X3 M50i marks the spot

[Exocet_90]

So after just short 23,000 miles and 2 years stirling service the spot on the driveway for the F40 BMW M135i has been replaced a G45 BMW X3 M50i.

I wasn't actually looking to upgrade, I was on my second F40 M135i and had been really pleased with what a great all rounder the baby beamer had been. The only aspect it was lacking in was family duties (primarily for Mini-Exocet's leg space) however Home Commands Mini Countryman Cooper S is fairly practical. (We've covered 12,000 trouble free miles in it and I really must update the thread on that at some point!)

An out of the blue phone call from the New Car Sales Manager at BMW Reading followed by a couple emails got me into X3 M50i territory. A car up to that point i'd not thought to much about. A couple of plays the configurator and further emails cemented with a test drive resulted in them finding one in stock and with a fairly substantial discount and available in a couple of weeks.

First impressions; the shapes an evolution and while its not as pretty as the G01 (in my opinion) it's a great place to eat the miles whether they be motorway miles where i'm averaging high 30's on a long run or B-road blasts where the weight and size of thing disappear and that 3.0-litre B58 engine just sings.

Not seen any others out in the wild yet, so thought this might be of interest.

[Luke.]

Thanks. This is of much interest. Can I ask how substantial the discount was? I've already got an appointment booked at BMW tomorrow...

[cerb4.5lee]

I'm definitely interested, and I like that a lot. The B58 is a peach too. Very nice.

[Exocet_90]

Luke. said:

Thanks. This is of much interest. Can I ask how substantial the discount was? I've already got an appointment booked at BMW tomorrow...

The whole deal made it a complete no-brainer, there's a lot of support on these I believe at the moment so all in with the part-ex it was circa 20% off. I probably wouldn't have chose Sapphire Black but the deal was a bit of a no brainer.

[Exocet_90]

cerb4.5lee said:

I'm definitely interested, and I like that a lot. The B58 is a peach too. Very nice.

Thanks. The B58 is just the tonic you need these days.

[Luke.]

Exocet_90 said:

Luke. said:

Thanks. This is of much interest. Can I ask how substantial the discount was? I've already got an appointment booked at BMW tomorrow...

The whole deal made it a complete no-brainer, there's a lot of support on these I believe at the moment so all in with the part-ex it was circa 20% off. I probably wouldn't have chose Sapphire Black but the deal was a bit of a no brainer.

Thanks. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it.

[Exocet_90]

So just like that we are 1400 mile in just under a month of ownership and overall seriously impressed.

Things I love;
- The engine noise and feel. Cold starts put a smile on my face everytime!
- The going and stopping power.
- The looks, it's really grown on me although it is a b*stard to keep looking clean.
- Don't judge me, but the "iconic glow" is a bit of theatre especially at night or when you unlock the car.



Things I loathe;
- ADAC!
- There being just too many options for everything.
- The fact it doesn't save any of the previous settings (apart from seat and mirrors).
- Idrive has had a couple of resets - the onscreen buttons have flipped over to the passenger side.

Really happy with the aftercare from the supplying dealer and have purchased tyre insurance - £300 for 4 years cover seemed a no brainer.