[KCH1984]

I think there's a few guys on here from the F30 forums dazzapb and kzg1969 maybe?

How have you guys found daily life with the X3M now you've had them for over a year? Keen to hear thoughts around practicality and real-life running costs.

I'm looking to replace our current F15 X5 with one, which will be our primary transport. Kids are a bit bigger now, so prams have been replaced by bikes and child seats are slightly less bulky. Any options (eg pano roof) that you couldn't live without? Our annual mileage is probably 8k - 10k so fuel shouldn't really be a massive problem (X5 averages about 29mpg) but I'm maybe burying my head in the sand on that one! It won't be used for commuting either.

I'm hoping once lockdown lifts I can get out in one that the local dealer has approved used, but there's only so much you can glean from a 24-48hr test drive.

Any thoughts welcome - cheers

[kzg1969]

Well....!!!

Running Costs! Yes, running this thing COSTS! 20mpg and tyres about shot at 6000m. Service intervals seem ok - mines at 15,000m although the RIS is steep at £400

Tech was a big step up from the F31. Noticeably quieter place to be.

Ride quality is the Elephant in the Room. You will either notice how stiff/harsh it is or convince yourself it is meant to be like that because it is an M car. Personally i think it is too stiff, wife/kids dont seem to mind. I will change tyres to MP4S and see before i change springs.

It is RIDICULOUSLY fast - 0-60mph in 3.6s fast. It lacks low-down torque but that also makes it a sedate drive around town.

Tows great. Interior space is better than F31.

"standard" spec is pretty good, but the options are ltd in the UK - e.g. PANO is standard. You can get options for ACC, steering assist and 360camera. I test drove those and didnt like the Steering assist thingy. 360 camera would be good.

Get a test drive. I doubt you will need 2hours to make your mind up never mind 24hours. You will get it or you wont.

I bought it 'cause i always wanted an M car and need to tow/ have dogs. They were doing crazy deals and the high residuals meant that this is cheaper to buy than a m40i.

For most, i think a m40i would be better. I am still on the fence whether to keep it or hand it back in 2years. m340i would be next car (i think overall i prefer a "car" platform). But think it will be too expensive to trade "down" to

[Wills2]

Panoramic roof is not standard in the UK

[KCH1984]

Thanks for that mate, good to get some honest feedback. With it only coming alive when pressing on isn't necessarily a bad thing in a family car, a sedate (albeit firm) drive when pottering around with the kids in the car but the ability to transform into an absolute animal when I'm in it myself is exactly what I'm after.

The residuals are still strong, and make it relatively affordable next to an M40i even as a secondhand purchase. Finance quotes I have had on a couple of "approved used" probably work out at around £20pm more than an equivalent M40i if that. I did look at the M340i touring, but the incentives just aren't there right now as they maybe were 12-18 months ago, although lease prices are starting to drop.

As you said, I can only know when I drive one and will try and get that lined up ASAP.

[daltonvaas]

Mine is a story of two halves, I have a genuine love hate relationship with the car.

Love

• Speed - Ludicrously fast
• Agility - feels like a car at some points but see below where this is also bad
• Kit - Good std options and not too dear to add on some must haves like roof
• Looks - something special about it's understated looks in Donnington Grey

Hate

• Terrible ride quality imo, way too stiff it's good on very smooth motorways or A Roads but in average south London roads its pretty atrocious
• Road noise is horrible and accentuates the poor ride quality
• Running costs - my last full tank of showing 13.9MPG (maybe due to the snow and the fact I warmed it up a little bit on the colder days)
• Standard Tyres - the Conti Sport Contact 6 were done within 7k miles and had very poor wet and cold weather grip. the MP4S has made it better
• Exhaust note leaves a lot to be desired
• Handling - I personally think the steering is way too twitchy, I like a connected drive but this thing almost has a mind of it's own to the extent I took it back to BMW to confirm I didn't have an underlying issue, it happens I didn't!

Can I add that my sister in law has the X3 3.0D M Sport Plus and barring my sports seats which are infinitely better, her car is an overall better car due to the silky smooth ride, running costs and enough grunt to go past people at whim. My car is so uncomfortable compared to her that it's almost embarrassing, the cabin boom and road noise is so bad that one I was asked if my suspension or wheels were shot! With the 20" alloys and blacked out grill e.t.c it doesn't even look much worst since the XM3C is almost a sleeper car from the outside.

Like many others have said the X3MC was to be had for amazing deals so many like myself plunged, perhaps more the fool I was as it was the first car I bought that I didn't test drive so, like others have said. Make sure you drive it (mind you, I have to ask myself honestly, would I have still bought it if I test drove it.... depends on the route and roads I guess! )

All in all a regret for me, will probably change to an X5 G05 or RRSport next year.

[allinon72]

In an area with rough roads, MSS springs are a must to make the car tolerable for most people. Otherwise, take a long hard look at the M40i. M cars aren't meant for the average driver.

[KCH1984]

Originally Posted by allinon72

In an area with rough roads, MSS springs are a must to make the car tolerable for most people. Otherwise, take a long hard look at the M40i. M cars aren't meant for the average driver.

I do wonder if the upcoming facelift will go some way to addressing this? Is there much difference in ride quality between the 'standard' model and the Comp? Not that we get the choice here in the UK.

[M5 TT]

Mine only lasted 6 months. Ended up hating it.

Suspension killed me. I put H&R springs on which helped but not enough

MPG even with the wife driving was terrible Never really over 20

Magic engine when over 3k. Very fast car. lacks low end grunt. Hated the way if changed down all the time even on the dual carriageway.

Road noise. I fixed that but removing the rear boot side covers and filling it with acoustic foam, big hole between the wheel arch and inner wing. Also removed the rear inner wing mugguards and covered with foam, made a big difference

Cabin boom over rough surfaces. Front and rear chassis is bolted direct to the body, no rubber to absorb the boom.

Loved how it looked inside and out but just not for me.

Bought and F90 M5. night and day (for me anyway) I get an easy 25mpg. Wife gets over 30 very happy. Can also get 3 if I really want. Brutally fast and just about comfy.

I would say you need to take one for an extend test drive and see how you get on. The roads where I live are pure rubbish so I am maybe being a bit harsh but that was my findings.

[Steveo535]

Had mine 14 months and next month it's going.

My advice would be as others have said take an extended test drive.

Initially I loved it always wanted an M car the whole package of the X3, size, performance etc and the deals available at the time made it a no brainer. the tech is great and the car is fast.

As time has gone on however I regret ever buying the car as other have said everything from ride comfort, road noise and for me the biggest thing is build quality.

I came from a 5 series and the X3MC is not a patch on it from badly fitting doors, damaged trim from poor fitting to the mechanical issues some of the early cars have have made me make the decision to get rid.

If you can test drive the car your going to be buying have a really good look round it inside and out and listen out for any noises when you pull away as some cars have an issue with propshaft/diffs.

The car maybe for you but it's not to every ones taste think you'll be in for a shock coming from and X5.

Hopefully not much longer before you can test drive one and find out what you think.

[BOGX4M]

When I bought the X4M, I was planning to sell my X5 40d (F15) but I kept both.
The X5 it is mach more comfortable and spacious. I use it for long distance travel.

[LimeRock]

I’m based in the states but figured I’d chime in here. I feel like some of the feedback has been too critical, so I just want to throw in my opinion for consideration.

Suspension stiffness & traction: We all know the car is stiff. An extended test drive should help you decide whether it’s tolerable. It’s all subjective and based on the roads around you. Coming from an M2, this was a welcome change in terms of ride harshness. If you want an SAV that handles like a car, this is the result. Also worth mentioning running OEM summer rubber in winter will accentuate tire wear and impact harshness. Can’t knock a car for having the incorrect equipment for the environment.

Efficiency: It’s a 500 horsepower M-car that weighs 4600 pounds. If being VERY docile around town, you’ll manage near 20 MPG. Again, if you want an SAV that accelerates like this, efficiency will suffer.

Road noise: It exists, but is more than acceptable. If this amount of noise bothers you, replace the summer tires with all seasons or buy a vehicle that isolates you from the road. M-cars should be connected and feel engaging to drive.

Build quality: Perhaps previous posts had rough examples, but beyond paint QC issues on earlier models and VERY limited vehicles with faulty connecting rods, I have no reason to believe this vehicle is not robustly built.

[allinon72]

Originally Posted by KCH1984

I do wonder if the upcoming facelift will go some way to addressing this? Is there much difference in ride quality between the 'standard' model and the Comp? Not that we get the choice here in the UK.

I would doubt it. BMW doesn't make it a habit to fix things that owners perceive as faults...it's sort of a German thing that "we made it that way on purpose." In the case of the X3M - from BMW's perspective, its the hardcore variant. It shouldn't ride plush, it's a performance car, they would say. It shouldn't be quiet in the cabin. Buyers caring about those aspects should buy another trim variant. This has been BMW's thought process for the last several years, and is part of the reason why the M Sport trim level exists.

The counterpoint is that advances in suspension design in particular make it such that even the most hardcore trim level should ride good in Comfort mode, and frankly I believe that point is very valid. The rear suspension in particular is perplexing - in swapping the springs out for the MSS kit, they remind me of springs from my old F150 - extremely stiff and nearly zero preload. This creates the skittish and bouncy effect from the rear. Seems they just made the suspension stiff rather than put some effort into suspension tuning. It's the modern BMW thought process that I fear is leading them in the wrong direction.

[boi222]

Originally Posted by LimeRock

I’m based in the states but figured I’d chime in here. I feel like some of the feedback has been too critical, so I just want to throw in my opinion for consideration.

Suspension stiffness & traction: We all know the car is stiff. An extended test drive should help you decide whether it’s tolerable. It’s all subjective and based on the roads around you. Coming from an M2, this was a welcome change in terms of ride harshness. If you want an SAV that handles like a car, this is the result. Also worth mentioning running OEM summer rubber in winter will accentuate tire wear and impact harshness. Can’t knock a car for having the incorrect equipment for the environment.

Efficiency: It’s a 500 horsepower M-car that weighs 4600 pounds. If being VERY docile around town, you’ll manage near 20 MPG. Again, if you want an SAV that accelerates like this, efficiently will suffer.

Road noise: It exists, but is more than acceptable. If this amount of noise bothers you, replace the summer tires with all seasons or buy a vehicle that isolates you from the road. M-cars should be connected and feel engaging to drive.

Build quality: Perhaps previous posts had rough examples, but beyond paint QC issues on earlier models and VERY limited vehicles with faulty connecting rods, I have no reason to believe this vehicle is not robustly built.

I completely agree. Also, in my opinion the target audience for these cars should be those who want a m2/M3/m4 performance and handling but need the extra space. Comparing to those cars, the ride is not harsh at all and checks all the boxes in terms of offering amazing performance and handling

[KCH1984]

Thanks for all the responses - both positive and negative - it's given me a good idea what to think about and hopefully the test drive will quickly show me whether some of those factors are an issue for me.

I'm going into this with a view that I've always wanted an M3 but right now space requirements wouldn't make that possible, so it may be that I can live with the 'compromises' of this being an M car. Just need local lockdown restrictions to start easing slightly ant I can get out there!

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Subscribing...

[M5 TT]

Originally Posted by KCH1984

Thanks for all the responses - both positive and negative - it's given me a good idea what to think about and hopefully the test drive will quickly show me whether some of those factors are an issue for me.

I'm going into this with a view that I've always wanted an M3 but right now space requirements wouldn't make that possible, so it may be that I can live with the 'compromises' of this being an M car. Just need local lockdown restrictions to start easing slightly ant I can get out there!

M5

[mjrennie]

Had an X4M since December 2019. It's almost perfect.

[tricky]

Had my X3m Comp for about 8 months now in the UK and I would concur with what others have said. The biggest deal breaker is the ride comfort, even compared to my E90 M3, 340i, 135i, this thing is a bone shaker on the wrong road at the wrong speed.

If you spend most of your life stuck in traffic at or below 50mph on a B road - you will despise it. On A roads or motorways the ride transforms and is actually very very comfortable.

That said - slowly but surely over the first 2,000 miles it does soften up to the point now where ride is very rarely an issue for me (my family still hate it though) so I have just about got over the ride problem.

Biggest gripe from me is the lack of low end torque or ability for the gearbox to make a quick getaway if it thinks your coming to a full stop but then need to accelerate (i.e. your coming to a junction, see a gap and then try and pull out), half the time you amble into the road for 2 or 3 seconds before it decides to accelerate by which time you have almost caused a pile up and you are the subject of a lot of hate

Build quality is crappy - in 2K miles I have more rattles than any car I've ever owned including a 38 year old MG Metro but nothing has fallen off or failed as of yet. Oh and the HK stereo is terrible.

So - would i recommend it? Yup definitely - its thoroughly entertaining, faster than it has any right to be, handles well and I dont just mean for an SUV, it attracts zero attention as it looks like any other X3 (which is also entertaining in its own right). Okay, it does an average of 18-19mpg (and our gallons are bigger than US gallons) but its more than I got out of the M3 and that was 500Kg's lighter.

If you can get a similar deal to the ones in 2019 to mid 2020 - there is nothing to touch it price wise - but if your not getting a £20K+ discount though, you might want to look for a car with less obvious compromises

[Brian-f]

I have had my X3M for about a year and a half now and also live near Glasgow.

I love the car and its my first M car, I have mostly had sporty hot hatch type cars when growing up so the hard ride is fine with me. (focus rs, astra vxr’s) did come from a prev gen x3 3.5d to the M.

20mpg “at best” on mix of driving is as high as your likely to see imo. Tyres were nearly shot at 8k miles( I usually got around 13-15k out set on old x3) and swapped the conti’s out for mps4s and the grip is better and wear so far looks better i am on 11k miles so far.

On the ride issues i have two boys 2yo and 5yo, the 2yo falls asleep regularly in the car like he does in my wifes X1 so its not that harsh a ride that he cant comfortably go for a sleep. I would say the best thing to do is get an extended test drive, half a day or so and go try it out on lots of roads where you stay.

The power is insane for the odd times i get to go a spirited drive. It does however have a lack of low end torque, altho it is evident its fine when just pottering about town 0-30mph with the family for example and feels a bit calmer when your not pushing on.

Must have options for me are the pano roof to feel bigger and lighter inside and comfort pack,heated steering wheel is amazing I also have the 360 degree cameras and its a great system for fitting into tight spaces. Not sure if the new ones come with carbon interior or if its option still but it makes it look so much better and glad i added it too. I also have the wireless phone charger and tbh its a bit of a gimmick but upto personal choice if you want to have it. It has to be Donnington Grey with the Sakir Orange interior too mine has folding tow bar also which is handy if required as its hidden from view up behind the bumper when not in use.

The car i test drove had the lane keeping assist fitted and i hated it tbh if you happen to forget to indicate it pulls you back into the lane on motorway and stuff. The standard car has all the other features i would like such as the collision detection,blind spot warnings in mirrors,vibration in steering wheel if you wander over white lines and so on, so for me the lane keep assist is a waste of money.

Suppose to sum it up i am glad i bought it and still love the car to this day even with the high running costs, its a monster and also ticks all the boxes for a family car. Ride is hard but maybe i am just more used to it so it had never really bother me and it has amazing stability at speed. but the step up in quality inside is huge from the prev x3 i had this feels like a 70-80k car the seats are amazing.

The deals of 15-17k off list price and 2.9% apr are still available (look on arnold clark website for the offer) Also get the RIS thrown in to the deal(thats what i done at EasternBMW in Edinburgh) as it is expensive to have just after picking up a new car.

[moff]

I've had my car for 15 months and 9k miles and I'm in the UK.

Overall I think it's a great car - would I choose an M40i over it, definitely not as it's way too slow in comparison.

The ride whilst a little annoying isn't the major negative for me, it's the booming noise that you get over rough surfaces. That's my only major gripe.

Yes tyre wear is going to be bad - no surprise given it weighs 2000kg and has 500+bhp.

Do I regret buying it? No. Would I have bought it without the amazing PCP deal? No.

I'm happy with the car and will keep it for another 12-18 months or whenever the M3 Touring is released.

Overall score - 8/10

[moff]

Almost forget to say - built quality in my car is fine, I've not got any rattles or squeaks and everything is well put together. It's a nicer place to be than my F32 440i and that had individual leather and a leather dash.

[KCH1984]

Originally Posted by moff

I've had my car for 15 months and 9k miles and I'm in the UK.

Overall I think it's a great car - would I choose an M40i over it, definitely not as it's way too slow in comparison.

The ride whilst a little annoying isn't the major negative for me, it's the booming noise that you get over rough surfaces. That's my only major gripe.

Yes tyre wear is going to be bad - no surprise given it weighs 2000kg and has 500+bhp.

Do I regret buying it? No. Would I have bought it without the amazing PCP deal? No.

I'm happy with the car and will keep it for another 12-18 months or whenever the M3 Touring is released.

Overall score - 8/10

The incredible £549/549 deals are long gone (I think you got in at that time?) but they're still available at £699/£699 which still feels reasonable when an M40i (or even M340i Touring) all seem to be starting with a 6 just now.

I'm hopeful of getting out in one in the not too distant future and will pop back in here to give my thoughts. I do like the Toronto Red btw