Fantastic car, so much so, I see you had to get another after letting this one go.. It really is phenomenal given the price point, which is why the up-trade is proving to be difficult.
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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My Alpine White F25 X3 Xdrive20d Motorsport
- Thread starter KPM3_30
- Start date
This topic is so spot on. I was scrolling through AutoTrader the other evening and a blue M40d with brown interior caught my eye - was considering this as a replacement for our f25 20d.
I then used my current x3 for a long distance trip and honestly can not fault the car to justify the incremental spend for the later model.
The F25 20d is a very capable all rounder that is very difficult to replace (PS - I chose to hang onto this one and let the F30 330d go instead a few years ago, now that’s saying a lot). In hind sight should have just kept both.
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I then used my current x3 for a long distance trip and honestly can not fault the car to justify the incremental spend for the later model.
The F25 20d is a very capable all rounder that is very difficult to replace (PS - I chose to hang onto this one and let the F30 330d go instead a few years ago, now that’s saying a lot). In hind sight should have just kept both.
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If you do keep the F25 until you decide on the upgrade, why not do a remap for now? You already the downpipe, so why not. Trust me it transforms the drive completely.
Interesting hearing about the build quality and feel of the G01.
Can anyone confirm if the F15 is superior in quality and feel to a G01?
Interesting hearing about the build quality and feel of the G01.
Can anyone confirm if the F15 is superior in quality and feel to a G01?
MR_Y
Well-known member
The F15 feels like a luxury vehicle. The G01 is solid enough, just not luxurious and some trim is a bit cheaply made (only really becomes noticeable after some years/mileage). I think the facelift G01 addresses some of the quality issues.
(I would still choose a 2018 G01 over a Q5 or GLC or XC60 of that year. The G01 is the better driver's car and space in the rear is very good. The Q5 and XC60 are better quality inside though, but diesel engine and gearbox are behind the X3)
It makes it for such a tough choice. The Q5 is very tempting... That Audi interior build quality makes you feel like you driving something very special, more polished. But pity about the drive.
Makes the F15 very appealing for the price and value. If the larger size is not an issue, makes a very compelling option.
Yulz9081
Honorary ///Member
I think this is quite subjective really as I looked at F15's before buying my G01 and the F15's definitely feel more solid and have more of a presence in comparison.
The drive and feel was superior in the M50d I was considering, however, the all round package offered by the later G01 pre-LCI's like mine worked for us considering an updated interior and newer tech + B58. It still feels like a car especially at higher speeds where the F15 felt like a barge.
F15 interior also felt a bit dated.
This decision was also made before our little one came along as space is now a premium in the G01 boot where the X5 would fare a lot better.
GravityLee
Well-known member
BMW knows what they are doing in terms of market positioning. Even when comparing different (subsequent) generations there is a distinct difference between tiers - the build quality and perceived luxury is built-in, so to speak.
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922-ZN
Well-known member
G01 > F15 all day.
Maybe lower model G01s feel cheaply made, certainly not my 30d or @Yulz9081 M40i, I can attest, that thing drives like a car, not a SUV.
G01 is worth every penny compared to F25 IMO.
That being said, G05 50d is just next level awesome, full black on some black wheels, that thing has road presence!!! Such a pity it won't fit in my current garage.
Kyle
///Member
Yeah the biggest difference is definitely the ride quality, you don't feel the height at all on the G01 and it definitely absorbs the bumpy roads much better.
The earlier G01 lower spec models are starting to look a bit dated though IMO... LCi is just perfect.
I also have a stage 0 file from Xcede on the car (used the file to disable the EGR system). I will only do an upgraded map once I go XHP on the gearbox as well, I feel its a must if you changing ECU parameters to do the corresponding TCU parameters.
The F15's I have sat in were definitely superior to the G01 I viewed, maybe that wasn't taken care of in the best way since the guy had kids/pets. There must be a reason a F15 30d costs more than a G01 30d, like for like....
My test was in a 2018 30d Model, I fully stand by what I said earlier. The drive is definitely better in the G01, no argument there but 3x better than the F25, hardly. Also the Msport package makes somewhat of a difference to the handling feel, yours was an exclusive IIRC.
I visited ABM over the weekend, sat in a 2021 20d and the interior quality/feel was vastly different from the 2018 model I viewed. I also sat in a F15 X5M50d and that felt so much better than the G01 quality, fair enough not apples with apples given model/spec differences but like I said, there is a reason that corresponding F15's cost more than the G01.
Fully agree that the G05 is leaps and bounds ahead of everything though. One day.
MR_Y
Well-known member
Agree. I guess that jump in quality equates to that eye watering price tag...
One more thread to comment on, to round out the 2023 car updates..
Been an exceptionally busy year and I really don't know where the time has gone. The X3 has been doing family duty remarkably well and has done 8 round trips to Durban and back in just over a year, returning fantastic consumption and time on every trip.
I needed a minor service done in March of this year and after pricing out options, I decided to stick with ABM opting for the Black Oil Package and buying the filters to DIY. Shocking how filthy the air filter gets here in Jhb compared to Dbn, on half the mileage! Also did a brake fluid flush at ABM whilst the car was in.
Fast forward to June, after many trips to the coast, I felt like I needed a bit more grunt for the open road and started thinking about uptrading to a G01 30d. I think the 20d is a great engine for 90% of the time but when you really need to get going at speed, there is a lack of shove and whilst I am sure a remap would solve that, I did want something newer and more spacious as well. Given that the X3 would be due for a host of maintenance, the idea was to buy something before I had to spend on the F25. I test fitted the F25 in the garage to see how it would fare for space and it is quite snug, the G01/F15 is about as large as I can go if I want it to fit in the garage..
After perusing the usual classifieds, I came across a 2018 G01 30d Msport that seemed to fit the bill and made arrangements to go see it.. All the while I had the sale advert typed up and pictures ready to complement the ad. The G01 is an awesome car and the 30d feels amazing, especially with a back to back comparison to the 20d but I was underwhelmed as it didn't feel 3x the car given the pricing. The quality wasn't up to par and it wasn't much larger than the F25, so it just didn't make sense to part with that amount of cash.
At this point decided I would keep the car and look for a good deal on a F15 X5, this meant I had to plan to spend on some maintenance (and 'mods') and so it began.. Decided to upgrade the fogs to the LED version from @FiRi@Rennzport and my word, they are SUPER bright. I could easily drive around with fogs only and have perfect visibility. I also grabbed a set of parking brake covers to freshen the interior and decided to get the inner door handles as well, since the passenger side is starting to melt. In classic petrol head fashion, decided it would be prudent to do them all. I am yet to fit these but should do later in December when I am finally on leave.
In October the car was due for tyres (all 4, which is another expensive exercise in itself). I ended up getting Bridgestone S001 RFT's fitted from ABM, stellar pricing on the tyres and I had them fitted at Mala's when I went to collect the M3 tyres. Old tyres delivered 40k mileage under my ownership and were fitted by the previous owner.. Pretty good mileage all things considered but the way they bubble, put me off for life. The passenger front tyre also didn't wear evenly and I had taken the car to ABS in Midrand to check the suspension and I was given the all clear. Upon fitting at Mala's I had them do a full check and it turned out the passenger control arm bush was wearing and the driver's tie-rod was showing some wear, this meant I needed to start procuring parts for a full front suspension refresh. I have 90% of the parts for this exercise and will likely fit them in January.
The car has started developing a slight shudder when braking hard from 120km/h to around 70km/h and I narrowed this down to the front discs which were last changed under motorplan, many years ago. The rear pads are also due for changing soon, so this means new discs and pads for the front and rear, which is another costly exercise, all the parts are now sitting in the garage. Makes sense to have this done when attending to the suspension next year.
We had horrific hail in Midrand a few weeks ago and my neighbour's 4 cars were all written off as they had been left outside. I am very grateful for my foresight having fitted a custom carport to protect the car from such occurrences. Happy to say that the carport did the job, not without damage having ripped parts of the netting apart. It protected the car entirely from any damage, partly due to the way I park which is across the length to ensure it is not exposed to the sun (OCD, I know). This pic was taken the morning after the storm.
I still think the F25 shape looks amazing and caught myself taking a pic after a good wash and polish. The Motorsport package really does wonders for the way the car is aging and I don't feel it looks outdated IMO.
That brings the thread up to current and will likely be selling once I find the unicorn F15 I have my sights set on.
Been an exceptionally busy year and I really don't know where the time has gone. The X3 has been doing family duty remarkably well and has done 8 round trips to Durban and back in just over a year, returning fantastic consumption and time on every trip.
I needed a minor service done in March of this year and after pricing out options, I decided to stick with ABM opting for the Black Oil Package and buying the filters to DIY. Shocking how filthy the air filter gets here in Jhb compared to Dbn, on half the mileage! Also did a brake fluid flush at ABM whilst the car was in.
Fast forward to June, after many trips to the coast, I felt like I needed a bit more grunt for the open road and started thinking about uptrading to a G01 30d. I think the 20d is a great engine for 90% of the time but when you really need to get going at speed, there is a lack of shove and whilst I am sure a remap would solve that, I did want something newer and more spacious as well. Given that the X3 would be due for a host of maintenance, the idea was to buy something before I had to spend on the F25. I test fitted the F25 in the garage to see how it would fare for space and it is quite snug, the G01/F15 is about as large as I can go if I want it to fit in the garage..
After perusing the usual classifieds, I came across a 2018 G01 30d Msport that seemed to fit the bill and made arrangements to go see it.. All the while I had the sale advert typed up and pictures ready to complement the ad. The G01 is an awesome car and the 30d feels amazing, especially with a back to back comparison to the 20d but I was underwhelmed as it didn't feel 3x the car given the pricing. The quality wasn't up to par and it wasn't much larger than the F25, so it just didn't make sense to part with that amount of cash.
At this point decided I would keep the car and look for a good deal on a F15 X5, this meant I had to plan to spend on some maintenance (and 'mods') and so it began.. Decided to upgrade the fogs to the LED version from @FiRi@Rennzport and my word, they are SUPER bright. I could easily drive around with fogs only and have perfect visibility. I also grabbed a set of parking brake covers to freshen the interior and decided to get the inner door handles as well, since the passenger side is starting to melt. In classic petrol head fashion, decided it would be prudent to do them all. I am yet to fit these but should do later in December when I am finally on leave.
In October the car was due for tyres (all 4, which is another expensive exercise in itself). I ended up getting Bridgestone S001 RFT's fitted from ABM, stellar pricing on the tyres and I had them fitted at Mala's when I went to collect the M3 tyres. Old tyres delivered 40k mileage under my ownership and were fitted by the previous owner.. Pretty good mileage all things considered but the way they bubble, put me off for life. The passenger front tyre also didn't wear evenly and I had taken the car to ABS in Midrand to check the suspension and I was given the all clear. Upon fitting at Mala's I had them do a full check and it turned out the passenger control arm bush was wearing and the driver's tie-rod was showing some wear, this meant I needed to start procuring parts for a full front suspension refresh. I have 90% of the parts for this exercise and will likely fit them in January.
The car has started developing a slight shudder when braking hard from 120km/h to around 70km/h and I narrowed this down to the front discs which were last changed under motorplan, many years ago. The rear pads are also due for changing soon, so this means new discs and pads for the front and rear, which is another costly exercise, all the parts are now sitting in the garage. Makes sense to have this done when attending to the suspension next year.
We had horrific hail in Midrand a few weeks ago and my neighbour's 4 cars were all written off as they had been left outside. I am very grateful for my foresight having fitted a custom carport to protect the car from such occurrences. Happy to say that the carport did the job, not without damage having ripped parts of the netting apart. It protected the car entirely from any damage, partly due to the way I park which is across the length to ensure it is not exposed to the sun (OCD, I know). This pic was taken the morning after the storm.
I still think the F25 shape looks amazing and caught myself taking a pic after a good wash and polish. The Motorsport package really does wonders for the way the car is aging and I don't feel it looks outdated IMO.
That brings the thread up to current and will likely be selling once I find the unicorn F15 I have my sights set on.
So it would appear that said unicorn has been found.. Just waiting on the seller to sort documentation out on his end, before I can take delivery. If all goes to plan, I should have the car in the next 2 weeks.
The X3 will be for sale shortly thereafter. New front suspension and brakes have been done, along with the new inner handles on all doors and parking brake switches. Will do an oil service at BMW before it is sold.
The X3 will be for sale shortly thereafter. New front suspension and brakes have been done, along with the new inner handles on all doors and parking brake switches. Will do an oil service at BMW before it is sold.
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
Congratulations bro
AshG108
///Member
Don't worry, I was also waiting after he changed his mind the last timeNice Kev, looking forward to the new car, but was also waiting for the for sale ad on the F25
Nice Kev, looking forward to the new car, but was also waiting for the for sale ad on the F25
In all honesty, sale advert has been typed up since June last year, but couldn't find a X5 that ticked my admittedly many boxes.
Didn't expect the car to go before I even had the replacement.
Don't worry, I was also waiting after he changed his mind the last time
LOL, plan was to buy a G01 but then decided F15 suited what I wanted better. Finding one has been beyond hard, so I had no idea when the F25 would be sold. Just so happened that the right one popped up and I managed to do a deal with the seller.
Clearly was a case of first to view, first to buy.. I had 2 other forumites that had messaged me after I gave my word to the buyer, that I would wait for him to view first.
