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BMW X3M Review and Build

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Old 05-23-20, 12:15 AM
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ST430
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Default BMW X3M Review and Build

TL;DR - an ///M3 hatchback that defies gravity, but makes you wish you had a Lexus afterwards...

Good : unbelievable handling and grip with a sweet modable engine

Bad : small interior and ride is a bit too firm with the engine a bit binary in power delivery

Ugly : looks like any X3 from a first or second glance





Notes:

​​​​​​- this vehicle was originally supposed to replace my wife's 2017 RX350, so there will be a lot comparisons against it.

Exterior : from initial and even secondary glances, hard to tell it's an X3M unless you look at the badges or look around carefully. The front air damn is slightly larger and there's quad exhaust tips, otherwise it's all X3 around save for some glossy black here and there. Sort of a letdown for me, so I had to enhance it more with more contrasting black for that sporty monochromatic look. Funny to say for the Bummer, especially an ///M vehicle, but dare I say the RX has much more aggressive looks, especially with 22s.on it!

Interior : I had the basic oyster interior (wife like light colors) and the materials are the usual German hard. Dashboard layout is very Teutonic like with lots of black contrasting plastics sprinkled with some CF and aluminum here and there. Only nice touch was the accented lighting at night to have better ambience and also the kool full digital gauges (though I'm not sure why they put fugly faux rings around it to mimic real gauges). Size wise, it's more akin to the NX in size then the RX; very tight with not a lot of cargo room. This is one area my wife complained about a lot since we have a 4 year old.

Powertrain : the s58 is the latest I6TT to adorn the ///M badge and it's a sweet engine with a claimed 473bhp (though Dyno shows it more 470whp) stock. You don't really feel this power until after 3k where it starts to rocket to light speed. High 11 second 1/4 miles can be had with perfect launches. However around town, it feels like ur lugging around fighting the turbo lag a bit. Worse yet, the abysmal 14mpg I've been averaging is way lower than even the X3M40i, bit I guess that's the price you pay for moving a 4500lbs vehicle this fast!

Handling / brakes : the X3M defies gravity; there I said it. I can't believe what I can do with this thing driving at 9/10s on cloverleaf's and around around tight corners. It's that good and easy to handle, with very neutral handling at the limits. Furthermore, if u slam the brakes it's like the car has air brakes as it'll slam ur chest to the seatbelts. It's on a whole new level of stopping power, that I don't think my Zupra can even match. As for the steering, I think it's electrically weighted too much even in comfy mode. I don't know why BMW just allows us to customize the weight scaling, as they done a poor job almost on alll the newer Bimmers.

NVH: the S58 growls to life when you start it up and has a very meaty idle from the outside. However, BMW did a phenomenal job quiet down things from the interior to make it somewhat Lexus like in isolation. Only thing I don't like is the fake exhaust blasted by the radio (which came be programmed out luckily). Ride wise, it is very, very firm, though I wouldn't say harsh. If your're used to something floaty and mushy like the RX, tthe X3M is going to make you work and feel every bump in the road. After driving it around a bit, I feel like I need time in something more isolated and comfy like a Lexus lol.

Summary : the X3M is truly an ///M car with a superb engine and rail like handling. However, for everyday casual driving it may be a bit too much for people who prefer a fuel efficient, easy going and comfortable car. If you want to compare it against any Lexus SUV today, don't! It's off in its own category that Lexus doesn't compete in. In the end, while I do recommend the car, I truly is not for everyone, and if you do get one, you should have a comfortable cruiser as well for daily driving in bad roads or those long weekend getaways.




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Old 05-23-20, 10:02 AM
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That last picture reminds me of the English expression "as different as chalk and cheese"
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Old 05-23-20, 10:05 AM
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Thanks for the review. Not surprised the X3M is more NX sized, as it's really the X5 that is more RX sized, although frankly I didn't find the X5 very roomy either.

The X3M is quite the beast but my days with firm riding rockets are behind me.
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Old 05-23-20, 10:21 AM
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I checked out the X3M and X4M, but didn't get to drive them. I think they are a very lousy effort on BMW's part - I'm sure the drivetrain is up to par, but everything else is barely different from a regular X3/X4, especially the interior where everything just feels incredibly cheap and tinny.
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Old 05-23-20, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Och
I checked out the X3M and X4M, but didn't get to drive them. I think they are a very lousy effort on BMW's part - I'm sure the drivetrain is up to par, but everything else is barely different from a regular X3/X4, especially the interior where everything just feels incredibly cheap and tinny.
Tiny, definitely. Cheap? Probably in base trim like mine w/o the uplevel M sports seats. It's very austere for sure though as opposed to the bamboo interior on our RX...
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Old 05-23-20, 01:18 PM
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love the legacy plates...
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Old 05-23-20, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
Thanks for the review. Not surprised the X3M is more NX sized, as it's really the X5 that is more RX sized, although frankly I didn't find the X5 very roomy either.

The X3M is quite the beast but my days with firm riding rockets are behind me.
I must be getting old as well....I kind of miss our RX having said that, can't wait until I pump our X3M to 600hp lol
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Old 05-23-20, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
That last picture reminds me of the English expression "as different as chalk and cheese"
Lol...one is demure with a heat if a 🦁. One screams looks at me, yet has a heart of a 🐁!
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Old 05-23-20, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by ST430
Tiny, definitely. Cheap? Probably in base trim like mine w/o the uplevel M sports seats. It's very austere for sure though as opposed to the bamboo interior on our RX...
if it's a luxury brand it's 'austere'. if it's a non-luxury brand it's 'cheap'. reminds me of the saying... some poor people are crazy. some rich people are eccentric.

Originally Posted by ST430
I must be getting old as well....I kind of miss our RX having said that, can't wait until I pump our X3M to 600hp lol
speak for yourself i never said i was getting old just don't like tight or low seats and stiff ride for longer than about 5 minutes now. i kinda hate getting into and out of my gf's infiniti q60 coupe. once i'm in it's kinda fun to drive and isn't that stiff.

Originally Posted by ST430
Lol...one is demure with a heat if a 🦁. One screams looks at me, yet has a heart of a 🐁!
untangling the autocorrect horror... i think you meant one is demure with the heart of a lion.
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Old 05-24-20, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
if it's a luxury brand it's 'austere'....

untangling the autocorrect horror... i think you meant one is demure with the heart of a lion.
Lol..my phat fingers on my phone.

But I wouldn't call the interior cheap....has a lot of real CF ,andnot alot of matte plastics. It's just the color is very dark and not as inviting...



Then again the uplevel options can look really nice...


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Old 05-25-20, 08:39 AM
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just a bit of humor, your car is awesome and definitely not 'cheap' inside.
bmw goes for no-nonsense, functional well proportioned interior designs with generally good to great materials. i wish the screen sat a bit lower though like on the 3 series. i'm also very over 'piano black' plastic.

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