X30 M40i

Author
Discussion

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
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Someone talk to me about owning one of these
The Mrs has firmly got her eyes on a 2018 model, and as it's a car we'll sometimes share, I'd be interested to hear what people that have owned or driven one think please ?
Cheers
Graeme

Orange Blackbird

99 posts

173 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
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I have a 2021 X3 M40i. Superb car if you are not doing many miles. With petrol prices going ever upwards you probably need to decide if you really want one though. The B58 engine is lovely, smooth, powerful and mated to the 8 speed ZF gearbox it’s just lovely to drive.

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
quotequote all
Orange Blackbird said:
I have a 2021 X3 M40i. Superb car if you are not doing many miles. With petrol prices going ever upwards you probably need to decide if you really want one though. The B58 engine is lovely, smooth, powerful and mated to the 8 speed ZF gearbox it’s just lovely to drive.
She does literally about 2-3k/yr, so fuel isn't a massive consideration for us. What sort of MPG do you actually get from yours ?
Any reliability issues ?

ukpolak

177 posts

45 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
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My Mrs bought new and we picked up just before Christmas.

She came from a 1.4L Q3 so a big step up in comfort, size and performance and we got it as kids getting older and needed more room in back.

She just uses on motorway commutes to work - 210 miles per week (70 miles, 3 days) and gets a range of 420 to a tank when she fills up every weekend. It goes down by half after her 210-240 commuting miles I’d say. At 65/70 mph on reasonable runs, you’d be surprised how efficient it can be. She drives exclusively in Comfort.

We went for the M40i as we could spec M seats, individual colour and also mirror caps, black grill slats, 360 deg drive recorder etc - a step above the regular 2.0 etc. Pano sunroof is a thing of beauty. Also HK audio, HUD etc etc wasn’t available on lower model lines when we ordered in august.

I have 2017 440i and I would say that the engine feels a lot more aggressive (feel and sound) in the 3er/4er package than in the X3. I wouldn’t think the X3 M40i is an M-lite at all. Wolf in sheep’s clothing etc. Which is great for her and I just put it in Sport if I want noise or performance. So perfectly “wife” friendly and I was worried we were overdoing it with the M40i.

My biggest gripe tbh is the tech. Everything is customisable. Do I use CarPlay or idrive? Apple maps, BMW maps, google maps? Hey Siri or hello BMW? There’s a menu and a customisation for EVERYTHING and I guess I’m that person that just needs some decisions made for me. It’s not a bad problem to have but I find my 2017 car just for straight-forward.

She gets notifications and all sorts, like she’s at a PC or something. We had to disable some driver assistance nonsense (eg lane departure correction) but her HUD flashes if she speeds which does help keep her in limit and thus save on fuel economy! More a generic thing I guess.

Btw have a read of this very favourable review.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/02/26/2022-bmw-x3-m40...

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
quotequote all
ukpolak said:
My Mrs bought new and we picked up just before Christmas.

She came from a 1.4L Q3 so a big step up in comfort, size and performance and we got it as kids getting older and needed more room in back.

She just uses on motorway commutes to work - 210 miles per week (70 miles, 3 days) and gets a range of 420 to a tank when she fills up every weekend. It goes down by half after her 210-240 commuting miles I’d say. At 65/70 mph on reasonable runs, you’d be surprised how efficient it can be. She drives exclusively in Comfort.

We went for the M40i as we could spec M seats, individual colour and also mirror caps, black grill slats, 360 deg drive recorder etc - a step above the regular 2.0 etc. Pano sunroof is a thing of beauty. Also HK audio, HUD etc etc wasn’t available on lower model lines when we ordered in august.

I have 2017 440i and I would say that the engine feels a lot more aggressive (feel and sound) in the 3er/4er package than in the X3. I wouldn’t think the X3 M40i is an M-lite at all. Wolf in sheep’s clothing etc. Which is great for her and I just put it in Sport if I want noise or performance. So perfectly “wife” friendly and I was worried we were overdoing it with the M40i.

My biggest gripe tbh is the tech. Everything is customisable. Do I use CarPlay or idrive? Apple maps, BMW maps, google maps? Hey Siri or hello BMW? There’s a menu and a customisation for EVERYTHING and I guess I’m that person that just needs some decisions made for me. It’s not a bad problem to have but I find my 2017 car just for straight-forward.

She gets notifications and all sorts, like she’s at a PC or something. We had to disable some driver assistance nonsense (eg lane departure correction) but her HUD flashes if she speeds which does help keep her in limit and thus save on fuel economy! More a generic thing I guess.

Btw have a read of this very favourable review.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/02/26/2022-bmw-x3-m40...
That's great info, thank you very much

seyre1972

2,809 posts

149 months

Thursday 3rd March 2022
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Hi Graeme, I’ve had mine for 18 months … and love it !! Ex demo car.

Checkout YouTube reviews by Joe Achilles (this is what sold me coming from an Audi S3)

Things to be aware of - runflats can make for a firm ride. I’ve had 1 blowout on a deep pothole, took 2 days to get tyres (had to replace in pairs/bmw tried to tell me all four … wink

Heads up display and HK audio great.

Annoyances

Having to pay for Apple CarPlay (it was free in my Ford Ranger)

I’d say you won’t have any regrets if you get one (I’ve been in the Early dawn Kent raid in mine).


justtourin1

194 posts

199 months

Friday 4th March 2022
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I’ve owned a 2018 model since June last year, done just over 6k in it. We’ve gone from 2 cars, down to one, mainly because of me WFH for the past 18 months.
I’ve put the 21” alloys in the cellar and now have 19” BMW (M698) alloys to soften the ride, which it has, I found the 21” too ‘crashy’. My 89 year old MIL even says it a nice ride!
Around town driving is giving mid 20, on a run low 30’s mpg.
Bought as an approved used vehicle its been back to my local dealership to have the external sunroof seal replaced and the tail pipes replaced all under warranty.
So far so good from us

RBrown

211 posts

147 months

Friday 4th March 2022
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Hi. I have had my M40i since new. It will be 4 years old on Wednesday.

It has been the longest I have kept any car (by a long way) - shows how much I like it.

It is a great all rounder and can be driven easily pottering about or activate sport plus and off you go. I have winter wheels which means it can cope in snow - another plus point!

I have the optional adaptive suspension which seems to soften the ride. Maybe try and source one with that included.

No problems with mine. I have the BMW extended warranty. At £700 per annum for £0 excess and roadside assistance, it is good for peace of mind.

Please let me know if you have any questions. They are great cars!

Tea Pot One

1,853 posts

234 months

Friday 4th March 2022
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I have had my X3 M40i since new ... June 19, so coming up to 3 years soon.

I have done 16k of mixed driving and got 28.5mpg in that time.

It is a great, well made and quick car. It disguises weight well and having come from an M240i it feels more sorted suspension wise and is a lot more comfortable on a run.

I have nearly every extra (it was just made like that as I didn't spec, just saw and bought the one from the showroom). I love the head up display, the upgraded leather which is hugely different than the standard stuff. I had ACC fitted recently and also love the Pano roof.

The engine as standard feels pokey like my M240i but over 60 not as quick ... by no means slow, just not as quick after 60. If anything though it feels quicker up to 60, probably due to the AWD. I also love the higher up view you get from a 4x4, though this is, by modern standards, not that big in reality.

Nothing has gone wrong, no creaks, nowt.

It is almost the longest I have had a car and I anticipate it will become the longest when I go over 3 years.

I have remapped it now (via DMS in Southampton) so my warranty is toast, but I had enough faith it the car to have it done. It takes power up well over 400hp (to 440 on Surrey Rolling Road, or 459 DMS claimed) but it is still incredibly easy to drive, you just notice more urgency and definitely so over 60 where it really shifts.





Edited by Tea Pot One on Friday 4th March 19:26


Edited by Tea Pot One on Friday 4th March 19:27

ukpolak

177 posts

45 months

Saturday 5th March 2022
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Another on economy after we filled up today.

Tank showing as half approx after 230 miles
£55 for 36 litres
Reset showed 428 estimate on a full tank driving in Comfort on mostly motorway driving.

We’re sticking to Eco Pro to see if it makes any change this week but yes £55 for 230 miles eek!

Tea Pot One

1,853 posts

234 months

Saturday 5th March 2022
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ukpolak said:
Another on economy after we filled up today.

Tank showing as half approx after 230 miles
£55 for 36 litres
Reset showed 428 estimate on a full tank driving in Comfort on mostly motorway driving.

We’re sticking to Eco Pro to see if it makes any change this week but yes £55 for 230 miles eek!
Ouch !

Mine shows anything from a range of 440-400 on a full tank depending on where I have been / how I have been driving it. The tank is 65L so never a cheap fill ... especially not at the moment !

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Saturday 5th March 2022
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My RS4 has averaged 23mpg of shell V-Power over the last 50k miles, so not overly worried about fuel, especially as this will largely by the wife’s car and she literally does about 2-3k miles a year
Fuel prices are getting silly again though frown

Tea Pot One

1,853 posts

234 months

Saturday 5th March 2022
quotequote all
graeme4130 said:
My RS4 has averaged 23mpg of shell V-Power over the last 50k miles, so not overly worried about fuel, especially as this will largely by the wife’s car and she literally does about 2-3k miles a year
Fuel prices are getting silly again though frown
For a 4x4 which moves it is actually very good ... well I think so ... 0-62 in 4.8 and 28.5 mpg in my case. I can't complain ... especially as I got less from my M240i Convertible !

boombang

551 posts

180 months

Saturday 5th March 2022
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Don't dismiss the D if the mileage is mainly made up of longer drives. It's quick and near 40mpg under real world use.

Chris Hinds

492 posts

171 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
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I've had my X3 M40i for 3 years now and in all honesty can say with the exception of one issue it's the best family car I've had. Over 25k I've averaged 28.5mpg and can get to 40mpg on a 70mph run from the midlands to Bristol. Overall it's a very impressive vehicle and a brilliant long distance cruiser. Tyre wear is good and even - I did 23k before changing all 4 at once. The one issue that I've had has been related to the front suspension - the root cause of which is needing to replace both shock absorbers. It started with knocking when going over speed humps then progressed to "knocking any time you weren't on race track smooth tarmac". Before my dealer accepted/established it was shocks though they changed a hell of a lot of other bits and caused BMW a lot of Warranty costs. I'd listen carefully for that, but having said that despite the issue I actually can't think what I'd change it for that has the blend of noise, performance, (relative) efficiency and comfort.

I actually think given what it is that 28.5mpg and normally into low 30s when not using around town is pretty good for a high speed, petrol SUV weighing nearly 2 tons... it's within 3mpg of what my A6 Avant 3.0TDI used to get so happy with that.

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Tuesday 15th March 2022
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Thanks for all the advice
I picked up the Mrs a 58 plate X3 M40i today, and so far it's pretty impressive
I've not covered many miles yet, but I like it so far and I'll get some pics up soon
Cheers
Graeme

Luke.

11,132 posts

256 months

Friday 22nd September 2023
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How you getting on with it? Tempted myself. Still waiting for pics though.... <drums fingers>....

graeme4130

Original Poster:

3,890 posts

187 months

Friday 22nd September 2023
quotequote all
Luke. said:
How you getting on with it? Tempted myself. Still waiting for pics though.... <drums fingers>....
It's decent. We've covered not a huge amount of miles in it since we've had it (maybe 15k) but it's decent enough for an SUV.
Dynamically, it's no sports car, but then we never bought it to be that, and it will chunk out motorway miles well, and makes a decent noise

seyre1972

2,809 posts

149 months

Friday 22nd September 2023
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Luke/OP….

I’m now on my 2nd having had my 1st for 3 years - just swapped 1st September. So this is the LCI model (mild Hybrid/48V system etc). Not a huge change in styling - but still a damn good car. Did a 560 mile round trip taking my daughter back up to University. Just ate up the miles with no dramas/more power than you ever really need etc.

New car photos







Old car Road Trip

Before trading in my previous car - did a 2k plus mile road trip around Europe in June. Again the car just a superb place to be, and with the knowledge that you can likely beat most cars should you wish to …. smile

Did a few of the mountain passes

Grand Saint Bernard Pass - Italy into Switzerland






Reims Pit Lane


Stayed in some posh hotels where the car didn’t look out of place/held its own against the far more expensive cars in the secure car park.

Just wish I’d taken more photos with the car in frame now … wink


Edited by seyre1972 on Friday 22 September 19:46

ukpolak

177 posts

45 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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That looks like an ace road trip and I’m working out options for similar. We have same M40i albeit in tanzanite and our only “issue” of note is that my wife swears there’s a small noise in the cabin which we attribute to a full windscreen change after it was stone damaged. I can’t 100% locate the origin of the (small) road noise but have read issues on X3 sunroof rubber shrinking over time. One i’m monitoring.

If you don’t mind - did you write up that journey here anywhere? Roads look ace and perfectly doable in a decent car. Never done anything like that before but the children are old enough that they’d appreciate it a little more now. Any tips gratefully received.