[sumobom4]

Congrats on the new car! From one M40i owner to another, I can assure you she's a beast. I still miss her as I had to leave her with my friend when I faced visa extension issues and needed to return to India. Now my friend gets to enjoy her while I yearn to get back to enjoying.

Savour your time with yours and all the best!

[nutcracker]

Wow. What a fantastic review for such a fantastic car. A true delight for petrol heads and performance enthusiasts, and at the same time, a well rounded beast of a machine. They launched the X3 M in India recently, and since then, I kid you not, it has become my dream car to own. If I had the money today, I wouldn't twitch even a second, and buy it. It really is a dream of a machine.

That exhaust note and the acceleration is just mad!

How would you compare the audio set up to you sister's X5, I'm curious. Although I'm pretty sure the X5 is better loaded in the audio department.

[PVS]

Hey Avi, From the Accent Viva to the White Annihilator to the Blue Bombardier to the Mazda and finally to the BMW - its been a log journey man. Now that was a very detailed review, hats off to the review, and here's wishing you may miles of blissful journey behind the wheels of this magnificent machine!

[gajadonga]

Very good review taking care all the details.
The initial write up was excellent.
From going to a test drive and getting all the enthusiasm and owning it too. Looks like the silencer sounds reminds of a Josh machine. Happy driving

[kraft.wagen]

Great review Avi bhai. Have you tried the parallel park assist? I tried it on my 1-series and isn't a feature I would try again

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks for sharing this brilliant (and detailed) review. Congratulations on the true-blue ultimate driving machine!

In my opinion the X3 M40i probably the best package in that segment that provides fun, pace and practicality. This (or the more expensive Macan) will be my choice if I am shopping in this space.

Happy driving! Your interstate runs are going to be much more fun

Thanks VB-San. As mentioned, I didn't even get a chance to compare it with it's competitors as everything happened so fast and I'm probably in a minority who buys stuff like this (Most of my previous expensive purchases have been similar, what is important is it has to to hit me hard and where it really matters (heart & soul) and post that it doesn't matter how expensive it is. In this particular case, it was the X3M 40i or Bust.

Another car that is a direct competitor which I forgot to highlight in my review is the Mercedes GLC 43 AMG

Yeah, I am waiting for these harsh winters to end before I can get back on the road and enjoy the thrill of that amazing engine

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Congratulations mobike008!! What a car and what a review!! Whew! It took me 15 minutes and I am not even down to 30% or the narrative.

Very nicely done. Also, I must congratulate you on the CX9 and on making full use of the US interstate system. Driving in the US is an unmatched pleasure. The roads, the amenities, the scenery, and the absolute settled feeling that one has behind the wheel. Incredible. That is the single biggest thing that I miss about life in the States.

I wish you many many miles in this absolute stunner of a Bimmer. Drive hard and be safe.

God Bless

Thanks Mohan! Nice to hear from you. I completely agree with what you mentioned. Initially I used to be bored of freeways but, over a period of time I started loving the awesome infrastructure US has to offer and everything is smooth and predictable and not to mention super safe (as long as we don't do anything stupid)

It's been a lot of driving the past few years and by road I literally covered 1/4th of US like entire North East (Maine, RI, NH, MA, NY, NJ, DC area) and on my west most of IL and Wisconsin.

Not to mention, I have driven across every nook and cranny of my beautiful state which is rightly known as "Pure Michigan"

Looking forward to more driving trips in my Blau Racket. Thanks again for your nice words

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Wow. What a fantastic review for such a fantastic car. A true delight for petrol heads and performance enthusiasts, and at the same time, a well rounded beast of a machine. They launched the X3 M in India recently, and since then, I kid you not, it has become my dream car to own. If I had the money today, I wouldn't twitch even a second, and buy it. It really is a dream of a machine.

That exhaust note and the acceleration is just mad!

How would you compare the audio set up to you sister's X5, I'm curious. Although I'm pretty sure the X5 is better loaded in the audio department.

Thanks Nutcracker, yep it's indeed a mad machine and doesn't drive or sound like an SUV. BMW is cheating us by selling a sports car in the guise of an SUV..LOL!

Jokes aside, It's a thrilling machine for sure. And, to answer your question about the audio department. I'm not sure if you were asking about the exhaust note or the ICE system in the car

Audio : Honestly, I didn't pay attention to the audio quality of my sister's X5 as even that engine rumble is intoxicating and in sports mode it's a great sound to enjoy. I think X5 might have a similar audio equipment as we are comparing 2018 X5 with 2021 X3 and BMW has really made significant changes to X3 from 2018 onwards

Exhaust Note: X3 clearly is the winner even though the X5 is more powerful and has a V8 but, the visceral feel and exhaust note in X3 is very different with pops and crackles the engine makes which is missing in the V8 which makes a nice loud rumble but, it doesn't make the crackles and pop sounds at deceleration

Originally Posted by sumobom4

Congrats on the new car! From one M40i owner to another, I can assure you she's a beast. I still miss her as I had to leave her with my friend when I faced visa extension issues and needed to return to India. Now my friend gets to enjoy her while I yearn to get back to enjoying.

Savour your time with yours and all the best!

This is one amazing coincidence Sumobom4. I never ever thought that I would run into a member here who would own the same car. Super !

Thanks for your wishes and sorry to know that you had to leave the country and go back. Hope your problem will be resolved soon and you are united back with your beast soon.

Please do share some pictures of your car, it would be great to see it here

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Attachment 2116317

Hi Avi aka mobike008,

Congratulations on the New Blau Rakete.

Thanks for sharing this super detailed and brilliantly written review. Wishing you many many miles of fun and dafe drives

Had the pleasure of meeting Avi recently during a Detroit T-Bhp meet. A gem of a person.

Cannot wait to see the Rakete in flesh when you come to Pittsburgh.

[forester]

Avi, many congratulations to you on the growling new SAV! The child-like enthusiasm inside you could easily be sensed from the TD experience of the car in Boston, that eventually made you go for it almost instantly!

Wishing you loads and loads of happy miles with it, and hopefully I get a chance to go along with you on a long drive if I travel to the US anytime soon.

The Tobin Bridge clip brought back some good memories from my last visit to Boston in 2018. Stay safe and take care!

Wait, what happened to the Mazda? Have you kept it with you?

[shaheenazk]

Can someone please point out key differences between the BMW X3M40i and BMW X3M? Any chance the X3M40i will be offered in India? Looks like VFM.

[rvracer88]

Congrats on the new X3M40. It's a gem of a car that will leave a smile everytime you drive it. I have the 2019 version in the exact same color. Would love to hear how the Pirellis perform. Mine came with a Bridgestone and curious to know the difference. Happy motoring!

[mashmash]

Oh wow, a cracker of a review man. Have been eagerly waiting for this since seeing her on Instagram. A really beautiful and feature rich rig. Lovely color combination too.

Happy Miles!!!

MaSh

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by PVS

Hey Avi, From the Accent Viva to the White Annihilator to the Blue Bombardier to the Mazda and finally to the BMW - its been a log journey man. Now that was a very detailed review, hats off to the review, and here's wishing you may miles of blissful journey behind the wheels of this magnificent machine!

Thanks PVS, good to see you here after a long time for your lovely wishes

Hope you are doing well and still in Hyderabad?

Originally Posted by gajadonga

Very good review taking care all the details.
The initial write up was excellent. From going to a test drive and getting all the enthusiasm and owning it too. Looks like the silencer sounds reminds of a Josh machine. Happy driving

Thanks Doc! I just wrote what I felt and sometimes I get too informal but, then life is too short to be formal. What do you say?

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Great review Avi bhai. Have you tried the parallel park assist? I tried it on my 1-series and isn't a feature I would try again

Thanks buddy. Hope you are doing well? So you now gallivant across Netherlands in your BMW 1-series...Haha? What happened when you tried parking using that feature? Can you describe a bit more in detail?

And, how about sharing a picture of your 1 here?

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Hi Avi aka mobike008,

Congratulations on the New Blau Rakete

Thanks for sharing this super detailed and brilliantly written review. Wishing you many many miles of fun and dafe drives

Had the pleasure of meeting Avi recently during a Detroit T-Bhp meet. A gem of a person.

Cannot wait to see the Rakete in flesh when you come to Pittsburgh.

Thanks Nikhil for the kind words and also for participating in the Detroit meet in Dec'2020. Kudos to you for coming all the way from Pittsburgh

Let's plan the next meet soon and I will most certainly hop over to Pittsburgh as soon as weather improves a bit

Originally Posted by forester

Avi, many congratulations to you on the growling new SAV! The child-like enthusiasm inside you could easily be sensed from the TD experience of the car in Boston, that eventually made you go for it almost instantly!

Wishing you loads and loads of happy miles with it, and hopefully I get a chance to go along with you on a long drive if I travel to the US anytime soon.

The Tobin Bridge clip brought back some good memories from my last visit to Boston in 2018. Stay safe and take care!

Wait, what happened to the Mazda? Have you kept it with you?

Hey Mayank! What's up dude? I didnt know you were active here or did you appear just now after my review? LOL! Glad to know you liked Boston and i know you enjoyed your visit immensely.

I'm visiting Boston from nearly 2 decades and it's my most favorite city in the entire US as have lots of friends and family there and also due to a longish stint (6-Months) that I did back in Boston back in 2004

Tobin bridge is literally 6-7 minutes drive from sister's home as she stays about 12-15 minutes away from Downtown Boston. So, we drive over Tobin almost every day to a favorite place in downtown Boston called "Sea-Port" where we go for a walk most evenings

Originally Posted by shaheenazk

Can someone please point out key differences between the BMW X3M40i and BMW X3M? Any chance the X3M40i will be offered in India? Looks like VFM.

You asked for it and you got it. It's coming soon to our shores

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...-launch-419737

Primary Difference between X3M40i and X3M

X3M is a full M vehicle which means it has a much stiffer chassis and suspension and as per many reviews on the forum who compared both these vehicles and have always bought the X3M40i for the reason that the ride of X3M is extremely stiff and meant purely for race track purposes and for a daily driver it's not feasible due to the hard suspension

Secondly, X3M comes in 2 trims (X3M- 480HP and X3M Competition is 510HP), as you can imagine this power is insane and is not really useable for daily driver

Hope this clarifies?

Originally Posted by rvracer88

Congrats on the new X3M40. It's a gem of a car that will leave a smile everytime you drive it. I have the 2019 version in the exact same color. Would love to hear how the Pirellis perform. Mine came with a Bridgestone and curious to know the difference. Happy motoring!

Thanks RVracer88, Looks like it's the day of surprises as you are the second person the thread who owns the same car. It's only possible on Team-BHP

I see you are new to the forum. Would you mind leaving your contact number here (assuming you are in the states) and we can request the mods to delete it once I pick it up? Would love to chat about the car and your experiences with it in the last couple of years

Originally Posted by mashmash

Oh wow, a cracker of a review man. Have been eagerly waiting for this since seeing her on Instagram. A really beautiful and feature rich rig. Lovely color combination too.

Happy Miles!!!

MaSh

Thanks a bunch Shobith. Glad to know you liked it's pictures on the Instagram and were waiting for this review. Hope it was worth the wait?

Well, I could have written much more but, tried to keep it simple and just what came from the heart !

[RJK]

Congrats man! I've been reading your car reviews silently from Viva CRDi days. Immense progress in cars, & life - kudos to you!

I had test driven the X3 here in Bombay couple of months back for my parents but it disappointed me in terms of space & pricing. Nonethless, we were buying vehicle for my parents (backseat being primary criteria) & I was trying to get BMW somehow into the picture but failed miserably LOL

Originally Posted by mobike008

Fun Stuff, Nice Features & Quirks
It also comes with automatic parallel parking option

https://Youtu.be/2MzZuyUdvX8

What a song, one of my favourites!

[sumobom4]

Originally Posted by shaheenazk

Can someone please point out key differences between the BMW X3M40i and BMW X3M? Any chance the X3M40i will be offered in India? Looks like VFM.

I think Avi nailed it on the head. The X3M and X3M Competition are full blown M cars that are more suited to the track than the road. Well, maybe the German autobahns. They come with dual turbos that significantly ramp up the power of the B58 inline 6 engine.

The M40i, on the other hand, is good for everyday driving especially if you opt for the optional adaptive suspension. It has a single turbo with twin scroll vanes, not to be confused with the double turbos on the full M twins. The power is modest - 382 hp as compared to nearly 500 hp for the full M version. But, this is all the power you will really need without landing in jail!

Originally Posted by mobike008

This is one amazing coincidence Sumobom4. I never ever thought that I would run into a member here who would own the same car. Super !

Thanks for your wishes and sorry to know that you had to leave the country and go back. Hope your problem will be resolved soon and you are united back with your beast soon.

Please do share some pictures of your car, it would be great to see it here

I need to look up pics, but I will be happy to share them. Keep enjoying that silky smooth I6!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by RJK

Congrats man! I've been reading your car reviews silently from Viva CRDi days. Immense progress in cars, & life - kudos to you!

I had test driven the X3 here in Bombay couple of months back for my parents but it disappointed me in terms of space & pricing. Nonethless, we were buying vehicle for my parents (backseat being primary criteria) & I was trying to get BMW somehow into the picture but failed miserably LOL

What a song, one of my favourites!

Thanks RJK, Great to know you have been following my reviews from the Viva CRDi days, I must confess I had great time with almost all my cars but, the problem with me is I don't seem to stick to one car for too long.

I think 4 years is the maximum I kept a car from the 12-13 brand new cars that owned in my lifetime

Surprised to know you/your parents didn't like the X3 in India but, I think it's a great SUV to own with right amount of power in the Indian context. Pricing however is a totally different ball game as most cars priced in India is exorbitant and don't seem to be value for the money spent.

Is the X3 priced at 60Lakhs in India? Curious to know what was it priced and how much discounts they were offering?

And yeah, Metallica is one of my favorite bands and that song and it's video is insanely awesome. In my personal opinion, great music stopped being produced after 90's

Originally Posted by sumobom4

I think Avi nailed it on the head. The X3M and X3M Competition are full blown M cars that are more suited to the track than the road. Well, maybe the German autobahns. They come with dual turbos that significantly ramp up the power of the B58 inline 6 engine.

The M40i, on the other hand, is good for everyday driving especially if you opt for the optional adaptive suspension. It has a single turbo with twin scroll vanes, not to be confused with the double turbos on the full M twins. The power is modest - 382 hp as compared to nearly 500 hp for the full M version. But, this is all the power you will really need without landing in jail!

I agree for a daily driver this amount of power itself is quite overwhelming and full blown M X3's are not really meant for a daily driver (mostly weekend fun and track day usage is what it's most apt for)

Having said that, as mentioned in my review the 382HP quoted by BMW for X3M40i is conservative and real power at crank is > 400 HP

Just a simple example below

Originally Posted by sumobom4

I need to look up pics, but I will be happy to share them. Keep enjoying that silky smooth I6!

Thanks. Look forward to them soon. Cheers !!!