[Zirnitra]

I have not been in the BMW family that long and never really experienced the M5 or other monsters so cannot draw on that but from my limited experience so far, I have made a quick review which is not on Clarkson's level but mine.

Comfort:
I will admit the comfort level is not on par with my 2022 X5 I had. I had 22” wheels on that and the feedback from the road was nonexistent. My X5, felt like I was in a snug blanket with a hot cup of tea. The X3 has taken me back to my youth, where there is still comfort, but now I feel livelier behind the wheel and get feedback. Snug blanket and tea gone, replaced with lightweight throw and double expresso. I can live with that.

Performance:
My X5 was not a M version but it had power when needed and felt like walking a well-behaved dog with grace and manner and would run when ordered to. The X3 feels like I am walking a leopard. It behaves but wants to let rip. Dwindling along 50-60mph and the car feels angry with me as it wants to chase after everything it sees. I love this X3 for that – wild days again.

Noise:
My X5 again was like floating in an isolation tank – occasional wind noise on the window and a little roar when needed. The X3 to my surprise is also quiet when riding at 60-80 on the highway. Turn off the sound and even quieter. The X5 has it beat for low noise, but the X3 is livable, and with the iconic sound switched on making some nice notes whilst listening to “immigrant” by Led Zeppelin through the Harmon Kardon system at full blast - who needs quiet!

Space: Cannot fault the X3 on this. Put the back seats down and still more than enough room to have a tailgate party in the car.

Overall:
My X5 I loved, I felt like a graceful old man, gliding around the place, being seen but not noted. The X3 I am like a young buck, hungry like the wolf with memories of my RS Turbo (escort) that I had back in England burning around the Golf GTIs and Peugeot 205 GTI to name a few back in the day but with less power of course.

Did I make the right choice from X5 to X3? - Yes, I did.

[mikeoz]

Thanks for the review. My 1s on order..

I guess they are different class of car and the M50 will feel more lively than the bigger heavier X5. Not sure what engine you had but guess a petrol if your in the US.

I sat in one the other day and the seats are much better than my current G01.

[DCBmwMD]

Thanks for the comparison. I ALMOST went for an X5 this time around. Glad I stuck with the X3. Just enough of the X5’s comfortable ride and quietness while still retaining the handling, speed and maneuverability of the previous G01. It really is the sweet spot in their SAV line up. What are your thoughts on the obvious sharp difference in the interiors of the two. Do you miss the luxuriousness of the X5 interior compared to the X3’s ?

[Plusforce]

Is there any way to permanently turn off the Auto start stop function?
Like can you set the car to start in the Sport individual mode automatically?

[DCyser]

Yes. Start the engine, keeping the car in either P or N. Then press My Modes button. On the big screen you'll see a gear symbol. Tap that, then select "General". Once youre in the General menu you can scroll down where you'll find a selection panel where you can choose Sport as your Start mode. You can test that youve saved it properly by shutting the engine down, then re-starting ---- on re-start you should see "SPORT" illuminated in red at the bottom center of your dash screen. Worked perfectly on my M50.

[OCDad]

[QUOTE=DCyser;31659679]Yes. Start the engine, keeping the car in either P or N. Then press My Modes button. On the big screen you'll see a gear symbol. Tap that, then select "General". Once youre in the General menu you can scroll down where you'll find a selection panel where you can choose Sport as your Start mode. You can test that youve saved it properly by shutting the engine down, then re-starting —— on re-start you should see "SPORT" illuminated in red at the bottom center of your dash screen. Worked perfectly on my M50.

Has anybody else been successful in setting Sport as default mode? Picked up the car yesterday and was attempting to default to Sport Mode using the above method; for me all other modes are available as start up mode, except Sport. Is there another step to complete to add Sport to the start mode options?

[RobM2]

Originally Posted by OCDad

Has anybody else been successful in setting Sport as default mode? Picked up the car yesterday and was attempting to default to Sport Mode using the above method; for me all other modes are available as start up mode, except Sport. Is there another step to complete to add Sport to the start mode options?

This does not work for me. In the options to select a default mode I see most of the modes but not Sport.

[OCDad]

Originally Posted by RobM2

This does not work for me. In the options to select a default mode I see most of the modes but not Sport.

Thanks. Makes me feel better that I’m not the only one 😉.

DCyser did you get a software update by chance that would have enabled sports as start up mode? Any other steps you took that I might have missed?

Thanks!