mom in the car and she threw-up due to car-sickness... so that was pretty much the last straw.

The fortunate thing is that due to the used-car market, selling the car is easy, but then buying is correspondingly hard. So after a long effort, we are back to a Cayenne... non-hybrid this time so it's only a little bit heavier.

In summary, I still think the X3M is a great driving SUV; however it's greatly lacking in the comfort area... basically very uncomfortable. If the suspension can be just a bit softer, like maybe to an Msport 3 series level at "comfort" setting, it would be one of the best cars around. But as of now, I ve had to say my goodbye.
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      01-21-2022, 01:08 PM   #2
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Great write up. What year was yours? These were my worries from the beginning.
My first choice was a 2022 Cayenne Coupe GTS, but I couldn't get my head wrapped around a $150K Price tag and then after a few years, the big depreciation hit. I chose to go with the 2022 X3M40I and with the standard seats. I hope both the seats and ride will be ok as I haven't even drive one yet. I plan on adding in the MSS Lowering Kit and I have heard this will help with the ride.
I drove a 2021 X3M with the sport seats and they were rock hard and I did not like them one bit. The ride was firm, but the seats were a big standout for me and I could not get comfortable.
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      01-21-2022, 03:07 PM   #3
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Tires make a big difference on the X3M. Overall, it certainty is not the most comfortable SUV and it's not supposed to be.
I have an X3M Comp and my gf complained about the ride constantly, but ever since switching out tires to all season michelin pilot sports the ride is much smoother and zero complaints.
Seats are tight/a bit hard but they feel sporty and nice to me. It's all preference
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      01-21-2022, 03:43 PM   #4
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Funny thing comfort - i find the ride quite stiff but the wife and kids prefer it to the mazda cx3. Who would have thought!

starting to think about a Porsche (Macan) too - never driven one though
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      01-21-2022, 03:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zer0cool View Post
I bought a lightly pre-owned (~3000 miles) X3M about a year ago. I moved from a hybrid Cayenne to the X3M because I felt the Cayenne hybrid was just too heavy and wanted a lighter, better driving SUV.

The X3M is of course much lighter and drives much better. Overall I would say it's a great car, has tremendous power and handles extremely well for an SUV. Technology wise, honestly after CarPlay came out, I rarely ever use a car's own OS, and both cars had ACC, so it's basically a wash. The big difference, and pretty much the reason I am saying goodbye to the car after just 1 year, is comfort. The Cayenne was just so much more comfortable compared to the X3M. I kind of could put up with the extremely stiff ride of the car (still found it to be annoying), but the wife absolutely hated it. She found the car extremely uncomfortable, to the point of painful and wanted me to sell it soon after we got it. She also felt the msports seats are way too hard. Moreover took a road trip late last year with my mom in the car and she threw-up due to car-sickness... so that was pretty much the last straw.

The fortunate thing is that due to the used-car market, selling the car is easy, but then buying is correspondingly hard. So after a long effort, we are back to a Cayenne... non-hybrid this time so it's only a little bit heavier.

In summary, I still think the X3M is a great driving SUV; however it's greatly lacking in the comfort area... basically very uncomfortable. If the suspension can be just a bit softer, like maybe to an Msport 3 series level at "comfort" setting, it would be one of the best cars around. But as of now, I ve had to say my goodbye.
Sounds like maybe the X3 M40i might be a better fix, not quite the power but ride is better and a tune can add a lot of the power back, but Cayenne certainly does have a more comfortable ride in the few I have driven.
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      01-21-2022, 04:02 PM   #6
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Funny thing comfort - i find the ride quite stiff but the wife and kids prefer it to the mazda cx3. Who would have thought!

starting to think about a Porsche (Macan) too - never driven one though
Macan is why I bought an X3M just doesn't compare and it is a fair bit more money as you would have to do the GTS to even get close on performance. Overall was very disappointed in the car, didn't find it comfortable, needs a lot of options added to it and is still light on power for the cost, it is almost $20k more similarly optioned and is 70hp less (and is smaller). Also they have zero inventory and nothing much in the pipe and are impossible to negotiate much with so you are paying over MSRP these day by like 10k or more at most dealers, where BMW dealers are still negotiating a bit and MSRP is not hard to get, so now it is 30k more than an X3M. Go drive one but it isn't worth more in my book than the X3M but it does have a Porsche badge on it which does carry some prestige over a BMW.
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      01-21-2022, 04:21 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roadkillrob View Post
Macan is why I bought an X3M just doesn't compare and it is a fair bit more money as you would have to do the GTS to even get close on performance. Overall was very disappointed in the car, didn't find it comfortable, needs a lot of options added to it and is still light on power for the cost, it is almost $20k more similarly optioned and is 70hp less (and is smaller). Also they have zero inventory and nothing much in the pipe and are impossible to negotiate much with so you are paying over MSRP these day by like 10k or more at most dealers, where BMW dealers are still negotiating a bit and MSRP is not hard to get, so now it is 30k more than an X3M. Go drive one but it isn't worth more in my book than the X3M but it does have a Porsche badge on it which does carry some prestige over a BMW.
The thing about Porsche is they seem to be able to do more with less HP. However - you are right on options. Porsche is still up market from BMW and you really get nickel and dimed on the options.
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      01-21-2022, 06:11 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roadkillrob View Post
Macan is why I bought an X3M just doesn't compare and it is a fair bit more money as you would have to do the GTS to even get close on performance. Overall was very disappointed in the car, didn't find it comfortable, needs a lot of options added to it and is still light on power for the cost, it is almost $20k more similarly optioned and is 70hp less (and is smaller). Also they have zero inventory and nothing much in the pipe and are impossible to negotiate much with so you are paying over MSRP these day by like 10k or more at most dealers, where BMW dealers are still negotiating a bit and MSRP is not hard to get, so now it is 30k more than an X3M. Go drive one but it isn't worth more in my book than the X3M but it does have a Porsche badge on it which does carry some prestige over a BMW.
I was all set to buy a Macan S until I test drove it. Compared to the X3MC it was akin to the speed of my lawn mower.

I didn't find the handling anything special, though it did have a smoother ride.

The interior felt like a cave and tech appears to be from the 70s. Everything is an option as well.

I think the Macan Turbo is will come closest in performance to the X3MC but way more money.

That said, I'm still a kid at heart and stomping on the gas and flying forward to law breaking speeds brings me smiles. If I was just looking for a comfortable transportation device, a Macan would fit the bill.

I have to admit I like the looks better than the X3M though.
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      01-21-2022, 09:19 PM   #9
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Agree, too uncomfortable for some passengers. Macan Turbo replaced the X3M, for us however a Macan with Pedal Commander will transform the feel of power response to be more BMW like. Even a Macan S should feel good with it. We also got a Cayenne, great SUV.

The X3 we kept is the x30i with a Dinan chip, 18 inch wheels, great ride, fun and peppy.
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      01-21-2022, 11:22 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JP30 View Post
Tires make a big difference on the X3M. Overall, it certainty is not the most comfortable SUV and it's not supposed to be.
I have an X3M Comp and my gf complained about the ride constantly, but ever since switching out tires to all season michelin pilot sports the ride is much smoother and zero complaints.
Seats are tight/a bit hard but they feel sporty and nice to me. It's all preference
Are you running the 265/295 setup?
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      01-22-2022, 06:37 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spta97 View Post
I was all set to buy a Macan S until I test drove it. Compared to the X3MC it was akin to the speed of my lawn mower.

I didn't find the handling anything special, though it did have a smoother ride.

The interior felt like a cave and tech appears to be from the 70s. Everything is an option as well.

I think the Macan Turbo is will come closest in performance to the X3MC but way more money.

That said, I'm still a kid at heart and stomping on the gas and flying forward to law breaking speeds brings me smiles. If I was just looking for a comfortable transportation device, a Macan would fit the bill.

I have to admit I like the looks better than the X3M though.
Turbo is gone for 2022 but all models came up in power, so the GTS is now the top option but has the same power as the turbo did in 2021 (434 I think it is) which means they have left some room above the GTS, so I wonder if there will be a Turbo with 500hp maybe in the future? Price came up with power though so 2022 GTS is almost the price of the 2021 Turbo at 80 grand to start (turbo was 85 last year but GTS was like 73).

Looks wise, I like the Macan, but I find the Macan could be more aggressive especially on top models as besides wheels and tailpipes the 4 cyl model and GTS look the same.
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      01-22-2022, 10:50 AM   #12
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More than two years and nearly 30,000 miles into ownership of the Jag F-Pace SVR and it remains my favorite car I have ever owned. Silly power throughout rpm range, sound, comfort, looks, etc.
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      01-22-2022, 11:12 AM   #13
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+1 for the comment about tires. Came from an X3m40i to a X3MC. At first I thought the car needed time to "break in", however that time never came. 4k miles in and I switched the summers to all seasons and man, the difference is night and day
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      01-23-2022, 09:16 AM   #14
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You guys need new wives lol. I have driven a 135 with pss10 for 6 years in nyc. Now im moving to a x3m in a few months and I cant wait. However I do agree tires are king. I would personally like 19" wheels with some meat on em.
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      01-23-2022, 09:31 AM   #15
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Good inside info guys. Test drove the 2022 X3MC yesterday and agree that seats are a bit harsh and narrow even for my 5' 10" 170lbs body. Summer tires during 25F temp out felt like bricks. Want to test drive an M40I X3 hopefully without runflat tires as a comparison.

Either I will go for the X3MC and swap out springs to MSS and tires to A/S.
The other option is to go for the X3M40i without runflats and tune the car for a bit more power. Driving around NYC area requires a bit more comfort setup vs track oriented sport setup for me especially when a kid and wife are involved.
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      01-23-2022, 09:35 AM   #16
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Not sure I understand the comparison to a Cayenne- that is an X5 competitor and a lot more money than any equivalent BMW.
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      01-23-2022, 10:03 AM   #17
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Quote:
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Not sure I understand the comparison to a Cayenne- that is an X5 competitor and a lot more money than any equivalent BMW.
Because that's the closest to the X3M performance numbers. That's the value proposition of the X3M…there are very few direct competitors so you have to go up market. Although, whether we're talking about the Macan or Ceyenne, they are very different vehicles with very different strengths and weaknesses.
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      01-23-2022, 10:05 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by stoked335d View Post
Good inside info guys. Test drove the 2022 X3MC yesterday and agree that seats are a bit harsh and narrow even for my 5' 10" 170lbs body. Summer tires during 25F temp out felt like bricks. Want to test drive an M40I X3 hopefully without runflat tires as a comparison.

Either I will go for the X3MC and swap out springs to MSS and tires to A/S.
The other option is to go for the X3M40i without runflats and tune the car for a bit more power. Driving around NYC area requires a bit more comfort setup vs track oriented sport setup for me especially when a kid and wife are involved.
For the X3MC, I would recommend swapping out the tires to the MPS all seasons first. I started by first installing the MSS Springs and found them to be of poor quality with lots of clacking and clunking noises that wouldn't go away after several adjustments by the installer. MSS never responded with a solution after I sent in videos. I had them taken off my vehicle, put stock shocks and springs back in and threw them away. I tried the all seasons as a last resort before trading it in and the tires did the trick. Still firm as the car should be, but they took the harsh edge off of the ride and I absolutely love the car now. It's not jarring anymore for passengers in the back seat over potholes. No noticeable change in the excellent handling, steering, or braking during daily driving moving from the summers.
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      01-23-2022, 10:30 AM   #19
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In my short (1100 miles) experience with the 22 LCI X3M Comp my wife summarized it best..... it's one of the nicest European Ricers for the price point. I'm not generally picky on ride quality owning many heavy duty diesels, but when an 8k lb truck has smoother ride quality compared to the X3M Comp we just couldn't overlook it. If looking for a true M feel car then the X3M Comp is perfect. If looking for something comfortable for a daily then look elsewhere. Last complaint were the seats were oddly more narrow than my M8GC. Being 6'5" it was easier for me to get comfortable in my M8GC vs the X3M comp.
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      01-23-2022, 11:07 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allinon72 View Post
Because that's the closest to the X3M performance numbers. That's the value proposition of the X3M…there are very few direct competitors so you have to go up market. Although, whether we're talking about the Macan or Ceyenne, they are very different vehicles with very different strengths and weaknesses.
Well, no. The direct competitors to the X3M -- in size, performance and price -- are the Jag F-Pace SVR, Mercedes GLC63, and the Alfa Stelvio QF.
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      01-23-2022, 11:15 AM   #21
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allinon72 View Post
Because that's the closest to the X3M performance numbers. That's the value proposition of the X3M…there are very few direct competitors so you have to go up market. Although, whether we're talking about the Macan or Ceyenne, they are very different vehicles with very different strengths and weaknesses.
Well, no. The direct competitors to the X3M -- in size, performance and price -- are the Jag F-Pace SVR, Mercedes GLC63, and the Alfa Stelvio QF.
While true, those vehicles are almost never discussed here as cross shop potentials.
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      01-23-2022, 11:32 AM   #22
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Quote:
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Well, no. The direct competitors to the X3M -- in size, performance and price -- are the Jag F-Pace SVR, Mercedes GLC63, and the Alfa Stelvio QF.
Cross-shopped them all, and more, including the Macan/Cayman and Model Y/X.
No right answer for everyone, or there wouldn't been so many options

For me:
The X4MC is the right mix of sporty/car feel over luxury (F-Pace/Land Rover)
The X4MC is the right mix of Technology (over the Stelvio Quatro, which looks great!)

The others, Audi, MB etc just don't have the exclusivity of the X4MC, great vehicles but I see them and Macans at every other stop light.
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