If you enjoyed my review consider hitting that subscribe button! I drop new car reviews every week! Also - let me know if you would buy the BMW X3 M40i over the competition
Nice review. I picked up my x3 M40i last week and very much enjoying it. (dark graphite metallic) lease was up on my 2019 x3 30i but was unable to get options i wanted on the new 2022 model so I moved to the M40i -in the past I felt I didn't need the extra power, however it is Nice to have . i am enjoying the drive as well as all the new upgrades ( interior ) I did look/drive Q5, GLB &GLC and F-pace, but found BMW ride and tech superior - although F-pace was a close contender however the tech doesn't even come close to BMW.
I've had my Phytonic blue X3 M40i for 2 years...would still never trade it for the the Glc43, Audi Sq5 or other equivalent. Best in class performance and practicality. It's a no brainer and the perfect all rounder! The rear leg room is only slightly less than an X5 but the X3 is way more agile at 1.8 tonnes. The X3M is about 250kg heavier and the comfort ride is too harsh
Nice spec! Got the same paint & seat color with the carbon fiber trim. Not a huge fan of the facelifted G01 M40i but definitely jealous of the mirrors.
I have the 2021 BMW X3M40i with sport suspension and sport differential and 20" wheels. I love it. My best gas mileage is 29.8mpg @ 75mph in the Eco Mode. Note that this gas mileage was the gas mileage overall while on a vacation to Wyoming from Indiana and return. I love the cornering and performance. So far, my fastest speed is 147. I wanted to go faster but traffic prevented it. I've driven the M340i and glad now that I bought the X3M40i. I plan to order another X3M40i.
Great review. We also test drove the Audi and merc. Found the audi to be too pricey due to the chip shortage. The merc was so eager all the time. The Bmw was a great balance.
Very good comprehensive review. One thing that no such review can convey however is the longer term reliability factor. And that is where BMW seems to rank above other typically considered competitors - specifically Mercedes, Audi, and Volvo. BMW should be recognized for achieving higher quality and reliability than the competition. (In my own experience, I can personally convey that the reliability of my 2021 Audi SQ5 has not been good. Numerous repairs needed I (not wear items but rather defects / deficiencies) as well as numerous recalls that needed to be performed - and all of that within the first 2 years and 13k miles.
Having a Porsche is always my DREAM. Yet as a meek old guy, I really don’t need anything more than around 300 hp. Thus, I would have cayenne base and s trim options. My son tested cayenne and didn’t like Porsche’s driver interface (everything was controlled by touch screen, unlike bmw’s iDrive wheel), therefore my comparable option would be x3 m40i. I can go up to M comp but really don’t need that much hp. I still miss my Porsche dream but 500 hp on the daily commute.. it’s impractical.
I have this vehicle in 2019 . It is fast , sounds awesome , actually pretty good on gas , high level fit and finish . Not much more you can ask . Now the negatives . Don’t have a BMW dealer nearby so took it to a familiar VW dealership for an oil change . After 6 hours they called back and said they couldn’t change my oil . They said to remove the oil filter required a special wrench or socket that BMW would not sell them . I was at Costco one day and using their reference booklet bought some windshield wipers only to find out that the Wipers have a proprietary connection and those needed to be purchased from BMW as well . Next , front and rear tires are staggered sizes meaning you can’t rotate for even wear . Plan on replacing all of your tires every three oil changes . I have less than 40,000 kms, have a dedicated set of winter tires and wheels so my summers haven’t even been on the vehicle full time . BMW recommends replacing tires once the difference in tread depth exceeds 2/32 nds difference . This car has a rear power bias meaning the rear tires wear down much quicker than the fronts . This is my wife’s daily driver so it is not driven harder other than when I get to drive it every two weeks or so . You can’t just replace the rears or so the service people say because putting new rears on , will tilt the tread depth difference the other way and would still be hard on the differential . 1100 dollars for two rear tires but that doesn’t even solve your problem . If someone purchases your vehicles and shows patronage to your brand , why would a manufacturer lay out all the land mines unknown to the purchaser ? It seems like trickery and a poke in the eye .
I am a poor European guy and I drive only an old 2011 X3 i35 xdrive. 306 PS full option. It’s such a pleasure to drive. I find X5 to be to chunky. If in the near future I will be able to get a new car it will be X3 40i.
As a Halo fan, I think I need this car just for the energy sword taillights. I have a 340i and an X3 M40i would basically be a more practical version of what I already own and love.
Nice review Omar- thanks for sharing. My wife prefers alpine white but are there any drawbacks from owning a white car besides scratches and dents probably more noticeable? For me I like this blue one or even the light gray almost same color as my Type R.
I like this blue here the most. The white is nice but it will take away from some of the styling appeal. But yea no major drawbacks that I can think of - just keep it clean!
I just took delivery of an Alpine White X5 and love it. Only drawback with the white is you see mud/dirt on it so much easier (just like owning a pair of white sneakers) and BMW uses a black base coat, so if you scratch/chip Alpine white, it shows black. Just got to do your bi-weekly washes!
Most times, white colored vehicles will hide the usual road dust/dirt better than darker colors. On a BMW, I always get alpine white. Even though the metallic colors were a no charge option on my X5M, I still got alpine white. It's just a classic BMW color.
This BMW is very well specced out with really legit optional features . I would opt for all except oyscar vernasca leather just because of it's maintainence.
@@andreajackson5293 no doubt white leather gets dirty faster if not maintained. It depends on you if you sit in car always in tidy conditions then go ahead 👍👍.
Nice review. I am torn between this and the new Porsche Macan S. So configuring this one on BMW's website and the Macan on Porsche's, the difference in price is 12,900 dollars (if you don't go nuts with the options on the Macan while BMW has basically everything on it). Add the fact that Porsche is charging you 2.99% financing instead of the 1.9% BMW chargers for a 60 month payment plan you are close to a 15K difference BMW is quicker to 60. Where most likely BMW fails is the resale value, Porsches keep it much better so lets say the difference in price is a push when you sell it 5 years down the road. I a leaning towards the X3 because the Macan is simply a smaller SUV. Rear seating is smaller, boot is smaller etc.
Similar situation here as well. I built my X3 M40i in August and took delivery the first week of October. I was building a comparable Macan S and it was nearly $20K more and delivery in early 2022.
Those rates are amazing. Here in Canada, financing a Macan is 5.99% and 3.49% for the X3 M40i. The total financed payments in interest alone is staggering. Not to mention the already expensive must have options.
It's not just about the power, I came to realize. My M850i is so fast, I just miss the things you can adjust with the full M car. If the M40i had all the adjustments and the ability to program something other than "sport individual" maybe you wouldn't need the M. But it doesn't, so you need the M. I loved my X4M40i, but like all of us eventually, I just wanted more!!!
@@saravanabalaji591 HK speakers is not part of any package, nor is it being offered (currently) as a standalone add-on for the X3 (and for the US market at least). BMW (as all car manufactures) are having issues with supply chain shortages etc so they are reserving some options for other models. However, HK speakers are included as standard in the X3M.
I would actually like the pano-roof to be an option. Or at least have a delete option. As someone who's 6'4" the pano roof takes away the valuable headroom. About 1-2".
If you can’t fit comfortably under 41.1” at 6’4”, you must be sitting at a straight 90 degree angle. I’m 6’2” and have about six inches of headroom left sitting upright. 6’4” isn’t going to render you too tall for probably 99% of cars out there.
@@C0mpurgator actually I don’t sit up right but then again everyone has different torso / leg proportions. I had a chance to sit in the X3M with sunroof but sport seats and those seats do give you an extra inch of space. I decided however that the Model Y performance was the way to go. Because of the roof structure it gave double the headroom I had in the x3 without a sunroof
Great car, but to say it's superior to the X3M is just wrong. The 2 benefits of of the M40i are a slightly more wafty smooth ride which may or may not be your cup of tea as a daily. And of course the price. If you can afford it and can find it, the X3M all the way. Heck, resale value alone makes this a better option. But this car is great in either spec.
Reselling value?! Man this really depends on where you live. In most of countries around the world people are intimidated to buy used M's so the resale value usually drops alot
@@samtube3023 I guess it must. I live in Miami FL where M cars and even higher price tag cars are a daily occurrence. But I did just do a quick price search (as I'm in the market myself) and find that 2016 17 Ms are going for pretty much 70% of their sticker value. That's pretty good if you ask me.
Such a good looking small SUV. I take this over Audi A5 and it’s variants or small Porsche or Mercedes SUVs. Best six cylinder engine in the world right here. I probably take the X5 with sake engine because I like bigger. Otherwise really nice ride except for idiotic gauges
Defintiely! I was never a fan of the X3 before this - the new 2022 model year and the M40i specifically makes this a really strong option in the compact SUV segment
@@omardrives next time actually spend 1/4 thr time showing the engine and going thru the Specs , hp, 0-60 time in comparison to ie the macan and the x3 M etc, I did not see any images under the hood at all, this is the first time in history. Major japanese car producer has adopted a bmw motor in its high performance cars so that’s massive for your viewers to know most do not know this, played a major major roll in my buying decision
@@omardrives you also brush over the exhaust system, it’s very important you show potential customers there are 3 settings in the vehicle settings section of the display to change the sound of the exhaust, it’s makes a very significant difference with the burbles, I wish I had known this before I purchased , I’m glad I found this adjustment section in the settings when I bought the car
Nobody needs a full "M" vehicle. The person who buys an "M" vehicle wants an "M" vehicle. There is a huge difference from the M sport models like the M40i in your review. But the M sport models are a good choice for most people.
Agreed. Also unless you live in an area where the roads are well taken care of (smooth), I find the any of the M models ride comfort to be very harsh (especially in the PNW). M40 is plenty fast enough and rides smoother.
You can easily tune BMWs as once before. The 2021+ models all have locked ECU/DME - so as of this point you can't tune them. If you want faster, gotta pay the BMW tax.
You can't enjoy the exhaust within comfort mode. You need 4000pm-5000rpm to get best of the exhaust sound. That's stupid to push that hard on the public road all the time.
Had a X3 M40i moved into a X4M Comp to say the M40i is better is laughable, totally different machines M40i was swift and bouncy. X4M Comp would eat it for breakfast especially around the corners, had a bit of fun with a X3m40i last week literally left it for dead, both beautiful cars just stop waffling.
Hello Pal I bought them both nearly new (less than 3000 miles on them) paid about £38,000 I think for the X3M40 and £65,000 for my X4M so considerably more but they are really night and day when it comes to driving. Funily enough I actually preferred the X3 on motorway cruising, I drove to Corsica and the B58 engine and gearing just handled it better more Low down torque where as the S58 in the x4 got has no torque and constantly changing up And down but put them side by side on a nice road and you will see why your man’s talking shite. Is it worth the extra money ? To most people probably not but certainly was to me. Enjoy 👍🏻
@@pusb_87english63 yeah, I’m at the point where I’m ready to upgrade to the X3 M. Like the M40i is nice and all, but I think I would prefer the extra power of the M
Nice review, covered important stuff. Correction on top speed - it is governed at 130. I bought a $60 wireless charger from amazon and it fits perfectly. I switched from C300 hundred to x3 m40i and love it. I considered GLA 43 but the way benz do their packages and options they can get expensive very quickly and in my opinion benz look a bit feminine.
BMW hands down. I lease cars so that 3 year complimentary maintenance I really like. Second maintenance on Benz is $750, outrageous. But I always found Benz to have more comfortable seats than bmw. I c class and 3 series last year and I enjoyed driving the bmw better but longer drives I opted for Benz.
If you put on cold start the car won’t hear crackle sound but at the right temperature put it on the sport mode. the burble back on. The 48v mild hybrid system only kick in when it eco or comfort mode.
Exhaust is muted because of the OPF. I’ve got an LCI and came from a pre LCI. Pops and bangs were always a bit gimicky and sounded manufactured. Horses for courses hey.
Looking to book new X3 M40d later in the year. My BIGGEST COMPLAINT about the new model is, is that BMW seems to have done away with the FRONT FOG LIGHTS 👎👎
There is a significant difference between a full M and an M40i (M lite car). I have them both and my X3MC is way more fun to drive. If you are an entry-level BMW fan the M 40i is a really great car. If you are a true BMW M fan then you need to go with a full M car.
Enough with the M gatekeeping. If you want a real M car you should buy an actual M car and not a compromised SUV. M cars are built with track duty in mind and the x3M (while capable) is inherently flawed when it comes to real HPDE.
@@omardrives this is BMW’s m performance line up which offers many m components and is around $30k less than the X3M. You can always get the 30i if you can’t afford either.
@@acz88 I am actually looking at the X3M, I was looking at the M40i. I just find it funny the people that clearly see the M40i has tons of M parts and BMW puts all kinds of M’s on it call it not a real M car. If BMW puts an M on it it’s an M car even if snobs don’t want to believe it.
@@thehardcoretruth8777 I owned an M40i prior to my X3M. There is a significant difference. The M40i has “M Performance” parts tune, brake, exhaust. For appearances sake ///M performance cars have been around since the M535i E38 5 series in the “80’s”. ///M Perfomance = M lite. Add an addtional turbo in the S58, Cross Drilled Brakes, additional bracing, suspension, seats, transmission tune, etc and you have the F97. They may look very similar but they drive very different. For some MSport and/or MPerformance is enough, and some of those will swear they are full on ///M’s but they aren’t.🙃
Panoramic sun/moon or any opening on your roof and especially in a sports/sporty vehicle is a BS....🤮 I am going with X3M, at least it does not come with a pano standard.
BMW adds an "M" to anything now... Purists would only recognize that there is only the [legendary] M1, M3 and the M5 . Talking about being inclusive now..
@@andywmoffat well there is the M package version which is a marketing car and then there is the M version, which is M and then there is the competition one. so.. not really.
@@alexwestworth6962 you know what he means lol. An X3M has stiffer suspension and overall not as comfortable, but that’s to be expected as it’s the high performance version. People that want the m40i want the best of both worlds and there’s nothing wrong with that 👍🏼
You don't need the X3M? As a new owner of the X4M Competition, I have to say what a load of crap. In its own right the X3 M40i is a fantastic car. But please it doesn't tell me I wouldn't notice the difference if I traded my Competition in for this.
