Ehhh the x3m in terms of luxury is way behind the x5m and the x7 m50i. It’s just that handling such a massive suv with those power numbers is cumbersome, they don’t handle like they are on rails like the x3m.
There was a discussion back of why so many people were transferring out of their x3’s and it was surmised that guys were leasing them for their wives or girlfriends, even a mom in a case and the suspension was way too harsh for them as a daily driver, particularly in the comp variant.
Interesting. Didnt realize that. most of the ms are rough. But the x5 does come with air suspension idk bout M not so i know if x6 does. The cayenne turbo rs q8 Urus and gle all have air suspension
My past 20+ years of experience driving BMW:
Stay away from large wheels with run flat tires.
Run flat tires makes the drive harsh anyway, but the larger the wheel (20"+) makes it a kidney buster.
If I had a choice, I’d get a 18" or 19" wheel BMW - no more 20" and 21" for me (getting old and bones are not soft anymore).
I have had these SUVs under my belt: E53, E70, and F15 and the ones with the base 18" wheels were a dream to drive.
My other BMWs: E90, E91, F10 - all sedans were harsh except for the F10 (528) with base 18" wheels.
sporty when you want to put your foot down means aggressive acceleration? or you want it to turn/shift its weight quickly also?
The x5 and x7 are just too large to do that…The x3 is a great compromise for all, size/comfort/acceleration/handling…The X5 is bigger in its foot print, taller, it has more luxury feel/ /acceleration can be good, but handling not so much.
To me the wheel/tire combination/suspension is MORE of a factor in city driving comfort/cruising than the 2 suv choices.
I believe the x5m and x6m for the current gen dropped air suspension in lieu of adaptive dampers and coil overs.
For MY 2021 the m5 comp suspension was also tweaked, the original f90 m5 and the 2020 facelift had a very harsh suspension for the comp models only.
They are probably going to or have already tweaked the x3m at some point.
Most of those who got the x3m were used to it having driven an m2,m3 or m4.
I would consider the X3 30i with 4 cylinder turbo…I bought one for my wife and it is plenty peppy…I think 0-60 around 6 seconds with about 250 horse/torque…and it gets mid 30s on highway! Ride is super comfy on 19" non run flats. Really quiet too but we have acoustic side glass. It will surprise you with the get up and go…it did me and I had an F80 M3 when we bought it.
But the big wheels look so cool 
I am so glad to see this post. I am thinking of leasing a '22 X3 M40i. I live in NYC. The roads within 60 miles of me are awful. During daily driving, I don’t want to feel every ridge and every pothole, nor do I want to be changing tires/rims monthly, even with wheel and tire insurance. Will adaptive M suspension set to COMFORT feel more like a “luxury” car while driving on the Cross Bronx Expressway or will it still feel somewhat stiff? I would try to get package 1VU, which are 19" rims with XXX/50r19 all-season run-flat tires. No non-run flat all seasons, unfortunately.
You need higher profile tires with 18-19" wheels for this.
So even if I could snag the 19" rims [pkg #1VU] you’re saying that the XXX/50r19 tire is too short of a profile for a truly comfortable ride on the COMFORT setting. Damn.
50 should be good, but I was not talking about comfort, though it does help.
Why the XXX? A 235/50 has 20mm less sidewall than a 275/50
I have an X5 40i and have compared the X3 m40i. They’re totally different dyanmically. The X3 m40i is quite a sporty SUV, and the X5 40i is just all out luxury. There’s a very significant difference in luxury between the 2, with the materials quality in the X5 very noticeably better.
It comes down to what you want. If luxury and comfort are your priorities, then the X5 by a longshot. But if you want sportiness, then x3 m40i will win that comparison.
Sorry, XXX was because I didn’t know the first number of the available 19" rim tire size. Since I am concerned about comfort, it seems like I have to take the M40i off my list. Because I am leasing, it doesn’t pay for me to change wheels/tires. About sidewalls, which I know are related to the width of the tread. As the width of the tread goes up, the sidewall height automatically does too, right? Do the higher sidewalls still generally provide a softer ride?
Unfortunately, a loaded X5 is out of my price range and too big for my parking space. Also, there are too many features that can’t be added. I miss the days of ordering cars.
Ah yes… I ordered my X5 pre pandemic so there was a huge buffet of options back then. Hopefully things start to normalize by next year (my lease is up fall 2022) and I also love ordering my cars.
100% agree; the X3 is a significant downgrade in overall interior quality. It just “feels” cheap and less luxurious than the X5. My wife wanted to downgrade from her X5 to X3 and I told her she was NUTS.
The real leather and the ambient lighting take the x3 interior up a notch. Still won’t feel like an x5, but is very nice especially at night.
The only people flocking to X3 over X5 are the young heads who want power and dont care for interior amenities. The X3 is built as cost effective as the 3 series.
You won’t choose BMW for interior quality. I would go MB for that.
Reason for BMW is driving fun.
My friend’s MB looks more luxury interior, but gas paddle feels like bunch of cotton