Hi everyone. So I am on Day 5 of owning my new X3 2.5 and I love the car. My issue is I am not sure if I am being overly sensitive regarding it's ride. I test drove it and did not remember it being noticably bumpy. But upon driving my car off the lot this past weekend, I took it for a day-long spin and it rode like a Jeep Wrangler. I called BMW and they asked that I go get my tire pressure checked. He explained that when they are shipped over from Europe they over-inflate the tires for the boat ride. Sure enough, my tires were over-inflated and upon reducing the pressure to 35psi (or whatever) I notice a slight improvement. I just seem to notice my interior rocking and rolling and I'm bouncing around when on older highways or even residential streets. I drove a 318i for the last 10 years and LOVED how that car rode. Am I being too sensitive about my X3?
bumpy ride
- Thread starter Jonesie
- Start date
most bmw come with shipping spacers in the suspension between the coil springs of the stuts and shocks for the boat ride over make sure they are removed i have seen cars with 30,000 miles with the plastic spacers left in them and there is no spring action at all they are removed when the car is preped for delivery
welcome to both and congrats to both.
do you have a sports package? i read that sports pack makes the ride quite brutal w/out much benefits for the x3. and w/ the suvs, or savs in this case, the ride won't be quite as plush as the sedan counterparts. (if there are any..) not like you picke up a land cruiser or something.. seems to be just the nature of the beast.. but hope things improve and end up w/ the ride that you thought you were getting into..
do you have a sports package? i read that sports pack makes the ride quite brutal w/out much benefits for the x3. and w/ the suvs, or savs in this case, the ride won't be quite as plush as the sedan counterparts. (if there are any..) not like you picke up a land cruiser or something.. seems to be just the nature of the beast.. but hope things improve and end up w/ the ride that you thought you were getting into..
I've read (and heard) that the new X3 has truly appalling build quality and a terrible ride, the latter not being helped by the fact that most X3's run on the compromising run-flat tyres. I'm not surprised that this is the case because i feel that the X3 is an insult to BMW - it looks plasticy and dull and the ride/handling compromise sucks. I'm very disappointed with the new breed of BMWs. Does anyone agree?
Hello all, my first post here. This looks to be a great forum as I do hang out on a few of the Porsche BBS'. Lots of great info here as well!
Lately my wife and I have been wanting to get into a SUV (SAV) and have considered the X3. After a lot of internet research, reading all I can about the X3 and its reviews,we decided to go have a look.
Fast forward to today, my wife and I spent about two hours at a local dealer talking with the sales lady, and sudsequently drove both the 2.5 and 3.0, both with Premium and without Sport packages.
We feel the 2.5 a little sluggish, silky smooth, but needs a lot of throttle to get going. 3.0 is much better, however.
Overall, I have to agree with the above quoted reply in that my wife and I dont see the value in the X-3 vs. the money they want for it.
I dont really care that the car is not built by BMW, but for a tick over $40k, we think more quality should be present in the interior. The 3.0 we drove was a demo with a little over 700 miles on it and had some terrible sounding rattles coming from the rear hatch. Sheesh, it only had 700 miles!
Fit and finish was ok, but we feel the X3 is severely decontented compared to the 'typical' BMW product. My wife and I were really bummed about this as we really liked its looks and the pano. sunroof. Most of the questions we asked were answered by 'no it doesnt, sorry, but the X-5 has or does that'...
We did find the ride pretty harsh, but didnt bother us as we could see the fun in driving the X3. Not sure about longer trips though
The X3 would be appropriately priced at $10k less than it is currently, IMHO.
FWIW, my .02
Lately my wife and I have been wanting to get into a SUV (SAV) and have considered the X3. After a lot of internet research, reading all I can about the X3 and its reviews,we decided to go have a look.
Fast forward to today, my wife and I spent about two hours at a local dealer talking with the sales lady, and sudsequently drove both the 2.5 and 3.0, both with Premium and without Sport packages.
We feel the 2.5 a little sluggish, silky smooth, but needs a lot of throttle to get going. 3.0 is much better, however.
Overall, I have to agree with the above quoted reply in that my wife and I dont see the value in the X-3 vs. the money they want for it.
I dont really care that the car is not built by BMW, but for a tick over $40k, we think more quality should be present in the interior. The 3.0 we drove was a demo with a little over 700 miles on it and had some terrible sounding rattles coming from the rear hatch. Sheesh, it only had 700 miles!
Fit and finish was ok, but we feel the X3 is severely decontented compared to the 'typical' BMW product. My wife and I were really bummed about this as we really liked its looks and the pano. sunroof. Most of the questions we asked were answered by 'no it doesnt, sorry, but the X-5 has or does that'...
We did find the ride pretty harsh, but didnt bother us as we could see the fun in driving the X3. Not sure about longer trips though
The X3 would be appropriately priced at $10k less than it is currently, IMHO.
FWIW, my .02
Yeah i have a quote here from 'evo' (62) magazine which i think pretty much sums up the new direction, for want of a better word, of the car companies:
"...American's aren't as obsessive about fit, finish, and trim textures as we Europeans are. That means they won't mind the wavy panel gaps, the acreage of black bumper plastic, the flimsy interior door handles, the hard surfaces where soft might be expected. But here un the UK the X3 will sell for around 30,000 pounds, placing it in the premium sector. Is BMW, then, being just a little bit cynical here? Does it rely too much on people's brand obsession?
Not so, says BMW boss Helmut Panke. He claims there is a new take on designerdesigned goods, a move away from softness and luxury to starkness and simplicity. How convenient for the car makers that is. The X3 isn't cheapened at all, it just reflects the new utilitarianism. Convinced? Nor am I."
This is only one example but i'm convinced that it displays the new direction which car-companies are increasingly taking, and it's terrible.
"...American's aren't as obsessive about fit, finish, and trim textures as we Europeans are. That means they won't mind the wavy panel gaps, the acreage of black bumper plastic, the flimsy interior door handles, the hard surfaces where soft might be expected. But here un the UK the X3 will sell for around 30,000 pounds, placing it in the premium sector. Is BMW, then, being just a little bit cynical here? Does it rely too much on people's brand obsession?
Not so, says BMW boss Helmut Panke. He claims there is a new take on designerdesigned goods, a move away from softness and luxury to starkness and simplicity. How convenient for the car makers that is. The X3 isn't cheapened at all, it just reflects the new utilitarianism. Convinced? Nor am I."
This is only one example but i'm convinced that it displays the new direction which car-companies are increasingly taking, and it's terrible.
First of all, SUV's are naturally stiffer-riding cars. There is a huge demand for SUV's NOT To rollover in emergency situations, so Mercedes, BMW, and some other companies with SUV's make the rides super firm. It is easier to give a regular car a smooth ride and good handling than it is on an SUV because they sit so high up!
The rear suspension on most SUV's (even luxury SUV's from BMW and Mercedes) is extremely tight. They do this because the vehicle is an SUV first and a luxury vehicle second. They have to be able to carry very heavy loads and keep that back end in check during more aggressive maneuvers.
If you X3 owners checked out some really hard-core reviews on the vehicle you must have read how the X3 has an extremely firm ride. This is because BMW sacrificed a comfortable ride in order to make it an extremely fun-to-drive vehicle (good handling on the turns).
The rear suspension on most SUV's (even luxury SUV's from BMW and Mercedes) is extremely tight. They do this because the vehicle is an SUV first and a luxury vehicle second. They have to be able to carry very heavy loads and keep that back end in check during more aggressive maneuvers.
If you X3 owners checked out some really hard-core reviews on the vehicle you must have read how the X3 has an extremely firm ride. This is because BMW sacrificed a comfortable ride in order to make it an extremely fun-to-drive vehicle (good handling on the turns).
At the risk of sounding like an arsehole i have to disagree. The risk of any modern 4WD tipping in an emergency situation is virtually negligible. We have a Land Rover Discovery which is hardly the pinnacle of handling dynamics yet shows no tendency to roll, or lean for that matter.
You say that even luxury brands such as Mercedes and BMW make SUV's that are centred on capability first and luxury second. Why, then, do these SUV's have such atrocious off-road ability? My Land Rover has live-axles front and rear and has a centre diff-lock which makes it ideal for off road use. The X3 and the ML? They have neither. The M3 has stiff suspension that is firm yet supple and the cheapness of the X3 has shone through because it cannot achieve this handling balance. Even the standard 3-series is relatively tightly sprung but this, again, does not mean that the ride is shockingly uncompromising, as it is in the X3. The X5 was a far better engineering feat in this regard and the only reason that i see why the X3 fails in terms of suspension capability is because of what it really is: a cheap, unsophisticated, badly-built, cynical, money-making excercise designed to sell huge numbers on the prestige of its badge, and i'm not fooled.
You say that even luxury brands such as Mercedes and BMW make SUV's that are centred on capability first and luxury second. Why, then, do these SUV's have such atrocious off-road ability? My Land Rover has live-axles front and rear and has a centre diff-lock which makes it ideal for off road use. The X3 and the ML? They have neither. The M3 has stiff suspension that is firm yet supple and the cheapness of the X3 has shone through because it cannot achieve this handling balance. Even the standard 3-series is relatively tightly sprung but this, again, does not mean that the ride is shockingly uncompromising, as it is in the X3. The X5 was a far better engineering feat in this regard and the only reason that i see why the X3 fails in terms of suspension capability is because of what it really is: a cheap, unsophisticated, badly-built, cynical, money-making excercise designed to sell huge numbers on the prestige of its badge, and i'm not fooled.
Chesty, have you driven an X3? If you haven't your review is meaningless. As an X3 owner with 6,500 miles, this is a great car. It handles superbly, looks great, and is a quality constructed vehicle. I have not had one moment of buyers remorse in my 6 months of ownership. Remember folks, it's an suv. It's not an M3. I think in an era of flash and bling, the quality, sparse interior looks awesome. Can't say enough good things about this vehicle!