News

Brought home a BMW X3 M40i: Here's what I like about it & what I dont

31st January 2024, 11:02 by Dev Shah

Handles like a sedan. Wonderful body control around corners and has decent ride quality.

BHPian XDriver recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello fellow BHPians!

In Nov 2023 I brought home the BMW X3 M40i to replace my X1 X Drive 20d M sport. I already have the BMW 530d M Sport G30 face lift LCI. So I was in the look out for an SUV to replace my X1. The cars I short listed were the new X5 40i and X3 M40i. Some well wishers suggested the Porsche Macan too. But as there is no dealer of Porsche in Hyderabad yet and the Macan is way too expensive for a base version (which is a 4 cylinder which was offered to me for 1.1 CR by the Mumbai dealer) I decided to drop it.

Front view:

Rear view:

Side view:

B58 engine bay:

The 2 BMW siblings together. In-line 6s. One diesel and one petrol:

Test drove both the X5 and X3 in 40i versions. I have posted my views on the X5 earlier in the forum. The team BHP poll suggested the X5 for the superior build quality and better ride and comfort but I decided to go for the X3 M 40i as it was sportier to drive, fits better in my parking space and the discounts I got. Thanks a ton to all who voted in the poll and gave valuable suggestions.

Overall am very happy with my purchase.

First thing was to get PPF and ceramic coating done for the car with Kavaca. Applied the 3M rodent spray in the engine well and wheel arches. I do this regularly every 3-6 months for all cars. (Had a rodent bite to the washer fluid tank on my X1) one has to learn from experience and now this is a ritual for me.

What’s to like:

Beautiful design, proportionate and balanced. Perfect size and style of the double kidneys.
An enthusiasts car. The legendary B58 in-line 6 cylinder with 360hp and 500nm torque is just brilliant to drive and sounds terrific (better than the X5 40i)
Spacious and practical. Sporty all-black interiors with carbon fiber trim.
All the bells and whistles like 360 degree camera, parking and reversing assistant, 464 W Harman Kardon system (though needs a bit of tweaking in equaliser to get best out if it)
Handles like a sedan. Wonderful body control around corners and has decent ride quality. M Sport differential and M sport brakes aid in composure and stopping.
Good ground clearance with 500mm water wading.
Adaptive dampers gives a decent ride
Mild hybrid system (though not mentioned in brochures)
M Mirror caps and blacked out twin exhaust tips
Exclusivity as it will be available in limited numbers
No annoying speed warning chimes at 80 and 120 as I guess it’s a CBU. I was so pleased with this!
Presence of physical buttons for climate control, short cut buttons. I use the latter as speed dial presets.
Massive panoramic roof gives an airy feel to an otherwise dark interior and acoustic glazing of windows helps keep unwanted noises out.
Sun blinds for rear windows (manual) which is missing in M340i

What’s not:

No request sensors on doors for a 1 CR plus car
Misses the latest curved screen displays with iDrive 8 of newer models. I actually like the iDrive 7 better so not a deal breaker for me.
Stiff ride but better than M340i as it has adaptive dampers
Reduced boot space from 550 litres to 480 litres due to stowed spare tyre
Cheaper hard plastics on lower sections of doors
Expensive as it’s a CBU
Loves to guzzle gasoline especially if driven hard but that’s the point of buying this car. FE of 7-8 kmpl average.
RFTs
No BMW digital key or ADAS
Minor niggles. Have a rattle in the left front door. More on that below.

Interior design:

Though its interior is older design it is extremely well put together. It feels robust, the older screens with iDrive 7 with physical controls are more practical and still upmarket. The drama of the newer curved screen is missing but iDrive 8.5 has may menus and sub menus and not as intuitive as iDrive7. The black interior with carbon fiber trim is sporty and looks good. The sport seats hold you snug and are yet comfortable. Leg room at rear is more than adequate (almost similar to X5). Wireless charging pad is nice to have (though seldom used). X3 a M40i only comes with black sensatec letherette seats. More colour choices would have been nice but black will be easy to maintain. The black interior goes very well with the Brooklyn Grey exterior paint colour though.

The Cockpit:

The M Sport Steering:

Front seats:

Rear seats and space:

Exterior design:

Exterior looks are pleasing and the Brooklyn Grey metallic paint with black M grill, M style door mirrors in black, piano black bumper, rear diffuser with shadow line lights look fantastic. It has a very clean design with an aggressive sporty front and rear end. What I can say is the X3 design is proportional and balanced. The LED lights have the shadow line package with adds to the sporty appeal. The 20 inch light alloy wheels with red callipers suit the car well. What’s impressive is the smaller foot print of the X3 vs X5 that makes it more convenient for daily self driving and parking in cellars and on narrow roads.

Aggressive front:

LED headlamps and M wing mirrors:

Rear 3/4 view:

M40i badge:

20 inch M light alloys:

Shadow line tail lights:

Tail light signature:

Drive and handling:

The main reason for me to upgrade from X1 X line 20d was the B58 in-line 6 engine. I know these engines will soon go out so wanted to own one asap. The M40i has the slightly de-tuned version with 360bhp vs the 374hp unit in M340i(really don’t know why) but the difference is not felt in daily usage. The claimed 0-100 time is 4.9 seconds but I have not tested it yet as the vehicle is still in the run-in period. In comfort mode it is super smooth, with excellent NVH, and is very responsive. Just a light touch in the A pedal it just surges forward without fuss. It has a dual personality like the M340i. It’s calm and composed in comfort more and transforms into a hooligan in sport mode. It’s a proper sleeper vehicle and will take people by surprise with its brisk acceleration and sound. In sport mode the exhaust and engine sounds are louder (maybe a bit pumped in via speakers). The A pedal response and gear shifts are more sharp and in no time it will zoom into triple digit range. The suspension also firms up and is stiffer in sport mode. You will feel every bump, crater or expansion joint in sport. Heck, you could even pick out a needle or dropped coin by going over it. Better to go into sport individual and keep engine and gearbox in sport and suspension and steering in comfort. The FE will drop to 5-6 km in sport mode if driven hard. I am averaging 7-8 in mixed city and ORR driving. The absence of irritating speed warning chimes allows one to enjoy the car even more uninterrupted.

The folks at KUN BMW were not aware of that it has a mild hybrid system. But it seems to have it as I see a purple cable (indicative of mild hybrid) running behind the engine and the car RPMs drop to zero while coasting. Also turbo lag is barely felt. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Handling is tight around bends and body roll is negligible. Overall the X3 m40i drive is nimble, firm yet decent and is very responsive and a hoot drive. The RFTs I have are Bridgestone ones. Wish I have the Michelins (as on my 530d) which I feel are better. I plan to continue with RFT till I wear these out. Then may go for tubeless in future.

Build quality:

Build quality isn’t on par with the X5. The Sensafin seats are better in X5. No hard plastics anywhere in X5. Doors on the X5 feel more solid and ride comfort is superior. I have the 530d which is better built (just like the X5) and it compensates for the X3 for me on luxury factor.

Niggles:

Now the niggle part. I have a rattle in the left front door. KUN BMW sent the engineer home to check it out and after some test runs figured out that a screw and washer that holds the side skirt to the door is missing from inside. Didn’t expect this from BMW. They have ordered the part and it will take 2-3 weeks to come from Germany. It’s very annoying to drive with the subtle rattle. Someone with even mild OCD will be pissed off. I have attached a pic below of the missing part.

The missing screw and rubber bush: