X3 28i Loaner Review
 

Took my 2008 X3 in for the Takata recall and got a 2017 X3 loaner.

Ok, so it's a homely beast (even ugly from some angles). This one was made worse by its non-descript bronze paint.

But what a nice place to spend time. Good visibility, comfortable seats, perfect size, very high quality interior (much better than the current 3 series) and the latest idrive is perfection. The door thunk is great--sort of a return to the way BMWs used to feel. All of the controls/buttons feel old-school German as well (that's a good thing). Click the voice button and say "take me to ...." and it gets it instantly. Better than Siri for sure. Despite having Carplay I dont think i'd ever use it w/ this system...it just works so well.

As always the turbo 4 + 8 speed combo is quick enough, and it was smoother than I'd remembered, but still shifts a bit too much and makes itself known. I'd take the 6 cyl + 6 speed auto in my current x3 any day over this. The steering is way too light (even in sport), but still better than the F30. My wife felt more strongly about it-- she really disliked the steering and described it as "loose". They don't do any engine sound augmentation in the x3 and I now realize why they do it in other models. It just sounds very wheezy and decidedly "unpremium" when accelerating. Handing wasn't good or bad- just unobtrustive.

Still, I enjoyed whipping around in this car to do errands. It'd be very easy to live with (yes, i'm getting older :) ). If I could score a lease on one for, say, $350 a month (highly doubtful given BMWs worsening lease programs ). maybe I'd consider it. And as far as crossovers go, I suppose this is one of the best of the bunch despite being one of the oldest. You likely have to step up to something like a Macan S to get a meaningful improvement. But they're ridiculously expensive and kind of small (so why bother with a crossover at that point). I know Audi and Volvo win all the comparison tests these days, but mostly for even better interiors/practicality. You're still stuck 4 cyl turbos unless you spend a fortune on an SQ5 (and at that point why not just get a Macan).

Getting back in my old x3 felt good though -- the seats, steering, drive-train and handling are all better. But given that it's our only car, I'd rather not spin the roulette wheel of German reliability for too much longer.

Is 2017 the brand new platform?

No- it's the last year of the current one. The 2018 X3 is the new one.

I got a flyer in the mail the other day extolling the virtues of the '18, and then offering a discount on a '17. :lol:

Ha! When I ran the numbers, I'd need to get about 11k off sticker to make it attractive for me and that's not realistic (even on an ex-loaner). I half-heartedly considered emailing a few dealers to see if any would bite, but couldn't quite get motivated to do so. I suppose if the perfect deal dropped in my lap I could be convinced to sign the paperowrk. At the very least, I think it'd have to be the 35i model though

Maybe not... I received nearly 15% off MSRP on an ordered ‘17 F15 and the 2018 MY is the final year of F15 production. FYI, the final day of production for the F25 was 08.25.17 so there are still plenty available prior to the arrival of the G01 (3rd Gen) sometime in Oct.

Yeah. I think you could get close to that discount with a new model coming.

I had one of these as a loaner for a couple of days. It was the sDrive iteration of the 4 cylinder. It was a stripper and filthy inside--so that influenced my opinion.

It was OK. But pretty uninspiring. Kind of appliance like. I find that to be true of most base BMWs until you start ticking the proper boxes. It's a nice size for most small families.

I imagine once our kid is out of the house, we'd downsize the X5 to something this size. But, it'd probably be some Macan variant. Or a proper station wagon, if anyone would make one again. The E91 was a little small; the F31 is a better size for a family-mobile. The E63 is bigger than I'd like.

At any rate, it was great to get back in the 2 series. It's really the sweet spot for a fun daily driver with a modicum of practicality.

When is the LSD going in?

Buick. Merc. BMW. Jaguar. Audi. Volvo.

There are still some decent wagon choices.

Yep. Have driven most of them. We miss our 5 wagon. It was the sweet spot of size, luxury, handling. And a RWD version with sport suspension would have been even better.

It's in!

Did some break-in figure 8s, circles, etc. yesterday. But otherwise only have about 16 miles on it. I also traded out the Pilot Super Sports for A/S 3+, so those are breaking in as well. (I am over doing summer/winter swaps, and don't have a cold/foul weather driving alternative. Spouse gets the X5 and we are keeping the summers on her Boxster year round.)

So with the LSD and the all seasons, I've gained traction and lost traction at the same time. :lol: At least in the heat of summer on dry roads...

At any rate, the car already feels much more planted and controllable. It has lost much of its floaty feel around corners--which is what I disliked about the car. It now feels like it can put the power down in a predictable fashion--like my M3--both going into the corners and pulling out of them. We live in an old-style suburb, where all the streets loop around and intersect with each other. Getting to a main road is all twists and turns every day.

I look forward to full break-in (allegedly 500 miles or so) and some highway ramps in the future (where I most keenly felt the lack of the LSD.)

EDIT: I really don't understand all the people who add power/tuning kits to their 2 series before they install an LSD.

Please keep the reviews coming, this is something I'd be very tempted to do on my 1er if it really made a difference.

And I completely agree re: the tuning crowd and putting big power through a pogo stick drive on these cars. More power is not very high on the list of things I'd want to improve on this car.

Will do. So far, very pleased.

Well - a good deal on an x3 35i just dropped in my lap. Would be about 350/month for 2 years. Has the minimum that I want- but no nice to haves like adaptive cruise or the adaptive suspension. Still at this price kinda hard to say no. Could barely get a CRV for that. Really nothing else I can find out there close this to size/price/perfomrance/practicality. It's fugly but atleast it's black. :)

When you say fugly does it have some ugly wheels on it or something? I really like the look of the X3 and think it is one of the better looking suv’s out here, for that price I would jump on it !!

I can’t believe it’s a X3 35i for that price :eek:

Yeah- not a big fan of the looks of it (the wheels are the base ones so they don't help either). Too many body lines, weird headlight shape, weird front end, etc. Looks good from the back though! The redesigned 18s looks a little better I think (although I haven't spent time up close). If I'm driving it I don't have to look at it- and it's not like I find most CUVS/SUVs attractive anyway. But I agree for the price, it's hard to beat. An equivalent 2018 M40i would cost about $700/month! Could barely get base Jeep Grand Cherokee for this price either. Will be my first car w/ passive entry and that kick-to-open tailgate ( I know many people complain that they have trouble w/ it but I've never had an issue on any car I've tried it on). With a toddler, I'm really looking forward to those features.

My first choice was a 330 wagon for the same price, but my wife vetoed that. I prefer having the 6 cyl anyway though. And, with a kid in a car seat the higher ride height is a back/head saver. Also would've liked a Grand Cherokee but w/ the same level of options it would've been in the 400s plus my wife didn't like the seats.