X3 30i vs 430i: How a BMW SUV compares with a BMW sedan on key aspects

The 430i has a very busy ride. The X3 on the other hand is still stiff but it doesn’t get disturbing.

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BMW sedan vs BMW SUV:

BMW X3 30i xDrive vs BMW 430i GranCoupé xDrive:

Introduction:

I had the X3 30i for 16 months and my roommate owns the 430i for the past 14 months. I get to drive both the cars on a regular basis and I would like to give my honest opinion.

Performance:

On paper, the X3 30i has about 248 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. It weighs at 1882 kgs with 0.29 drag coefficient.

The 430i on the other hand has about 255 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. It weighs at 1760 kgs with 0.28 drag coefficient.

Both the cars have the amazing B48 engine. But on the road 4-series feels more powerful due to its lesser weight, slightly more power and torque and the fact that the exhaust note is pumped in through the speakers.

The 4-series in comfort mode is responsive to throttle inputs. You can get a downshift just by giving 50% of the throttle. This makes it very easy to drive in traffic. The Sport mode makes the throttle very aggressive and downshifts can be seen with little throttle input.

The X3 on the other hand in comfort mode feels quite dull due to the throttle response. To get a downshift, you have to go 70% on the gas pedal which then gives you a downshift. Sport mode is the best suited for this car since you get downshifts at 50% of the throttle. The Sport mode in X3 feels more like the comfort mode in 4-series. But even then, you don’t get the exhaust pumped through the speakers and the X3 feels a bit heavy when its moving.

Handling:

Now this was a big deciding factor for me. The 4-series is probably one of the best handling sedan at that price point. The X3 is the best handling SUV at that price point. But how different are they in terms of handling?

To begin with, my X3 got the MSport staggered setup which meant the front tires were 245/45 R20 and the rear tires were 275/40 R20. The 4-series got 245/45 R18 as standard.

So when it comes to handling, X3 can take corners at 80% of what the 4-series can take which is just amazing if you think of the fact that the X3 is 25% taller than the 4-series. That’s just amazing. But with that amazing handling comes a ton of body roll. You almost get 50% body roll than the 4-series. Now this gets very difficult for the passengers inside the car as they tend to get thrown around and may feel nauseous. The 4-series on the other hand can take corners with much lesser roll so you would end up taking corners at the same speed effortlessly. At the end of the day, we cannot defy the laws of physics. The tires also get severely affected if you end up taking corners fast in the X3. The grippier tires end up holding on to the ground making the body roll even inevitable.

Ride:

The 430i has a very busy ride. You can feel undulations and expansion joint on the road. It’s just very busy.

The X3 on the other hand is still stiff but it doesn’t get disturbing. At high speeds it gets ever so slightly floaty but that can only be felt by the driver. The passengers will feel comfortable. The low speed ride is slightly stiff.

Comfort:

This is the biggest deal breaker for the 4-series. Now I am 5’11 in height. The rear seat of the car is upright. Due to the sloping roofline, the rear seats are placed low which makes you sit in a knees up position which reduces the under thigh support which is already low to begin with. When you try to tuck your foot below the front seats, your ankles brush the front seat which gets uncomfortable. To add up to all of this, the windows are tiny which make you feel claustrophobic.

But my roommate who is 5’7 says he is comfortable in the back seat. So I am assuming that people who are even an inch taller than 5’7 cannot be comfortable in the back seat and is definitely not recommended for long distance travel.

The X3 has good legroom in the rear even when the front seat is set to my driving position. There rear seats recline, the windows are large and the panoramic sunroof makes it feel very roomy. The only down side of the rear seat is the under thigh support. I sat in the rear seat for almost 7 hours and I was fine and did not feel uncomfortable but I did feel the lack of under thigh support.

Driving Position:

Now this is a very personal opinion and may differ for every person.

In USA, most of the cars are SUVs and Trucks that are huge and tall.

In the 4-series, the front seats are vert low. Your knees are almost flat when you sit in the driver seat. The driving position is so low that you can actually see the underbody of some huge trucks and SUVs when you drive and that’s not something that I like and the other thing is ingress and egress is not easy for someone as tall as me at 5’11.

The X3 has a decently tall driving position, it’s not very tall since it is still based on the same platform as the sedan counterpart. Your knees slightly bent when you sit in the car. I feel this is the perfect driving position since you get a good view, ingress and egress is easier for someone of my height.

Steering:

The 4-series has an amazing steering that is so sharp and reacts to even the slightest input. It is so quick to react and can be enjoyed the most in twisties and weighs up beautifully well at high speeds. This steering also has a flip side, when there is too much of side wind which is common in Colorado, you tend to make lot of steering corrections in order to make the car go straight. Now the steering corrections can get very disturbing for passengers inside the car since the steering is so sharp. But you can get used to it over a period of time. The 4-series has a slightly heavier steering than the X3 but is still very light. Surprisingly the 4-series steering does not center itself very easily.

The X3 has a steering that is quick to react as well, but it is not as much fun as the 4-series. There is some slack in the dead centre position compared to 4-series which good and bad. It is bad because it is not as sharp as the 4-series. But this can be a blessing especially for passengers since the steering does not react to every small input. The best part about the X3 steering is the way it centers itself.

Overall it is more about getting used to each steering. Both are good in its own ways.

Brakes:

Both cars come with discs all around.

The brakes in the 4-series are not confidence inspiring. The pedal has no feel to it. I was pleasantly surprised since there is nothing else you can fault in the driving experience of the car. I faced the same issue with my mom's 3-series in India as well. I would like to know if 330i/320d owners in India feel the same way.

The X3's brake pedal has a more progressive feel towards it and I have never had any issues with braking in the car. But during heavy braking, you will find some vertical movement because of the height.

Sound Insulation:

Both cars are very well insulated especially when you compare it with the similarly priced Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. Between the X3 and 4-series, the X3 is slightly better insulated and that’s due to the height of the car since you hear less tire noise and road noise inside the cabin. The road with max speed limit that I’ve ever hit in the USA is 80 mph (129 km/h), for that speed I have not seen any extra wind noise from the X3.

Fuel Efficiency:

The 430i returned an average of 33.6 mpg (14.3 km/l) in a mix of both city and highway conditions. The X3 30i returned an average of 28.5 mpg (12.2 km/l) in similar conditions as the 430i. This is great efficiency for both the cars considering the amount of power they offer. The B48 engines have been really efficient, but the X3’s mileage can drop significantly as you cross speeds of 80mph due to its height while the 4-series had no such issues.

Cost:

A similarly speeded X3 and 4-series/3-series differ by about $3K USD (2.5L INR).

Verdict:

This is again a personal preference, but I have tried to come up with all of the advantages and disadvantages of both the cars.

One thing about USA is that you will end up traveling a lot. Even the grocery store would be far away for which you would end up taking your car. You would end up traveling long distance for trips and they are long straight roads. Road quality is not the greatest. You have to factor in everything before your purchase.

I considered all of the factors and also considered what the enthusiast in me would want. 4-series/3-series is super fun around corners and can give cars that cost twice as much as these a run for it’s money. It is also comfortable, but for the kind of distances that I munch, I am not sure as to how comfortable I would’ve been with them. The X3 is cannot even dream of handling as good as the sedan counterpart, but it is so much more comfortable and makes more sense for long trips. You don’t miss out a lot on straight line performance. The handling is also super fun in a way where you end up reaching the limit of the car faster and the body roll would make you feel all the G-Forces making you think that you are going fast. 

If I had the money to buy two cars, I would probably have an X5 and a fast electric sedan like the Tesla Model 3. But given my situation, I leaned towards a slightly more comfortable experience.

In USA, the 3-series/4-series and the X3 differs by about 5% in cost for which I thought I was getting more value out of X3. But in India, the difference Is about 30% which makes the X3 look overpriced and the 3-series offering value. SO had I been in India, I would’ve bought a 320d and a Taigun 1.0 TSI manual as my daily for the same money.

But hey, I am still lucky since it is my roommate who owns the 4-series. We still take the 4-series when we go on a road full of twisties and X3 is the choice for long highway trips.

I hope I have covered all the parts about the BMW SUV vs Sedan comparison.

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