discussion G01 X3 20d 2018-2019 advice

MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
Hi

So, after some false starts in the past in looking for a replacement for my 2016 Volvo V60 CC, I have decided to look for a pre facelift G01 X3 20d of 2018-2019 vintage, with preferably less than 40,000km.

I am keen to pull the trigger by Mar 2023, if not sooner. My V60 has a major service coming up in April 2023 anyway.

I would have been glad to keep the V60, but family requirements have changed and the rear space in the V60 is no longer sufficient (the V60 is a "sportwagon", so not as spacious as a traditional station wagon for growing kids).

This will be the wife and family car. My toy (Polestar) and daily driver (EcoSport) will still carry on.

Anyway, I am keen to hear of owners' experiences and if there is anything I should look out for.

I feel the 2018 cars are priced a bit high. I am hoping that they drop a bit next year as they approach their end of Motorplan, which I would likely extend myself.
 
///M Individual

///M Individual

Well-known member
Do not own one but my uncle has a G01 20d that I drive from time to time and it is incredible. Brilliant balance of power, economy and space. He has the MSport with 19inch wheels which do not look so great but provides a good ride. Interior is world's apart from the F25 and there are some awesome options that can be had. Not sure what's standard and not but items like wireless charging, electric towbar etc are nice to have. Pretty much bulletproof like prior 20d's. My only advice would be try to find one that has the spare wheel option.

He also went up Sani Pass with it so if ever the need arises:

G01 X3 2.0d up Sani Pass?

Hi guys Hope you all well. My uncle acquired this recently: Just to put you in the picture this uncle is the reason I drive a BMW 2.0d. He convinced me what a brilliant motor it is from power to economy and most importantly reliability. He also has a F30 320d and my cousin has a F10 520d so...
www.bmwfanatics.co.za





All in all an excellent vehicle and I doubt you will regret getting one.
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
I went on the X3 offroad experience after the BMW Club skidpan event recently. A base spec X3 handles the rough stuff really well. Even on some axle twister sections.

I feel used prices are still too high. Well priced ones disappear within minutes of listing.

The hunt is on.
 
AshG108

AshG108

///Member
My experience, I drove the X3M and X4M on my performance course and they are VERY capable, dont feel top heavy like other SUVs, power is more than enough. Drove the 20d and it was again the same outcome, great power, no robot-racer but VERY capable vehicle. my bro-in-law has the 18d and when compared to the 20d, the spec is still great, power wise it feels close to the 20d in fact almost not noticeable as it is not 4 wheel drive and feels lighter on acceleration etc. Fuel consumption is great, over 1000km on the 18d with ease on his trip from Jhb through the Garden Route.

X3 is a no brainer...which engine you go with is the deciding factor but plenty in the market and between the R600 - 700k mark, you can choose a decent one with some miles on it but you are nowhere near not being spoilt for choice.
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
AshG108 said:
My experience, I drove the X3M and X4M on my performance course and they are VERY capable, dont feel top heavy like other SUVs, power is more than enough. Drove the 20d and it was again the same outcome, great power, no robot-racer but VERY capable vehicle. my bro-in-law has the 18d and when compared to the 20d, the spec is still great, power wise it feels close to the 20d in fact almost not noticeable as it is not 4 wheel drive and feels lighter on acceleration etc. Fuel consumption is great, over 1000km on the 18d with ease on his trip from Jhb through the Garden Route.

X3 is a no brainer...which engine you go with is the deciding factor but plenty in the market and between the R600 - 700k mark, you can choose a decent one with some miles on it but you are nowhere near not being spoilt for choice.
Click to expand...
Thanks man.
Will also test an 18d and see if it offers a better value proposition for my and wife's needs
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
“Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.”
– Napoleon Hill.

Holding deposit has been placed today on a White 2018 X3 20d, 37,000km, 1 year left on Plan.
Price seems fair.
Very hard finding a base spec car (i.e. not M-sport).
This is close to base spec, but has these options:
- Leather (I assume the standard spec has fake leather?)
- mechanical roller sun blind for rear windows
- parking assist (I assume this is the fancy pants self parking option, given that this was listed as R16,700 when new)
- electrically operated trailer tow hitch
- 19 inch V spoke wheels (ideally, I would have preferred 18s for comfort, but these seem to have decent sized sidewalls).

Some minor items to resolve, since the car was listed just a day or two ago:
- The tyres are worn down to the TWIs, so will be replaced as part of the deal. Seems that the tyres were never replaced from new.
- There is a clicking noise from the steering column as you turn the wheel. This will need to be fixed before delivery.
- No other issues. Car is on Plan until Sep 2023. No comments, no accident damage. History shows just usual service items. Only one lady owner from new (which may explain why the tyres were never replaced :) - apologies for that remark!)

The car was not optioned with the spare wheel when new, so this means that the boot floor does not have the fancy hidden wheel compartment. This means that when I buy a space saver spare wheel, I cannot place it under the boot floor. Will need to find a solution for that.

Sandton Auto allowed me to take the car on a longish test drive on the highway and suburb roads. Some initial impressions:
- Very comfortable
- Lacks the mid-range punch of my V60 CC (granted X3 has 140kw/400Nm vs V60's 162kw/440Nm). Similar to how my 2017 320d motor felt.
- ZF gearbox is quicker to react than the 6-speed Aisin on my V60
- Engine does not sound as good as the 5 cylinder V60, for obvious reasons
- Car feels solid on the road
- Not a terribly exciting car, but I feel that it will make an ideal long distance cruiser and will be fine for my wife's daily duties

Anyway, Volvo (Tom Campher) offered me today only 17% less than what I paid for my V60 back in Aug 2019.
Who says Volvos have bad resale :)
That is 17% loss for 3 years and approx. 70,000km of driving and a few dings and scratches too on black paintwork.

Anyway, before I pop the champagne, there are a few things to sort out first.

I will create a seperate thread once all has been crossed and dotted...
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
CK4LIFE said:
Wow, that was quick @MR_Y . Thought the search was gonna be looong...
Click to expand...
When this base spec X3 hit Autotrader, I knew I needed to act fast. Impossible to haggle on price on these cars and they sell sell quick, especially given mileage and price.
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
Need advice on spare wheel options for the G01 X3. Awaiting quotes from dealership but I assume this will cost an arm and a leg. Anyone with a retrofitted spare on their G01 X3?

I am open to getting a used space saver spare wheel, but worried about how to mount it securely and neatly/cleanly. This was less of an issue on my F30, because the boot was separate from the cabin and there was no real risk of the spare wheel flying into the cabin in an accident.

Also, with an above boot floor placement in the X3, it would eat into boot space.
 
MR_Y

MR_Y

Well-known member
On the space saver spare wheel factory fitted option:
Here is the comparison between cars with and without the spare wheel option fitted.
So, in summary you will lose 76 litres of cargo room.
The picture below also shows how much luggage you can fit, which seems tight.
images (1).jpeg
images (3).jpeg

Bottom line, I don't think getting a space spare wheel in the boot, even with a neat retrofitted solution, will be feasible for long distance travelling, given the amount of luggage usually taken.

Also, the full size damaged wheel will take up more space than the space saver, so some more luggage space would need to be sacrificed

A roof rack, with a space saver wheel mounted just for long distance trips, seems like a good idea. Will need to explore this a bit further. It also has the advantage of being able to carry the damaged full size wheel, without impacting the luggage space.

images (4).jpeg

Since I travel to really remote rural areas in KZN, where BMW on call would not be able to get to in an hour, a spare wheel is a must. Especially if you break a rim on pothole that renders the runflat useless.
 
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