BMW X3 ownership experience

[mullerza]

Update time:


In the last 2 months I've clocked close to 5000km, mainly commuting. Fuel economy is still in the low 13's which I know wont impress most people, but honestly considering how I drive the car its phenomenal. A couple of the weekends ago we were driving up that long hill on the N12 going east out of Edenvale, seriously just cruising and chatting when SWAMBO gives me that quiet cough that all married men immediately recognize as trouble - we were doing 180 up the hill, on part throttle.

Recently took SWAMBO's Tiguan on a 600km drive to New Castle and back sticking largely to the speed limit-ish and I was disappointed in the Tiguan returning 10.9, cant help but think the X3 would have been in the 9's for the same trip. I'll challenge any similar sized petrol SUV to try and keep up with me and match my fuel consumption.

Still not enjoying the Pirelli run-flats, driving in the rain is way more stressful than it should be, at least rainy season is over so I have the winter months to finish these tyres and fit something proper before spring. On the flipside the tyre life has been impressive, I'll probably get to around 45 000km before replacing.

Brakes have developed an irritating squeal at times, right at the end of braking as you come to a stop. You can get rid of it by varying the brake pressure and I suspect the laps around Zwartkops may be the cause.

Still loving the car but I'll be honest I've started watching youtube video's of B58 power upgrades, not that I'll touch the engine while in motorplan but its just crazy what guys are achieving with this engine with very basic upgrades.

[jaconell]

Update time:


In the last 2 months I've clocked close to 5000km, mainly commuting. Fuel economy is still in the low 13's which I know wont impress most people, but honestly considering how I drive the car its phenomenal. A couple of the weekends ago we were driving up that long hill on the N12 going east out of Edenvale, seriously just cruising and chatting when SWAMBO gives me that quiet cough that all married men immediately recognize as trouble - we were doing 180 up the hill, on part throttle.

Recently took SWAMBO's Tiguan on a 600km drive to New Castle and back sticking largely to the speed limit-ish and I was disappointed in the Tiguan returning 10.9, cant help but think the X3 would have been in the 9's for the same trip. I'll challenge any similar sized petrol SUV to try and keep up with me and match my fuel consumption.

Still not enjoying the Pirelli run-flats, driving in the rain is way more stressful than it should be, at least rainy season is over so I have the winter months to finish these tyres and fit something proper before spring. On the flipside the tyre life has been impressive, I'll probably get to around 45 000km before replacing.

Brakes have developed an irritating squeal at times, right at the end of braking as you come to a stop. You can get rid of it by varying the brake pressure and I suspect the laps around Zwartkops may be the cause.

Still loving the car but I'll be honest I've started watching youtube video's of B58 power upgrades, not that I'll touch the engine while in motorplan but its just crazy what guys are achieving with this engine with very basic upgrades.

Over and above - BMW very coy with claimed outputs. These days they run away from anything with "similiar" outputs and a lot of supposedly more powerfull cars / SUV's. Recently watch a clip where a M5CS held its own against a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Now, considering that nothing launches as hard as a 911 Turbo - that is just plain mighty.

[mullerza]

Over and above - BMW very coy with claimed outputs. These days they run away from anything with "similiar" outputs and a lot of supposedly more powerfull cars / SUV's. Recently watch a clip where a M5CS held its own against a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Now, considering that nothing launches as hard as a 911 Turbo - that is just plain mighty.

very true, car is rated at 285kw by BMW. Most people recon the real output is over 300kw. I think part of this so that it does not compete on paper with the X3M, which unless you really want a track focused car (and if you do why buy a SUV?) makes no sense to buy when you can get M40i for R550k less and it will deliver 95% of the performance in a more comfortable package.

The current M5 is an absolute beast, MD drives a M5 competition and most proper (Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo) sports cars are no match for it in real world conditions. You would need to get something like a Tesla S in ludicrous mode to keep up with it off the line. The way that car puts down power on the road defies the laws of nature.

[mullerza]

Can't believe I've hit 20k km with the X3... Still very much feels like a new to me car and I'm still enjoying it every time I drive it.



Recently I've started having issues with the car opening its boot, now its not a fault, its the remote being activated while is my pocket. I recently added an airtag to the keyfob thats aggravating the situation, but it has happened once or twice before that. Car is parked just outside my office so every now and then I'll get a call telling me my boot is open. A bit frustrating and could be serious if it had to happen say outside a restaurant etc. With keyless entry the keyfob buttoms very seldom gets used so maybe time to invest in a keyfob cover to stop this from happening.

I'm not sure if I have raved enough about the seats in the car, they honestly are the most comfortable seats for any car I have owned, better than the treg, better than the Q7, better than the volvo seats in my V50, better than the recaro seats in my old GTI. And all that despite them being pukka bucket seats with adjustable bolster support. If only they were heated then they would have been perfection. My biggest gripe with driving swambo's Tiguan at the moment is the seats, even Swambo who loves her car prefers the bimmer seats, in her words is like the seats are giving you a hug.

Next service is due at 45k and I will need to have the rims looked at, the accumulation of potholes in JHB and debris on the streets of wynberg have taken their toll and I have a vibration. But it means driving the Tiguan for a few days.....

[mullerza]

Filling up you lose track of fuel spend, doing the Fuelly stats highlights just how much you spend on fuel. My fuel spend for the July was R8400, at the fuel price when I bought the car it would have been R5700. The sound track and performance is still worth it, but its still a chunk of change no matter how you look at it. Quick graph based on my fuel ups of the fuel price of the last year. I have now almost spent R70k on fuel in the last year....



Went to Ermelo this weekend to support my daughters hockey school team playing in the Noordvaal finals so again got to strech her legs. We took it easy with CC set at 140 or 150 depending on the road. While the tar was in really good condition the road is mostly single lane with lots and lots of coal trucks. Unfortunately the world has lost the art of overtaking so invariably you have a que of 5-10 cars behind the truck all to scared or unable to overtake even though you can see no oncoming traffic for kilometers. Thats where the 280kw comes in real handy and you have the ability to pass the entire bunch in one easy movement without breaking a sweat or worrying about completing the move in the space available. Having that power really makes for a safer and more relaxing cruiser. Even with the traffic and highish speed she still delivered 11l/100km

Next service is coming up in a few thousand km, the car calculates its own schedule and its not strictly km based.

[mullerza]

So its been year since I swapped Ingolstadt bruiser for the Munich monster, 25k km of pure motoring joy.

I still miss the Q7 when I tow but for 99% of what I do the X3 fits my lifestyle like a glove. Lately even Swambo will grab the X3 keys if I parked her in her rather than move cars around. With the Fit in the driveway one of the cars invariably is parked in.

Car went in for its 45k service and they replaced the rear brakes, but really nothing to report beyond that. At least another 2 years before I hit the end of motorplan at this rate, so far I have not seen anything to make me worried about owning the car out of MP.

Tyres are still somehow clinging to life so can delay fitting new rubber for the rainy season. The only niggle I had in the last month was the collision avoidance system acting up twice, first instance I was reversing out of a parking and the ever present car guard thought it clever to stand right next to the car, obviously it detected a pedestrian and slams on brakes. Its irritating and I'm surprised some of the cleverer hijackers haven't cottoned on to this security risk... you have to push a button on the center console to deactivate the system before you can drive if someone blocks your way....

Second instance the car briefly slammed on brakes on the highway, admittedly I was driving like a typical BMW driver and I guess the sensor got confused with me accelerating and changing lanes sensing the car in the lane I was departing as a collision risk - I've had the HUD give me collision warnings before but this is the first time the system activated the brakes

[GreenJustin]

So its been year since I swapped Ingolstadt bruiser for the Munich monster, 25k km of pure motoring joy.

I still miss the Q7 when I tow but for 99% of what I do the X3 fits my lifestyle like a glove. Lately even Swambo will grab the X3 keys if I parked her in her rather than move cars around. With the Fit in the driveway one of the cars invariably is parked in.

Car went in for its 45k service and they replaced the rear brakes, but really nothing to report beyond that. At least another 2 years before I hit the end of motorplan at this rate, so far I have not seen anything to make me worried about owning the car out of MP.

Tyres are still somehow clinging to life so can delay fitting new rubber for the rainy season. The only niggle I had in the last month was the collision avoidance system acting up twice, first instance I was reversing out of a parking and the ever present car guard thought it clever to stand right next to the car, obviously it detected a pedestrian and slams on brakes. Its irritating and I'm surprised some of the cleverer hijackers haven't cottoned on to this security risk... you have to push a button on the center console to deactivate the system before you can drive if someone blocks your way....

Second instance the car briefly slammed on brakes on the highway, admittedly I was driving like a typical BMW driver and I guess the sensor got confused with me accelerating and changing lanes sensing the car in the lane I was departing as a collision risk - I've had the HUD give me collision warnings before but this is the first time the system activated the brakes

Great Reviews, thanks.
Since the X3 is based on the 3 series.
I have had the rear end step out a few times when the roads are wet. But the ESP seems to correct the car and you continue going straight again. The Safety is active in these cars. Even the seat belt tensions and pulls you back into your seat when you have to much speed and suddenly slowing down. Never had this in my Golf 6 or Fortuner.

[mullerza]

Its been a while since the last update


Consumption seems to be creeping down a touch probably due to a trip down to KZN for a wedding where the car return below 10l/100km despite pushing on where the road and traffic allowed.

Finally got rid of those horrible Pirelli's just before the rains arrived and swapped to Michelin. (strangely BMW was cheaper than any of the tyre places...) What a difference! It has transformed the car's wet weather handling from crap in your pants when you see a puddle to having confidence to drive normally not having to worry when next the car will aquaplane.

Had a change to take car onto the Midvaal raceway for a few sessions and again the Michelin's proved to be just as competent on the track as the road. I was again amazed at just how composed this SUV is when being tossed around a track, it should not possible for a SUV to handle the way it does.

a couple of weeks ago I got an unsolicited call from BMW telling my car needs a brake service (the light came on a few days before) and asking if they can book it in for me! Car came back with new pads and rotors (I'm pretty sure the old rotors would have been fine for another set of pads, but BMW is paying so I'm not complaining!) - even so 50 000 on a set of rotors considering the power, weight and how I drive plus a few track excursion was impressive.

I am repeating myself but I remain impressed how the car can go from a comfy daily driver in traffic to long distance cruiser to track car taking it all in its stride and performing very well on such diverse conditions.

I'm already thinking about ownership post motorplan, so far I have not seen anything that worries me and the urge to remap the car is getting really strong

[mullerza]

Time for an update:

Fuel consumption still ticking downwards, still not due to any attempt to save fuel so maybe the engine is still loosening up a bit?


We were gone for a few weeks in December so asked SWAMBO mini's boyfriend to house sit and look after the dogs, very nice level headed young man who like most men his age is into cars. Told him I don't mind him using the cars just don't do anything stupid and it seems he liked driving the X3 (and Tiguan but strangely not the Honda Fit as its battery went dead). You must have seen the sheepish look on his face when I showed him the dash display with the recent fuel economy...

Seems he drove it home (about 5km away) a few times to wash it
Cant blame the guy, I would have done exactly the same if I had half a chance his age!

Otherwise nothing to report other than picking up a few annoying parking lot dings, why some people just could not give a #### about opening their doors on other cars is beyond me.

[Unobeat]

I am sure the young man enjoyed the X3 a lot and totally forgot that there is a Honda fit that needed to be driven.
Given the change i would enjoy X3 as well but not neglect other cars.

[Swartjan]

Anton jy ry te veel rond met die ding, waar is daai resies kar

[mullerza]

Anton jy ry te veel rond met die ding, waar is daai resies kar

dis n lang storie…. besig om die kar reg te kry vir Kyalami later die maand toe ontdek ek gisteraand suspension skade op die kar, agteste wishbone mounts is besig om uit die chassis te skeur So dit gaan mini rebuild wees om die kar op die baar te kry.

Daardie Birkin IRS chassis was maar nog altyd bietjie lig in die broek

[Unobeat]

Any new updates here ?
Love reading on your ownership experience

[mullerza]

Average fuel consumption keeps on dropping, I haven't changed my driving style or my commute so it would seem the engine is still loosening up a bit. I remain amazed at the progress in engine development for a car with with this much power (that is used everyday) to deliver such low fuel consumption (relatively). 10-15 years ago a similar performance vehicle would probably be in the 20L/100km range


With all the recent wet weather I'm still very happy with the Michellins, I can only guess there was an issue with the batch of Pirelli's that was fitted stock because there is no way BMW signed off their shocking wet weather performance.

I have picked up a niggle with idrive, well actually 2
1. Android auto and waze shows route directions on the HUD, something carplay + waze does not do - bastids!
2. Once I have connected android auto the system will not connect to my iphone no matter what you try, I have to do a hard reset on idrive for it to connect again. First time I thought it was a fluke, but its now happened a second time.

I dont drove the Tiguan much, but driving it recently I was again impressed at how customizable its driver display is, while the BMW is very limited to what you can display (pretty much you only have few default setups)

Other than that the car and cabin is standing up very well to normal usage, a good valet and it go back onto the showroom floor.

For me its always a good sign if you dont go "virtual car shopping" given the opportunity, it shows deep down you are content with your current vehicle. Full disclosure, I have looked at turbo upgrades

[mullerza]

Not much to report other than getting a dashboard warning for oil at the minimum level and asking me to top up with 1L at my earliest convenience. Next oil service was about 1500km away so I added 1L of Titan full synth.

Car is going for its next oil service this week, this time round the booking service in the app did not work and I had to actually pick up the phone and call the dealership!!!



General driving consumption is mid to high 13's with the odd long distance trip bringing the average down to low 13's, the really high and lows spikes is most like an under filling (super low consumption) followed by a normal fill-up giving a very high consumption for the next tank.

[mullerza]

Quick update, total cost (to motorplan) for oil service was a whopping R2729.59! (Oil R942, oil Filter R254, cabin filer R492) They charged R198 for the car wash! It will be interesting to see what the costs ex motorplan will be.

[Kix]

Quick update, total cost (to motorplan) for oil service was a whopping R2729.59! (Oil R942, oil Filter R254, cabin filer R492) They charged R198 for the car wash! It will be interesting to see what the costs ex motorplan will be.

That's not too bad. My Koleos' was R2500 at Renault and that excluded a cabin filter. Also under service plan.

[zx14]

Thanks for the ongoing updates, Anton.

It is interesting to follow the X3 saga, and, for a 285 kw SAV, used in a predominantly commuter role, not bad consumption!

[mullerza]

Thanks for the ongoing updates, Anton.

It is interesting to follow the X3 saga, and, for a 285 kw SAV, used in a predominantly commuter role, not bad consumption!

I could easily drop that fuel consumption by 2L/100km for my commute by changing my driving habits. I was feeling crap on Tuesday so drove to work very sedately, did not go for gaps, did not overtake just kept in my lane like all the sad people just trudging through their commute and the OBC returned 11l/100km. But there is no way any half decent motorhead can drive that car like that all the time, it literally begs to be driven hard. I dont know what the fuel price must be for it not be worth making that straight 6 scream in anger

BTW according to the Wesbank fleet manager database I should be averaging 8.9l/100km so just about every single fill up get's flagged for the consumption being more than 30% outside their parameters!

[zx14]

Methinks they have it confused with the M40D!