[bj96]

Isn't he handsome?
I am talking about the true blue German

For some unknown reasons, we tend to purchase our cars when the world is facing recession. It was 2001-02 after Y2K downturn when we bought our first car a red WagonR. Year 2008-09, after sub-prime crisis we bought our second car a black Safari Dicor 2.2 VX 4x4. We bought X3 in January, 2020 and soon Covid19 happened.

I started writing this thread in January. Due to a unforeseen travel and then pandemic situation I was distracted. During this lockdown I got some time to finish off this review. X3 has completed about three months in the family now but only done 1200 kms. So, some of my views are still early beta. I am yet to explore all the features and controls so this review will grow. This is my first German and a very first BMW experience. Specs and features of X3 G01 are all over the internet. I will not cram all of these again here. Instead, I will focus more on the key features, personal experience of buying and owning a new X3 and how it feels in terms of graduating from a decade old ladder-on frame old school full size SUV.

Many thanks to GTO and Aditya who helped me in drafting this review and course corrected multiple times when I thought the text was ready for publishing.

On a mission

What I like:

• Stunning looks and styling
• Immaculate fit and finish. Every square inch is a German build
• Super silent, fuel efficient and smooth 2.0 litre 4-cyl inline twin turbo diesel engine
• Classy interiors, soft touch buttons, new car smell
• Super silent cabin, excellent NVH management
• Panoramic sunroof and roominess of the cabin
• Joystick like 8-speed AT gearbox and smooth gear shift
• 16-speaker, 600 watts Harmon Kardon sound system
• Adaptive suspension, no body roll (am used to Safari)
• More than adequate power (112 bhp / ton)
• iDrive and beautiful 10.25" Infotainment
• Voice control- can understand my Indian accent

What I don’t like:

• Feature omission by BMW (despite costing so much on-road here) compared to the international markets e.g. no lane departure warning, no keyless entry, missing gesture control etc
• Continuous speed warning post 120 kmph (mandated by GoI, can be removed by coding)
• Auto start/stop is default- have to manually switch off
• Parking sensor beeps (I am not used to. Volume can be turned down by settings)
• Steering controls are meant for left hand drive system e.g. wiper and indicator stick swapped
• No under hood insulation
• Left ORVM is not auto-dimming
• Front camera looks dummy (no lane assist in Indian models)
• No Android Auto (screen mirroring works- used once briefly)
• Bundled MapMyIndia navigation is not user friendly (doesn't take coordinates as input)
• Owners manual is confusing. Caters to ten different models worldwide. Tells about many features not even available in Indian market
• Comes with Apple Car Play but we don't use iPhones

Purchase Decision

We like to buy cars factory fresh, keep them in family for at least a decade and create a lot of memories. Never bought any vehicle second hand. Our Safari was nearing 11 years and was showing signs of normal ageing, that started itch for upgrade. Although, search was not very aggressive, we started scouting for good deals around mid 2019, aiming to make the purchase in early 2020. I had put my Safari on sale, including on team-bhp classified. Got few responses but it was not progressing swiftly. I was also not in a hurry and casually started taking test rides around Dussehra. Festival offers in mind.

Options Considered

Following picture says it all.

Fortuner 2.8 4x4 MT

• A natural upgrade from Safari 4x4 and a long held dream too
• Dealer experience was not so good- tried to push Innova in place of 4wd Fortuner :(
• No 4x4 vehicle for test ride, gave us a ride in an unregistered 2wd Fortuner
• I was in the passenger seat and missus on middle row
• We were not impressed by plane jane interiors, lack of sun-roof (not a big deal, but why not at 41L on road?)
• Engine appeared to be more refined and powerful than Safari
• Offered a very low resale for my well kept safari
• No 4x4 in stock hence, no discount as it was "made to order"

Dropped Fortuner for now. Next stop, around Diwali, was to the Ford dealer in Pune.

Ford Endeavour 3.2 AT AWD

• Was initially hesitant to consider Ford (Mahindra JV was just announced, future was uncertain)
• Dealership experience was good for test ride, we had walked-in without appointment
• Once inside, was bowled over by the test ride, interiors and gadgets, engine etc
• We made up our mind for Endy as next car
• Ford dealer offered a very low resale for my well kept safari
• Unregistered showroom piece was offered for test drive to me- didn't like that

Dealer was willing to offer a nominal discount on the showroom piece he had, but, I was not very keen on that piece (fear was car being used in many test rides). We made a counter offer and asked salesman to call back. They didn't get back.

[bj96]

German Dream

German was never on our radar. Not yet. However, nearing Christmas got a promotional SMS from BU Bhandari (they have my number as we bought Safari from them when they were still a Tata dealer) about fantastic year end deals on Mercedes. I discussed with missus and we reasoned no harm checking these out. That's how the seeds of German brand was planted in us.

So, on the day of Christmas after breakfast we hopped into our Safari and set off towards the city. Back of mind, we wanted to show them Safari (for exchange) if negotiations progressed to that level. Between, Mercedes, Audi and BMW, latter is closest dealership from our house. As we pass the centre of town decided to drop by Bavaria Motors, the BMW dealer first. Wanted to checkout their entry models in SUV range. Missus had a long cherished dream of a shiny black BMW sedan. We used to remind ourselves that someday we will have it in our parking. But, Safari's comfort and freedom-to-go-anywhere had spoilt us. We didn't want a sedan anymore. We have our 7 year old Honda Brio for city errands. Our use is cross-country touring.

Test drive and Booking

Reception at Bavaria Motors, Pune was good. We were seated comfortably and offered coffee/tea while waiting for the salesman. Meanwhile, I am checking the cars at display- a white X1 xLine, Blue X3 xDrive 20d and X4 and X5 and some sedans (which I was not interested in).

Rajkumar, the salesman, joined in about 5 minutes and asked about our requirements. I was clear about 4wd option (for me no SUV without 4WD/AWD) and asked for a test drive of X1 xDrive. But, they didn't have that configuration at the showroom for test drive. Raj offered me to test X3 xDrive instead as X1 has the same engine and transmission. However, I argued X3 is bigger than X1 and has a rear-bias drivetrain setup, so its experience will be different than X1. Anyways, I reluctantly agreed. They had a white X3 20d with beige interiors as demo car. First time as I sat on the plush seat- I could see the luxury all around. In fact I was overwhelmed by its steering wheel with all the controls on it (Safari DiCOR is a barebone 90s wheel).

My first challenge was the automatic gear, second was wipers/indicators swapped and third challenge, immediately noticed, was I could not see the end of the bonnet (on Safari, I sit high and upright, can see end of the hood). Raj showed me the electric adjustments and I set the seat to the highest position and backrest upright. Now I can see the end of X3's long flowing bonnet. Started the engine. Boy! no sound of diesel clatter. I had to confirm its a diesel car- such is the NVH managed inside. We took the car out in the lanes of busy Pune Camp area. Raj demonstrated Sports mode, 16-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, panoramic sunroof etc etc.

I was not listening. I was sold. My mind is wandering- how much extra over Fortuner to get this home... which mutual fund units can I liquidate to get the extra down payment ready etc etc. After about 30 minutes of city driving we returned to the showroom. Raj then offered to test drive X4 too. We sat inside but found it lacking in the interior space compared to X3. Missus didn't like coupe design and rear head room (she compares everything with Safari). We didn't take test drive of X4.

Back in the showroom, I asked Raj to give us 15 minutes. Missus and I got into a quick huddle in the corner. I asked her how was the rear seat comfort. She says better than Safari. I asked did you like it? Big grin in response said all. Okay, now back of my mind I was also thinking we keep our cars at least for a decade, so this one perhaps going to be our last IC engine car in this life. Lets stretch and make it big and memorable. Both of us are impulsive and think from the heart and we converged to an instant agreement. No X1. Only X3 . Listed price of X3 was about 71 Lakhs on road in Pune that is some 30-ish more than Fortuner.

Out of the huddle, I asked Raj what is the offer on X3? He said there are few offers and if you are serious we can discuss. I asked him how much is the booking amount? He said 2 lakhs. "I will swipe my card for 5 lakhs right away. You drive my safari and then offer me your best deal (in exchange) which I can't refuse", I said. He went inside his insulated cabin, discussed with seniors and came back and said if I close the deal before 31st December then he can work out a very good offer. 30 more minutes of discussions, gentle persuasion and we concluded the deal at 60xxxxx + my ~11 year, 64k kms old Safari (includes 50% NCB benefit on insurance). Another feel-good icing was, Raj liked our well kept Safari so much that he confided he will buy it back from Bavarias after the deal. I was happy it will go to someone known.

Colour and Variant Choice

For us, if it is a big car, it must be black. But BMW Pure Joy is blue. We saw a blue X3 and it was love at first sight. Phytonic Blue was available ex-stock. I enquired about 30i (Petrol) option which was not in stock. Ex-Showroom price was about the same as 20d. They had mouthwatering offers only on 20d (ex-stock). I am okay with diesels (Safari has been a joy for over a decade) and I liked how the test car behaved. So 20d it is.

Drying in the sun after a quick wash.

X3 has two variants- xLine and Luxury Line. Latter is top trim and just about Rs. 1.5L more than former. Table below lists the key differences in 20d variants.

Additionally, Luxury Line has a bigger infotainment and 16 speakers, 600 watts Harmon Kardon system against 12- speaker 400 watts system in xLine. There are few more differences with xLine but price difference was negligible to consider those. It was a nobrainer to pick the Luxury Line. Deal was sealed and we decided to abort testing Q5 and GLC.

Transaction had to be closed by 31st December to be eligible for the year end discount. BMW Financials accelerated the process and all verification and loan processing was done on time. I had informed Raj to take my approval before punching the car in our name.


Pre Delivery Inspection

By 30th afternoon Raj shared VIN and we decided to meet next day morning for PDI at their stockyard. Dealer has a multi-level indoor stockyard. So cars are stocked in a safe environment with reasonably good care. There were two X3s , both blue and per VIN, manufacturing was just a couple of weeks apart. Nothing much to chose. We picked the one which was more shiny (lesser dust) and newer. Nothing obvious was missing either.

This is a picture in the stockyard during PDI.

PDI done, we gave approval for processing. The car was entered into BMW's sale system by 31st COB. I have not taken BSI or BRI package yet. Still thinking about it. X3 comes with standard two years warranty and 12000 kms service interval. For my usage, it will be once a year.

[bj96]

Delivery Experience

My daughter's pre-board exam was on from 2nd January. We didn't want to distract her. Hence, kept the entire process secret at home. 10th Jan, when the exam ends, was the date chosen for delivery. We went to the showroom in the afternoon. LED panel was displaying "Congratulations Mrs <my-wife's-name> and Welcome to the BMW Family". My kids and in-laws didn't believe we are in the showroom to get home a new BMW until they saw the LED display.

Delivery was smooth. A small puja was performed, key was handed over etc. They gave us a box of sweets and we handed Raj a box of Ferrero Rocher.

Freebies/Accessories:

• BMW X3 car cover
• A set of soft fabric mat in addition to hard rubber mats
• BMW leather key-fob cover
• A litre of BMW branded windscreen wash concentrate,
• Two BMW caps for kids and
• A nice BMW photo frame with our delivery snap fitted in it.
• A USB drive with BMW logo containing pictures and soft copies of insurance and warranty documents.

Beautiful BMW branded key fob cover matching Mocha interiors.
Long press on the lock button closes any open window, including sunroof,
after locking car. Long press on unlock button opens them after unlocking car.
International market gets smart key fob with display.

All the above accessories were complimentary. Car was delivered with half tank full and odometer at 48 kms. Distance to empty was about 400 kms.

Drive back from Pune Camp to our home, a journey of about 10 kms was a combo of both pure joy and scare. While the new car feel and smooth twin turbo diesel motor was joy, the meandering two and three wheeler city traffic caused the scare. As these people squeeze in close to X3 near signals at crawling speed, park distance control would get activated with loud beeps. It startled us all and we would think someone kissed the side panels. Ground clearance seemed adequate. Even at full load (four adults plus two children) we managed to cross all speed breakers without scrapping. Came home and quietly parked the car. It had no number plate. Registration number and HSRP was given to me after a week.

I have added 3M PPF on bumper corners, door edges and ORVMs. Not very happy with the finish though. Have taken out Rover dashcam I had on Safari and fitted on X3 near its front camera, otherwise it is loaded to the brim. I don't think I need anything else on her immediately.

[bj96]

Drive and Handling

My impression so far is based on brief usages in the city (office rides) and a few weekend rides to Bombay and Solapur Highway. I have a huge muscle memory (~22 years) with manual cars. So I am unlearning and learning a lot of things.

Low Speed Handling and Parking

Except height, dimension wise it is deceptively as big as Safari Dicor. Actually, it is few millimetre longer (4708 versus 4560) and has a longer wheel base (2864 mm vs 2650 mm) too. The bonnet feels longer than Safari and approach angle is smaller. So, you have to be careful against kissing objects in the busy parking.

EPS is well tuned and turning those big 19" wheels is not a problem. I haven't tried park assist and not comfortable looking at the display and watching lines while reverse parking. So, like I did before in Safari, I still rely on ORVMs and occasional looking back over my shoulder. Left ORVM dips slightly towards ground when reverse gear is engaged. It is switchable on or off. Helpful to detect road kerb and stones on the side.

Visibility from pilot seat is nice. BMW engineers have managed to design and place A-pillar such that it doesn't increase your blind spot by much. When panoramic sunroof is opened- it is quite bright and feels like sitting in a glass cabin.

In front of my parking lot.



Notice how the parking sensor is activated with colourful lines.
Park assist beeps in the background. I have turned down its volume to concentrate on the business in my usual old way.

Handling at City and Highway speeds

X3 has All Wheel Drive with a rear bias xDrive setup. Torque vectoring in xDrive propels more from rear giving a sporty drive feel. 1.73 tons of body mass is distributed 50:50 between front and rear axles.

GO1 xDrive for illustration (Src: BMW technical manual pdf)

It has traction control, stability control, auto hold, hill descent control etc etc. Comes with four preset driving modes as seen in the picture below (30d and 30i gets Sport+ mode extra. 30d G01 is not sold in India). I have driven only in Comfort mode which is default. Modes are switchable on the fly.

Drive selector, Gear stick and iDrive controller

190 hp of brute power and 400 nm of twisting force (Safari Dicor was 140 hp and 320 nm) from 2 litre twin turbo diesel propels the car well and getting to triple digits speed is quick (8s). You hear a warning dong when speed crosses 80 km/h which annoyingly becomes continuous further up after 120 km/h. Casual drivers won't notice turbo lag or gear shift done by Steptronic transmission.

Auto start/stop switches on by default in comfort mode. BMW claims it uses inputs from front camera, speed sensor, engine temperature, cabin temperature, steering and terrain sensor to decide when to switch off the engine. I have found MI (My Intelligence) more effective than AI. So MI prevails and shuts off AI manually. In Adaptive drive mode you can tune certain parameters including suspension, steering and throttle response via iDrive. I haven't explored these yet.


Engine and Transmission

Twin turbo 20d engine, codenamed B47, has gone through many iterations and has evolved close to perfection. This engine powers many cars in BMW's global portfolio. It is super silent and smooth. Minimal diesel clatter even from outside. Per VIN it is Euro 5 compliant. In India it was marketed as BS4 with DEF liquid tank eliminated (provision for DEF filling can be seen behind the fuel flap. Owner's manual tells about how to replenish DEF.)

Neat and compact engine layout

8-Speed AT Steptronic transmission is perfectly matched. It is torque converter unit, but I don't feel turbo lag and gear shifts are smooth. In comfort mode too, I didn't have much issues in overtaking on the expressway. Haven't tried sports mode. Comes with manual gear shifters on the steering- I haven't used it yet. Cruise control works just fine.

Speed sensitive EPS is standard in X3. Feel is quite direct and just enough pressure needed to change lanes. The leather wrap on the steering wheel is very comfortable and all necessary controls are mounted at the right place and quickly accessible.

Brake and Suspension

As the car was still running-in and due to annoying speed warning beeps beyond 120 km/h, I haven't pushed it really hard yet. Disc brake is standard on all four wheels. Comes with integrated tyre pressure monitor which feeds into vehicle management and iDrive. Brakes are awesome coupled with good grips from 245/50 R19 Bridgestone Alenza Runflats, it stops in straight line without fuss. X3 comes with a space saver spare wheel. In emergency situations, runflat tires can be driven under 80 km/h upto 100 kms or so even with complete air loss. Ofcourse the tire has to be discarded after such torture. I have a tubeless repair kit and a Viair compressor in boot as emergency mitigation.

Beautiful sculpted 19" rim with Bridgestone Runflat.

I have no plans of shifting to tubeless like many BMW owners do to improve the ride quality. I am happy with default setting in comfort drive mode. X3 Luxury Line has adaptive suspension. I find default suspension is quite comfortable. Car feels planted and speed bumps are soaked comfortably. I haven't tried Sports mode which is expected to modulate and stiffen the springs for high speed runs and cornering.


Pictures from some early morning drives:

Sugarcane fileds and shining X3 in winter sun.



My daughter enjoying a few days off after her school pre-boards.

My real highway drive had been only one overnighter to Bombay and back. Mileage returned was 17+ kmpl. It beats the ARAI rating of 16 kmpl if driven between 100-120 kmph. With about 65 litres fuel tank capacity my guess is it can easily serve 850+ kms on a tankful. In the city indicated mileage varies between 12-14 kmpl in comfort mode with Auto Start/Stop turned off. This is very good for an automatic of its size and weight.

Excellent mileage on Pune Mumbai Expressway.

Noise control is awesome, even at 120+ km/h tire noise doesn't seep into the cabin. Windshield has acoustic glazing, that does the magic. Cabin is quieter than a Boeing 777. The engine is so refined and gear changes are almost imperceptible, you don't feel the speed of car. I managed to overspeed at expressway and got my first speeding ticket in ~22 years.

Offroad-ability

While there are some youtube videos and reviews showing X3 going off the road in fields and snow, it is no Fortuner or Safari. I have no pretensions on that, however, BMW markets it as a SAV, so some light off-roading it can do easily. X3 has ground clearance of 210mm (Safari Dicor was 205 mm) and water wading depth of 500 mm (Safari dicor was about 300 mm). These stats look good, but it has a long wheelbase and approach and departure angles are quite low too. BMW's xDrive hardware and electronics, I have no doubt, should be able to manage most of of Leh- Ladakah circuits comfortably. I will revisit this topic after personal experience.

Trivia: I am collecting a WW- III army. Already had Indian, British, Japanese and American. X3 filled the missing German in my parking.

Suave German with an American brat. Difficult to decide who is more handsome.



British marquee saying hello to the new German friend.

[bj96]

Interiors and Ergonomics

Luxury Line comes with Vernasca leather upholstery. We chose Mocha Brown. Beige was other option. Our Safari and Brio have beige, hence, we chose darker option this time. Stitching and quality of leather is top notch.

I am 5'7". At the highest seat position I can see the end of the bonnet. There is enough headroom and space around, you don't feel claustrophobic.

Both driver and passenger seats are electrically adjustable. Driver seat has memory functions which can store positions of seat, mirror angle and other personalised settings. It can store 2 profiles. Owner manual say each profile can be programmed to each key fob. I am not sure it is available in Indian models though.

Driver and co-passenger seats. Actual shade is darker and looks much better. My mobile camera is not doing justice.



Adjustment levers for passenger seat. it has a brushed aluminium finish.



Memory switch for two profiles. Long press erases old memory and sets current settings.

Rear seat. Can be folded as 40:20:40. Thigh support is adequate for members in my family 4'.5" to 5'.7" tall. Transmission tunnel in the middle can be uncomfortable for a taller person on a long drive.

Panoramic sunroof covers almost entire roof, creating a feeling of space. This is smaller in X4.



3-Zone climate control AC is standard. Driver, co-passenger and rear seat occupants can set their own AC settings.

16-speaker 600 watts Harmon Kardon music system is awesome to my ears. It plays radio, USB, Bluetooth and DVD. Additionally luxury line comes with 20GB harddisk to store your own music. File management and navigation could have been a little better. Searching songs or folders need a few more clicks than optimum. Display is 1920*720 pixels with touchscreen. Manual says it has handwriting recognition- I haven't tried. X3 G01 comes with iDrive 7. Touch screen and iDrive controller are effortless to use. Voice control also works fine. Answering telephone calls and voice quality is great. Noise cancellation and low NVH makes it painless.

One of the sixteen speakers, on A-pillar of Driver.

Display and controls with engine start stop button. Information displayed on the panel and MID are configurable. I have left it at the default setting- media, trip information and navigation.

Manual sun blinds are standard on rear seat windows.



X3 monikor near central console. The storage has a neat sliding cover.



Cup holder, ash tray and wireless charging cradle below the cover.



Auto dimming IRVM with a nicely designed LED cabin light fixture.

X3 has six ambient lighting combinations controlled by iDrive. Door open throws a nice carpet light on the ground below- all LED, to illuminate in darkness.

Light controls.

X3 has automatic adaptive headlamps. The front camera and sensor can manage automatic high/low beam settings. It works fine, even in Indian conditions (briefly tested). Notice a little storage below the switch panel. I keep my wallet here.

Driver side door panel switch control.

ORVM controller switch when pushed to the right makes the left ORVM mirror auto rotate and point slightly down while reversing. This helps to see blind spot on the ground for any objects like road kerb or stones. Cool feature.

Full digital instrument panel- driver's door is open.

It is covered in Sensatec material. It is a nice 3-D display with depth illusion. Looks cool. Depending on driving mode background changes. Sports mode turns the background to red!


Boot

X3's boot is spacious and neatly finished . There is a power socket provided. Boot capacity is 550L (extendable to 1600L by folding seats). In comparison my Honda Brio has 280L and Safari Dicor was 980L. It is adequate for our purpose. Seat folding mechanism is simple one touch levers provided in the boot.

Opened height of boot lid can be adjusted via iDrive. Boot can be closed by pressing switch at the top.
International market gets fancy smart boot opening by waving your foot under the rear bumper.

Spare tire, called space saver because it is narrower than usual tyres, is provided and neatly hidden away without wasting much space under 3" raised boot floor. I am thinking of adding a boot liner to protect the floor from spills and dirt. There are few side storage pockets on both walls of the boot to store toolkit, first-aid kit and safety triangles etc. Hooks are provided for fitting a cargo net and hanging a bag. I have retained my Safari's cargo net- it fits fine in the boot.

Storage space for firstaid kit and safety triangle behind the panel.
International model also gets a small cargo pocket in this space.




Storage space neatly hidden behind insulated body panel in boot.

[bj96]

Exteriors and Styling

Current X3, codenamed G01, is third generation X3 which was introduced in 2018. It falls in the premium midsize crossover (SUV) category. BMW calls it SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle). From outside, G01 is a absolute stunner (looks are subjective) with curves and creases in right proportions at right positions. This design will remain current for next few years for sure.

X3 has a good road presence. When standing next to X1, Tiguan, Creta or Compass, it looks imposing. I have seen people, including two wheelers slowing down and making way when you flash the headlight or push German horns.

For me coming from Safari, except height it matches other dimensions pretty well. You realise that when parking in tight spaces. However steering and turning radius is much better than my old Safari. Paint quality is top notch and Phytonic Blue shines like a mirror under the sun.



I like this wide grin amplified by big kidney grills upfront. Many disagree. It reminds me of a hyena called Banzai in The Lion King. Frightening. Cunning. Playful . The kidney grills use active stream technology. Flaps open or close as needed to cool the engine behind or cut the air drag when cruising. This is part of cool tech called BMW Efficient Dynamics. Petrol (30i) doesn't get this in India- I was told at the showroom.



View from the Dress Circle. X3 can easily fill two blocks when parked wrongly



Gorgeous side profile. Looks contemporary and native European.



Glamorous back. Notice twin exhausts with SS finish. Only one works until the engine heats up and reaches the service temperature.


Corner profiles:




LED headlight. It is adaptive to steering input and light conditions. High and low beams can be auto controlled. The LED low beam light is adequate. I never had to switch on auxiliary fog lights. Adaptive light is standard only on Luxury Line variant.

Yet to test extensively.



Looks elegant. Fog lights are also LED.



Beautiful wrap around tail light. Full LED. Can you spot the rear fog light in this cluster?



Tyre pressure chart on driver side B pillar. I was good at Chemistry in high school. No difficulty reading a German Periodic Table.



Neat and well laid out engine bay. Notice absence of underhood insulation. M40i Sport models (IIRC) gets this in US markets from factory. AliExpress has them much cheaper. Thinking of my first DIY.



Characteristic BMW fender air vents. It has a purpose to reduce air drag when accelerating.


For interested folks, I have decoded my VIN at mdecoder.com and pasted all the features in this pdf bmw_x3_feature.pdf.

[bj96]

Concluding thoughts

Broad grin asking Kahan Chalein (Where To)? !!

No car is perfect, so is this one. Especially few useful things omitted from Indian model makes it lose some points. Keyless entry I miss sorely. Other missing features like smart boot opening, heated seats or gesture controls and heads-up display, I can live without. All elements of driving and handling pleasure and in-cabin comfort are provided and are of top quality. It oozes class from both inside and outside. As a first German luxury car, I am very happy with the purchase.

Do I regret not checking out Q5, GLC, Discovery Sport, F-Pace, or XC60?
Absolutely not.

They say if you don't look back after locking your car then you have bought a wrong car. Every alternate day despite the lockdown and hysteria, I sneak out of my home and go down eighteen floors to pat my Banzai in the parking, says how I feel.

Every time I read owners manual I discover something new but can't try due to the lockdown. I am eagerly waiting for the lockdown and pandemic to subside so that I can hit road again and make some new memories. I will keep this thread updated as I learn and experience new things with my Banzai.

Bye for now and stay safe,

-BJ

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

From your 1st car, the WagonR to now an X3, that is clearly a self-made success story. So, congratulations on your success & the car . Your X3 is going to our homepage shortly.

[octane1002]

From a 4 lakh Wagon R to an 11 lakh Safari to the 65 lakh BMW X3.. Congratulations on this grand journey!

Stories like these inspire petrolhead like us.

[Turbanator]

Congratulations bj96. You have got yourself a nice treat. From Safari to X3 is surely comendable A 5 Star review, very informative, with useful details for any buyer in this segment. More like an official review.

I asked him how much is the booking amount? He said 2 lakhs. "I will swipe my card for 5 lakhs right away... and we concluded the deal at 60xxxxx

That must be the quickest sales that these guys have done from a first time Walkin. The recent sales offers on Euro 4 that BMW had was very tempting. You would have got no major offers on the GLC and since you have to drive this, X3 will definitely keep you engaged.

I managed to overspeed at expressway and got my first speeding ticket in

2-5% variation is a norm in most civilised countries. In fact, they won't bother you if you are within 8-9% over speed limits in Canada. This small difference can be because of many things, Speedo error or even the road gradient. Can you contest it?

I have no doubt, should be able to manage most of of Leh- Ladakah circuits comfortably.

You can surely do this or any other circuit. Problem is mostly with the tyres. RFT are prone to cuts or sidewall failing as its very hard. You should be good whenever you change to normal. Michelin has a great range now in India at competitive prices. You can exchange RFT easily if you have done little mileage and are open to a change. Contrary to the normal advise from BMW service/ sales guys, you will find Sport-4 a much better tyre. If they warn you of any handling or control issues, just ask them what sort of tyres they use on M cars. I hope you know that it covers 4 Tyres as standard for 1 Year from BMW. Also, you don't need an Engine Protection Insurance addition in your car when you buy a new one as that's included from BMW for the first Year. Mostly, dealers won't tell and conveniently add in the Quote.

https://www.michelin.in/auto/tyres/m...ot-sport-4-suv

You can decide about BSI pack before first service. If your running is low, it's Ok to ignore but extended warranty is a must. You can buy before lapse.

Non M variants get black colour plastics on the wheel arches and bumpers. If you like, one can get these painted to the body colour (like M variants) from the dealership. But it will be a personal choice.

[DBeast]

First of all big congratulations on your German purchase. There are two things which I really liked about this purchase / thread:
1. Booked right after the TD
2. Not testing any other car after BMW.

Also, I am a big sucker for beamers!

Many more miles to you!

Cheers!
-DB

[Baddychat]

Congratulations bj96 on your X3. Wishing you thousands of happy and safe miles on your new steed. Excellent deal you closed with the dealership.

Rating the thread a well deserved 5 stars.

[iliketurtles]

Congrats on the beautiful new ride, hope you enjoy munching up many, many miles in it.

My big takeaway from your thread: please let us know a few months before you buy your next car. I'll start stocking up and be better prepared for the next great pandemic/recession/global scare well in advance.

Edit: Is that your red Wagon-R in pic #2? Nice little automotive Easter Egg if so!

[sgm]

Congrats bj96 on your cool X3.
Enjoy your speed machine, wishing you lots of Happy motoring.

Is the adaptive suspension an active suspension ? Does it change based on the road conditions ? Or is it a passive suspension ? Do you change it for different modes(eg:, comfort, soft ) to match the driving mode ?

Your booking process was quick and you got a very sweet deal too. Probably you were the last person to book a BMW in 2019 as you had mentioned in another post, giving a final boost to the sales numbers of BMW

[Dr.AD]

Congratulations on the beautiful car and a great review! The X3 surely looks stunning in this color! Wish you many thousands of happy miles on this beautiful car!

And welcome to the BMW family, more specifically, the 20d family :-)

Originally Posted by bj96

Super silent, fuel efficient and smooth 2.0 litre 4-cyl inline twin turbo diesel engine

I have the same engine in my 320d, and I can totally relate to this (although it is not super silent in the 320d as it is in the X3). Initially, I was a bit nervous about having a diesel engine with the lag etc, but after getting used to this engine on my 3 series, I am in total love with this engine. This engine just keeps getting better with time, and once you are in the turbo zone, the car is a pure joy to drive. For highway drives, this engine is one of the best. This engine can keep doing trip digit speeds all day without breaking sweat, and if required, can in no time reach much higher speeds with a slight tap on the accelerator. It is a pure joy driving this on the highway. And even with spirited driving, it gives me a 800km range on the highway! An ideal highway mile cruncher!

Left ORVM is not auto-dimming

This seems to be by design. Even in 3-series, they specifically deleted this in the LCI models. Pre-LCI cars had both ORVMs as auto-dimming. The reason for specifically deleting this seems to be that BMW thinks it is not very safe to have a dimmed left ORVM, where you could miss something on the left while pulling over to the left in the night. I believe there is some truth in this logic, as the right ORVM (when dimmed) does make it a bit hard to see objects other than headlights of other cars.

Owners manual is confusing. Caters to ten different models worldwide. Tells about many features not even available in Indian market

There is an app called "BMW Driver's Guide", which has an e-manual specific to your car. This works well on Android too. When you download and set up this app, it asks you to enter VIN of your car, and then the content is customized for your car. I use it (for my 320d) all the time and generally I am happy with this app.