[EWL5]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I am 99% sure that as long as one can get over the interior... this will be a better SUV for most people that look for this type of car...especially the typical lease crowd... most people that buy these cars overlook all the details lol

however, the people that look for a more performance oriented option may be disappointed... granted I haven't driven it but if it's heavier, larger and looks like that... it just might not be as enticing for that crowd anymore... i know i wouldn't seek this car out anymore whereas the prior gen I did... it's probably a better SUV but the fact that they've made it softer doesn't work for the driver involvement crowd... savagegeese was very careful in this review to talk about the positives of how this SUV drives but didn't really compare to the prior gen or what's been improved from a drivers perspective... he just said it's a better suv

During the review, it's almost like Mark had a gun to his head and Jack was probably gagged and tied up somewhere out of view. There was a LOT unsaid during the video but there was a video highlight of Mark pulling at the interior and exterior door handles. Anyone else remember him repeating, "I'm gonna leave it at that" (not exactly a ringing endorsement)?

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by EWL5

During the review, it's almost like Mark had a gun to his head and Jack was probably gagged and tied up somewhere out of view. There was a LOT unsaid during the video but there was a video highlight of Mark pulling at the interior and exterior door handles. Anyone else remember him repeating, "I'm gonna leave it at that" (not exactly a ringing endorsement)?

Savagegeese (if you've watched him for a long time) is kind of a weird guy... he seems like a VERY simple guy that wears Costco sweatshirts and plays video games at night... yet he owned an X7 M50i (and said it was an incredible car outside of maintenance and any repair costs). He comes off as someone that wouldn't care for a higher end interior but always points out cheap plastics (yet has no issue with the new X3 interior and a lot of Toyota products). He talks very highly of all new Lexus products (including the Lc500) which doesn't really do anything well but he likes it because it has an old school V8. I will say this though, i've agreed with him on many of his reviews... watch his Toyota 4runner review and I think it may be one of the funniest reviews I've ever seen... he absolutely hates it for the right reasons.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Savagegeese (if you've watched him for a long time) is kind of a weird guy... he seems like a VERY simple guy that wears Costco sweatshirts and plays video games at night... yet he owned an X7 M50i (and said it was an incredible car outside of maintenance and any repair costs). He comes off as someone that wouldn't care for a higher end interior but always points out cheap plastics (yet has no issue with the new X3 interior and a lot of Toyota products). He talks very highly of all new Lexus products (including the Lc500) which doesn't really do anything well but he likes it because it has an old school V8. I will say this though, i've agreed with him on many of his reviews... watch his Toyota 4runner review and I think it may be one of the funniest reviews I've ever seen... he absolutely hates it for the right reasons.

I generally love their reviews. The April Fools special on the Cabriolet Murano needs to be seen!

I missed the 4Runner review so thanks for the tip!

[M2Cmtl]

I watch their videos but I really see it as entertainment mostly since Marck I find is all over the place with his opinions, regularly contradicting himself. His reviews come off as "that's how I felt that day"...

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by M2Cmtl

I watch their videos but I really see it as entertainment mostly since Marck I find is all over the place with his opinions, regularly contradicting himself. His reviews come off as "that's how I felt that day"...

Since you're Canadian, what do you think of the Throttle House guys?

[ModernAngel]

Originally Posted by EWL5

There was a LOT unsaid during the video

There was also a lot said about the driving experience, almost all of it quite good coming from Mark. To wit:

"...You're paying a lot of extra money to have this engine and transmission combo (M50 w/B58) in here and I would say that this brand does a great job in terms of calibration between its normal setting at this point so when I flip it into just the relax mode or the normal mode the engine is not surge-y the throttle control is pretty smooth the updated brake by wire system feels more natural than it did before and I'm you know I say that Loosely I mean it's still brake by wire but the good thing about this is, you know, you're talking about a run-of-the-mill SUV that absolutely tears it up.

I mean this thing handles so good I mean whether you're going slow or fast there's always the sense that it's still a rear wheel drive platform. You're not fighting the front end you're not fighting the back end. The stability control system is set up where it always feels very, very controllable but very nimble. I think, you know, when you're comparing this against many of its competitors regardless of price point that's why you're buying this. It is very, very enjoyable to drive it is very quick to drive I would say this - is on the upper end of what you would actually need. You know the question is do you need an M X3 and x3m and, yes, an x3m would be faster but it's completely unnecessary. This thing absolutely tears it up on a back road. I mean you can get through any corner as fast as you want. The stability control is a little bit invasive when you're driving it like a monkey as it should be this is a bigger taller vehicle.

But the big thing that this car does here is when I just flip this back over to personal or relaxed the suspension calibration is changed quite a bit here. Where BMW has always had a problem with having a very overly jarring stiff suspension in their like kind of m models this does a really good job in the lower modes where it goes off that first 10% of impact is far more compliant you have a little bit more travel before you feel the effects of bad payment into the seat and into your driving experience so when you're driving now as a daily driver there's far less trade-off of driving the M50i. The other M iterations before were trying to make it too sporty too harsh and where you're spending most of your time is these normal settings and this is where it really feels to me a very big improvement.

But if you still want to go back to sport mode and you want a really stiff damper profile where that rebound and compression rate's up and you feel that more stiff impacts there's better body control it still does that. I just think the range of adjustment has improved here quite a bit between your soft and your sporty settings which are really like there's no longer, you know, wishing you had the lower trim level to get the softer drive and then, you know, not having the extreme damper settings when you want to drive it like a dick. They did a really good job here with that and you know, really, that's what you're looking for, right - you're buying a BMW because it separates itself from the competition in terms of its driving aptitude.

While not every system is perfect - like there's not a lot of feel here but I do feel like the brake by wire system, the steering calibration and the actual engine and transmission calibration here are, I think, they're getting better at it and it feels far more natural to drive and - remembering this is an SUV first - what are the primary things you needed to do? It's got to be quiet, it's got to ride good - it does both of those. The handling whether you're going in slow speed corners or high speed corners you get a ton of stability. It feels great to drive, very agile. Probably, you know, I'm not going to say that the price tag is justified - this is way too expensive like almost every single thing but it is very, very enjoyable to drive whether you're putting it around or going fast."

For reference, here's what he had to say about the G87 M2:

"... this car I get out of the the new M2 - as much as like it's fast, it's fast as hell - it's more speed than you can possibly need, it's manual, it's rear-wheel drive... but why do I feel feel nothing when I drive it? Nothing. Like, the steering's dead, the brake pedal is digital, it has fake engine noise... the car just feels like you're not engaged. And when I get out of it at the end of the day when I'm sitting there tip tapping on my keyboard thinking about all the work I got to do I'm never thinking about that car. I never think 'oh I'd love to take a drive in it'. There's just not a lot going for it other than just the pure fact of price versus performance. There's nothing like it. That's really it and to me that's not a compelling enough reason to spend 60 plus thousand dollars on a car to not feel any emotion. It's just dead inside because it's all fake now."

Totally different cars with different intended use cases. I reckon that's where Mark's opinions come from - "how is each aspect of a car all things considered and considering the class of vehicle"?

Ultimately none of this really matters since if one is genuinely considering the vehicle and not just coming here to troll then they can just go test drive one and form their own opinions. At this point they should be pretty available and easy to go check-out in-person.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

There was also a lot said about the driving experience, almost all of it quite good coming from Mark. To wit:

"...You're paying a lot of extra money to have this engine and transmission combo (M50 w/B58) in here and I would say that this brand does a great job in terms of calibration between its normal setting at this point so when I flip it into just the relax mode or the normal mode the engine is not surge-y the throttle control is pretty smooth the updated brake by wire system feels more natural than it did before and I'm you know I say that Loosely I mean it's still brake by wire but the good thing about this is, you know, you're talking about a run-of-the-mill SUV that absolutely tears it up.

I mean this thing handles so good I mean whether you're going slow or fast there's always the sense that it's still a rear wheel drive platform. You're not fighting the front end you're not fighting the back end. The stability control system is set up where it always feels very, very controllable but very nimble. I think, you know, when you're comparing this against many of its competitors regardless of price point that's why you're buying this. It is very, very enjoyable to drive it is very quick to drive I would say this - is on the upper end of what you would actually need. You know the question is do you need an M X3 and x3m and, yes, an x3m would be faster but it's completely unnecessary. This thing absolutely tears it up on a back road. I mean you can get through any corner as fast as you want. The stability control is a little bit invasive when you're driving it like a monkey as it should be this is a bigger taller vehicle.

But the big thing that this car does here is when I just flip this back over to personal or relaxed the suspension calibration is changed quite a bit here. Where BMW has always had a problem with having a very overly jarring stiff suspension in their like kind of m models this does a really good job in the lower modes where it goes off that first 10% of impact is far more compliant you have a little bit more travel before you feel the effects of bad payment into the seat and into your driving experience so when you're driving now as a daily driver there's far less trade-off of driving the M50i. The other M iterations before were trying to make it too sporty too harsh and where you're spending most of your time is these normal settings and this is where it really feels to me a very big improvement.

But if you still want to go back to sport mode and you want a really stiff damper profile where that rebound and compression rate's up and you feel that more stiff impacts there's better body control it still does that. I just think the range of adjustment has improved here quite a bit between your soft and your sporty settings which are really like there's no longer, you know, wishing you had the lower trim level to get the softer drive and then, you know, not having the extreme damper settings when you want to drive it like a dick. They did a really good job here with that and you know, really, that's what you're looking for, right - you're buying a BMW because it separates itself from the competition in terms of its driving aptitude.

While not every system is perfect - like there's not a lot of feel here but I do feel like the brake by wire system, the steering calibration and the actual engine and transmission calibration here are, I think, they're getting better at it and it feels far more natural to drive and - remembering this is an SUV first - what are the primary things you needed to do? It's got to be quiet, it's got to ride good - it does both of those. The handling whether you're going in slow speed corners or high speed corners you get a ton of stability. It feels great to drive, very agile. Probably, you know, I'm not going to say that the price tag is justified - this is way too expensive like almost every single thing but it is very, very enjoyable to drive whether you're putting it around or going fast."

For reference, here's what he had to say about the G87 M2:

"... this car I get out of the the new M2 - as much as like it's fast, it's fast as hell - it's more speed than you can possibly need, it's manual, it's rear-wheel drive... but why do I feel feel nothing when I drive it? Nothing. Like, the steering's dead, the brake pedal is digital, it has fake engine noise... the car just feels like you're not engaged. And when I get out of it at the end of the day when I'm sitting there tip tapping on my keyboard thinking about all the work I got to do I'm never thinking about that car. I never think 'oh I'd love to take a drive in it'. There's just not a lot going for it other than just the pure fact of price versus performance. There's nothing like it. That's really it and to me that's not a compelling enough reason to spend 60 plus thousand dollars on a car to not feel any emotion. It's just dead inside because it's all fake now."

Totally different cars with different intended use cases. I reckon that's where Mark's opinions come from - "how is each aspect of a car all things considered and considering the class of vehicle"?

Ultimately none of this really matters since if one is genuinely considering the vehicle and not just coming here to troll then they can just go test drive one and form their own opinions. At this point they should be pretty available and easy to go check-out in-person.

everything said here was true w the M40i as well... they just made the limited slip diff standard, optioned it with non rft tires and made the comfort setting a little more relaxed w a more comfortable seat...

i'd like to hear from someone that owned an M40i w a limited slip diff on regular tires and and see how they compare from a feel perspective... it's all about options. The prior M40i was used in BMW track driving events.

to be clear... Savageese has never driven an M40i LCI to my knowledge... he drove an X3M in the snow which was a far different car in far different conditions

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by ModernAngel

There was also a lot said about the driving experience, almost all of it quite good coming from Mark. To wit:

"...You're paying a lot of extra money to have this engine and transmission combo (M50 w/B58) in here and I would say that this brand does a great job in terms of calibration between its normal setting at this point so when I flip it into just the relax mode or the normal mode the engine is not surge-y the throttle control is pretty smooth the updated brake by wire system feels more natural than it did before and I'm you know I say that Loosely I mean it's still brake by wire but the good thing about this is, you know, you're talking about a run-of-the-mill SUV that absolutely tears it up.

I mean this thing handles so good I mean whether you're going slow or fast there's always the sense that it's still a rear wheel drive platform. You're not fighting the front end you're not fighting the back end. The stability control system is set up where it always feels very, very controllable but very nimble. I think, you know, when you're comparing this against many of its competitors regardless of price point that's why you're buying this. It is very, very enjoyable to drive it is very quick to drive I would say this - is on the upper end of what you would actually need. You know the question is do you need an M X3 and x3m and, yes, an x3m would be faster but it's completely unnecessary. This thing absolutely tears it up on a back road. I mean you can get through any corner as fast as you want. The stability control is a little bit invasive when you're driving it like a monkey as it should be this is a bigger taller vehicle.

But the big thing that this car does here is when I just flip this back over to personal or relaxed the suspension calibration is changed quite a bit here. Where BMW has always had a problem with having a very overly jarring stiff suspension in their like kind of m models this does a really good job in the lower modes where it goes off that first 10% of impact is far more compliant you have a little bit more travel before you feel the effects of bad payment into the seat and into your driving experience so when you're driving now as a daily driver there's far less trade-off of driving the M50i. The other M iterations before were trying to make it too sporty too harsh and where you're spending most of your time is these normal settings and this is where it really feels to me a very big improvement.

But if you still want to go back to sport mode and you want a really stiff damper profile where that rebound and compression rate's up and you feel that more stiff impacts there's better body control it still does that. I just think the range of adjustment has improved here quite a bit between your soft and your sporty settings which are really like there's no longer, you know, wishing you had the lower trim level to get the softer drive and then, you know, not having the extreme damper settings when you want to drive it like a dick. They did a really good job here with that and you know, really, that's what you're looking for, right - you're buying a BMW because it separates itself from the competition in terms of its driving aptitude.

While not every system is perfect - like there's not a lot of feel here but I do feel like the brake by wire system, the steering calibration and the actual engine and transmission calibration here are, I think, they're getting better at it and it feels far more natural to drive and - remembering this is an SUV first - what are the primary things you needed to do? It's got to be quiet, it's got to ride good - it does both of those. The handling whether you're going in slow speed corners or high speed corners you get a ton of stability. It feels great to drive, very agile. Probably, you know, I'm not going to say that the price tag is justified - this is way too expensive like almost every single thing but it is very, very enjoyable to drive whether you're putting it around or going fast."

For reference, here's what he had to say about the G87 M2:

"... this car I get out of the the new M2 - as much as like it's fast, it's fast as hell - it's more speed than you can possibly need, it's manual, it's rear-wheel drive... but why do I feel feel nothing when I drive it? Nothing. Like, the steering's dead, the brake pedal is digital, it has fake engine noise... the car just feels like you're not engaged. And when I get out of it at the end of the day when I'm sitting there tip tapping on my keyboard thinking about all the work I got to do I'm never thinking about that car. I never think 'oh I'd love to take a drive in it'. There's just not a lot going for it other than just the pure fact of price versus performance. There's nothing like it. That's really it and to me that's not a compelling enough reason to spend 60 plus thousand dollars on a car to not feel any emotion. It's just dead inside because it's all fake now."

Totally different cars with different intended use cases. I reckon that's where Mark's opinions come from - "how is each aspect of a car all things considered and considering the class of vehicle"?

Ultimately none of this really matters since if one is genuinely considering the vehicle and not just coming here to troll then they can just go test drive one and form their own opinions. At this point they should be pretty available and easy to go check-out in-person.

Yes, all of the above is why the X3 will continue to be popular! Since you're a new G45 owner, my best advice to you is to stay off the forums so you don't subject yourself to the vocal minority and just enjoy your car! If the G45 is as good as everyone says it is, then it'll do a proper job defending itself!

[ModernAngel]

Originally Posted by EWL5

Yes, all of the above is why the X3 will continue to be popular! Since you're a new G45 owner, my best advice to you is to stay off the forums so you don't subject yourself to the vocal minority and just enjoy your car! If the G45 is as good as everyone says it is, then it'll do a proper job defending itself!

Indeed. I'll still hang out here for a bit to help answer questions while I'm still one of the early first weirdos that actually likes the way the G45 looks and bought one.

And I very much am still enjoying the car for what it is. Been driving it every chance I get to burn through the break-in period (only 400 miles to go) and be able to finally really see how it performs.

[The Libertine]

Originally Posted by EWL5

During the review, it's almost like Mark had a gun to his head and Jack was probably gagged and tied up somewhere out of view. There was a LOT unsaid during the video but there was a video highlight of Mark pulling at the interior and exterior door handles. Anyone else remember him repeating, "I'm gonna leave it at that" (not exactly a ringing endorsement)?

Yep. I also picked up on it.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by ASAP

everything said here was true w the M40i as well... they just made the limited slip diff standard, optioned it with non rft tires and made the comfort setting a little more relaxed w a more comfortable seat...

i'd like to hear from someone that owned an M40i w a limited slip diff on regular tires and and see how they compare from a feel perspective... it's all about options. The prior M40i was used in BMW track driving events.

to be clear... Savageese has never driven an M40i LCI to my knowledge... he drove an X3M in the snow which was a far different car in far different conditions

How does the standard OE wheel and tyre width compare between M40 and M50 ?

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by avi66

How does the standard OE wheel and tyre width compare between M40 and M50 ?

According to Tire Rack -

M40i 20 inch - 245/275
M50 20 inch - 255 / 285

So I am sure that also plays into it. They are wider, non runflat tires on a standard LSD.

[spuntyb]

subjective looks aside, the interior quality has taken a huge nose dive, but it sounds like this thing is a big W overall to drive!

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by AlexFL

Watch his other car reviews. Most of them are negative or lukewarm at best. This is why I watch him - he just doesn’t give a ****. So for him, this is a truly glowing review.

Bingo. I do think he gets some stuff wrong in pursuit of just being “the grumpy guy” sometimes, but for me it just means it’s a bit reassuring when he genuinely likes something. Of course, these are all just subjective reviews (save for the In The Shoppe section!), and nothing replaces how the car makes *you* feel when you drive it.

[EWL5]

New theory on Jack's absence: he threatened to choke Mark every time Mark incorrectly said M50i in the video (which was quite often).

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by spuntyb

Bingo. I do think he gets some stuff wrong in pursuit of just being “the grumpy guy” sometimes, but for me it just means it’s a bit reassuring when he genuinely likes something. Of course, these are all just subjective reviews (save for the In The Shoppe section!), and nothing replaces how the car makes *you* feel when you drive it.

watch his G80 M3 review... its kind of odd in a way... he says it's the ultimate car when it comes to track capability but it has no feeling... then they drive it on the street and it's an entirely mixed bag... i agree with those thoughts but then ultimately what happens is they weigh the track component far too much... even as 99% of people will never see a track in their M3.... almost missing the point entirely.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by ASAP

watch his G80 M3 review... its kind of odd in a way... he says it's the ultimate car when it comes to track capability but it has no feeling... then they drive it on the street and it's an entirely mixed bag... i agree with those thoughts but then ultimately what happens is they weigh the track component far too much... even as 99% of people will never see a track in their M3.... almost missing the point entirely.

Perhaps it's SG's way of saying the M3 is not going to be everybody's daily driver!

The G45 for sure sounds like it is comfortably in DD status!

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by ASAP

watch his G80 M3 review... its kind of odd in a way... he says it's the ultimate car when it comes to track capability but it has no feeling... then they drive it on the street and it's an entirely mixed bag... i agree with those thoughts but then ultimately what happens is they weigh the track component far too much... even as 99% of people will never see a track in their M3.... almost missing the point entirely.

i think he also sometimes gets confused about whether he dislikes certain cars or he dislikes the folks who ultimately drive them (and who influence sales), which is kinda relatable

[PfizerP]

Originally Posted by jmg

I saw one at the dealer today. It actually looks pretty good in person! I can’t speak for the interior though. I didn’t get the chance to look inside.

My brother-in-law got his 2025 X3 M50i Dune Grey a few days ago; he and my sister visited us yesterday. I got to ride in his new X3 and I must say that it was very nice. I sat up front and it honestly felt quite low to the ground; nearly sedan/station wagon-like. Yes, there was a lot of plastic in the interior, including the now infamous plastic door handles, but honestly, everything seemed very solid. My brother-in-law couldn't stop gushing about how great it drives though; said it reminded him of his old G20 M340i. iDrive 9 looked very slick and makes the iDrive 7.0 system in my family's X5 look very dated lol. I thought the seat comfort was excellent and the non-leather dash materials (the netting type stuff) were actually nice to touch. I had previously commented how the front passenger's side of the dash looks "empty", but again, the photos will fool you. When you actually sit in the passenger's seat, it's fine and you don't really focus on it. Could they have done a trim piece or something there, sure, but its honestly not a big deal. Maybe this is something they will change for the LCI. I can definitely see people getting worked up about the plastic trim pieces in the dash and around the cabin, but again, maybe this is something they will change up for the LCI. In my honest opinion, the only plastic area I really found chintzy was the trim piece running underneath the main AC vents/center screen. I wish there was a open pore wood/carbon fiber trim option for that area. At the end of the day, the cabin is still a very nice place to sit in AND it appears that it drives better than the previous generation .

[VER]

Originally Posted by ASAP

He talks very highly of all new Lexus products (including the Lc500) which doesn't really do anything well but he likes it because it has an old school V8.

Other than it also being one of the most beautiful exteriors on the market and a classy high quality interior... Unfortunate they had to do the tacked on display which looks ridiculous in every new car getting it these days.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by VER

Other than it also being one of the most beautiful exteriors on the market and a classy high quality interior... Unfortunate they had to do the tacked on display which looks ridiculous in every new car getting it these days.

beautiful is subjective... its not fast for a 100k car, doesnt handle... interior is hq for sure... untik you realize the infotainment system may have been good in 1995

[M2COMP]

Ugliness outweighs any of the other improvements. Off course it’s subjective. I’m sure that’s why BMW fired their design team.
PLUS, don’t forget to mask the facial recognition camera on the top center console.