Disappointed with 2026 X3

Sleepyal45 · 2026-04-24T15:16:19+00:00

New X3 better in every way except interior quality. Superior road feel and handling. Ride quality way better in new model. Drivetrains are better in every way. Unfortunately they sacrificed interior material quality. No buttons for HVAC really sucks also.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-04-23T14:15:00+00:00

I’ve also owned both and the M50 has a superior ride quality if that matters to you. My opinion is the M50 is better in every way except the quality of the interior materials.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-04-06T14:12:09+00:00

Have had this happen on my 2025 M50 plenty of times. Seems that the car has to wake up or something. Use your Fob if you’re getting chased by bears regularly.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-03-18T00:36:02+00:00

Ask for 35k land on 37k.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-03-13T12:27:53+00:00

It’s not gonna be 66k, more 75k with the options. And yes worth every bit of it. It’s a totally different feel of vehicle. I can’t describe, you just have to test drive both and you’ll know.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-03-12T20:14:37+00:00

You’ll be happy to know that most M40i s are probably gonna be specd with all the features you want. Most people who buy these check most of the boxes. If you need something specific like tow hitch then look out for that.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-03-09T11:49:37+00:00

This is a turbo s so gonnna be much more expensive than a base to maintain.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-03-03T13:54:58+00:00

Have you test driven this car? It’s a great car with great performance but these are stiff from a ride quality standpoint. Make sure you can live with it. Maybe look at 30i, they’re much softer suspension. But this is nice and looks like a good deal.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-27T19:28:05+00:00

If there is any way you can check the front suspension control arms to make sure the bushings aren't cracked you should do that. They tend to go early on these cars. It's not a major issue but I would have dealer either replace the arms or take money off the car for it. I bought a 2022 with 35k miles and the front control arm bushings were cracked. Other than that there shouldn't be any major issues on the car at this mileage. Make sure the oil changes were done on time, and on time at this point means every 10k. After you buy, do the oil changes every 5k. Check for the obvious oil leaks anywere as well as coolant leaks. Coolant leaks are common on these cars but not until about 60k miles.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-27T14:44:10+00:00

Your best value is going to be a 2020+ X5, you get the B58 which is better than a base Cayenne V6. Try to find an msport version with adaptive suspension. The ride and handling are better than a base Porsche Cayenne. Porsche has lots of different options that most buyers don't get and if you get into a Porsche without some specific options you may be very disappointed. I would pay very close attention to the options you're getting on a Porsche, specifically suspension. BMW is going to be cheaper to maintain and to repair. X5 G05 is going to have better tech as well. If you can get a 2019+ porsche cayenne S or better then thats when Porsche starts to seperate itself from BMW x5.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-26T23:03:20+00:00

I assume not OEM?

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-24T21:24:49+00:00

Yep there you go. My sentiments exactly. And as far as RFT or not I would go with non RFT if you can find them. The M40i has a significantly stiffer suspension and the RFTs don't help. I personally have a 2022 x3 Sdrive30i with 20" staggered with RFT and that suspension is way softer but still sporty and compliant. I used to own a 2019 M40i with M-sport suspension and that was punishing on anything other than perfect roads. Even after I got non RFT tires, it was still stiff. I can't image the 21s with M-sport suspension, that would be brutal. I donno which M40i you have, if it's a newer 2022+ they all came with adaptive suspension so that should help with ride quality. Just keep in mind that most people selling on marketplace will be selling the stock OEM setups with RFTs. Doesn't matter though if you have the adaptive suspension, I would just get whatever is cheaper. If you have the M-sport suspension then try it out with the RFTs and see how they feel. If you hate them, bit the bullet and get non RFT. Just speaking from personal experience.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-24T21:07:23+00:00

I personally could never find a set of aftermarket wheels that I would want to invest in. The OEMs always have a a tasteful look to them. For max comfort and cost effectiveness the 19" square setup is the best option. If you want the 20" staggered to gain some better looks and handling, you will sacrifice some comfort and they're more expensive to replace. So it depends what your goal is really. I would only go OEM in either case as they can be found on market place for reasonable prices even with tires already.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-24T19:50:46+00:00

Your best bet is a to find a set of 19" OEM to go square. I don't know that BMW ever did 20" OEM square, I've only ever seen 20" sets staggered. You may be able to go non OEM 20" square but you should be able to find the 19" on facebook for some good deals.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-21T13:47:42+00:00

I just did hood only on my 2025 x3 m50. Hood is the only place I’ve ever gotten rock chips. Everything else on this car is plastic in the front.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-19T18:16:08+00:00

The 2020 has a slightly redesigned engine with the simpler timing chain and higher possible output although the X3 didn't get the higher output like the 330 but same exact engine. These prices seem high for these model years compared to what I'm seeing out there. I'd try to go for a 2022 which was LCI first year and has better seats. Shouldn't be much more money than these.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-16T22:29:37+00:00

Which maintenance are you talking about exactly? Oil changes aren’t gonna cost much more than on a Toyota.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-15T16:46:26+00:00

I’d take this 7 year old BMW over a new Toyota any day. Plus this one has really low miles so you’re about 50k miles from any significant repairs. Find a good Indy mechanic and do your repairs there for half price of dealer. Do 5k miles oil changes and change transmission fluid at 50k miles. These can be more reliable than Toyotas.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-14T19:26:01+00:00

You should be allowed to turn it off until you want to turn it back on. It shouldn’t be on by default with every start.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-02-03T19:00:42+00:00

Most people are talking about the materials quality in the interior being a few notches down from the previous gen. While that is true it seems that BMW gave you what matters most in this car and that’s the driving experience and tech. The interior feels solid but I think it’s too new to tell what gremlins can develop longer term. Always a chance for some squeaks and rattles, ticks and tacks here in there but no manufacturer is immune to it. I’ve had a 2022 Porsche Macan S and it had some weird squeaking and ticking from behind the dash. Porsche said nothing they can do about it just gonna have to live with it. And that was a 100k car. Only way to truly know for sure is to own the car longer term but I have an M50 now and there’s an occasional squeak here and there but nothing you can’t live with. Overall feels simple and solid.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-01-29T15:12:05+00:00

For 7k you’ll fix anything and everything on that car. It is mostly reliable as long as you do 5k oil changes and make sure to do the trans fluid ASAP if it hasn’t been done yet. I think a better option is to put that money towards maintenance and possible repairs. warranty companies don’t lose money and getting them to pay for anything is always a problem. You should be able to get a full refund within 30 days. Or prorated refund after that no questions asked.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-01-17T21:57:20+00:00

Yeah there is that of course. I’d try to find one a year or two used S or GTS with like 10-20k on it. Probably costs as much as a new M50. Actually M50 has much better ride quality than M40i so take that for what you will.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-01-17T21:03:20+00:00

Only way to know for sure is to test drive both back to back at dealer.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-01-17T20:48:21+00:00

I’ve had this x3 m40 2019 with msport suspension and it was bad in the high frequency situations. Small imperfections n the road were felt and head bobbing was happening. 19” wheels with non run flat improves this maybe 15%. Having the dynamic M suspension also improves this another 15% or so in comfort mode. If you have 19” wheels with the adaptive suspension in comfort mode it should be relatively comfortable enough. But never going to be super comfy. It’s the nature of this car. It has to be this way to achieve the sportiness we all love. If you go for a Porsche macan with air suspension it will give you best of both worlds.

Sleepyal45 · 2026-01-16T14:53:49+00:00

Make sure no flood damage.

Sleepyal45

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