Comparing the X3 M40i and X3 M40d
Discussion
I've swapped my 2019 X3 M40i for a 2024 X3 M40d. Now technically the M40d I have right now isn't "my X3" due to a couple of mistakes made in ordering so I'm actually waiting for the right one to come. However, it is an M40d, I have done the best part of 1000 miles in it now so it seems a good time to comment on the differences between the two cars. Some of the differences are because of the engine and some because of the changes BMW made with the LCI.
Lets get the obvious one out the way first. The M40i sounds far better than the M40d. The cold-start of the B58 is a loud, vibrant, throaty thing. Great when you want it, not a problem most of the time... slightly awkward for avoiding waking the baby at 5am when heading off on a business trip. In the M40i selecting "sport" mode meant you got augmented sound, in the LCI model you can choose whether the augmentation follows drive modes or is always forced to Sporty/Balanced/Reduced. The augmentation isn't massively offensive but, just like in the M40i it soon becomes a drone when you're cruising, so you quickly head for another mode. My M40i was one of the last without the OPF filter so it did do pops and bangs and things if you moved the throttle in the right way at the right revs.
I'd say the M40d engine probably suits the car's character a little better. It does feel slower than the M40i, but part of that is not having pushed it yet and part of it is because it's about 200kg heavier for the LCI model. At least some of that extra weight seems to be sound insulation as I think road noise is a bit lower than in the pre LCI car. So why do I think it suits the car better? It's a bit more effortless to keep moving at normal road speeds - if you wanted to shift in the M40i you needed to drop a cog or two and wind the engine up a bit more. No great hardship but you were always aware of doing it... no quiet progress there!
Efficiency wise, the M40i was always impressive to me. 22-23mpg around town, 28-29mpg overall average for me and a long motorway run could get you high 30s or even 40 if you were [very] well behaved (Eco Pro, maximise coasting etc). First tank in the M40d is mid 30s, but I wasn't using EcoPro. My second tank looks like I'm mid-high 40s so far. Roughly 1/3 better... we'll see if that's going to hold. As expected the M40d doesn't drop quite as rapidly when you apply more right foot. It was really easy in the M40i to drop yourself from high 20s to low 20s in a few enthusiastic pulls out of corners.
Engine wise, whichever one you bought, I don't think you'd feel hard done by. To answer why I went Diesel, it's partly because I don't think I'd have a chance to buy another new anyway. Partly it's because I'm now doing 800 miles a week some weeks and repeatedly filling gets boring. Partly it's because I wanted something that was a little more different from my toy as I found I was taking the daily more and more, so I wanted to put a bit more character difference between the cars.
So what's annoying? It's nothing to do with the engine at all. It's actually all the safety systems cars now have to have. As expected there's a speed limiter that bongs incessantly at 1mph over the limit. Kudos to BMW for allowing a shortcut key to be programmed to just disable the bong (or you can hold Set for a few seconds). However the real annoyance is the steering intervention "safety" systems which even when you select "off" don't seem to really be off. I have a wife who gets travel sick, so, when the road is clear and the markings allow I will straighten corners somewhat. Even in "off" mode the lane sensing really doesn't like that. It doesn't like it when you avoid potholes either. Currently my solution is to press DSC Traction Mode which disables steering intervention, but my dealer tells me that they can configure it to "really off" on the X3 still... we shall see.
The only other thing I miss from the old one is that the old iDrive had 20GB of storage for music, in the new one I am forced to use Carplay as there is no storage. Carplay isn't... reliable. Initially worked fine. Now, when driving all the albums and compilations are greyed out, you can't select them (but your wife can do it on the phone directly whilst you drive... which rather defeats the point of Carplay).
Lets get the obvious one out the way first. The M40i sounds far better than the M40d. The cold-start of the B58 is a loud, vibrant, throaty thing. Great when you want it, not a problem most of the time... slightly awkward for avoiding waking the baby at 5am when heading off on a business trip. In the M40i selecting "sport" mode meant you got augmented sound, in the LCI model you can choose whether the augmentation follows drive modes or is always forced to Sporty/Balanced/Reduced. The augmentation isn't massively offensive but, just like in the M40i it soon becomes a drone when you're cruising, so you quickly head for another mode. My M40i was one of the last without the OPF filter so it did do pops and bangs and things if you moved the throttle in the right way at the right revs.
I'd say the M40d engine probably suits the car's character a little better. It does feel slower than the M40i, but part of that is not having pushed it yet and part of it is because it's about 200kg heavier for the LCI model. At least some of that extra weight seems to be sound insulation as I think road noise is a bit lower than in the pre LCI car. So why do I think it suits the car better? It's a bit more effortless to keep moving at normal road speeds - if you wanted to shift in the M40i you needed to drop a cog or two and wind the engine up a bit more. No great hardship but you were always aware of doing it... no quiet progress there!
Efficiency wise, the M40i was always impressive to me. 22-23mpg around town, 28-29mpg overall average for me and a long motorway run could get you high 30s or even 40 if you were [very] well behaved (Eco Pro, maximise coasting etc). First tank in the M40d is mid 30s, but I wasn't using EcoPro. My second tank looks like I'm mid-high 40s so far. Roughly 1/3 better... we'll see if that's going to hold. As expected the M40d doesn't drop quite as rapidly when you apply more right foot. It was really easy in the M40i to drop yourself from high 20s to low 20s in a few enthusiastic pulls out of corners.
Engine wise, whichever one you bought, I don't think you'd feel hard done by. To answer why I went Diesel, it's partly because I don't think I'd have a chance to buy another new anyway. Partly it's because I'm now doing 800 miles a week some weeks and repeatedly filling gets boring. Partly it's because I wanted something that was a little more different from my toy as I found I was taking the daily more and more, so I wanted to put a bit more character difference between the cars.
So what's annoying? It's nothing to do with the engine at all. It's actually all the safety systems cars now have to have. As expected there's a speed limiter that bongs incessantly at 1mph over the limit. Kudos to BMW for allowing a shortcut key to be programmed to just disable the bong (or you can hold Set for a few seconds). However the real annoyance is the steering intervention "safety" systems which even when you select "off" don't seem to really be off. I have a wife who gets travel sick, so, when the road is clear and the markings allow I will straighten corners somewhat. Even in "off" mode the lane sensing really doesn't like that. It doesn't like it when you avoid potholes either. Currently my solution is to press DSC Traction Mode which disables steering intervention, but my dealer tells me that they can configure it to "really off" on the X3 still... we shall see.
The only other thing I miss from the old one is that the old iDrive had 20GB of storage for music, in the new one I am forced to use Carplay as there is no storage. Carplay isn't... reliable. Initially worked fine. Now, when driving all the albums and compilations are greyed out, you can't select them (but your wife can do it on the phone directly whilst you drive... which rather defeats the point of Carplay).
Thanks for sharing this Chris, a good informed & interesting write up.
I went a slightly different route to you with my daily, from a 2019 M40i to a 2021 X3M Comp (preLCI), both bought used at two years old to skim off the early depreciation. I’ll admit that mine was not a choice grounded in sound sense & economics, as yours was, but its not actually one I’ve regretted either, & I don’t do nearly the mileage that you do - & this is Pistonheads after all! I too have a weekend toy, a Chimaera, but unlike you I’m less worried about differentiating my daily from my toy as the TVR is such an old school analogue palate cleanser anyway (&, because of our awful weather, I hardly get to use it for half the year!)
I could say more about the pro’s/cons of shifting to an X3M Comp but, to avoid straying off topic, wanted to pick up on the safety systems and the pre / post LCI bits particularly. I deliberately went for a 2021 car to avoid the safety systems and LCI. I’m not exactly sure when the speed limiter came in, but I’ve driven a car with it & its a big irritation. The steering intervention I have experienced too, in a car fitted with what I think was the ‘Driving Assistance Pro’ package. Its something I was initially keen on as I wanted the adaptive cruise that comes with it, but I found the constant resistance when switching lanes and correction to be annoying.
I preferred the older style dials I had in my M40i, even though it was still really a screen behind them, but for me losing those was a price worth paying to go from ID6 to ID7. I much prefer ID7 myself, seems to connect to my phone more easily & now has a full central screen for the carplay. I also see ID7 cars as the last chance to avoid the new style panoramic screens & deletion of the buttons, which I’m not a fan of. I’ve tried out the new screens on loaners when mine is in for service - the last car I used was pre-set for heat seating, & with all the menus & apps it took me ages to work out how to turn it off, but then I guess that I am a bit of a stick in the mud luddite.
How do you find the LCI looks? Subjective area I know, but always preferred the pre-LCI separate kidney grille ‘nostrils’, & think the revised ‘energy sword’ rear light clusters are trying a bit too hard. Inside I think it definitely looks tidier inside the LCI though.
I went a slightly different route to you with my daily, from a 2019 M40i to a 2021 X3M Comp (preLCI), both bought used at two years old to skim off the early depreciation. I’ll admit that mine was not a choice grounded in sound sense & economics, as yours was, but its not actually one I’ve regretted either, & I don’t do nearly the mileage that you do - & this is Pistonheads after all! I too have a weekend toy, a Chimaera, but unlike you I’m less worried about differentiating my daily from my toy as the TVR is such an old school analogue palate cleanser anyway (&, because of our awful weather, I hardly get to use it for half the year!)
I could say more about the pro’s/cons of shifting to an X3M Comp but, to avoid straying off topic, wanted to pick up on the safety systems and the pre / post LCI bits particularly. I deliberately went for a 2021 car to avoid the safety systems and LCI. I’m not exactly sure when the speed limiter came in, but I’ve driven a car with it & its a big irritation. The steering intervention I have experienced too, in a car fitted with what I think was the ‘Driving Assistance Pro’ package. Its something I was initially keen on as I wanted the adaptive cruise that comes with it, but I found the constant resistance when switching lanes and correction to be annoying.
I preferred the older style dials I had in my M40i, even though it was still really a screen behind them, but for me losing those was a price worth paying to go from ID6 to ID7. I much prefer ID7 myself, seems to connect to my phone more easily & now has a full central screen for the carplay. I also see ID7 cars as the last chance to avoid the new style panoramic screens & deletion of the buttons, which I’m not a fan of. I’ve tried out the new screens on loaners when mine is in for service - the last car I used was pre-set for heat seating, & with all the menus & apps it took me ages to work out how to turn it off, but then I guess that I am a bit of a stick in the mud luddite.
How do you find the LCI looks? Subjective area I know, but always preferred the pre-LCI separate kidney grille ‘nostrils’, & think the revised ‘energy sword’ rear light clusters are trying a bit too hard. Inside I think it definitely looks tidier inside the LCI though.
You've reminded me of a few other points in your reply. I did contemplate an X3M but considered I'd probably run out of licence and it wasn't going to be cheaper to run, though I would have loved the Merino leather interior of it over the Vernasca in the M40i/d. Before my mileage went up I'd have probably gone X3M too... great car.
My toy is a good bit heavier than yours (V8 Vantage Roadster) so whilst it's old-school and analogue it's still a weighty thing at 1710kg. Bit different to a 1000kg of completely unassisted fear - not driven a Chimaera but mate has a Griff 500 and that's a very different experience to the Vantage too!
You're very right about the safety systems intervening. I think actually it's another of those well meant ideas that's going to end up with people paying less and less attention because "the car will sort it out". Rather than encouraging people to be responsible for their actions we're encouraging people to be reliant on systems protecting them. The day after I picked up the M40d we drove from the midlands down to Cornwall. Spent a lot of the journey with an interesting yellow warning I didn't recognise on the dash. Looked it up when we got there... turns out it means "the sun is too bright on the front of the car so the safety systems have been disabled because they can't see". The Steering thing gets me much more than the Speed Warning because that is literally one press and it's off. I can cope with that. It's the "set to off but not really off" that annoys me on the lane keeping.
I'm kinda neutral on the ID6/ID7 dials but you are right, I deliberately went for an ID7 car not ID8 because I don't want the massive screen and no buttons. The 2024 ID7 also allows you to have "learned characteristics" which you can set, but at least the menu to find the setting works kinda logically. I was given an i5 40 for a few hours due to the complications around the car, and that had ID8. Didn't like that much at all, but in fairness I was quite annoyed and probably not making a neutral judgement. I just don't get why playing with an iPhone is bad in the car but poking a fixed iPad to change the temperature, that's fine.
Looks wise the rear is more fussy (I could cope without the lights and the flashes in the bumper) but actually they've reshaped the boot lid more than I realised - it makes it about an inch or two deeper in the boot which actually makes getting cases in much much easier. In the M40i cases + push chair and cot was always a force-fit, but in the M40d I have a bit of space to spare. Grille doesn't really bother me but I think that's partly the colour combo - I've gone Phytonic Blue again and so it's a similar contrast to the Cerium Grey/Phytonic combo I had on the last one. In reality I'd have ordered custom San Marino Blue if I could have but sadly custom colours are only available on the 30e and X3M.
The other thing I forgot to mention above is that I have adaptive dampers now, whereas the M40i was passive. I'd say the Comfort setting is a bit more cosseting than the passive dampers and there's a noticeable different when in Sport mode to the feel of the car, so a worthwhile improvement. I've also now got the MHEV powertrain... whereas in EcoPro mode in the M40i I could comfortably get up to 10% of my distance coasting on a long trip, I can't get quite that ration on the MHEV which surprises me, I'd have thought it would be more not less... but maybe that's just the tight powertrain at 750 miles.
My toy is a good bit heavier than yours (V8 Vantage Roadster) so whilst it's old-school and analogue it's still a weighty thing at 1710kg. Bit different to a 1000kg of completely unassisted fear - not driven a Chimaera but mate has a Griff 500 and that's a very different experience to the Vantage too!
You're very right about the safety systems intervening. I think actually it's another of those well meant ideas that's going to end up with people paying less and less attention because "the car will sort it out". Rather than encouraging people to be responsible for their actions we're encouraging people to be reliant on systems protecting them. The day after I picked up the M40d we drove from the midlands down to Cornwall. Spent a lot of the journey with an interesting yellow warning I didn't recognise on the dash. Looked it up when we got there... turns out it means "the sun is too bright on the front of the car so the safety systems have been disabled because they can't see". The Steering thing gets me much more than the Speed Warning because that is literally one press and it's off. I can cope with that. It's the "set to off but not really off" that annoys me on the lane keeping.
I'm kinda neutral on the ID6/ID7 dials but you are right, I deliberately went for an ID7 car not ID8 because I don't want the massive screen and no buttons. The 2024 ID7 also allows you to have "learned characteristics" which you can set, but at least the menu to find the setting works kinda logically. I was given an i5 40 for a few hours due to the complications around the car, and that had ID8. Didn't like that much at all, but in fairness I was quite annoyed and probably not making a neutral judgement. I just don't get why playing with an iPhone is bad in the car but poking a fixed iPad to change the temperature, that's fine.
Looks wise the rear is more fussy (I could cope without the lights and the flashes in the bumper) but actually they've reshaped the boot lid more than I realised - it makes it about an inch or two deeper in the boot which actually makes getting cases in much much easier. In the M40i cases + push chair and cot was always a force-fit, but in the M40d I have a bit of space to spare. Grille doesn't really bother me but I think that's partly the colour combo - I've gone Phytonic Blue again and so it's a similar contrast to the Cerium Grey/Phytonic combo I had on the last one. In reality I'd have ordered custom San Marino Blue if I could have but sadly custom colours are only available on the 30e and X3M.
The other thing I forgot to mention above is that I have adaptive dampers now, whereas the M40i was passive. I'd say the Comfort setting is a bit more cosseting than the passive dampers and there's a noticeable different when in Sport mode to the feel of the car, so a worthwhile improvement. I've also now got the MHEV powertrain... whereas in EcoPro mode in the M40i I could comfortably get up to 10% of my distance coasting on a long trip, I can't get quite that ration on the MHEV which surprises me, I'd have thought it would be more not less... but maybe that's just the tight powertrain at 750 miles.
The other factor I forgot to mention was that late 2021 & 2022 cars tended to have items of tech deleted because of the supply chain & chip shortage issues after covid. I found one which didn’t have the touch screen, wireless charging, harmon kardon etc deleted, which seemed mainly to affect the LCI cars.
The whole idea of the X3M Comp makes no sense - the performance can’t be used in the real world (I now have points on my licence…), it guzzles petrol, it costs double what the M40i did to insure - but it is the best car I’ve ever owned. It got panned in reviews for its ride, & it is stiff, but its not been a problem for me. I have though noticed that the X3M seems to have less low rev shove than the M40i. Objectively the M40i should be the sweet spot, but I think ID7 from 2020 makes a big difference & the options that get added are important. For me personally the panoramic roof, harmon kardon, head up and merino leather are must haves.
I think Phytonic blue is a great colour btw, although I’m bound to say that as its also the colour I chose for both of the cars I’ve had. Its not been an option for the LCI X3M, the replacement blue (Marina Bay) is a bit blingy for my tastes, but I think the special order Tanzanite blue is a fabulous colour.
The whole idea of the X3M Comp makes no sense - the performance can’t be used in the real world (I now have points on my licence…), it guzzles petrol, it costs double what the M40i did to insure - but it is the best car I’ve ever owned. It got panned in reviews for its ride, & it is stiff, but its not been a problem for me. I have though noticed that the X3M seems to have less low rev shove than the M40i. Objectively the M40i should be the sweet spot, but I think ID7 from 2020 makes a big difference & the options that get added are important. For me personally the panoramic roof, harmon kardon, head up and merino leather are must haves.
I think Phytonic blue is a great colour btw, although I’m bound to say that as its also the colour I chose for both of the cars I’ve had. Its not been an option for the LCI X3M, the replacement blue (Marina Bay) is a bit blingy for my tastes, but I think the special order Tanzanite blue is a fabulous colour.
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