Do you know what’s funny? Getting serious with someone. Yea, you know, you move in together, and now all their stuff is half your stuff, and all your stuff…you get it. That means over the course of dating history, millions of car enthusiasts have looks at their significant other’s ride and thought, “Do I really like them that much?”. You do! And I must like the new 2025 BMW X3 M50, because one is on its way to my very garage as we speak.
Mrs. Machines has spoken. Sorry for the anti-climatic search.
Have you even driven a new X3 M50?
Noooope! I haven’t even seen one in person, let alone drive one. But I’m going on faith because my wife and I both like our current X3 M40 so much. It’s been good to us.
I know – look at all the cars I drive. But Mercedes’ answer has a four-cylinder, she still doesn’t like the SQ 5, and try as I might, she’s not really an F90 M5 kind of girl.
Come on, it’s still got a B58, along with a ton of good standard stuff like an Adaptive M Suspension, M brakes, an M steering wheel, and even M stripes on the chairs. It’s like Space Balls, minus the bed sheets.
How did you spec the car outside?
Allow me to complain about BMW’s current mainstream color palette for some of these cars. I feel like they try to push you toward an Individual color, but that’s not happening on a family SUV. That said, this is what the Mrs. wanted outside:
- Vegas Red Metallic
- 20″ M Jet Black Bicolor 1036M Wheels
No more winter/summer tires. I’m done dragging them up and down from the basement. And these are bigger than the puny 19-inch all-season wheels that came standard on the last generation.
Speaking of, if you want a set of winter wheels for a G01 X3, they are available.
What about the inside?
Black: boring. Espresso brown? Looks like crap. Literally. Calm Beige – nice with the red, but asking for trouble with a kid in the back. That leaves Black Veganza Leather with Alcantara and M stripes – okay.
The trim options are terrible – wood or aluminum? No carbon fiber? Ugh, at least it’s not all over the inside like bad wallpaper. Aluminum it is.
I can’t wait to make fun of the disco ambient lighting. We’ll either love it or hate it.
And the options?
For $600, the M Sport Professional Package is a no-brainer. It includes:
- Extended Shadowline trim
- M Shadowline lights
- Red brake calipers
- Full LED lights with cornering
Mrs. Machines loves black trim, so I want to throw as much as possible on it. Next, the Parking Assistance Package is a must – I’ve gotten used to the camera views on all the press cars now. That means you must include the Premium Package:
- HUD
- Interior camera
- HK stereo
- Parking Assistance Plus
- ACC stop/go – we don’t want it but it comes with so…yup.
That’s it for packages. My daughter wants side window shades, front ventilated seats are a must, front/rear heated seats too (and you must add a rear climate control panel, which used to be standard). We’ll leave off the woven textile dash – I haven’t liked the ones I’ve seen on the iX.
Shopping spree concluded, we await delivery.
Did you even bother to look at anything else, you BMW fanboy homer you?
Back to my original point. Before she was Mrs. Machines, she was just Ms. Or was it Machines…I dunno. Anyway, she had an Acura ILX that I honestly thought was a hoot, but could not fit into for the life of me unless you opened the sunroof. That got chilly.
So when her lease was up, I may have…suggested she try a BMW. And would you look at that, a 528i with 10,000 miles driven by an old lady in Bergen County magically appeared. But I knew by her big smile she really was happy.
Don’t forget that she rides with me all the time in press cars, so she too has gotten a feel for likes and dislikes. Just so happens to be a BMW X3 with 400 horsepower. I’m not mad.
And you guys thought I’d end up with a Mercedes in the garage…
Shout out to Circle BMW, as always
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