Buyers Guide for F25 X3s?

[gypsymoth]

Evening all

Decided to bin my Audi Q5 and switch over to a newer version X3. Naturally perving at all the motors on the BMW Used website and trying to assess what represents a good deal.

However, would be really useful to have a list of 'essentials' I should be looking for when it comes to X3s.

And, if there are any regular faults with F25 X3s, would be great to hear the main ones. I wasn't aware of the Audi s-tronic mechantronic gearbox failures before I bought the Q5, and am facing a £5000 replacement bill  >:(

I did a search and couldnt find anything, so any help appreciated

cheers

[AW8]

The auto box is ZF 8 speed and in my view both car and box are very good.

I don't know cost of a replacement box but If either fail the bill will be thousands. I just did a very quick search online and saw a used box for under £1k but impossible to say if that listing is for a decent box or not.

I have only driven a 2.0d SE but liked it enough at launch enough to say I would happily own one used today.

Professional multi media an option worth having (I can't recall exact spec of that but the bigger display screen is indicative of this set up I think).

I really can't think of much to dislike on the F25 other than it doesn't look particularly stand out striking.

A good choice IMO.

[gypsymoth]

[quote="AW8"]
The auto box is ZF 8 speed and in my view both car and box are very good.

I don't know cost of a replacement box but If either fail the bill will be thousands. I just did a very quick search online and saw a used box for under £1k but impossible to say if that listing is for a decent box or not.

I have only driven a 2.0d SE but liked it enough at launch enough to say I would happily own one used today.

Professional multi media an option worth having (I can't recall exact spec of that but the bigger display screen is indicative of this set up I think).

I really can't think of much to dislike on the F25 other than it doesn't look particularly stand out striking.

A good choice IMO.
[/quote]

Thank you sir - appreciate the feedback

[gypsymoth]

[quote="Krating Daeng"]
I have been driving an X3 Xdrive 30d M Sport (63 plate) for over 12 months now and in my view without any shadow of doubt it is one the best cars I have owned since 1962.  The 8 Speed autobox version is a tremendous car to drive.  Just squeeze the throttle and forget about it.  The software never gets fooled.  Mine is the 3 litre (258 bhp) and is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Also the Pro SatNav version is the one to get.

By the way, because it is a heavy car (obviously not as heavy as an X5) the difference between the 2 litre and the 3 litre engine's fuel consumption is hardly noticeable.  I am currently averaging 38 mpg.  These are actual as recorded in fuelly.com over the past 10,000 miles.

There are only 2 engine sizes in the UK, but with some different versions showing up as the year of registrations progress.

There is the 2.0d that was originally with the N47 engine.  This is now superseded by the B47 engine at the beginning of this year.    Also there are 2 versions of the 3.0 litre engines. The 30d has the 258 bhp engine and then there is the 35d engine which just has twin turbos boosting the output to 318 bhp.

Plenty of information here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_X3

Ask away if you want more information.
[/quote]

This is fantastic advice. Thanks.

The majority of my driving is in the city - yes, I know having a SUV in town is kinda mad but my wife insists. Would the 18d or 20d engines suffice?

I'm guessing the damping control is a must for city driving aswell?

[AW8]

I don't see the point in buying  a 2wd SUV/SAV but thousands of owners surely can't be wrong.

[Pinewood]

If your only driving in the city the x20d will be sufficient.  Go for an lci version with prof nav and xenons as a minimum.  This gives you  heated seats and powered tailgate as standard.
SE,  Xline or M Sport is a personal choice.

[RodHB]

I've just replaced my 3yr old F25 20d SE for a new 2.0d MSport
Extras include variable damping control, zenons, adaptive lighting, headlight assist and surround view.
The lights and the headlight assist are amazing. I was quite concerned using them until I watched the animation sequence that you can download with the online handbook.
The new boot/rear door controls are a big improvement.

[Pinewood]

Agreed the adaptive xenons are the best feature for me. I kept thinking i would dazzle other drivers, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
The next is the connected drive app.  I visit different customers, and so it's very easy to look up their postcode on the app and send it to my car. 1 click and i'm navigating to them.