[athray9]

BMW X3 30i xDrive ownership

Introduction:

I had moved to United States in 2020 January from Chennai to pursue my Masters. Being a student, I couldn’t afford to get my own car. I completed my masters in 2021 December, successfully graduated and ended up getting a dream job. So I could finally afford my own car.

Being an enthusiast, I was clear that I needed a fun to drive car. I wanted to go the used car route and get a fun to drive manual car but it was that time during semi conductor shortage where the used car prices were so high that it made no sense to get one. So I decided to go the new car route.

Few things I realized after living in the USA for two years were:

1. The roads here are LONG and STRAIGHT for most part.
2. The roads are not great for most part with many undulations and expansion joints.
3. Everything is far away, meaning you need to drive your car even to get basic groceries.
4. You cannot get anything in small size, the smallest milk can you could purchase is 1/2 gallon = ~1.9 liters.
5. You can have fun Canyons to drive but you won’t hit them everyday.

Based on these, I decided to change my requirements accordingly.

Requirements:

1. It had to be FUN TO DRIVE, which meant the basic necessity was to have at least ~200 bhp, 300 NM of torque and handle well. I was open to sedans and SUVs.
2. Comfortable enough for daily commute and weekend trips.
3. I am 5’11 in height, so the rear seat had to be spacious enough to accommodate a person of my height behind me.
4. Basic tech such as CarPlay, good stereo since I am an audiophile, Cruise Control was a must, ACC not a necessity but good to have.
5. I live in Colorado and winters are brutal here, so I needed AWD and heated seats.
6. Steering had to be quick to react with good feedback, I was fine with the steering being light at low speeds but wanted it to weigh up at high speeds, I am never a fan of steerings that artificially weighed up with no feedback.
7. I wanted good low end torque in a way where if I gave more throttle, the car had to do it in the same gear instead of a downshift unless I had given more than 50% of the throttle.
8. The gearbox had to react quick when I needed a downshift but I did not want to it to react with a downshift for every little throttle input.
9. Preferably German with a budget of $50K (USD).

The hunt began:

VW Tiguan:



Test drove the car with 2.0 TSI, 190 bhp and 320 Nm of torque, I liked exterior with the R-Line package looked sporty and the facelift interiors also looked good with quality materials. I was not the biggest fan of the new AC controls but that was not the deal breaker. The biggest deal breaker was the engine. The car somehow felt underpowered for US roads, which made it a deal breaker.

Ford Escape:



Test Drove the 2.0 Eco Boost with 250 bhp and 380 Nm of torque, the exterior of the car didn’t look sporty at all, the interior of the car were practical, but they badly needed an upgrade. The top of the line model came with upgraded B&O speakers. I test drove the car felt it powerful enough. All of the power and torque were felt, but the gearbox was slow to react. Sport mode was just too sharp and there was this weird delay when with the throttle which again became a deal breaker.

BMW 330i:



My mom has a 320d G20 in India, and I drove it for an entire month in India just before test driving the 330i in USA, so I kind of knew what to expect. The white 330i MSport that I test drove had all equipment that I wanted. It was my first time driving the 2.0 I4 engine from BMW which had 255bhp and 400 Nm of torque. It felt plenty powerful with a nice exhaust note pumped through the speakers. Now some people may not agree with this but the exhaust note pumped inside the cabin through the speaker felt really good and does not feel fake to me. One difference I noted was the steering of the 330i Sport was much heavier than my mom’s 320d. The car had 19 inch wheels and was lower to the ground compared to Indian model which made the handling feel even better than the already great handling 320d. I was sold on this particular car and started negotiating with the dealer and the final number was given to me.

BMW M340i:



I did not test drive this car but it did not fit my budget, so I decided against it.

BMW X3 30i:



I am big fan of the way the LCI looks, especially from the back. So I was sold on the looks already. I loved the 12 inch screen which had one of the best resolutions I had seen in a car. It had the same engine as the 330i but had lesser power and torque at 248 bhp and 350 Nm torque. After test driving the car, I felt the difference in power and torque compared to the 330i due to extra weight and height, but still it felt powerful enough. The biggest surprise was the handling of the X3, it felt like it can about 75% of 330i handling with 50% more body roll, but also being 50% more comfortable. I was sold on this car as well. I sat down with the dealer and he gave me the final number.

BMW X3 M40i:



The dealer offered me a test drive in the X3 M40i 2021 model. This is my first time driving a 6-cylinder. The car came with 358 bhp and 500 Nm of torque. I was blown away by the amount of power it had and the kind of handling it offered for a car of that height. But I decided not to go ahead with it since it was about $14K more. (BIGGEST REGRET).

Alfa Romeo Stelio:



I was really temped to get this car but spending all my hard earned money on a car for which I’ve heard horror stories did not encourage me to even visit the showroom.

Dillema:

This was a very big dilemma. I was confused between two amazing machines and you cannot go wrong with either. There was one other issue with availability due to semi conductor shortage, there were not many cars available. There was on 330i MSport in white color which had most of the basic equipment I needed in the inventory. If I placed a new order, I had to wait for 4 months and there was no new incoming 330i for the next 3 months. There was a Phytonic Blue X3 30i Sport with similar level equipment in transit.

So the options were a 2022 BMW 330i xDrive with MSport kit in Alpine White or a 2022 X3 30i Msport xDrive with MSport kit in Phytonic Blue. They both differed by $3600.

What I liked in 330i during the time of purchase:

1. In my books, it is the best looking sedan which inculcates the 3 box shape so well.
2. I preferred Alpine White more to Phytonic blue.
3. Felt more powerful and handled much better than the X3.
4. The exhaust note pumped in through the speaker was very nice which was not present in the X3.
5. The rear seat was decent enough for a car of this size.

What I liked in X3 30i during the time of purchase:

1. The X3 looked sporty with the MSport kit.
2. The car was more comfortable and spacious compared to 330i.
3. The 12 inch screen was much better than the 8 inch in 330i.
4. The car handled very well for its height.
5. I was getting more value out of the car for $3600 more than the 330i.
6. Colorado has winter for 6 months which meant dealing with snow, an SUV made more sense coupled with such conditions.

After thinking a lot and discussing at home back in India, I fixed my mind on the X3 30i but I wanted to do one last test drive of the car before booking it. I wanted to be sure that the car handled well since I am someone who takes corners hard. I drove the car around a corner and I got more reassurance that I doing the right thing since the car just handled so well. I decided to go ahead with the X3 30i xDrive with the MSport Kit in Phytonic Blue color as the first car that I am going to purchase with my own money !!!

First time seeing my car:

The car was supposed to arrive on March 25th, but mom had informed me that the auspicious day was March 30th which was decided as the delivery day. On March 25th morning, I get a call from the dealer that my car had arrived. Unable to control my excitement, I went to check the car out on the same day evening. The dealership was 1 hour away from my house. I reached the dealership and spotted the car as soon as I entered. I was fortunate enough to unwrap the car completely. The car looked amazing with MSport package. The ODO had 5 miles in it.

Delivery Day:

The most special day had come. It was a working day, mom had informed me to take delivery between 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. I arrived to the dealership at 3:30 PM, finished all of my paper work and the car was placed in the delivery bay completely detailed. I did PDI looking at Team-BHP checklist. 

I took delivery of the car at on March 30th 5:22PM. Car had 7 miles on the ODO. It was one of the most exciting days ever. I was driving the car carefully from the showroom to the temple which was 90 miles away and took me two hours because it was peak hour and traffic was insane until I reached the inside roads near the temple road. Few things I instantly enjoyed during my drive were the good low end torque, amazing insulation, slightly stiff ride quality, great to hold MSport steering and the amazing resolution on the 12 inch screen. I put 140 miles (225 kms) just in one day.

[athray9]

Ownership review of the car after 16 months and 24,800 miles (39,900 kms):

Heads up:

This is not a detailed review of the car since I no longer own the car.

Exterior:

BMW made the best decision by not making the front grille too big. In my Opinion, it has the perfect sized grille, but the front is the least sportiest angle for this car. The front grille is mat chrome in color which compliments the Phytonic Blue color.





My car came with the 20 inch staggered tire setup which made the sides of the car look very sporty along with the dark tint. There is a strong line that starts from the fender all the way till the rear tail light. The roof rails also add a sporty touch. The only thing that I would nit pick from the side look is the HUGE windows including the rear quarter panel.





The rear of the car is the sportiest angle with the blacked out lights, fake diffuser and dual exhaust. The chrome color for the exhaust compliments dark exterior color.

Interior:

BMW nailed it when it came to interiors in my opinion. It has very high quality materials throughout with BUTTONS for climate control. The 12 inch screen is the perfect size one would need to have maps being displayed. The MSport steering looks meaty and feels so good to hold, even the leather quality used is the steering is of very high quality. The seats are very supportive especially when you corner hard. There are hard plastics on the lower part of the dash but they won’t be encountered daily. The instrument cluster is the biggest downer since it is not customizable.

Tires:

The car came with Staggered setup for the tires as a part of MSport body kit. The standard size is 19 inch, this car was upgraded with 20 inch tires that also came with the M logo. The front size is 245/45 R20 and the rear is 275/40 R20 int he rear. The tires increase the sporty quotient of the car. But they biggest pain is the fact that they are run flats. But I don’t have a choice since the car does not come with a spare tire even as a space saver.

Comfort:

The car had supportive front seats that keep you tight when you corner hard. The front seats have thigh extender which helps tall people like me. Getting into a comfortable driving position for any person is easy in this car. The rear seat is good for a 5’11 person sitting in the front seat and a 5’11 person sitting behind them. The seats recline adding to the comfort quotient. But one problem I felt with the rear seats was with respect to under thigh support. For someone as tall as me, more under thigh support would be appreciated.

Boot Space:

The X3 has 550L boot size with a flat floor and has under storage space as well. The boot can easily take two big suitcases which is what I load the boot mostly when I pick people from the airport.

Engine and Gearbox:

The car comes with a 2.0L I-4 engine that produces 248 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. These number are good enough to propel the car from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds which is quite quick.

The car has 4 modes on offer.

1. Eco-Pro: This is a mode I have NEVER used since it is too dull for my liking.
2. Comfort: This was the mode I used until the break-in period. The problem with this mode was that the downshifts would only come after going about 70% of the gas pedal which was again a bit dull for my liking. This was the best mode when going on long drives especially with straight roads since you can extract an FE of about 34 MPG when cruising on a straight road on a speed of 65-75 mph. The auto start/stop is turned on by default in comfort mode which gets annoying since it’s not very smooth in its operation. When the auto start/stop is turned on, the car shuts down in a red light when your foot is on the brake, the moment you press the gas pedal, it takes time to turn on and go ahead. Now the time it takes to turn on is very less, but it is still noticeable which can get annoying.
3. Sport: This is my favorite mode because the auto start/stop is turned off by default. The shifts are quick and you get a downshift if you go about 50% of the gas pedal, but if you are going soft on the gas pedal, then it maintains low rpms which also helps fuel efficiency. I have averaged better fuel efficiency in sport mode especially in traffic because it give me downshifts quicker for those lane changes which means the RPM is also lower compared to Comfort model where the RPM get’s higher since you give about 75% of gas. The engine and gearbox are a match made in heaven especially in Sport mode since the gear shifts are still butter smooth but you also get it in time and the car also gives great efficiency.
4. Sport+: This is a very aggressive mode as in responses are too sharp even with little amount of throttle and the gear shifts get slightly jerky which is good for sporty drives but I’ve used it very rarely only when I use Launch Control.

The car in Sport+ mode coupled with the Gear in Manual mode will not upshift unless you decide to pull the paddle up. This does not happen in other combination with respect to driving mode and gearbox.

Overall the Engine and Gearbox are very good and have dual personalities. They can be a comfortable family man’s car but can transform into a Sporty experience with just the touch of a button which is very impressive. Overall I have averaged about 28.5 MPG throughout my 16 month ownership in this car.

Ride and Handling:

Now this is a very important part for me since I almost made my whole decision based on this part. The ride quality is on the stiffer side. You can feel bumps and undulations to some extent but it’s not disturbingly stiff. But this translates into very good handling. The car can take corners at speeds that few can only think that sedans could take. The reason for such great cornering ability is because it is built on a monocoque chassis, the tires are super wide, the car is sprung stiff which helps the cornering ability. But what you get along with this great cornering ability is HUGE body roll. The body roll cannot be ignored because it is a tall car and you cannot defy the laws of physics. If you take the corner very hard to the limit of the car which is very high for an SUV, the passengers would get uncomfortable and nauseous and this also destroys the tires. More about it later in the thread. But overall, it is a great handler for a car of this class.

Issues:

The only issue I faced during my 16 month ownership are the TIRES. The combination of taking corners hard and not checking the alignment of tires resulted in my front tire outer edge being worn out just within 14K miles (22.5 K kms). The tires were Bridgestone Allenza which usually last anywhere between 20K to 25K miles. This resulted in changing on tires. But that was also the time when winters arrived in Colorado. So I had to go ahead with winter tires. For this particular size, there was only one run flat winter tires option for Pirelli called the Sotto Zero 3. They costed $2300 (1.9L INR) for 4 tires in the given specification. Now this was very expensive to replace since summer arrived 6 months after that and I again had to spend $1.6K for summer tires (1.33 L INR). But I learnt my lesson after destroying the first set of summer tires. The Winter tires had almost the same level of tread after being used for 8K miles. The summer tires were also used for 3K miles later and did not see any wear at all.

I spoke to a tire expert and explained that run flat tires are stiff and so have higher rate of recoil for sharp bumps in the road and when that is coupled with the stiff ride quality of the car, the tires get easily change their alignment. So he suggested checking alignment once every 5K miles. I have been following his advice since then and I have not faced that issue so far.

Everything was so perfect, yet I decided to change the car to an X3 M40i:

I had completed 20K miles when the car was one year old. I was very happy with the car since it had ZERO issues. I always felt the power was adequate, but it never excited me since US roads are so huge and when you join a freeway at 20 mph from an exit, you have to quickly speed up to 70 mph. The X3 was fast and did it quickly, but it never gave the ultimate push back in the seat effect. At high speeds, the car always had to downshift for an overtake and I missed the feeling of having so much torque in hand where the car would make the downshifts in the same gear using the torque. The car is so well insulated that the exhaust sound inside the car never excited me. Finally the Photonic Blue color never grew on me. Now don’t get me wrong, it is a great color. Many people have told they love this color, but it never felt sporty. I thought the color would grow on me but it did not. So I decided to make the decision that financially made no sense but satisfied the car enthusiast in me, I traded the beautiful Photonic Blue X3 30i xDrive with a sporty Brooklyn Grey X3 M40i, after all Y-O-L-O. More about that in my X3 M40i ownership thread that I would like to cover more in detail. 



Pairing ways with 30i


Welcoming the beast 40i

[athray9]

BMW sedan vs BMW SUV

BMW X3 30i xDrive vs BMW 430i GranCoupé xDrive

Introduction

:

I had the X3 30i for 16 months and my roommate owns the 430i for the past 14 months. I get to drive both the cars on a regular basis and I would like to give my honest opinion.

Performance:

On paper, the X3 30i has about 248 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. It weighs at 1882 kgs with 0.29 drag coefficient.

The 430i on the other hand has about 255 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. It weighs at 1760 kgs with 0.28 drag coefficient.

Both the cars have the amazing B48 engine. But on the road 4-series feels more powerful due to its lesser weight, slightly more power and torque and the fact that the exhaust note is pumped in through the speakers.

The 4-series in comfort mode is responsive to throttle inputs. You can get a downshift just by giving 50% of the throttle. This makes it very easy to drive in traffic. The Sport mode makes the throttle very aggressive and downshifts can be seen with little throttle input.

The X3 on the other hand in comfort mode feels quite dull due to the throttle response. To get a downshift, you have to go 70% on the gas pedal which then gives you a downshift. Sport mode is the best suited for this car since you get downshifts at 50% of the throttle. The Sport mode in X3 feels more like the comfort mode in 4-series. But even then, you don’t get the exhaust pumped through the speakers and the X3 feels a bit heavy when its moving.

Handling:

Now this was a big deciding factor for me. The 4-series is probably one of the best handling sedan at that price point. The X3 is the best handling SUV at that price point. But how different are they in terms of handling?

To begin with, my X3 got the MSport staggered setup which meant the front tires were 245/45 R20 and the rear tires were 275/40 R20. The 4-series got 245/45 R18 as standard.

So when it comes to handling, X3 can take corners at 80% of what the 4-series can take which is just amazing if you think of the fact that the X3 is 25% taller than the 4-series. That’s just amazing. But with that amazing handling comes a ton of body roll. You almost get 50% body roll than the 4-series. Now this gets very difficult for the passengers inside the car as they tend to get thrown around and may feel nauseous. The 4-series on the other hand can take corners with much lesser roll so you would end up taking corners at the same speed effortlessly. At the end of the day, we cannot defy the laws of physics. The tires also get severely affected if you end up taking corners fast in the X3. The grippier tires end up holding on to the ground making the body roll even inevitable.

Ride:

The 430i has a very busy ride. You can feel undulations and expansion joint on the road. It’s just very busy.

The X3 on the other hand is still stiff but it doesn’t get disturbing. At high speeds it gets ever so slightly floaty but that can only be felt by the driver. The passengers will feel comfortable. The low speed ride is slightly stiff.

Comfort:

This is the biggest deal breaker for the 4-series. Now I am 5’11 in height. The rear seat of the car is upright. Due to the sloping roofline, the rear seats are placed low which makes you sit in a knees up position which reduces the under thigh support which is already low to begin with. When you try to tuck your foot below the front seats, your ankles brush the front seat which gets uncomfortable. To add up to all of this, the windows are tiny which make you feel claustrophobic.

But my roommate who is 5’7 says he is comfortable in the back seat. So I am assuming that people who are even an inch taller than 5’7 cannot be comfortable in the back seat and is definitely not recommended for long distance travel.

The X3 has good legroom in the rear even when the front seat is set to my driving position. There rear seats recline, the windows are large and the panoramic sunroof makes it feel very roomy. The only down side of the rear seat is the under thigh support. I sat in the rear seat for almost 7 hours and I was fine and did not feel uncomfortable but I did feel the lack of under thigh support.

Driving Position:

Now this is a very personal opinion and may differ for every person.

In USA, most of the cars are SUVs and Trucks that are huge and tall.

In the 4-series, the front seats are vert low. Your knees are almost flat when you sit in the driver seat. The driving position is so low that you can actually see the underbody of some huge trucks and SUVs when you drive and that’s not something that I like and the other thing is ingress and egress is not easy for someone as tall as me at 5’11.

The X3 has a decently tall driving position, it’s not very tall since it is still based on the same platform as the sedan counterpart. Your knees slightly bent when you sit in the car. I feel this is the perfect driving position since you get a good view, ingress and egress is easier for someone of my height.

Steering:

The 4-series has an amazing steering that is so sharp and reacts to even the slightest input. It is so quick to react and can be enjoyed the most in twisties and weighs up beautifully well at high speeds. This steering also has a flip side, when there is too much of side wind which is common in Colorado, you tend to make lot of steering corrections in order to make the car go straight. Now the steering corrections can get very disturbing for passengers inside the car since the steering is so sharp. But you can get used to it over a period of time. The 4-series has a slightly heavier steering than the X3 but is still very light. Surprisingly the 4-series steering does not center itself very easily.

The X3 has a steering that is quick to react as well, but it is not as much fun as the 4-series. There is some slack in the dead centre position compared to 4-series which good and bad. It is bad because it is not as sharp as the 4-series. But this can be a blessing especially for passengers since the steering does not react to every small input. The best part about the X3 steering is the way it centers itself.

Overall it is more about getting used to each steering. Both are good in its own ways.

Brakes:

Both cars come with discs all around.

The brakes in the 4-series are not confidence inspiring. The pedal has no feel to it. I was pleasantly surprised since there is nothing else you can fault in the driving experience of the car. I faced the same issue with my mom's 3-series in India as well. I would like to know if 330i/320d owners in India feel the same way.

The X3's brake pedal has a more progressive feel towards it and I have never had any issues with braking in the car. But during heavy braking, you will find some vertical movement because of the height.

Sound Insulation:

Both cars are very well insulated especially when you compare it with the similarly priced Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. Between the X3 and 4-series, the X3 is slightly better insulated and that’s due to the height of the car since you hear less tire noise and road noise inside the cabin. The road with max speed limit that I’ve ever hit in the USA is 80 mph (129 km/h), for that speed I have not seen any extra wind noise from the X3.

Fuel Efficiency:

The 430i returned an average of 33.6 mpg (14.3 km/l) in a mix of both city and highway conditions. The X3 30i returned an average of 28.5 mpg (12.2 km/l) in similar conditions as the 430i. This is great efficiency for both the cars considering the amount of power they offer. The B48 engines have been really efficient, but the X3’s mileage can drop significantly as you cross speeds of 80mph due to its height while the 4-series had no such issues.

Cost:

A similarly speeded X3 and 4-series/3-series differ by about $3K USD (2.5L INR).

Verdict:

This is again a personal preference, but I have tried to come up with all of the advantages and disadvantages of both the cars.

One thing about USA is that you will end up traveling a lot. Even the grocery store would be far away for which you would end up taking your car. You would end up traveling long distance for trips and they are long straight roads. Road quality is not the greatest. You have to factor in everything before your purchase.

I considered all of the factors and also considered what the enthusiast in me would want. 4-series/3-series is super fun around corners and can give cars that cost twice as much as these a run for it’s money. It is also comfortable, but for the kind of distances that I munch, I am not sure as to how comfortable I would’ve been with them. The X3 is cannot even dream of handling as good as the sedan counterpart, but it is so much more comfortable and makes more sense for long trips. You don’t miss out a lot on straight line performance. The handling is also super fun in a way where you end up reaching the limit of the car faster and the body roll would make you feel all the G-Forces making you think that you are going fast. 

If I had the money to buy two cars, I would probably have an X5 and a fast electric sedan like the Tesla Model 3. But given my situation, I leaned towards a slightly more comfortable experience.

In USA, the 3-series/4-series and the X3 differs by about 5% in cost for which I thought I was getting more value out of X3. But in India, the difference Is about 30% which makes the X3 look overpriced and the 3-series offering value. SO had I been in India, I would’ve bought a 320d and a Taigun 1.0 TSI manual as my daily for the same money.

But hey, I am still lucky since it is my roommate who owns the 4-series. We still take the 4-series when we go on a road full of twisties and X3 is the choice for long highway trips.

I hope I have covered all the parts about the BMW SUV vs Sedan comparison.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by athray9

BMW X3 30i xDrive vs BMW 430i GranCoupé xDrive

I finally got the opportunity to read your review. It is fabulously written with the same passion that all BMW owners write.

I especially loved the 430i vs. 30i comparison covering all the important parameters. I am not surprised that a BMW sedan drives better than the SUV.

You are in a perfect stage of your life. Recently moved to US and single, you have lot of time to enjoy the sedans before they come extinct. I'm actually surprised that you chose a BMW X3M40i over an M340i- I am super curious to know why? I don't think the road conditions nor ferrying passengers/boot space was on your mind when taking this decision.

You nailed the performance, ride, handling and NVH parts which are some of the key aspects I look at whenever I drive a new car.

When I was buying the X3M40i, I happened to drive the X3 30i which paled in comparison.

If you want to punish someone, make them drive the 30i and then hand over the keys to the X3M40i.

I'm saying that because I become a victim in a similar fashion.

Some of the BMW's that I drove during my ownership experience of X3M40i in the past ~ 3 years so I have a comparative feel :

1. BMW 330i (Friends Car)
2. BMW 525i (BMW Loaner in Detroit)
3. Audi Q5 (Shockingly, BMW dealership gave me this as a loaner for a day when my BMW was at service..lol)
4. BMW xdrive 240i ( I took this rental car a couple of times to Portland on business trips)
5. BMW M340i (In fact, drove 2 of them- A friend's and a BHPian)
6. BMW X5 50i with a V8 ( My sis owns this one and I drive it regularly- Immensly Powerful but, not as thrilling as a B58)

Out of the above list, only the M340i was an exciting car to drive.

This is the problem with the B58. It sets the expectation very high and there are not many gas cars out there at this price point which gives you similar thrills for $$$$ spent.

I can't wait to check out your detailed X3M40i ownership thread.

Cheers & Keep flogging that B58. Haha!!

[athray9]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I finally got the opportunity to read your review. It is fabulously written with the same passion that all BMW owners write.

I especially loved the 430i vs. 30i comparison covering all the important parameters. I am not surprised that a BMW sedan drives better than the SUV.

You are in a perfect stage of your life. Recently moved to US and single, you have lot of time to enjoy the sedans before they come extinct. I'm actually surprised that you chose a BMW X3M40i over an M340i- I am super curious to know why? I don't think the road conditions nor ferrying passengers/boot space was on your mind when taking this decision.

Thank you !

Colorado roads are pretty bad compared to Washington or California and it snows a lot here. Snowfalls are heavy during winter. During winter, I was driving 430i one day and the road had some dry ice, the car had performance winter tires - Pirelli Sotto Zero III. Yet when I feathered the throttle ever so slightly, the rear slid for a moment and then came back straight on its own. I was shocked for a moment. Similarly I saw the same thing happen to an Audi A5 in front of me. This made me think a lot before getting a sedan since the M340i had more power.

The other factor was I was looking at either a new M340i or a 1 year old used X3 M40i. The reason again was due to the fact that the M340i got the LCI update recently and I like the looks and the interiors of the LCI better especially with those 14 inch dual screens. But the 2022 X3 M40i and the 2023 X3 M40i were almost the same with very few differences. That was another reason.

Finally I also had to think about the amount of travel that I do. Since I got to experience the X3 30i and the 430i before my purchase of the X3 M40i I realized that 70% of my travel was on straight roads with mountains only being 30%. The SUVs are so much more comfortable on long straight roads in comparison. Every time I hit the mountains in the X3 30i, I used to miss the sedan, but the X3 M40i handles so much different in comparison that I actually don't miss owning a sedan as much as I did when I had my X3 30i, the difference in handling between X3 30i and the X3 M40i is HUGE, but of-course I have to pay for the difference in terms of ride quality but again it is livable.

But the X3 spoils you so much with the kind of ease, comfort, performance, ride and also being Fuel-efficient that it made my decision super easy. I had no confusion at all.

I hope this answers the question as to why the X3 M40i and not the M340i.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Some of the BMW's that I drove during my ownership experience of X3M40i in the past ~ 3 years so I have a comparative feel :

1. BMW 330i (Friends Car)
2. BMW 525i (BMW Loaner in Detroit)
3. Audi Q5 (Shockingly, BMW dealership gave me this as a loaner for a day when my BMW was at service..lol)
4. BMW xdrive 240i ( I took this rental car a couple of times to Portland on business trips)
5. BMW M340i (In fact, drove 2 of them- A friend's and a BHPian)
6. BMW X5 50i with a V8 ( My sis owns this one and I drive it regularly- Immensly Powerful but, not as thrilling as a B58)

Out of the above list, only the M340i was an exciting car to drive.

This is the problem with the B58. It sets the expectation very high and there are not many gas cars out there at this price point which gives you similar thrills for $$$$ spent.

B58 is going to go down in history as one of the last 6-cylinder engines since most of the next gen cars are going 4-cylinder+hybrid in this price range. It is so good in all aspects such, I especially enjoy the low end and the mid-range as well, yet it is so fuel efficient and finally who can't forget the beautiful exhaust note !!! I enjoy the cold start everyday morning.

Since you had driven so many other BMWs including the V8 and yet If you feel the B58 still excites you, then that speaks a lot about B58.

Originally Posted by mobike008

I can't wait to check out your detailed X3M40i ownership thread.

Cheers & Keep flogging that B58. Haha!!

Hoping to start writing that one soon. Thank you !!!