I’m one of the folks who actually thought the new M50 looked pretty good when announced. Been looking to downsize from two cars (‘23 G87 manual M2 and Lincoln Corsair) to one.
Test drove a lot over the past few months - M340i, M440i GC, X3 M40i, X1 M35i, Macan S, ‘25 Explorer ST, Ranger Raptor, Integra Type S and more. Got it down to either an Integra Type S or waiting to see how the new X3 looked/felt/drove in-person.
Long story short, I finally took an M50 for a test drive on Saturday and bought it the same day. Black on black. Take delivery this coming Saturday.
Pros- For being a compact SAV it drives great. Was able to take it on some sweepers, tight corners, cloverleaf on-ramp and highway pulls. Suspension felt perfect to me even in Sport mode but I'm used to driving an M2, so...
For additional context, I'll say that it drives better than the 2024 X3 M40i I tested. Less body roll while also having a more compliant ride. Performance wise, to me at least, it's better than the M40i. Not by much, but it is. And crucially, it's better enough to get me to buy one. I tested two different X3 M40i's and the first time was immediately after driving an M340i. You could feel the weight and lean of the M40i compared to the M340i. That, combined with its less comfortable cruising feel turned me off of the M40i and made me want to wait to see how the M50 drove. Was pleasantly surprised.
- The B58 is a gem but that's no surprise. I've had a '21 Z4 M40i with the B58 and of course the current M2 with an S58. It's a great engine. We all know that. Pulls like a freight train and sounds decent too.
- I personally like the way it looks (but I also bought a G87 M2 at launch when everyone was hating on it's looks and now it's a Performance Car of the Year
). Not a big fan of the 30s but dig the M50 looks. Looks better in person as well. My girlfriend agrees so, bonus. 
- iDrive 9 is nice. Played around with it extensively and never experienced lag or any issues. That said, I never really had a problem with iDrive 8 in the M2. I do like being able to have a full nav map with traffic available at all times - with satellite view!
Interesting side note - while on my test drive I noticed a message on the gauge cluster alerting me to a pothole 200 ft ahead. Don't recall getting those on iDrive 8 but not sure if it's part of a package or what. Frankly I don't really care about it either way but thought it notable. Was the first time my SA saw that message too.
- Seats were comfy. Not spectacular but get the job done.
- Put A/C on max to test how strong it would be and it felt strong enough to me. Certainly didn't feel under-powered as I've read in some places.
- H/K audio sounded pretty dang good to me using the "experience the sound" demo, FWIW.
- Steering wheel feels good. Steering feel as well. Nothing to write home about but nothing I had an issue with either.
- Like the simplicity of the interior but after driving the M2 with the giant screen (and even my Corsair) the interior of the M40i just feels dated to me. Reckon I'm in either the minority or silent majority here.
Cons- Holy crap I hate that there's no traditional volume knob on the dash. The little volume flick roller doo-dad in the center console is in a super awkward position. Thankfully there are still buttons on the steering wheel but I still kept reaching to adjust the volume multiple times just to grab empty air.
- The plastic door pulls should be metal. It's a bummer but obviously not a deal-breaker for me. But, yeah, c'mon. Just make 'em metal BMW.
- The giant plastic door lock/unlock/side vent fan control thing is... fine. Not a huge fan of the whole thing moving when you push any of the buttons. However, I don't really fiddle with my fan controls and never really lock/unlock my doors using the door buttons (key fob works for me).
- There are no USB ports in the center/middle console arm rest storage area, only a 12v plug. This is stupid, IMO.
- Specific to me but I'm going to miss the M2 gauge cluster and HUD graphics. The "standard" M ones are just not as cool to me now.
- It's an X3 so you'll be able to throw a rock and hit at least 5 of 'em at the mall. SUVs are NPC cars and I'll miss the exclusivity of driving a modified M car. Will likely at least throw some rims on the X3 so I know which car to walk up to in parking lots.