[hyde]

Originally Posted by co_440i

Why did they give it Camry headlights? I’m having trouble ever visualizing myself driving a G-chassis BMW because they look so bad, and only seem to get worse with every new update

You think G01 looked bad? It's probably one of the best looking BMWs out there. Interior is peak BMW I wish we could get a bit more features but F generation X3 was really way behind X5. Now luckily they thought '24 G05 was a huge upgrade with ugly display we were able to get nicer interior left over from 23 x5. When you get into 24 X3, you think it's 23 x5. With m40i, it drives even better than x5. I am very glad to go from boaty x5 (especially with air suspension) to planted, agile and quick X3 m40i.
If it looked like this I'd probably get Sq5, which, it seems like what I will need to consider when my X3 lease is up. They also went with all digital display but at least it's not an ugly curved slab on dash and rest of the interior is still classy, not some budget suv look.

[Burnt C6]

We just picked up one yesterday. it is going to take a little getting use to. Thing is we trade every 3 years so a new one was coming no matter what. The 24 X3 M40i we had was hit in the rear end and fixed by the insurance company. For some reasons I just had issues with that. The 24 was Brookland Gray with red interior and the wife likes the Dune color with a light interior. I do like the fact I can turn the Auto Stop off now without having to have it in sport mode all the time. I do hate they called it the M50. I've owned an X6 M50i with the hot V8. it's not that by any means they should have called it something
different.

[///M TOWN]

I like the new X3 M50

It drives great in my opinion

All it needs is some proper tires

[bimmer813]

I’ll leave this here: remember all the hate the M3 got when it came out? And yet, it’s still a nearly impossible car to get without getting on a list and waiting.

We may hate on it now, but I’ll just wait the year or so when people with the old model swap in and say it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[gnolivos]

Can't beat the interior of the previous gen's with buttons and cluster. This new trend is a disaster and I will never buy a BMW or a Tesla with a pure digital interior. Never.

[moriluvatar]

Finally was able to check this out for myself, and I have a few observations.

X3 is wildly popular because it can do so many things pretty well. Since we don’t get the wagon in the US anymore, if you only get one car that must be able to transport kids and cargo, and don’t want your everyday drive to suck, this might be the one for you. It’s easy to see out of, park, and with a good set of mats you can put anything you want in the back worry free.

The exterior styling is a controversial change because so many of us loved the classic looks; shit, it took me a few years to warm to the G80 series which I now wholly appreciate despite being butt-hurt for a while about the change. Turns out BMW often is ahead of the curve on this and it takes folks like me a while to catch up on the exterior stuff.

Interior is another matter, and here I don’t see the path to redemption. It’s a really weird set up for the lighting and I see cost cutting everywhere. I’m sure BMW will get away with it, there’s enough good in the platform and the name plate that folks will put up with it, but it’s hardly inspiring, and I think might indicate a dangerous direction for the company. We can and should complain about that kind of stuff, because it’s substantive, not merely styling, so signaling here in a big way to BMW is important.

[playswcars]

I sat in an M50 recently, and the interior is an insult.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by bimmer813

I’ll leave this here: remember all the hate the M3 got when it came out? And yet, it’s still a nearly impossible car to get without getting on a list and waiting.

We may hate on it now, but I’ll just wait the year or so when people with the old model swap in and say it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

this is the only bmw that has applied to in the last 10 years and it has to do w macro factors... they added xdrive and demand went up as well due to it being opened to more markets and the fact that the c63 is now a 4 banger and the rs5 is ancient...that aside from the social media train on it... its a bad example to use for almost anything... this is an egg suv that has no differentiation

[ddavtian]

It's always funny to see how many "great" designers are here, year after year, model after model. Every new model is being called an insult, Camry, Rav4, Chevy. New M5 was called a tank, and it was one of the nice comparisons. "I'll never buy one with these headlights, I'll never buy one with this interior".

Most of the critics have no degree/experience in design or engineering, but love to criticize multi-billion dollar companies. I'm not saying it's wrong, everybody can have their opinion. I just find funny.

[collin kurtcher]

Originally Posted by arunr55

Thanks for sharing the latest R and T 25 with us, It's a better reviews I’ve seen of the X3... It's a beautiful interior to tour around the world, let's ride baby #BMW.

[JK479]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

Yea, I think the new design looks more like a station wagon or a hatchback, than it does an SUV. It has that weird Subaru profile. I think the elongated hood has a lot to do with it. It has a “cab backward” design, rather than a “cab forward” design. I prefer short hoods. Long hoods remind me of Ace and Gary’s mobile. Some of you SNL fans might know the reference. Fortunately the MSport trim reduces the hood effect because the bottom trim is colored matched. It makes the vehicle appear a little thicker than then the reg x30 trim. Just IMO.

Yea they started this weird m sport moustache look- I wonder if designers laugh about this or they can’t see it. The non m sport looks better but it can’t be optioned with the inline 6. Tough.

[Mr Carrots]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

Yup. I literally came from a G87 M2 to the G45 M50. Also have owned a litany of sport compact cars my entire life, including tuned (full suspension/bars/etc.) ND Miata, Focus RS, STI, etc.

Does the M50 handle as good as those cars? Hell no. Is it pretty damn close for what it is and the exponential additional levels of everyday flexibility and comfort? Yes. I would argue that yes it is. But that's me. I dunno what everyone else is looking for in a car.

In sport+ mode my m50 isn't that far off from the magneride+performance pack 5.0 that I traded in for it

It's an infinitely more enjoyable grocery getter than anything I cross shopped with it

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by JK479

The exterior design is mundane. I saw “dune” colored x3 30 today on the road and it looked sad. Almost elongated in appearance. I didn’t even look back like I usually do with cars.

I agree with others the interior is like a gamer’s delight.

Not a home run. They will sell but the last gen looked great.

It takes at least 3 years to bring a new model from concept to the first car rolling off the production line. Whether or not the original assumptions about cost of materials and sales forecasts materialize, the success will be evaluated based on the upcoming sales statistics. Automotive press - and many others - are waiting. BMW always has an option to tailor lease elements to influence sales. To be continued.

[ModernAngel]

Originally Posted by Mr Carrots

In sport+ mode my m50 isn't that far off from the magneride+performance pack 5.0 that I traded in for it

It's an infinitely more enjoyable grocery getter than anything I cross shopped with it

For me it's a car that comfortably handles most every common daily driver task with aplomb, while also being a comfy long-distance cruiser and is still something that's fun enough to drive that I'll actually go on drives in the twisties with it just for fun. It does the "jack of all trades, master of none" thing about as well as one can expect it to. Sofyen from Redline Reviews casually pulled a 4.2 0-60 on the street with one.

If BMW sold the M340i wagon here in the States I likely would've just gotten one of those. But they don't, so, X3 M50 it was.

[BMWbiker]

Originally Posted by ddavtian

It's always funny to see how many "great" designers are here, year after year, model after model. Every new model is being called an insult, Camry, Rav4, Chevy. New M5 was called a tank, and it was one of the nice comparisons. "I'll never buy one with these headlights, I'll never buy one with this interior".

Most of the critics have no degree/experience in design or engineering, but love to criticize multi-billion dollar companies. I'm not saying it's wrong, everybody can have their opinion. I just find funny.

Your general point is valid.

That said, whenever I see a recent Camry or the previous generation Prius from the front, the picture in my mind is still the mouth of the alien from the movie Predator.

[BMWbiker]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

For me it's a car that comfortably handles most every common daily driver task with aplomb, while also being a comfy long-distance cruiser and is still something that's fun enough to drive that I'll actually go on drives in the twisties with it just for fun. It does the "jack of all trades, master of none" thing about as well as one can expect it to. Sofyen from Redline Reviews casually pulled a 4.2 0-60 on the street with one.

If BMW sold the M340i wagon here in the States I likely would've just gotten one of those. But they don't, so, X3 M50 it was.

Same here: if BMW offered the M340xi wagon here, I would own one. I did own an F31, so I have put my money where my mouth is.

[geddylee]

Originally Posted by ddavtian

It's always funny to see how many "great" designers are here, year after year, model after model. Every new model is being called an insult, Camry, Rav4, Chevy. New M5 was called a tank, and it was one of the nice comparisons. "I'll never buy one with these headlights, I'll never buy one with this interior".

Most of the critics have no degree/experience in design or engineering, but love to criticize multi-billion dollar companies. I'm not saying it's wrong, everybody can have their opinion. I just find funny.

Lets keep in mind that the engineers designing these vehicles aren’t selling them to other engineers but rather every day customers which include people from various backgrounds, many of which find the compromising choices BMW made with the vehicle unacceptable.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by ddavtian

Most of the critics have no degree/experience in design or engineering, but love to criticize multi-billion dollar companies. I'm not saying it's wrong, everybody can have their opinion. I just find funny.

Yea it’s funny as these multi-billon dollar companies never get it wrong. Boeing is really funny…….

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

Yup. For a compact SUV and for the money it's probably the best performing new vehicle in its class overall you can buy today, IMO.

There are plenty of cars many folks find ugly that also have great performance. This is one of them. That's fine. Life is complicated. Some cars look great and have poor performance and vice versa.

Go give one a proper test drive and see if it ticks the boxes for ya.

I just find it funny when many professional reviewers and other folks on this board say the new M50 drives great and is quite fast for what it is and folks who, AFAIK, still haven't even driven one yet are just like "no, you're all wrong, it can't drive well because it looks stupid". OK. 😄

It can't drive particularly well because it has a high COG and weighs a ton.

This isn't rocket science.

[ModernAngel]

Originally Posted by Neusser

It can't drive particularly well because it has a high COG and weighs a ton.

This isn't rocket science.

All SUVs weigh a lot and have a high COG. That's why I prefaced everything with "for a compact SUV".

Nobody is saying it outperforms a 911 or something.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by avi66

Yea it’s funny as these multi-billon dollar companies never get it wrong. Boeing is really funny…….

i mean... the xm was a fail upon fail lol... you dont have to look at far... as are the ix's... does anyone actually buy those?

new m5... still at my dealer days after delivery... how on a new car?

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

All SUVs weigh a lot and have a high COG. That's why I prefaced everything with "for a compact SUV".

Nobody is saying it outperforms a 911 or something.

It ain't compact either.