Picked up my new X3 - initial impressions
 

Picked up my 2017 x3 35i on Saturday and got a chance to do a mix of highway and city driving with it. This was the one vehicle that my wife and I could agree on (the 330 sport wagon, JGC Hemi and Charger Hemi were higher on my list but she wasn't as much of a fan).

What really sealed it was the excellent deal we got on this car (cheaper lease than all but a base JGC Laredo). The biggest downside is that it lacks heated seats (which is probably why we were able to get such a good deal, but wtf was the dealer thinking when they ordered it like that and why does BMW even bother making it an option? Just raise the price by $500 and spare everyone the trouble of remembering the check the box). Even dumber when you consider that the majority of these cars are leased anyway and this would have only a few $ impact on payment. Doesn't have the m-sport package either, so it has the regular seats and thinner steering wheel (also not a big fan of). Upside is that it doesn't have the horrific front-end bumper they used on msport x3s. If I really wanted to, I could probably find an msport wheel for a few hundred and install it.

Coming from the standard seats in the e83 (which I found extremely comfortable), these aren't as good. I think the seat cushion is a bit shorter and the backrest is slightly harder. Plus the headrests can't be adjusted for tilt (weird since the F30's can). They aren't bad, but I haven't taken a long enough trip yet to really render a verdict. The back seat also isn't as good- feels like they made it lower so it's not as supportive. Rear legroom is better but not as roomy as I originally thought (F30 wagon seemed roomier).

Despite those downsides, it's just such a slick car. The n55 engine is smoother than it was in my old 335 and the ZF 8 speed seems to work better with it than it did with the 4 cyl on my f10. Throttle response is instant without any hesitation and there's none of the jerkiness when slowing down that i noticed on the f10. The suspension seems very well tuned-- glides over bumps but doesn't lean much in corners and doesn't feel floaty on the highway. The electric power steering is too light (even in sport mode), but it doesn't have the loose/dead spot on-center that I experienced in my f10. Very precise with a good ratio (not too quick/ not too slow). Overall, I'll adjust to it, but it's odd to me that FCA can make the steering on a Jeep feel more natural than BMW can with their current vehicles (FCA's standard steering wheel is also much nicer).

And, as I mentioned before, I really love the latest iteration of i-drive. Everything just works so well. Voice recognition is fast and flawless, they've done away with the annoying "Are you sure" type prompts, and all compatible phone apps automatically appear (even over bluetooth). Haven't managed to stump it yet. In the past, you had to manually start an app (such as Pandora), plug it in and then you could use it via i-drive. If you're not driving and want to do something else on your phone simultaneously it doesn't stop the app from working. Now you just get in, and it's there. Really nice, and less fussy than CarPlay. BMW seems to be the best at control placement and center-stack design. Everything is clean, easy to read, and feels high quality. Anything that should be a button is a button.

This is also the first car I've had with passive entry and a kick-to-open rear hatch (which apparently the msport f25 x3s lacked). Both seem to work perfectly and, with a toddler, make life a little easier. Having a super-clear backup camera and very detailed PDC graphics are nice too. Pano roof is larger than my old e83 (this was the first thing my 3 year old noticed and actually commented on). Anything that makes him happier to be in the car is a win so that's good.

The looks are starting to grow on me as well. Headlights definitely have an "angry birds" vibe to them, but overall it kind of works. My car is black metallic so that helps too. Turns signals are all regular bulbs which look a bit cheap/outdated. Weird that they bothered making the fog lights (which you rarely use) LEDs but not the turn signals.

Sounds like they've made some adjustments in the last 5 years. Ours has a ridiculously maddening hesitation when pulling away from a stop.

Ours has also been kind of a maintenance nightmare, so good luck with that! :ack:

Yeah they must've tweaked it. As final year model, hoping this doesn't have too many problems. No initial quality issues to speak of so far. What types of issues did yours have?

Ours was fine until the warranty ran out. Heh

The last ~18 months:
Suspension computer
Water pump/thermostat
(3) LED Tailights
(2) window regulators
Water leak from sunroof drains
gas door wouldn't "unlock"
glove compartment trim falling off
oil filter housing gasket leak

This is on a 2012 with under 50k miles.

With how badly the newer BMWs drive, I don't see a reason to buy them anymore. It used to be the driving experience was so much better than anything else it made up for the maintenance headache. Now that they offer as much engagement as a Lexus, might as well just buy a Lexus and get something that's actually reliable.

Sadly, they are pretty much the game for suv's with any oomph at their price point. I've been virtual-shopping Macans and the AMG GLC, but haven't figured out how to pay for them yet.

And, yeah, no way: ;)

http://wardsauto.com/site-files/ward...4/lexus-rx.jpg

congrats

Picked up my new X3 - initial impressions
 

Right - you have to pay a lot more to get a meaningful improvement in performance / driving engagement.

Even in its last year of production, the x3 (in 35i form) makes a compelling case for itself.

And yeah,Lexi are too ugly I consider. Personally I’d lease any of these cars. If buying, I’d go for something older with less electronics.

I mean, I'd never buy them. Their commercials are sickening enough that I couldn't ever give them money.

But I firmly believe for 99% of people it's the right product.

If I were just buying some sort of appliance car, I'd go for the Honda/Acura version of whatever. With the possible exception of a 4Runner/Tacoma thing.

Enjoy!

Wife still happy with it? Planning to keep on keeping it a while?

She still loves it.

I figure we're only left with the fuel pump and total VANOS failure still. Oh, and I guess the coils will all go bad eventually. In the mean time it'll go through several more rounds of rear brake pads (forgot to mention earlier the 14k mile replacement interval on those.)

Congrats I had an X3 loaner and I REALLY liked it !! Great write up but what the heck ... no pics ???

Also your making me feel old with the whole 3 yr old talk ;) my oldest is turning 20 and my youngest is 13 1/2 ... damn I’m getting old :ack:

Sorry- haven't had a chance yet (the whole 3 year old thing).

Don't feel too bad. I had a late start w/ kids. While you're enjoying retirement I'll be dealing w/ a teenager. :)

Did you have a 28 or 35 loaner?

Ugh- that sounds like "best of" album from BMW. All of the classics are there. Weird about the LED taillights- guessing that must've been a short from a leak. Thought that window regulator issues had been largely put to rest w/ the e46/39.

Mine is only a 2 year lease so I doubt I'll get to that point.

That's odd. Guessing it's from the "e LSD" doing its thing.

Have you had to have the engine walnut blastet yet? Supposedly thats necessary around 50-60k on BMW DI engines

Congrats. That price is a steal for an x3 with the n55 engine. Enjoy.

The fact that it's every BMW issue, and that I know better, is what makes it hurt the most. :lol:

Apparently there's some defect in the circuit board for the lights. I found a diy to resolder some capacitors and whatnot, maybe I'll do that next time.

Haven't done the Walnut thing yet. Add that to next year's bill.

I’ll be there for you when you’re going through it (the teenager part and man is that fun :o :D)

I had the 2.8 and really thought it was a great car and could totally see living with it as my everyday car (I’m pretty sure I posted a pic of the car here) ... I would love to have driven the 3.5 because that must bring a great car to a whole new level !!

Enjoy and i’m looking forward to seeing some pics ... what color combo did you get ?

Make sure you change the serpentine belt. The N5x motors have a charming failure mode where they suck the belt into the engine through the crank seal.

Do you have to pay extra for that?

Great.

Edit:
Couldn't figure out how this would even be possible until I found a video explaining that the crank balancer/pulley relationship is basically backwards from every other GD engine ever. WTF

:lol:

Only ze Germans know how to engineer truly spectacular engine failures.

Will post some pics tomorrow-- it's black sapphire / oyster with aluminum trim. Lightest interior I've ever had, but its kind of nice to not be in a dark cave (like my past cars). Thought the aluminum would clash w/ the oyster interior but it kinda works.

Congrats. And enoy the new ride!

A few pics https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2872c2c315.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...66437092da.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is an odd angle can you please take another pic :D;)

Looks good ... love the color combo !!

since it seems to be somewhat of a tradition here, I'm adding my first 1k impressions of the X3 for what it's worth. Overall I really like driving this car. It's the right balance of comfort/performance/practicality right now. The biggest things I don't like would've been rectified had I found one with the Msport and cold weather packages. Actually found the perfect one back in September (Carbon black, msport etc), but wasn't really sold on the idea at that point. Nothing that really irritates me yet though.

Likes:
-Definitely the best riding BMW I've had. No need to clench my teeth over potholes or rough roads. But doesn't seem to have an undue amount of body lean for being an SUV. I haven't encountered a situation where the car feels floaty or like it's going to understeer through a corner atleast.
-Best electric power steering of the BMWs i've driven. Reasonable feel and no looseness on center. "Sport" mode is nicely weighted without feeling artificially heavy.
-Smoothness of engine. For some reason the n55 in my old 335 had a rough idle - this one is glass smooth.
-Dash design. Simple, infotainment screen integration isn't the "tablet stuck on top" of the latest bmws, everything seems well laid out. Cluster from F10 5 series so it's got large, clear gauges, etc. Climate control also appears to be f10-style so it has the "sync" button that the f30 lacks (small thing but nice)
-Infotainment system (and nav in particular) continues to impress me with how easy and accurate it is. I haven't had any "want to smash the screen" moments like I've had on past vehicles or with Google and Apple Maps for that matter.

Mixed:
-I've always had the "sport seats" or equivalent. I kind of miss the cushion extender thing, but am realizing that the lack of bolsters makes longer trips more comfortable. Wish this car had heated seats though- i miss those. Seats aren't quite as comfortable as the ones i had in the e83- could just be that those were broken in after 100k miles. Headrests aren't adjustable for angle (e90 style) as they are on newer bmws (including f30). The 1st gen x3 had a kind of clever setup where the whole headrest could be adjusted in/out (without being on an angle).
-Steering wheel. I've always had the thicker "M sport" wheel with paddles. Similar to the seats, I kind of prefer the thinner wheel on longer trips. I still instinctively reach for the paddles in certain cases-- enjoyed using them occasionally. Kicking around the idea of buying/installing the msport wheel but probably won't bother.
-Build quality/materials: Overall pretty good. But some of the plastics seem like a step down from the 1st gen (e83) x3 i had. Funny because all the reviews of the 2nd gen fawned over how much more "upscale" it is. The door pockets in particular are hard, shiny, grained plastic with no lining. e83 was all soft touch. If they were in an FCA product, reviewers would jump all over it. Then again, for the price I'm paying anything else would've had plenty of hard plastic as well.
-Exhaust sound: While I like that there's no artificial enhancement. But it doesn't sound nearly as good as the same engine in the 335 did. Almost has a Nissan VQ-ish type of drone sometimes (like what i identify w/ G35s). Still much better than the unaugmented 4 cylinder sound in the 28i model.
-Looks: I've grown accustomed to the headlight design and side flourishes. Am realizing that I actually think it looks better in lighter colors and w/ different wheels. The matte black window trim on the "no line" x3s looks a bit cheap too. Not a car I glance back at- but wasn't really prioritizing that for this purchase.

considering this is a steal of a lease --there's nothing here that sounds horrible. but mostly positive.

That sums it up nicely :)

For the price, I really have no complaints. Just surprised at some of the plastics used and do miss having heated seats (for my back).

Now that I have an SUV, I find myself seriously intrigued by the idea of getting an x3 m40i when this lease is up. From what I've read/watched it seems like the best of the bunch (overall) for now. Then again, there's no way I'd pay $700+ a month for one (which is what they are going for currently). Will be interesting to see what is available in 2 years. I still kind of love the F31 wagon (likely could get a blowout deal on a leftover demo or something in 2 years), but it'd be hard to go back to a 4 cyl turbo after this car. Am also game for several FCA vehicles.

it always amazes me how power efficient the 2.0 litre turbo engines are in the various applications. they really do a good job of moving the metal, in 3 series or x3 applications. i'm always impressed when i get a chance to drive with this powertrain.

Yep, no real complaints about BMW's 2.0 turbo. Thought it felt a bit over-taxed in the X3, but felt plenty quick in the wagon. Just prefer the better sound and smoothness of the 6. Haven't had a chance to drive a 40 engined vehicle yet, but by all accounts it's a great engine.