As usual...I love Mr. Spencer's car review. He has been my go-to guy for a number of years now. I do disagree though on his beef with the X3 30e's battery range of 30kms only and his prefered range of 50-70 kms offered by Toyota on their RAV4 Prime. I think the 30km range on the 30e is perfect if you do it right...and that's I think where the cookie crumbles. If you don't use a product properly you will never harvest the benefits they were designed for. Our network of charging stations is getting better literally by the day with more and more locations coming online. 30 kms of "free" range is ideal for a vehicle of this size. You want to use both systems (e-motor and combustion engine) on a regular basis and the battery range of 30 kms does just that. I frankly would be worried to invite issues with thr combustion engine due to lack of use with a higher battery range of 50-70kms. My commute is 65kms one way, my employer has EV charge stations and essentially my fuel usage would be cut in half while still giving the combustion engine a regular workout. Now with a battery range of a RAV4 Prime I would enjoy virtually zero gas costs....BUT...rarely use the combustion engine which, quite honestly, worries me. "Dormant" fuel and engine oil and an exhaust system that doesn't get used as often as it was designed for would quickly erase any fuel savings by shifting to repair costs that may not be covered by the Manufacturer's warranty. Yes, 30 kms battery-range initially does not sound all that enticing...but... if used properly can give you alot of benefits. A 200kg battery is certainly a whopper of a dude sitting in your trunk all the time and it can impact your fuel mileage when in gas mode but BMW is famous for their mastery in equal weight distribution and I don't think you will notice that much of a fuel efficiency decrease compared to the 30i. My biggest problem with BMW is how they force packages on you when selecting certain minor features from the Options menu. In other words....if you want to configure a 30i and a 30e with their new Brooklyn grey colour...looks amazing by the way....the 30e will be roughly 10k more (in Canada) but with 30kms battery range you will never recoup that money and that to me is the biggest issue.
I disagree with this video. I just bought a 2021 x3 30E and it is very luxury and very sporty. The materials are very high quality and the seats are sooooo comfy especially on long road trips or around town. I put 800 miles on the car already and the car was fully driven in electric only for 200 miles. Around town there are many chargers where you can plug in and then you have 20 miles of free electric power especially if you are smart about charging and charge at a free location for example state parks, malls, dealerships, beaches, grocery stores, and many college universities. Having this car is really great especially the electric motor it’s really a live saver and is so futuristic and makes futuristic sounds from the battery’s. In the US the x3 E is available for a federal tax credit up to 5,500 dollars which will make it the same price as a regular X3 30i but only give u increased horsepower and more of a luxury ride. ALSO the seats are wonderful and they smell so leathery and feel like the realest leather I ever touched in a car. This car they tested probably needed leather condition and to be taken care of. This car is not comparable to a Toyota or Mitsubishi as those are not luxury SUVS but instead I would compare it to the q5 plug in hybrid or the Eq Mercedes plug in hybrid as those are in the same class. If looking for more electric power then you could maybe look at a Porsche Cayenne E hybrid or a Tesla model Y. Ultimately this is a wonderful car and I would recommend it over any plug in hybrid that they had listed in this video.
I have a year with mi X3e and I love it. My wife use it to go to work she bearley make it with a full charge round trip, so she fill it up every 3 months. With the US rebate and the gas savings this is an excellent deal. Unfortunately BMW is not making it anymore.
Man one thing I hate about these “Premium Luxury” car brands is that they have the nerve to give leatherette seats! Like what the hell! Your premium don’t skimp out and make us pay extra for the seats! 🤦♂️
I have a 2022 330e with the same powertrain and there is NO WAY the 340 will get the same mileage that I get when running as a hybrid. With the battery depleted and running in the hybrid mode only, I average 5.3 l/100. Try that with a 340I !! Dont believe the bmw specs, if you know how to drive a car without flooring it all the time, you can easily beat the bmw ev rating and hybrid rating.
YES! I TOTALLY agree that the leather feels like the leatherette! I spent some extra money to upgrade the leather seats in my 2019 X3, and the other day I sit on my friend's X3's leatherette seats, feels no different! Same firmness.
What a great honest review, we need more reviewers like you two. 👏 Best RU-vidrs, you have such great chemistry. Just fantastic, love all your segments and how you answer questions from viewers.
To think, the idea of a hybrid is to plug it in, run it dry and then ONLY use the petrol engine, is just ridiculous, you haven't understood the concept. The real use of the hybrid is to recuperate energy from braking and of course you have to adjust your driving style a bit to it. Also it can coast and glide, which is the most efficient way of driving. There's literally no way that the fuel efficiency is WORSE then the SAME engine without hybrid. Only if you basically don't use the hybrid.
These numbers are a little off. We're getting a 30e for $52K ($46K after tax credit), and can do all of our local driving within 20 miles so the 30e will cost next to nothing to drive. The RAV4 Prime XSE Premium, which still doesn't offer even close to the premium features of the BMW, costs $59K!! This was the the only well-equipped RAV4 within 300 miles so they can charge an $8K markup and people will still pay it. There is *no way* I'd pay $60K for a RAV considering I *might* save a few hundred a year in gas. There is just no comparison between the 30e and RAV4 Prime. The 30e was the best value, by far, in the $50K range; and the electric power is basically free for us as we already have solar panels on our house. If you don't care about your carbon footprint, or have money to throw away on a more expensive PHEV, then go for the 30i, XC60 or even RAV4 Prime (good luck finding one). Otherwise, the 30e is the best bang for your buck in the PHEV space, imo.
Great review as always and you touched on a lot of good main points, but can you confirm how it drives on all electric to all gas..... so 288HP, but that is with the battery charged, but if the battery is out, does that gas engine put out 200+HP still? Thanks.
I test drove a X3 M40i..... holy that thing rocked. Unbelievable how fast cars have become. With respect to this, it just seems like it would only pay off if you drive it for short drives around town. Beyond that, it just seems like a lot of complication and cost for not much return and less trunk space. And if you buy a X3, get the m sport package. It just looks so much better. I decided to wait and probably buy an AWD VW ID4 or an Ioniq 5 AWD. I'd love to get that crazy Kia EV6 GT that does 0-100kph in 3.5 seconds but I think it's going to be super expensive.
You love your BMWs. I’ve had five of them over the years. The interior has not changed materially for decades. It may be timeless but it looks tired and uninventive. Never liked the modest Infotainment system. Many many competitors have upped their game in Design and capabilities and BMW needs some inspiration. What keeps BMW popular is the badge and amazing engines. however competitors are catching up. What then?
Waiting on my 2022 x3 on order. I find the interior very refined and high quality. The larger screens and lcd instrument panel are very nice. Yes, cars like the Acura’s and Lexus look a little more blingy on the inside, but to my eyes that equates to being more busy, visually.
I have owned a 2021 X3 30e Hybrid for 18 mo. and have saved thousands on gas! In Southern CA gas is $5.29/gal and I have driven 90% of the 13,000mi on all electric and never goto the gas station. Everyone is hung up on the range, but I can honestly say its not a big deal. Trying to charge our VW ID4 at a "working" electrify america charging station, now THAT'S a huge pain in the neck compared to ez charging the X3 Hybrid. Luckily BMW stopped selling the X3 Hybrid in the US, (even though it is made here) and the resale value has skyrocketed. I can sell it for more than I paid in 2020, now that's a once in a lifetime occurence with a BMW!
Hey these guys don't understand how this is suppose to work. These cars the rav4 prime and anything that uses plug in and gas is meant to allow the car to switch on its own between gas and electric. You get about 60mpg on this if you let it do it its self. And you never need to charge it becuase the driving charges the battery using brake force. It will charge it faster than the wall outlet.
Help me understand. If you run this SUV in full electric mode and deplete the battery, then the fuel economy is more inline with the M40i? I understand that, but if you just run it in hybrid mode the fuel economy is much better?
You guys are great. Yes, I was surprised that I originally though I would spend the extra money for the leather interior however i sat in one with leather and one without and when i was shopping for my X1 actually preferred the leatherette because it's so much easier to maintain. I found out though that BMW plans a combo leather and leatherette at no charge for the 2023 model...If it was me, I would get the older model and if you're lucky get the demo of the X3 M4.O inline 6 cylinder engine...at almost the same price initially and if you're lucky you get amazing deals on demos! Cartier Street? Does this street mean anything to you? LOL! It appears during night life. You can program the BMW's to turn on the door handle lights (and even choose brightness levels) while backing up!
My wife has a 10-mile commute to work. She hardly uses any gas at all any longer which saves us a lot of money. She buys gasoline about once every two months. Love this vehicle.
I really have no interest in PHEV but I did buy 2021 340 M Performance Edition with that wonderful B58 inline six. The 21's also come with 48v mild hybrid system. So best of both worlds? Well in my first couple of months of twisty roads driving, I often average in the low 6L/100km range, that is absolutely incredible, no reason for full electric / PHEV when the mileage is this great!
We are considering the X3 PHEV and usually do not drive much more than the electric range. In the US the tax credit practically eliminates the price difference to the 2.0 turbo. My question is: how well does it perform in EV mode? Thanks!
That's what I wanted answered. I'm like you. Most of my drives are short. To home Depot. To the grocery. To family. Most are under 15 miles round trip. I'd say 80% of my driving consists of short trips. This is why it would have also been nice if they talked about how long it takes to charge on a level 1 and level 2 charger. If it takes forever to charge, then there might be times that the battery isn't full when you leave the house and in that case, more range would be helpful.
Haha I think I’ve watched like 7 reviews so far. I’m just starting to look for a new suv. Ive had a Mercedes glk for years and loved it. I’m probably going to wait for the new GLC and see how like those. I really wouldn’t mind getting a hybrid but man the range on these plug-in style is so low haha.
Hi from Europe. Tested a similar company-paid Audi PHEV for a month. Many similar remarks : pricey, no range, poor performance and cheap plastics for 60K €. Would never buy that with my own money. I guess better value proposition in 5-10 years.
PHEV's sound like a terrible idea - the worst of both worlds. 30km of EV range is laughable...and who wants to plug-in their car every day? I suppose you could ignore the EV part but then what's the point of the additional cost and the extra weight? It's a definite no from me.
I am think of buying az X3. But I can not choose between xdrive30e and iX3. iX3 has only rear drive, the xdrive30e has 4WD. I usally use it short distance, so i tought the EV range could be enought, because the battery is 12kw (br) Other reviers said that the EV dive range is 44km, you said only 29km. BMW said wltp is 51km. Which one is true?
The plug-in hybrid's main purpose is to defeat EU mandates for average CO2 emissions across the model lineup. It's purely a statistical trick. This is first and foremost a gasoline car with a traditional automatic transmission, and comes with all the associated inefficiencies. It also has a huge battery in the trunk, so it will barely consume any fuel during the 23 km WLTP test program, but once the battery runs out it becomes essentially dead weight. If you rarely drive more than 30 km per day, you will get fuel savings. If you drive more than that, you're better off with the non-plug-in version, especially if you primarily drive on the highway.
Exactly, that is the only comparable alternative if you also want it to be 4wheel drive on all-electric. I did cross- shop between the Audi and the BMW but went for the BMW because of the drive train and the roomier interior. And, about the range, it is enough for my daily commute of 25 km so I almost newer have to refuel. I drive 90% on electric so for me the average is about 7.2 l/100 km over 12000 km, however that includes over 5000km with a caravan during summer vacation. There is no way you can beat that with the inline six. So, when you are looking at PHEV ou pure EV’s you must ALWAYS consider your own usage of the car before you buy! This will be more and more important as we move into EV’s!
Can you comment if there is an efficiency in mixed driving that is better than the base 4 cylinder? I know that the pure ev range is limited, but what about mixed driving?
The 30E get great fuel economy it’s gets average 30 around town, I just purchased this car and have driven it. I put 800 miles on it and purely 250 electric miles on it from free chargers around my town. I really recommend this car
Hey . Very interesting report. In Europe, most of the countries (except Germany !) have huge taxation on CO2 emissions. As hybrids and PHEV have much lower official emissions than the corresponding gas model, they sell very well especially among fleet users. Amitiés françaises.
Hi guys-I’ve got an X3 M40i (after getting advice from you in a live Q&A) with that leather and I have to say I prefer the Sensatec in my wife’s X2. It seems more durable and I don’t slide around in it.
Hey guys great review as always, but can I make a suggestion? When you do the price pause can you enlarge the trim/price and maybe do a thumbnail of the vehicle. Thx
Great review. For PHEV, nothing beats the overall package of RAV4 Prime, as long as you can get one. May I suggest a"pros and cons" segment to the review? Like what MotoringTV does to Graeme's review at the end.
Correction: You mentioned that you prefer this gearbox to the CVT in the Mitsubishi PHEV, but that vehicle actually doesn't use a CVT. Love your videos - keep them coming!
The most crucial question is : how far you can go with one full tank ( combining electric, hybrid and gas ) what's the total with BMW X3 PHEV E30? For Example: year 2018 Mitsubishi PHEV outlander highway 1000 km , city 500 to 700 km with one full tank.
Plug ins are the biggest scams on earth. The premium to move up to a PHEV will never be recouped in fuel savings even if you run it on EV only its entire life. Stick to a regular hybrid.
