[goketo]

After 3 months and 4,000 miles in our cpo 07 X3 - we have decided that we like it. The firm ride of the sport package took a little getting used to and the 1st to 2nd shift of the steptronic sometimes seems to happen sooner that expected. Fortunately, however, we do not seem to have any of the major transmission problems that are posted so often here. Nice car. Good fuel milage. Great drive!!!

[pplace]

Originally Posted by goketo

and the 1st to 2nd shift of the steptronic sometimes seems to happen sooner that expected.

Sounds like a different car and a different transmission as the complaint (and acknowledgement) is that it holds on to 1 too long and (this is my experience) gets back to 1 too quickly.

The only time it doesn't do this apparently is when it sits in 2 to save fuel and lags when going 2-1 causing the acceleration hesitation at inopportune moments. If you don't like the shift to 2 then why not drive it in SD?

The gas mileage is not great all the way around and worse in SD but if that's your only complaint then you are lucky, lucky, lucky!

[goketo]

I really was not aware that the transmission might be shifting from 2 to 1 as you pull away from a stop. This downshift might be what we perceived to be an upshift from 1 to 2 (as both gears are reletively low ratios).

I really feel for the folks with the transmission problems. I was not aware of these problems when we bought the car. I really appreciate that ours seems to be OK.

As for the fuel milage - it probably seems good to us because the MDX we traded from was only getting milage in the upper teens. That makes the mid 20's seem pretty sweet (monthly fuel costs down by about a third).

[Johnn]

Fuel mileage in the X3 is very good, despite isolated reports to the contrary.

In the recent Car & Driver comparo., the X3 won the Fuel Economy category (as well as the handling, steering feel and fun to drive categories - the latter by a wide margin).

If you want poor fuel economy, you get an XC60 or a GLK.

[pplace]

Originally Posted by goketo

I really was not aware that the transmission might be shifting from 2 to 1 as you pull away from a stop. This downshift might be what we perceived to be an upshift from 1 to 2 (as both gears are reletively low ratios).

I really feel for the folks with the transmission problems. I was not aware of these problems when we bought the car. I really appreciate that ours seems to be OK.

As for the fuel milage - it probably seems good to us because the MDX we traded from was only getting milage in the upper teens. That makes the mid 20's seem pretty sweet (monthly fuel costs down by about a third).

From the SA at the dealership, the sitting in 2 and then downshifting 2-1 is fairly common in cars. They think it comes from doing a rolling stop instead of a complete stop.

I have not found this to be the case as I find it to be intermittent. I can feel it most when turning left for some reason.

Have you tried the SD? That should give you reliable acceleration from a stop but, on the flip side, it will downshift much harder when you decelerate. IMO it is worth doing each time you have to accelerate quickly (unprotected left turns for example) just in case the AT decides to get wonky.

I have 14-15 mpg average in mixed driving. I did achieve 53 mpg when I reset the 'puter while coasting on the highway.

[goketo]

The 'sitting in 2' and downshifting at pulling away seems to happen very infrequently on our car. It is almost undetectable. That is probably why I thought it was an early upshift. For the most part I think the transmission works pretty well.

As for the fuel milage - we average 23 to 25 mpg on every tank. We drive 75 miles round trip to work five days a week. That is about half rural farm areas amd half interstate. If your milage is in the mid teens - you musy be having WAY too much FUN or else be stuck in a lot of sop and go city traffic.

[pplace]

Originally Posted by goketo

The 'sitting in 2' and downshifting at pulling away seems to happen very infrequently on our car. It is almost undetectable. That is probably why I thought it was an early upshift. For the most part I think the transmission works pretty well.

As for the fuel milage - we average 23 to 25 mpg on every tank. We drive 75 miles round trip to work five days a week. That is about half rural farm areas amd half interstate. If your milage is in the mid teens - you musy be having WAY too much FUN or else be stuck in a lot of sop and go city traffic.

Yes, suburban traffic where we spend lots of time on residential streets and not enough on the highways. There are also lots of hills and the X3 has two tons of weight. You are getting very good gas mileage.

The eye popper is city driving with some hills, lots of pedestrians, street maintenance, etc. That goes for 10 mpg.

[rs6655]

On our last trip to the Blue Ridge, which included a stop at BMW Spartanburg, we rolled past 32,000 miles on our 2009.

It's been absolutely flawless and seems to only get better with age.