6 months until my X3 lease is up and I have being weighing up my options, another X3, Discovery Sport, Evoque, Audi Q5, Jaguar F Pace, VW Tiguan ( ) and the decision is .................... another X3!

I have never been a fan of the design of the Discovery Sport, the Evoque is too small, the Q5 is too long in the tooth, the F-Pace is too expensive (too new so lease prices are high) and also major issues with reliability if you check the forums and the Tiguan is too expensive for what it is (in my spec anyway!)

I have had my X3 for 2.5 years now and 40,000 miles down the line I have not had a single issue (touch wood), its suits my needs and I love it. I have fully loaded the potential replacement so that it has variable damper control, 20" Diamond cut alloys, full colour head up display, digital dials, adaptive LED headlamps, LED foglamps, Harmon Kardon sound system, reversing camera, as well as all the options my current one has - panoramic sunroof (not a non-openable glass roof ), comfort access, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, professional navigation with live traffic updates, online services, remote services. The price is less than I pay now so am delighted!

I know the X3 is not everyone's cup of tea and when it snows a LR will be towing me out but for the other 360 days of the year I will be loving the experience! A new X3 goes into production next Summer but that is unlikely to land in blighty until early 2018, I didn't want to wait until then as the early cars tend to have issues plus I wouldn't have got the stonking deal that I have with this one. Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

who do you think you are kidding Mr Shilen if you think old Englands done?

Click image to enlarge

Yet you still come back to a JLR forum to ponder

Did you not find a BMW forum to entertain you in 2.5 years

Saying that people find forums to get answers for faults they have, maybe that's why jlr based forums are so busy  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

shilen wrote:

I have had my X3 for 2.5 years now and 40,000 miles down the line I have not had a single issue (touch wood), its suits my needs and I love it. I have fully loaded the potential replacement so that it has variable damper control, 20" Diamond cut alloys, full colour head up display, digital dials, adaptive LED headlamps, LED foglamps, Harmon Kardon sound system, reversing camera, as well as all the options my current one has - panoramic sunroof (not a non-openable glass roof ), comfort access, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, professional navigation with live traffic updates, online services, remote services. The price is less than I pay now so am delighted!

I know the X3 is not everyone's cup of tea and when it snows a LR will be towing me out but for the other 360 days of the year I will be loving the experience! A new X3 goes into production next Summer but that is unlikely to land in blighty until early 2018, I didn't want to wait until then as the early cars tend to have issues plus I wouldn't have got the stonking deal that I have with this one.

npinks wrote:

Yet you still come back to a JLR forum to ponder

Did you not find a BMW forum to entertain you in 2.5 years

Saying that people find forums to get answers for faults they have, maybe that's why jlr based forums are so busy

.[/quote]

Wow, that is one highly specced X3. Was there anything left off the options list?

[/quote]

I didn't tick the box for electric seats, only my arse is going to be in the drivers seat so didn't see the point.

There are lots of options I didn't pick, if you picked every option it comes out at £56K

Opt for the 35d and its £62.6K  Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

I am sure there is a lot more on the list but that is still a pretty comprehensive package.

A couple of things I would have liked on mine were the head up display and comfort access.

20d again or did you go for the 30d? BMW X3 30d M Sport - Current (problem free)
2014 SD4 Auto HSE Lux - Gone (too many problems)
2012 TD4 Manual XS - Gone (too many problems)

Unfortunately, LR seem to believe that they can do no wrong at the moment; when the choice is between an Evoque, a DS and an X3 and the X3 wins the day, then they really need to get their act together!

As their cars have gone more mainstream and less "Land Rover like", they are going to find that companies like BMW are going to be able to build a better BMW than they can! I'd like to have seen them being the no brainer choice in the area of the market they were once best at (think FL2 / D4), rather than an also ran in the (admittidly march larger) SUV mass market that they've chosen to go after.

Spatch wrote:

I am sure there is a lot more on the list but that is still a pretty comprehensive package.

A couple of things I would have liked on mine were the head up display and comfort access.

20d again or did you go for the 30d?

Tigger wrote:

Unfortunately, LR seem to believe that they can do no wrong at the moment; when the choice is between an Evoque, a DS and an X3 and the X3 wins the day, then they really need to get their act together!

As their cars have gone more mainstream and less "Land Rover like", they are going to find that companies like BMW are going to be able to build a better BMW than they can! I'd like to have seen them being the no brainer choice in the area of the market they were once best at (think FL2 / D4), rather than an also ran in the (admittidly march larger) SUV mass market that they've chosen to go after.

This forum is not just a FL2 forum, it's more like going down the pub and talking to your mates. Where else can you get views and advice on central heating systems, fixing other cars, emotional problems etc. Freel2.com is more like a Mumsnet for practical blokes. Must go out a register blokesnet.com - oh it's already been done! 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

I agree with the comments re the forum.

I'm on other forums and enjoy my Volvo XC60, but always check this forum first.

Iain

Order for X3 confirmed and delivery expected early March (currently on a 18-20 week lead in). Trawled the internet and managed to find the exact same colour combo with same wheels etc, its only missing the sunroof but gives you an idea of what I decided upon. Feel free to print off and use for dart practice

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Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

I hate BMW's! But as LR have hashed up their vehicle range the X3 in the colour you have choosen does look nice.

Glad to see you have a sense of humour also

Enjoy the new car when arrives.

Nut MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

Last edited by LR NUT on 4th Oct 2016 6:41 pm. Edited 2 times in total

but does it have a rechargable torch? bmws used to fit them it broke on mine, along with most other parts of the bag of bolts

truly worst car I ever owned, I gave up on car pride after that and bought an Astra, before successfully returning to german motors with 2 golfs and an A3.

the vauxhall dealer who took BMW in as part-ex informally complained to me about how many things on it didnt work, At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race