F25 X3 xDrive20d SE - Ownership Thread

So, some good news. The X3 has just passed its MOT with a clean bill of health - no advisories. Mileage now just shy of 53k so nearly 11k in the past 11months. Got another month or so before we hit the 12 month annivesary in my ownership and will do a write-up to recap the highs & lows, reflect upon ownership and naturally look at the costs.

In the meantime, however, BMW honoured the failed NSR LED light cluster under Approved Used warranty which saved me over 300quid on a fitted part.

Next service is 6k away and will be a big one - oil & filter, microfilter, fuel filter, vehicle check etc. Decided against getting it done early as we will be doing a 2k mile return trip to NW Scotland and back over Hogmonay so will be making the most out of the remaining mileage before sticking it in (gives me a chance to save for it too! ;) ).

Full Report in the New Year!

 

So, everything's indicating to me that the year of ownership is up. First the MOT a week or so ago and now, this morning, the Mondial Letter has just dropped onto the doormat.

Anyway, I've just set everything in motion and renewed the warranty. After a lot of thought I decided to go with the £100 Excess option, which comes in at £54.25pcm, inc Emergency Service which I view as a necessity and brilliant value for what it give you. It's just over £100p.a. more than buying the policy outright, but given we're currently on 53k mileage and will be busting the magical 60k threshold within the next 6 months, I opted for the monthlies. We'll also be keeping the car longterm and probably over 100k, so it makes sense to set the price now. I'm also pleased to note the new policies include wear & tear up to 100k, since the BMW Tech noted slight play evident in OS steering rack. Not worth doing anything about at this stage, but I guess there will come a time soon where it will need doing and I'm confident the warranty will soak it up.

I don't want to give too much of a clue as to the annual, consolidated numbers just yet, nor an in depth review. Tuesday sees me dropping my wife & daughter off at Stansted to fly to Glasgow and spend the rest of next week with my Uncle up in Appin. I will be driving the X3 up (solo) on New Years Eve so the thick end of 550miles in a day which will be a great way to analyse my thoughts on the vehicle and do a meaningful write-up at the year anniversary. I'll be driving back with two girls and dog in tow on 9th Jan, so again, another opportunity to reconcile ones thoughts. At this stage though, we're really very happy with it.

As an aside to the car, I'm looking forward to my solo road trip. A lot of driving in a day, for sure. But it will be my first road trip alone in 4yrs and not being governed by someone else bladder, nappy or feeding routine as well as being able to listen to the contents of my iPod and not the bloody Jolly Phonics CD on loop!!

Mileage - c. 53k and MPG - 38.3

 

I believe that it is purely based upon the vehicle - no other outside factors in terms of annual mileage, job or employment status. I also don't think it matters too much what power plant you have. I seem to remember paying the same for 535d extended warranty as what Mondial wanted if I had renewed my 550i warranty. Obviously for the bigger power plants this means good value, but then again I do have the infamous N47 power plant so although lacking in cylinders and displacement, the potential for claims is not insignificant, I'd have thought.

 

Well, it was all going so well........!!

Hopefully it will continue to do so but one can't help but ask questions when getting back into the car and hearing the error "bong" and being greeted with the message to update time & date. And then realising that all the info stored in the Onboard Computer has been erased.

Clearly a battery issue (well, I guess). But made all the more strange by the fact the car has done 894miles in the last week and running beautifully.

Anyway, everything reset now - which is a bit of a shame since I had been keeping a close eye on stats. At last count the journey computer was on 40.7mpg since leaving Essex last Friday, av speed of c 50mph and the long term average (since owning the car) up to 38.5mpg from 38.2mpg when leaving.

I set off for home tomorrow with daughter and dog in tow. Given I'm hoping to do the whole 485miles in a day as I did on the way up, I'm hoping there will be no issues.

Full write up on my return and for the first year anniversary running report.

 

Well, who'd have thought it?! Spuff getting to the end of 12 months with a vehicle and no thoughts of changing it!

I hardly believe it myself. But this one is certainly a keeper - for many reasons, but not least because it's a totally awesome car.

Where do I start? Well, looking back at my first posts, I had very little expectation of enjoying the X3. Its purchase was borne out of necessity rather than desire, but perhaps that gave it an advantage, since it only needed to be functional in order to succeed. It has, in fact, been everything we needed and more. Whereas the SE has never been a trim level I've been involved with, it suits our needs down to the ground - small alloys = cheap tyres (relatively), plastic mean = robust & utilitarian, N47 20d lump = frugality (relatively but more to this later) and although the SE seats were the original bugbear, I have grown accustomed to them and they really aren't the issue I first expected.

On the day to day, the X3 covers all the family bases. It is my wife's car. Where we are located - down a 1/2mile farm track (rutted, sometimes flooded and ALWAYS dirty), it is needed for every task other than walking the dog. The closest town is 5miles away, the little'uns nursery is 8miles away and this means that even the most normal stuff equates to a mileage always in excess of 10miles - sometimes several times a day. The result of that and one long journey to Scotland and back (just last week) is a cumulative mileage of 12.5k for the year. The X3 has recently been converted to dog transporter and with BMWs superb dog guard, everyone is safe - the boot & bumper protected by a load liner and bumper protector and the dog is very happy in the back.

However, whilst the X3 excels at the daily family duties, it was put to the test on 30th Dec as I embarked upon the 485mile drive to Port Appin from Essex. It was my first proper chance to test the vehicle on a long journey since bringing it home from Bristol when it was purchased. I was fearing a repeat of the SE seat saga where I got a numb bum after only 50miles. However, I needn't have been concerned, having changed my seating position to take account of the SE seats, they were in fact actually VERY comfortable - so much so that I managed the whole trip in just 9hrs door to door - stopping only to pee once and pick up a burger (eaten en-route) from Scotch Corner and to fill with derv and Costa Coffee at Lockerbie.

Quite remarkable.

But what was it like to drive? The X3 makes a good case for itself as a "GT" car of rather different proportions than one might normally think. Although coarse under load, the 20d powertrain is quiet and reasonably refined when cruising. Early 40s mpg is achievable at 80mph on the cruise but as with all SUVs, aerodynamics (or lack thereof) are the biggest penalty to fuel efficiency. What was noticeable compared to previous trips in the 535d, 550i or X5 40d - the N47 didn't struggle, but it did require frequent down changes to keep the pace up along the A66 and around Glencoe where the larger power plants would've sailed up untroubled by the gradients. Those moments and when making overtakes in the Highlands were, hand on heart, the only times I felt like the 30d would've been the more effective companion. At all other times, the N47 (as with our experiences day-to-day at home) is perfectly adequate if aurally & soulfully uninspiring.

The stance of the X3 - particularly with its bright white LED running lights - is also useful on a long journey when you're trying to make progress. Without bullying, it is common to be able to come up behind slower moving traffic and have them pull over without tailgating or flashing.

What was the biggest surprise, particularly after my initial feelings that the SE suspension wasn't up to the job of "ultimate driving machine" was the section of the drive from Loch Lomond up through Glencoe. Past Tarbet I stuck the gearbox in DS and made astounding progress (with quite a lot of fun) through the twisties - bear in mind that at this point, I had been on the road 7hrs, virtually non-stop!! This continued up over Glencoe and down the road from Ballaculish to Port Appin. Although the X3 doesn't corner flat, it is tenacious and holds its line. When it does go, it is understeer - correctable either by stamping on the loud pedal or lifting off slightly. But very controlable and a happy trade-off for the velvet like ride quality you get at the rest of the time courtesy of soft springs and 17" rims.

On top of this, the Business Nav, whilst a massive compromise initially is perfectly up to the job. Like @Singvogel - I feel it does the job nicely and although it's not as aesthetically pleasing as the Pro unit, I don't really miss the larger version. Sound system is ok. Best feature is undoubtedly the heated steering wheel, which comes into its own frequently given the car lives outside. Must be a "must" for the next vehicle.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I think it's obvious that we're happy with the X3!

So to the costs - well, surprisingly good. The full year costs (inc. depreciation) comes out at £8,710 and on the mileage we've done - c. 70p per mile. This would've been a little less had we not have had to replace a full set of summer tyres shortly into ownership and not had another £600 of winter wheelset added to this. But I still view 70ppm as a decent figure for the kind of vehicle we're knocking around in.

Costs going forward will likely be a little dearer this year. I've just renewed the Mondial Warranty with £100 excess - this is coming in at c. £55 pcm. I have just saved £100 on the insurance by changing from A Plan, which brings it down to £400pa. But in 4k miles it is due a £450 service, which will lump the costs up a bit. That said, there'll be at least another 12k miles going on it again, so that helps to amortise the costs and, for the moment, the residuals are still very good indeed. I reckon I've "only" lost £4k on it this year, which is not too bad when compared with the £6k I lost on the Z4 in 4months!!

Would I change it? Hell no. Firstly, it's the perfect car for our needs. Secondly, it's the Missus' car and given she's leaving me, it'll be her problem going forward (unless I swap for the Yeti) and thirdly, for the few occasions where the 30d lump would be genuinely useful like on the road trip I've just done, I don't see the £3-4k premium attaching to that vehicle to be money well spent (for me, anyway).

For the moment - the F25 X3 xDrive20d SE is a strangely wonderful car!

 

Haha - was looking back over some old threads and came across this.

Bit of a funny one since it’s not been in my ownership since 2017 - my ex-Wife got the V5c as part of the divorce settlement.

As I understand from my daughter, the X3 remained under Mondial warranty until May this year but for the previous 3yrs and 40k miles had leaked coolant on a regular basis and spent a decent amount of time at BMW costing my ex more than she’d bargained for. In May at 137k miles the nearside front suspension collapsed and was traded in for c £1.5k against a Kia Sportage.

A few weeks later the car was up for retail with newly refurbed alloys, new tyres, new suspension and a fresh MOT for £7k on a Peterborough dealers forecourt.

Not bad going for a car I bought back in 2016 for c £20k.

I’m just pleased it’s gone as the old number plate I lost when I gave her the car sent shivers down me whenever I saw it locally. Still have a little double take whenever I see a silver F25 though