BMW X3 M40i - pictures and specs
Discussion
I've been keeping an eye out for these for more than a year, saw various bits about nurburgring testing, etc.
Now there are lots of videos out there on youtube from the launch events and so on, and now Joe Achilles has been out in one:
https://youtu.be/kaxKB2sRYRY
I've also got a mate who had just picked one up, in Carbon Black with the same black/red leather.
A couple of weeks ago i had a new X3 demo from Rybrook Worcester, a 3.0d in Sapphire Black with the black/blue leather. That was a great drive so i have high hopes for the M40i.
I'm tempted by the Phytonic blue with the individual 21's as above, rather than the stock 20's or the M40i specific 21's...
Ok, so who has one, who has ordered one, etc.?
Now there are lots of videos out there on youtube from the launch events and so on, and now Joe Achilles has been out in one:
https://youtu.be/kaxKB2sRYRY
I've also got a mate who had just picked one up, in Carbon Black with the same black/red leather.
A couple of weeks ago i had a new X3 demo from Rybrook Worcester, a 3.0d in Sapphire Black with the black/blue leather. That was a great drive so i have high hopes for the M40i.
I'm tempted by the Phytonic blue with the individual 21's as above, rather than the stock 20's or the M40i specific 21's...
Ok, so who has one, who has ordered one, etc.?
This is the boat i'm in - i have a 340i wagon, would love a 997 as a weekend car, and could really do with a 4x4 for where i live.
Sadly finances and practicalities dictate that even having more than one car is a tough call at the moment with 2 kids and the fact that i work from home most of the time and when i travel for work i use a work vehicle. My wife has a 5 door Mini Cooper S and that's so much fun to drive but hardly practical as a hold-all family car. As much as i'm impressed with the 340 as a workhorse, it's not "fun". It doesn't excite me. It's immensely capable, but it's numb.
I can't wait to find out if the X3 moves things on from that. I think the fact that it's an "M lite" rather than the 340 which is 'just' a quick 3 series may be the crux of the matter - the M135/140 and M235/240 are fantastic little cars.
Sadly finances and practicalities dictate that even having more than one car is a tough call at the moment with 2 kids and the fact that i work from home most of the time and when i travel for work i use a work vehicle. My wife has a 5 door Mini Cooper S and that's so much fun to drive but hardly practical as a hold-all family car. As much as i'm impressed with the 340 as a workhorse, it's not "fun". It doesn't excite me. It's immensely capable, but it's numb.
I can't wait to find out if the X3 moves things on from that. I think the fact that it's an "M lite" rather than the 340 which is 'just' a quick 3 series may be the crux of the matter - the M135/140 and M235/240 are fantastic little cars.
Smuler said:
... stuff...
The Mini's brilliant, but i too prefer rwd.As for the X3M, i doubt that would be homologated for towing, and the X3 M40i is capable of towing. I only have a small utility trailer but more importantly i have a towbar-mounted bike rack which i would be loathe to do without. And with these roads i think the X3M may be too stiff.
XMT said:
I have heard nothing but good things, I hope to get an ex demo after a year or so.
With that being said one of the things I really like (and I know its stupid) is that the 20" alloys also look very nice and not too small, on some of the roads around me they are shocking and 21" alloys will take a right beating.
If I remember correctly the 20" alloys come with a 40/45 profile and the 21" with a 30/35 profile.
I think the profile front and rear drops 5% with the 1" increase, but your point still stands. And yes, i think the 20" would be the sensible choice given the horrific state of our roads.With that being said one of the things I really like (and I know its stupid) is that the 20" alloys also look very nice and not too small, on some of the roads around me they are shocking and 21" alloys will take a right beating.
If I remember correctly the 20" alloys come with a 40/45 profile and the 21" with a 30/35 profile.
They also do a "high performance tyre" option on the standard 20's... i wonder what they are? Michelin PS4S perhaps?
Kendrik said:
I ordered one a couple of weeks ago to replace my wife’s current X3 30d. She wanted something that had as much grunt and I didn’t want a diesel so this was the only option! It is pretty close in price to the 30d anyway. We test drove the new model in a 20d and I have to say I was very impressed with the step up in quality of ride and interior, it was really nice. Looking forward to delivery, I really like the current car so hoping this will be even better.
What sort of spec have you gone for?Ranger 6 said:
My must haves would be (based on my current F25 35d);
VDC - highly recommended with 20" wheels (and I guess bigger) Sport mode is OK most of the time, definitely comfort on some of the really badly potholed roads (or stages)
Towbar - very good and discrete. I've also got a bike rack and use it occasionally for towing a trailer to set up rally stages.
...and I really like the panoramic roof
Hello old friend! VDC - highly recommended with 20" wheels (and I guess bigger) Sport mode is OK most of the time, definitely comfort on some of the really badly potholed roads (or stages)
Towbar - very good and discrete. I've also got a bike rack and use it occasionally for towing a trailer to set up rally stages.
...and I really like the panoramic roof
With you on the above.
Adaptive dampers are such a relatively cheap option when new (£500 in £50k!) that i don't see why anyone wouldn't spec it.
Thankfully the M40i seems to cover most things as standard; electric memory heated leather seats, adaptive LED's, cruise control, digital dashboard, etc.
Yeah, pan roof is £1200 but it's MASSIVE. I don't tend to slide mine often, but i do tilt on occasion and i have the sunblind open 95% of the time.
Love my current oyster leather but in the X3 i really like the black leather with the blue stitching.
Have you seen the phytonic blue in the flesh yet?
RBrown said:
Came out of 330d xdrive with ACS springs. This is a step up in all areas!
Let me know if you need to know anything else. Are you thinking of getting one?
I'm currently in a 340i touring and doing man maths Let me know if you need to know anything else. Are you thinking of getting one?
I haven't driven the X40i yet, just the 30d, and that was very impressive. A real step up from the F25 X3 and from my F31.
My 340 is under warranty until Sept 19 but i have a feeling i'll be trading it for one of these between now and then.
Thanks for sharing your real world experience, would be great to know more once you've had a bit more time with it
You see that confuses me somewhat - i had a nearly new X5 40d SE courtesy car for a couple of weeks back in March which was on 19" runflats and had the adaptive dampers (standard on that model i believe).
Both new X3's i have driven recently dealt better with lumps, bumps, potholes and so on than that X5. One of those was the 30d Msport with 21's and non-adaptive, the other was an M40i on 21's with adaptive.
I also found both X3's quite a bit quieter on the move, particularly with respect to wind and tyre noise.
Admittedly i didn't sit in the back in any of the above cars on the move.
My current 340i touring (on 19" non-runflats and with adaptive dampers) rides similarly to the X5 above and not as well as either of the X3's. Significantly louder than all of the above too, especially at motorway speeds.
Both new X3's i have driven recently dealt better with lumps, bumps, potholes and so on than that X5. One of those was the 30d Msport with 21's and non-adaptive, the other was an M40i on 21's with adaptive.
I also found both X3's quite a bit quieter on the move, particularly with respect to wind and tyre noise.
Admittedly i didn't sit in the back in any of the above cars on the move.
My current 340i touring (on 19" non-runflats and with adaptive dampers) rides similarly to the X5 above and not as well as either of the X3's. Significantly louder than all of the above too, especially at motorway speeds.
OtherBusiness said:
There was a build slot free in December from a cancelled order, Feb/March otherwise.
Nice! My order went in at the end of May and i am hoping for delivery mid-October.Put my 340i up for sale last Thursday and it was gone by Saturday afternoon. Ooops.
What spec have you gone for?
OtherBusiness said:
Ah nice one, roll on October then!
I went fully loaded, everything pretty much bar the auxiliary heating. I did go for the 20" wheels though rather than the 21's just to make it a bit more comfortable as the roads round my way are shocking.
What colour/spec is yours?
I went with comfort pack, towbar, pan roof, HK, enhanced bluetooth, adaptive dampers, and a few other bits.I went fully loaded, everything pretty much bar the auxiliary heating. I did go for the 20" wheels though rather than the 21's just to make it a bit more comfortable as the roads round my way are shocking.
What colour/spec is yours?
Phytonic with oyster.
Also went with the 20's for the same reason
Kendrik said:
I posted the upside down picture on the previous page. I've now had a chance to drive the car a few times and I have to say I'm really impressed. It replaced a previous gen X3 30d which we have had for 6 years and I think is itself a very good car the new one is definitely an improvement.
The engine is very smooth with a nice rumble and pulls well. It definitely likes to be revved as well and is deceptively fast. It's much quieter on the move which I'm sure is partly not being diesel and partly the acoustic glass, and the ride is much smoother than the previous car.
Interior is much nicer than the F25 - it feels more luxurious, like a small X5 and the tech is very good, particularly the sat-nav.
Economy - no idea but my wife says she hasn't had to fill it up any more often than the 30d (but she does mainly short journeys so not ideal diesel work). I did a 1 hour motorway run recently and pretty sure it was in the 30s.
Only things slight negatives - BMW electric steering still isn't very good (but works better with 4wd than 2 in my view) but perfectly adequate for this type of car and I find the throttle a little spongy when the revs drop down low eg slow for a roundabout then hit the gas - i think it's a combination of lag and gear box. Again, only a minor point and easy to drive around.
Overall I really like it and think the X3 is a really good car that has been hugely improved is this latest iteration.
Thanks for that The engine is very smooth with a nice rumble and pulls well. It definitely likes to be revved as well and is deceptively fast. It's much quieter on the move which I'm sure is partly not being diesel and partly the acoustic glass, and the ride is much smoother than the previous car.
Interior is much nicer than the F25 - it feels more luxurious, like a small X5 and the tech is very good, particularly the sat-nav.
Economy - no idea but my wife says she hasn't had to fill it up any more often than the 30d (but she does mainly short journeys so not ideal diesel work). I did a 1 hour motorway run recently and pretty sure it was in the 30s.
Only things slight negatives - BMW electric steering still isn't very good (but works better with 4wd than 2 in my view) but perfectly adequate for this type of car and I find the throttle a little spongy when the revs drop down low eg slow for a roundabout then hit the gas - i think it's a combination of lag and gear box. Again, only a minor point and easy to drive around.
Overall I really like it and think the X3 is a really good car that has been hugely improved is this latest iteration.
Just a point to note - the hesitancy thing annoyed me too, but disappears if you put it in sport, sport+, or adaptive (from my admittedly short test drive experience).
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