[The J-Man]

I am sure I will get flamed for this, but am I the only one who thinks the interior quality of the new X3 is total trash?

I was super excited about the M40i until I drove it. I could not get past the low quality interior. The design is surely better than the prior model, but the materials quality is much worse.

The faux leather dash is much lower quality (and cost) than the standard non-leather dash of old model, which is why they did it. I think it looks very cheap, and if you push down on it, you can feel just how thin it is.

I thought the seats were very uncomfortable - nowhere near the support and quality of what you would come to expect from BMW sport seats.

The trim whether wood or aluminum seems like plastic. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually is.

The hard plastic of the lower door panels is totally inexcusable, not to mention the excessive uses of hard plastic throughout the rest of the interior.

The absolutely gaudy X3 and M logos everywhere.

The lack of a power steering wheel adjustment (still).

Lack of M-sport wheel in a $65K car.

The shiny cheap thin black plastic around HVAC controls.

The floor of the trunk that lifts up is very cheap and flimsy - considerably lower quality than the X5.

I could go on and on. Every inch of the interior feels like it has been engineered to reduce as many pennies as possible from the production process.

Comparing the X3 to the Audi Q5 on interior quality is night and day. Audi really gets it right. BMW, it seems, never has and never will on the smaller models - it just gets worse and worse with each model redesign.

I'll say, though, that the X5 interior is phenomenal, so I know they are capable of making a quality interior. Why can't we get a smaller car with a nice interior, BMW?

[sor]

Originally Posted by The J-Man

I am sure I will get flamed for this, but am I the only one who thinks the interior quality of the new X3 is total trash?

I was super excited about the M40i until I drove it. I could not get past the low quality interior. The design is surely better than the prior model, but the materials quality is much worse.

The faux leather dash is much lower quality (and cost) than the standard non-leather dash of old model, which is why they did it. I think it looks very cheap, and if you push down on it, you can feel just how thin it is.

I thought the seats were very uncomfortable - nowhere near the support and quality of what you would come to expect from BMW sport seats.

The trim whether wood or aluminum seems like plastic. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually is.

The hard plastic of the lower door panels is totally inexcusable, not to mention the excessive uses of hard plastic throughout the rest of the interior.

The absolutely gaudy X3 and M logos everywhere.

The lack of a power steering wheel adjustment (still).

Lack of M-sport wheel in a $65K car.

The shiny cheap thin black plastic around HVAC controls.

The floor of the trunk that lifts up is very cheap and flimsy - considerably lower quality than the X5.

I could go on and on. Every inch of the interior feels like it has been engineered to reduce as many pennies as possible from the production process.

Comparing the X3 to the Audi Q5 on interior quality is night and day. Audi really gets it right. BMW, it seems, never has and never will on the smaller models - it just gets worse and worse with each model redesign.

I'll say, though, that the X5 interior is phenomenal, so I know they are capable of making a quality interior. Why can't we get a smaller car with a nice interior, BMW?

I won't flame you, because everyone has a right to their own opinion, but to answer your question, based on the multitude of rave reviews you certainly are in the minority. Many comparisons to the previous generation have been made and many feel it is a huge step up.

[The J-Man]

Originally Posted by sor

I won't flame you, because everyone has a right to their own opinion, but to answer your question, based on the multitude of rave reviews you certainly are in the minority. Many comparisons to the previous generation have been made and many feel it is a huge step up.

But is it a step up in design or quality? I agree with design, but I think people are ignoring the quality issue.

[sor]

Originally Posted by The J-Man

But is it a step up in design or quality? I agree with design, but I think people are ignoring the quality issue.

Hard to say. It's so subjective. For example I really like my matte wood trim, but some might look at it and think of it as a faux/veneer wood sticker. I think it's generally absent anything that would be objectively bad (cracked materials, etc).

[jbtco]

A lot to do with weight saving as BMW try to save every gram to try and comply with emission regs.

[comber]

Before buying my X3, I was comparing it with Audi Q5, Volvo XC60, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Jaguar F-Pace...and sincerely, I found the BMW the best when talking about the interior. Only the Volvo could approach, but the Multimedia System sucks...

[comber]

Originally Posted by sor

Hard to say. It's so subjective. For example I really like my matte wood trim, but some might look at it and think of it as a faux/veneer wood sticker. I think it's generally absent anything that would be objectively bad (cracked materials, etc).

I have chosen the same trim, but I have not been able to see it in detail or live... Do you have any picture in which you can se the surface in detail? Does it have streaks and pores or is it completely smooth?

Thx in advance!

[RocketRomeo]

Having come from Audis... I would disagree.

I had an SQ5 before my M40i (first BMW) and the interior quality was poor. Really poor. Cheap plastic for the entire dash/windscreen area/doors etc. Cheap roof lining. “Brushed aluminium” inserts were not aluminium. It was functional, boring, and all one colour. Before that I had an S4 Avant... I could say the same, and go on all day.

However, it did what it needed to and only creaked occasionally... and this is my subjective view.

So the M40i is a significant upgrade interior for me. Yes a couple of parts are not great (piano black around the gear selector that scratches easily) but overall it’s very similar to my colleagues new 540 so I’m happy.

I hope you the car, if not the interior wins you over eventually.

[darrylo]

Originally Posted by comber

Does it have streaks and pores or is it completely smooth?

Fineline cove matte trim? There really aren't any visible pores, but the wood is textured, with raised lines (tree rings, I assume). It's very much like sanded driftwood. Here are some potato-quality pics (sorry, it's nighttime here -- maybe someone will post better ones).

[Bimar]

Don’t think it’s Trash, design marginally better and quality not more improved when I compared it to my X4. I however hate there is no screen cover over the dials.

[comber]

Originally Posted by darrylo

Fineline cove matte trim? There really aren't any visible pores, but the wood is textured, with raised lines (tree rings, I assume). It's very much like sanded driftwood. Here are some potato-quality pics (sorry, it's nighttime here -- maybe someone will post better ones).

Thx so much! I chose this trim because I really love the wood trim with pores from Mercedes, but in google or reviews pics I can't really see if it is textured or not in BMW... Now with your pics and comments I see that it is, you can see it quite clear in the right part of your first picture... so now I'm even happier with my choice

Since I put my order in April I asked my dealer to call me if they receive any X3 or 5, 6 or 7 series with my trim as I am still able to make changes, but no one came till today.

[ando]

Depends if you are comparing it to a 7er, Cayenne or S Class. I've found the interior to be very nice coming from a 2011 X3 and 2016 X1. It is almost to the 5er quality and on par with its tech. Cars just cost more so $65k buys you a tech loaded X3 M40i compared with a decent SQ5 or weak aging Macan with basically nothing.

+Leather upgraded over Dakota
+Seats are better than prior BMW sport seats in cars I've owned
+Rear cargo floor does have a strut to hold it up more near premium than prior generation
+Noise levels improved
+Heads up and nav are best in class
-Steering wheel is bad on xLine and M Sport

[sor]

Originally Posted by comber

I have chosen the same trim, but I have not been able to see it in detail or live... Do you have any picture in which you can se the surface in detail? Does it have streaks and pores or is it completely smooth?

Thx in advance!

Here is another.

[iManu]

[IMG][/IMG]
Don't worry I respect all opinions!
I test drove the Audi sq5 fully equipped and it was nice and minimalist in the inside but quality wise it felt a little lesser than the X3 m40i with the intimate package and black piano trim. I love all the silver real aluminium accents in the car. The only thing that feels a little cheap is the plastic on the lower side of the door. I'd pay to have it in sensatec like on my 1 series or even real leather.

[comber]

Originally Posted by sor

Here is another.

I love it... Thx again!

Back to reality...still two months and a half wait

[Pray for Mojo]

Remember the car is $65k not $95k

[2001S15]

I spent two weeks with a loaner Q5 while my S6 was getting fixed. Great looking car from the outside, subtle, modern. Inside is just trash. My wife has a B9 A4, and the step down in design and materials in the Q5 vs. that car is stark.

The whole Q5 interior can be best described as an over-use of plastic. Forget about complaining about the "bottom half" of the BMW doors being hard plastic, the entire Q5 door panel is a fairly rough plastic. The armrests and door grab handles are plastic. The entire dash shell is a softer touch plastic with a trivially thin strip of wood running across it.

The one saving grace of the interior is that there's no piano black or shiny surfaces to collect dust or fingerprints.

In terms of control surfaces, for some reason they assigned their "B-team" to design the MMI controls, reverting to the tiny dial + touchpad, instead of the slick integrated solution they developed in the (earlier-release) A4.

I test drove a new X3 during this time as well and the interior felt special and the driving experience was more like the BMW driving experience of old. At the compact price point I'm not expecting mid-size luxury or detailing, but the interior felt nice - at least as nice as my wife's A4 if not nicer, and almost as nice as my S6 (which cost a lot more).

I read an article talking about how the compact crossover market is so profitable right now automakers don't even need to try, they can just phone it in with some random crap with a premium badge and they'll still make a pile of cash. That seemed the case with the prior X3 models frankly, but BMW seems to have got the idea the market is more competitive and so they should try harder. I don't get a strong sense of differentiation in quality between the X3 and X5. I definitely get a strong sense of cynical let's create some cheap junk and make lots of money from Audi with the Q5, which is especially disappointing considering how nice the Q7 is.

[RCtennis3811]

Hmm, the only thing I like in the new Q5's interior is the Virtual Cockpit display. Everything else in the new Q5 seems the same as our 2012 Q5 aside from the addition of leather arm rests in the door panels (seriously, the 2012 Q5 did not have them unless you got a top-tier trim with sport seats). Frankly, I think you're overexaggerating this. There's plenty of soft touch materials where it matters, loads of good quality (not necessarily supple) leather abound, and visual trim to add variety. Could there be improvements? Sure. It would be nice is the plastic on the lower part of the doors was a soft touch resin like in the 5-Series. It would be nice as well if the iDrive presets and the drive mode buttons next to the shifter were each individual matte buttons as well. But other than that, it's pretty darn good in quality.

Having said that, I do think the XC60 is the class-leader in terms of overall interior plushness. I just couldn't get over how much better iDrive is to use right away versus Sensus after multiple test drives.

[darrylo]

Originally Posted by comber

Thx so much! I chose this trim because I really love the wood trim with pores from Mercedes, but in google or reviews pics I can't really see if it is textured or not in BMW... Now with your pics and comments I see that it is, you can see it quite clear in the right part of your first picture... so now I'm even happier with my choice

Better pic, plus an awful attempt at a macro shot.

[j1980mac]

I LOVE the interior.

I'm coming from Honda and Acura though.

I test drove the SQ5 and wasn't all that impressed with the interior. I think the MMI also killed it for me.

Although, my only complaint would be the black material on the lower portion of the doors.

[comber]

Originally Posted by darrylo

Better pic, plus an awful attempt at a macro shot.

Good enough to see the texture in detail...nice!!!

I hope this trim fits well with Cognac leather. My first idea was to combine it with Mokka like you, but as the car will be Terra Brown Metallic, my wife told that it would be "too brown", so I took cognac instead. I like the color too, and it is better in live than in photo, it is quite difficult to take a photo of cognac leather that shows the real color...

[Ragnarkov]

I also ended up matching the cove wood with the mocha interior. Alpine white exterior.

These shots are really starting to make me excited. I wanted to stay away from any smooth shiny surface (aka dust and scratch magnet) and I think this goes SO well with Mocha.

Thanks for these!