BMW X3

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $40000.00 from USA

Year / Model Reviewed:
2009 3.0L Non Sport

Strengths:
Interior room
Clean, simple interior with easy to understand and use controls.
Peppy engine with plenty of power for the weight.
Excellent steering and brakes.
Lots of glass for a spacious feeling
Plenty of room for cargo and passengers
Easy to fold down back seats

Weaknesses:
Horrendous ride quality.
Strange GM6 AT transmission as many others have noted before. Even with updates, it still seems odd and quirky and unpredictable.

Terrible gas mileage, nothing close to the specs.

Summary:
The BMW X3 has the worst, absolutely the worst ride of any car I have ever driven. The problems in the 2004 were supposed to have been corrected for the 2007 and later models but has there been a slide back?

The BMW X3 pitches, rolls, rocks, bucks, bounces...however you say it...on flat roads for no reason. It is a mind-numbingly horrible ride. It would be bad in a $10,000 truck, it is unacceptable in a $40K+ (near $60K with options) SAV based on a sedan.

What in the world is BMW thinking to let this off the design floor and test track much less the production line?

Should your premium-paying customers have to wonder if they will be bumped from one side of the seat to the other while going to the grocery store? Should your premium-paying customers see things lift up off the floor because the X3 cannot stop its body movement?

This is not a problem of 'sporty' or 'stiff' ride. There is a bouncy movement that is set off by goodness knows what imperfection in a flat, paved road that keeps the car bouncing, bouncing, bouncing down the block. It is absurd.

Since it happens unexpectedly it is difficult to recreate which leads some to surmise that you are imagining things or simply unfamiliar with the sporty BMW suspension. BALONEY.

This isn't sport suspension, it is a hard, rocking, punishing ride in a $40K+ car. It is a DEFECT. If this is a design feature then BMW has some seriously insane designers with an axe to grind with their customers.

What is the story? Does anyone know?

What is up with the automatic transmission? After all this time (since 2007's raft of complaints) it still appears to exhibit strange behavior in an unpredictable manner.

Similar Products Used:
Other BMWs, other SUVs...none exhibited either the horrendous ride quality or weird AT issues.

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Price Paid:  $46000.00 from Westchester BMW

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 x-3

Strengths:
Good handling

Weaknesses:
MPG, no engine growl

Summary:
I did not order the sports package so the ride is smooter. The accessories are great. It bogs big time when you floor it at 30-40 mph. I was used to the pickup of the Infiniti G35X and the BMW is not close. Dealer people were awesome.

Similar Products Used:
BMW 328X, G35X, Jaguar X 3.0, Lexus ES 350

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.08 of 5, 12.00 votes

Price Paid:  $40000.00 from Passport BMW

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 X3

Strengths:
Great Handling, heated seats, heated steering, traction, visibilty.

Weaknesses:
GM6 audtomatic transmission. Shifting is worse than a 16 year old learning to drive a stick. Sound system is very low grade.

Summary:
This vehicle could have been great. However, all its strengths are over-shadowed by its horrible transmission known as the GM6. The 07 was the first year to use this tranny in the X3. It's primary fault is that it hesitates after a rolling stop such as merging into traffic, making an uphill turn, or entering a turn about. On more than once occasion this has caused a near fatal accident. BMWNA claims there is "No Problem Found" yet they are secretly buying back or trading out many customers in order to keep this off the "Lemon Law" books. It i smost prominent in cold weather when you really need an SUV to perform correctly and predictably. This is a very common problem and a very large percentage of owneres are now experiencing this.

Don't be fooled by being told that it has to learn with its "adaptive driving" or all awds do this. They don't and any BMW that DOES NOT have the GM6 transmission behaves like this. My recommendation is have the dealer give a 30-day waiver on the "Buyer's Remorse" clause they hide in most of their contracts. And make sure to test drive your vehicle for at least a weekend. The other option is to just buy the manual transmission version. I am currently pursuing a Lemon Law suit to get a MT to replace mine.

Similar Products Used:
Acura RDX, Nissan Murano, should have bought the Acura.

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Price Paid:  $24000.00 from BMW Chattanooga

Year / Model Reviewed:
2006 sport with m package

Strengths:
Wet and bad road conditions. Great stability at high speeds. Decent MPG.

Weaknesses:
None

Summary:
bought it used with 20,000 miles on it. I love the car. I drive it hard. Flog it like a rented mule and it never complains. Also have a Porsche C4 and a BMW 6 coupe, so my expectations are high. Best driving SUV i have ever driven. 27 MPG highway 19 city, consistently.

Similar Products Used:
Toyota Sequoia and 4Runner.

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.58 of 5, 31.00 votes

Price Paid:  $60266.00 from Dilawri BMW, Regina,

Year / Model Reviewed:
2006 BMW X3

Strengths:
Great engine, Blue tooth, park distance control, good seating position, good acceleration, compact turning circle.

Weaknesses:
Jarring ride on all but glass smooth black top. Definitely not for older people. Most passengers complain about the roughness of the ride. The X3 rocks and rolls on uneven roads and hits breaks in the pavement with a jolt before be suspension gives a little. No home link. Gas mileage could be better.

Summary:
A Painful Disappointment, BMW hype but rides like chuckwagon

Similar Products Used:
I had a 1999 Lexus RX300 for three years that rode a lot better.