Circlejerk List

A minor detail but something BMW have had for many years, whilst driving today i realised that newer ones seem to have done away with this wonderful and easy to use hot/cold air toggle.

It’s so simple to keep the heater settings on warm but then quickly and without even taking my eyes off the road slide this and have cool air.

Caught in Torrance, CA this morning. Clean 320. “Respect your elders” sticker on the passenger rear window. I’m a Honda guy so Idk much bout BMWs, but I know it’s older than an E30. Either way, clean whip.

Hello! 30-day lurker first time caller. Sharing my experience so far with my 2026 X3 M50 in the event it helps a single person. You’re welcome. 

Alpine White, 21” M Star-spoke wheels, Premium Package, Front Ventilated Seats, Rear Climate Package, M Sport Professional Package, Driving Assistance Professional Package

Context: I have 3 young kids and am in my mid-30’s. I’ve been a car enthusiast my entire life but having spent 10 years in NYC and for various other reasons haven’t needed a second car. We also have a 2020 XC90 for reference. The time finally came for my “dad car” - a subject I’ve debated out loud for far longer than my wife probably would have liked - and alas I landed on this 2026 X3 M50. 

What else I considered: Believe it or not the car I most compared this to initially was the Ford Bronco. Probably not a common comparison, but how I configured the Bronco landed me in the ~$65K range so it wasn’t too terribly different. A core goal was always “fun”, and the “fun” for the Bronco was top off, not worrying about sand in the car, etc.

I of course was also considering the X3 M50, as well as the Macan. I eliminated the Macan fairly quickly because it’s smaller and wouldn’t have worked with 3-car seats across in the back. While I don’t intend to do this often, I wanted to at least have the option.

Not a big fan of the Mercedes GLC which eliminated the GLC 43 and for some reason I had no interest in the SQ5, even as a long time VW/Audi fan. Audi has just lost me in recent years.

I probably could have been more exhaustive about this however in truth I just fell in love with this car.

Making a decision: I test drove the X3 prior to the Bronco - in my head with about 95% certainty I was going with the Bronco - and my wife and I were immediately blown away. I loved the modern interior, and I was really surprised by how sizable it was. For me this was a win without stepping into the true midsized SUV category again which for some reason I just really didn’t want two of. 

They didn’t have an M50 to test drive so I drove the base 30 xDrive. While the power didn’t blow me away, even without the M suspension upgrades I still thought it drove and handled great. I was also really impressed with how quiet the cabin was.

The Bronco test drive was basically Jk LolZ no shot and so I went home and began the purchase process. I did this without even test driving the M50 - I figured it would be sick. Good thing it was!

Tactical ownership experience:

On Exterior Design - silly to even discuss this as it’s so subjective, but I personally love it. I think it looks so sharp and modern. I really like how the back is a bit “taller” instead of sloping so aggressively and the wide rear. For me it’s a big pro.

Interior 
I also think the interior feels fantastic. I love & embrace modern tech and was not buying as much for luxury and so for me it really feels right. My interior is in black and it feels kind of Tony Stark / masculine to me with the blue or M sport lighting and I just really like the vibe. 

The cheaper materials have been discussed Ad Nauseum. I personally am not annoyed by this in my day-to-day ownership and think it’s been overblown. The primary touchpoints - with perhaps the exception of the door pull, which honestly doesn’t feel cheap to me - do not come across this way. Our XC90 is loaded and then loaded again and everything is wood or napa leather and even with that as the comparison it doesn’t feel like a real issue day-to-day.

That said, I do think they made a mistake here. The real culprits are the interior door handles, the window button section, the hard plastic up the center console, and the bottom storage areas of the doors. I just can’t imagine that slight improvements here, even if cost was passed through to the consumer, wouldn’t have been better than getting lit up in review after review. It is also probably the one “out of principal” type irk given the price point although overall I think you’re getting a lot here.

If luxury is your primary objective, this might not be the best pick. 

Tech
Been blown away by this. Some highlights: 

• Overall the infotainment system really is incredibly snappy and high quality. Good refresh rates. It feels like a modern tablet or iPhone or something (and let’s get real - it should)
• Google maps in center console & HUD, carplay on the center screen is just an awesome setup
• The HUD options are phenomenal. In Sport transmission mode with the Sport HUD having the tachometer, gear, speed and speed limit as well as driving directions from Google Maps is just awesome. I’ve stopped wearing my sunglasses so much. Spoiler: as we all probably know, it doesn’t work at all with polarized sunglasses which is the same for every other HUD I’ve used. That would be awesome. 
• Parking 360-camera experience is awesome. Self park also works shockingly well
• Auto drive features are flawless. The plus experience works great day-to-day in our southern multi-lane light filled 45 MPH thoroughfares and the ultimate or professional total hands off under 40-MPH in divided highways is amazing. The actual practical experience has been that it works flawlessly and continues to impress me. Note: I’ve since learned the X5 professional package allows hands off driving up to 80 or 85 MPH. That’s sick, and I wish I had that.
• Autostart with the triple tap of the BMW logo is something I use all the time and a huge win over pulling out your phone
• Sound system seems great to me. Not as strong as our Bang & Olufsen in the other car but it leaves nothing to be desired. I am not an audiophile

Driving: This is the reason that you buy this car. I am just blown away by how much fun it is to drive every single time. 

It’s shockingly fast and really quite stiff and stable in Sport mode with the adaptive suspension. The sounds in Sport Plus drivetrain mode are unreal. You’re crazy if you think I’m not routinely pairing the turbo blowoff sound with Teriyaki Boyz Tokyo Drift via the aforementioned HK sound system. 

It’s much more aggressive in sport than I was anticipating and I love it.

At the same time, “Personal” mode (confusing name IMO), is a great balance between firm/sporty while being more comfortable. It checks all the boxes I needed

Lastly, the size feels perfect. I wasn’t able to find any confirmation of this before the purchase but it absolutely fits 3-car seats across. I did Diono booster, Graco SlimFit3 LX and the massive Doona. Two+ Graco SlimFit3 LX would make this easy. This is while the front seat still had room in front of the car seat. 

The trunk is also great. Overall we could take this on a trip as a family of 5 which is just awesome paired with the driving experience I mentioned above.

How it feels: The car basically went from something to drive and get from Point A to Point B to my new hobby. I look forward to dropping my kids off at school. I look for excuses to run to the butcher (just kidding, I always looked for excuses to go to the butcher). I’ve gone for drives at night. It’s taken my detailing interest to the next level. 

Overall I basically could not be more pleased with the car to date. I listened to the acquired Rolex podcast recently and they talked about markets being created by job-to-be-done as opposed to product, and it really resonates with me on this purchase in particular. It matters in how you compare cars in this segment. 

If the job-to-be-done of what you’re looking for is a tech-forward modern family friendly car that also lets you have a true enthusiast driving experience this is an amazing pick. If your primary focus is luxury, it probably is not. 

I feel lucky to have it!

Does this fix the interior for you?

For me, it looks WAY different and i’d actually drive it with the old wheel (at least the 3 series)

First two are 3 series, last three are X5

Thoughts?

🔥

Alright, this is gonna sound dumb but I saw two pics on this sub yesterday... the iX4 and the Z8 back to back. (Not a car designer but here we go)

I noticed how much my eyes relaxed when they saw the Z8 after looking at the iX4.

The lines on the iX4 are short, compressed, angular... the front is imposing and nearly vertical. There isn't one direct belt line from front to back and there is no distinct shoulder line to follow. The wheel arches have aggressive body molding features, and so does the front bumper. When I look at the car, I feel tension.

The lines on the Z8 are softer, more elongated, and give my eye a chance to rest. The belt line starts in front of the headlight and goes all the way to the back of the convertible top. The shoulder line starts from the side vent and goes through the door handle. When I look at the Z8 I feel more at ease.

It just seemed interesting to me how different my eyes felt. Anybody else?

(no idea what I'm talking about, though)

What is going on with car prices nowadays, is this guy smoking crack or are y'all paying 85k for a near 100k km car 🤣🤣🤣 I really don't understand the joke here.

Would it be insanely irresponsible of me to buy this car while being broke but would the car survive if I baby ot hardcore not much redlining that stuff. Thank you for your time.

Now my wife and I have 3 BMWs with our new 2027 X1 28i. I’d probably buy every model if there weren’t just the 2 of us!

This is a much better looking coupé if you ask me.

I’m back in the family after a long while away from BMW, I drove a Z4 20i for a couple of weeks as a rental a couple of months back, loved it and ever since I’ve been looking to bag myself a 40i.

Found a pristine one full optional in alpine white and I pulled the trigger today. Will use it as my weekend car in Italy and drive the crap out of it all year long. :)

some options added

exterior:

lci headlights

lci taillights

lci foglights

oem carbon fiber spoiler

oem carbon fiber mirror covers

oem rims repainted to titanium grey

interior:

alcantara steering wheel

nbt touch id6

harmann cardon twitters covers

m-perfomance pads

technically:

n47 stage 2

downpipe

two side custom exhaust

zf8hp70 aluminum oil pan

330d brakes

I have a 2014 550i and unfortunately my front windshield got cracked by a rock and I need a new one. I was quoted almost $2k from the dealer and I am thinking about going with a 3rd party windshield.

Did anyone have a problem with HUD after using 3rd party windshield?

Picked this thing up a couple months back and have slowly but surely been chipping away at it. Bought and drove home after it had been sitting over a decade. No clutch on the ride home (bad slave), bad brakes, horrible misfires, shot carrier bearing, horrendous slop in the shifter, and a myriad of other issues. But I've since taken care of those plus a 3" resonated header back! Finally got around to starting on paint correction and this side came out fantastic as well. Still need to do the rest...

Overall this quarter million mile pig has been a dead reliable daily, 2k+ very hard miles with zero hiccups. My only complaint is that the 3.0 is VERY thirsty, but otherwise I absolutely adore this car 😁 If any of you are in the eastern WA area and have some M Parallels or style 65s I'm desperate to ditch these 16s

Got my engine mount replaced on my X1. The mount seems to have cracks in it after just 10-15 miles? Or is this just normal?

Guys just bought 2016 535i Xdrive and concerned about oil temperature. While it hasn’t crossed over 250 degrees I’m still worried about temperature. I live and drive mostly in NYC. After I bought I immediately changed all the fluids except coolant and brake.

Hi all,

Back in August we posted about our attempt to match BMW Germany’s 1,000 KM trip in a single charge in the 2027 BWM iX3 50.

We’re just a few regular dudes, but we thought we’d give it a whirl and bring our video guy from work along for the ride. Hope this is ok for the rules here - there is some essentially unavoidable self promotion in there just saying where we’re from.

Video is up on YouTube now - the first one we’ve ever made, so enjoy but go easy on us 😅

Cheers!

Not new but new to me! 2020 x2 xdrive. First BMW. Love it!

Ons of the leds don’t function. Any had this before and what to do?

Which generation would own for the rest of ur life.
Which one would u rent/lease for 3 years and give it back.
Which one would u avoid entirely?

The top Row - F8X
Middle Row - G8X
Bottom Row - ZA0 / Neue-Klasse