[geompat1]

Current owner of a 2021 X3 M40i. Spent about an hour test driving the new M50 today. Here are my impressions for what it's worth.

Exterior - Red color looks fantastic, although body style is a bit boxier. Also, wide, featureless hood looks huge and flat from the driver's seat. Personally prefer the old body style slightly, but it's not ugly by any means.

Interior - Super comfortable seats - even more so than my current ride. Plasticky elements such as door handles, door controls, and center console are legit gripes. A little shocked BMW let that happen. Ambient lighting looks sweet. Loss of gear shifter - bad. No more lever to fold rear seats from the trunk - bad. Loss of programmable convenience buttons - very bad. No opening moonroof - don't care, but why? I Drive knob - glad they kept it but it's not nearly as nice as the older version. Too low profile and glitchy. Doesn't always move cursor the right direction, and pressing it doesn't always work the first time. Also, what I used to be able to control with the press of a button, now takes multiple steps through the screen - very bad. I know some of that can be done through voice control, but I don't like to talk to inanimate objects. Steering wheel/paddle shifters - very nice. Increased interior space/storage by the numbers - not visually noticeable. Glove box - definitely smaller, but not a big deal, especially with no owner's manual. Cup holders/front storage - nice. iPhone charger and usb-c ports easily accessible.

Driving impressions - B58 is heavenly as always. Extra 11HP and torque may be there, but not noticeably faster than my current. Didn't have a stopwatch though. Suspension is much improved, especially in comfort mode where ride is much smoother over bumps. Sport mode cornering is terrific. Less body roll than previous. Slightly quieter in comfort mode- possibly due to no more run-flats??

Overall - Not bad, but wish they had just made the improvements to the seats, suspension, and color choices and added about 40 more HP to the previous body style and interior. Would have been a better product.

[mic_crispy]

Seems fair.
I was only able to sit in a m50, so no driving impressions.
But the interior was certainly 2 steps forward and 4 back. I like the updated screens, more simplistic design, more storage and always dig ambient lighting.
However, the plastics, especially on the doors is really jarring.

I currently have a X1 M35 that I'm selling to get into something bigger and really thought the x3 would be more of a step up.. and if i'm being honest, the x1 probably has nicer doors cards / materials (like the metal on the HK grills). Was also really surprised to see they removed the comfort access sensors from the rear doors too (one of my biggest complaints with the x1).

I'm usually not one to yell at the sky or hate new products just because they are different than what im used to, but it really does seem that this current gen went alittle too far with cost cutting. I wouldn't be surprised if BMW fixes a lot of this in a LCI.

[puckhead85]

Originally Posted by mic_crispy

Seems fair.

I currently have a X1 M35 that I'm selling to get into something bigger and really thought the x3 would be more of a step up.. and if i'm being honest, the x1 probably has nicer doors cards / materials (like the metal on the HK grills). Was also really surprised to see they removed the comfort access sensors from the rear doors too (one of my biggest complaints with the x1).

Overall how do you like the X1? It was a toss up between an x1 m35 or the x3 30. I picked the x3. I had mixed thoughts about the dual clutch.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by mic_crispy

Seems fair.
I was only able to sit in a m50, so no driving impressions.
But the interior was certainly 2 steps forward and 4 back. I like the updated screens, more simplistic design, more storage and always dig ambient lighting.
However, the plastics, especially on the doors is really jarring.

I currently have a X1 M35 that I'm selling to get into something bigger and really thought the x3 would be more of a step up.. and if i'm being honest, the x1 probably has nicer doors cards / materials (like the metal on the HK grills). Was also really surprised to see they removed the comfort access sensors from the rear doors too (one of my biggest complaints with the x1).

I'm usually not one to yell at the sky or hate new products just because they are different than what im used to, but it really does seem that this current gen went alittle too far with cost cutting. I wouldn't be surprised if BMW fixes a lot of this in a LCI.

believe it or not... the x5 LCI did this as well... with bmw it always seems to be 2 steps forward but a few back as well

[mic_crispy]

Originally Posted by puckhead85

Overall how do you like the X1? It was a toss up between an x1 m35 or the x3 30. I picked the x3. I had mixed thoughts about the dual clutch.

The X1 varies from amazing to frustrating.
The dual clutch is great if you're ripping gears. If not (which is most of the time), it doesn't interact well with the super aggressive auto start/stop, which can disable the engine even before you come to a stop in some scenarios... so when you press the gas, it has to fire up the motor / engage the clutches and then you get power, which can quite literally be a second or so.
There IS a way around this... either you disable it (every single time you get in the car), or put it into sport mode (again, every single time you enter). It becomes second nature after a while, but still annoying.

On the positive side, fully spec'ed, its a lot of the money and surprisingly light / quick. The car makes VERY good use of the space.. so despite having a 106in wheelbase, it has almost the same amount of room as the previous gen x3. Its (IMO) far better looking than the new X3 and truthfully is just not that much less premium than the X3.

Really wild that BMW is removing comfort access on the rear doors... I understand they have proximity sensors now, but that doesn't work for everyone and it doesn't always work correctly. Especially in my house where our mud room (where we keep the keys) is right next to the garage.... so the car has no idea if we are leaving or entering and will just randomly lock/unlock.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by geompat1

Glove box - definitely smaller, but not a big deal, especially with no owner's manual.

Thanks for your quick thoughts! Let me guess: even w/o a physical manual, BMW is still charging outrageous doc fees, right?

[avi66]

Does the glove box lock with the physical car key ?

[MidnightLight]

Originally Posted by EWL5

Thanks for your quick thoughts! Let me guess: even w/o a physical manual, BMW is still charging outrageous doc fees, right?

Documentation fees don't have anything to do with operating manuals though, right? It's about the paperwork and processes involved with the car sale, including any post-transaction reporting and retention that might be required legally. I don't think any dealer claims that those fees are for getting you a copy of your manual.

Having said that... I agree with you that documentation fees are outrageous regardless.

[RussB]

Originally Posted by avi66

Does the glove box lock with the physical car key ?

Yes

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by MidnightLight

Documentation fees don't have anything to do with operating manuals though, right? It's about the paperwork and processes involved with the car sale, including any post-transaction reporting and retention that might be required legally. I don't think any dealer claims that those fees are for getting you a copy of your manual.

Having said that... I agree with you that documentation fees are outrageous regardless.

Yes, manuals don’t make or break the doc fee!

[Sportstick]

The document fee is not set by BMW. It’s a dealership policy. In some places, dealership groups such as AutoNation, Lithia, Penske, who own the franchises across multiple brands, set absurd fees. In California, it’s is limited by state statute to a nominal amount.