[XDriver]

Since I bought my BMW X3 M40i in Nov 2023 I have been itching to take it on a long drive. My first long trip was to Tipeshwar tiger reserve in Maharashtra in Feb 2024. Had some good tiger sightings there. So I planned a trip to Tadoba in April from 18-21st 2024. I have been an avid bird and wildlife photographer and once you are bitten by the tiger bug there is no stopping. Booked 4 safaris and planned stay at Svasara lodge near Kolara gate. The drive from Hyderabad to TATR (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve) is approximately 530KM with most of the road in excellent condition barring the last 50 odd KM which has lot of diversions as they have been laying a concrete road since a couple of years which is still under progress.

Took a lunch break at Avni resort (Foxtail earlier) at Tipeshwar where we have stayed many times earlier. The manager Mr Shiv arranged a sumptuous meal for us. We did the same on our way back and it took approximately 8 hours each way. I drove by myself with my family with me.

The practicality of the M40i is unbeatable. Loads of luggage and good space for family to chill in.

We did 2 safaris in Kolara core and 1 each in Belara buffer and Alizanza buffer.

In all, we saw tigers in all safaris and a total of 9 tigers all together! Got some good photo opportunities and put my Canon 1Dx II and 500mm F/4 L IS II lens to good use.

A pair of siblings quench their thirst at Belara buffer. One of my favourite shots from the trip


Playful tigers at the waterhole. It was such a delight to see them pounce and chase each other and splash around!


The young tiger enjoying a drink while giving me a stare down the lens barrel


The siblings relaxing at a puddle at Belara buffer sone of Tadoba


The tiger having its fill after a good meal


Portrait of the tiger with that intense stare. Its just unnerving when they do that!


An adult female tigress at Alizanza buffer plays hide and seek with us giving just a glimpse through jungle foliage


Choti Tara tigress at Kolara core area of Tadoba. The picturesque setting with fallen log, peacock in background and 'calls' from spotted deer will be etched in my memory for ever


Another head on shot of tiger in water


A wet and wild big cat Choti Tara emerges from the waterhole and walks towards us


The M40i was absolutely a JOY to drive! The ride was balanced. Right amount of comfort and sportiness with no fatigue after 8 hour journey each way. I used the XP 95 fuel and got an average of 11 kmpl during the trip. The ground clearance of 200mm was more than adequate with the car making light of monstrous speed bumps and ugly diversions. The car maintained triple digit speeds without breaking a sweat. On open stretches put it in sport plus and the acceleration and sound was just terrific.

The Brooklyn Grey M40i parked under shade at Svasara Lodge


The aggressive front end is such a joy to see every time one leaves the car! I just dig this design over the newer BMW designs


The side silhouette is so pleasing. Clean design and balanced proportions!


What really makes this special is the M tuned B58. The exhaust note in sport mode with the pops and burbles was so addictive. Many cars tried to out pace me but just couldn’t. While one can’t enjoy the top speed of such cars in India, it’s the launch and acceleration that is worth every penny. And the lack of speed chimes was such a boon. Allowed me to enjoy the Harman/Kardon system to the fullest.

Pros of the X3 M40i
1. Powerful yet nimble to drive
2. Explosive acceleration and addictive sound track in sport plus mode
3. Comfortable and spacious, super practicality for family trips
4. Ground clearance is ample and gives peace of mind on our roads. Water wading of 500 mm.
5. Ergonomics in side are spot on. iDrive 7 is still the best I feel

Cons:
1. A bit stiff ride quality but scores over the M340i due to its adaptive dampers
2. Gas guzzler but still respectable milage on long highway runs
3. RFTs can be a boon or a bane. Touchwood so far no issues in my 3 long journeys.
4. Need for 95 octane fuel (not a real con as its fairly easily available)

Overall 1000km plus was a delightful drive in my Brooklyn Grey BMW X3 M40i.

A unique, limited and fantastic offering from BMW. Glad I got it!

Pure driving pleasure, every kilometre driven !

Sharing some images with you all.

[KarthikK]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Kkumar]

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful travelogue with beautiful photos. Can you please rate your stay and the procedure to book safari, can advance booking be done online. Keep on munching miles.

[Selective]

Awesome pictures XDriver! I have never seen the tiger in open apart from the Bannerghatta open zoo! :-) Some of the travel logs (including this) on team-bhp are great motivators to experience the wild life. Thanks for sharing your experience.

You have a great car and I followed your foot steps and lucky enough to buy X3 M40i in January this year. Glad that I didn't wait for the new 2025 model. I have driven it for around 5k kms (mostly on highways) and enjoying every bit of it. The JOY of driving this machine is surreal. I am finding one or other reason to hit the highway every other month! This never happened before :-)

[warp_10]

Lovely shots. Especially that of the playful cubs. Interesting to know that you got some good sightings even in the buffer zones. Buffer zones have ended being pretty dry for me in the past.

[Vijay T]

Absolutely breathtaking shots.

You seem to be mighty lucky in a sense that you could see tigers on all safaris that too 9 in total.

Last December we were there in TATR.Could see 2 times out of 4.
Only 3 tigers.

Your BMW is really beautiful especially that colour.

Pl share other travelogues & sightings also.

[Dead Head]

Originally Posted by XDriver

Since I bought my BMW X3 M40i in Nov 2023 I have been itching to take it on a long drive...

Lovely trip & lovely photos!!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do Tadoba? Are you allowed to take in your own vehicle in to the forest ? And if so, 4X4 is mandatory or a 4X2 Compass could pull it off? I know summer moths are best but will Oct /Dec stand a good chance of sightings?

[Torque123]

Great travelogue & images there @Xdriver. Guess Choti Tara quenching her thirst is at Pandherpauni waterhole. I agree, the color of your BMW is beautiful.

Originally Posted by Dead Head

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do Tadoba? Are you allowed to take in your own vehicle in to the forest ? And if so, 4X4 is mandatory or a 4X2 Compass could pull it off? I know summer moths are best but will Oct /Dec stand a good chance of sightings?

Do a minimum of 4-6 safaris split across any 2 zones only. This increases the probability of big cat sightings. Especially to Tadoba, plan your trip on a weekday for a better experience. For the sheer number of gypsies that enter the park, weekends are a chaos. Private vehicles are not allowed (4X4 or not does not matter). Oct-Dec is a good time to enjoy the forest as well as to sight big cats. Mornings will be very cold. If sighting the tiger is the sole goal then visit during the summer. Temperature will be 42+ degrees minimum.

[Stryker]

Excellent photographs of the tigers I'm sure you also saw several other denizens of the forest, please post images of those too.

Originally Posted by XDriver

I used the XP 95 fuel and got an average of 11 kmpl during the trip.

I'm a little surprised by this. I get around 12 kmpl in my 330 Li driving inside the city itself! (8.5 litres per 100 kms) On long highway jaunts I get anywhere between 17-19 kmpl, even if I do some spirited runs in Sports+ mode. I'll post the fuel consumption graph photos soon. In fact, on the BLR-MYS expressway where the speed is currently limited to 100 kmph, using the cruise control I get more than that! It usually shows 5.0 litres per 100 kms, which is 20 kmpl.

I'm not sure why your X1 is showing only 11 kmpl on a long highway run like this, unless you were driving really fast with several speed bursts just for the fun of it. I know, that rush is addictive!

[XDriver]

Originally Posted by Stryker

Excellent photographs of the tigers I'm sure you also saw several other denizens of the forest, please post images of those too.



I'm a little surprised by this. I get around 12 kmpl in my 330 Li driving inside the city itself! (8.5 litres per 100 kms) On long highway jaunts I get anywhere between 17-19 kmpl, even if I do some spirited runs in Sports+ mode. I'll post the fuel consumption graph photos soon. In fact, on the BLR-MYS expressway where the speed is currently limited to 100 kmph, using the cruise control I get more than that! It usually shows 5.0 litres per 100 kms, which is 20 kmpl.

I'm not sure why your X1 is showing only 11 kmpl on a long highway run like this, unless you were driving really fast with several speed bursts just for the fun of it. I know, that rush is addictive!

Thank for your comments. My car is X3 M40i with the 6 pot B58 and not the X1. I do get 12-13 kmpl if driven in comfort mode on highways. In Sport plus it does drop a bit.
Will post some other mammals and bird pics soon.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by XDriver

Thank for your comments. My car is X3 M40i with the 6 pot B58 and not the X1. I do get 12-13 kmpl if driven in comfort mode on highways. In Sport plus it does drop a bit.
Will post some other mammals and bird pics soon.

Oops, not sure why I read it as X1! Your car being 6 pot resolves my doubt.