2013 BMW X3 consumer reviews

After 5 costly trips to the dealer, my son-in-law figured out that my battery problem with my X3 in the winter was a flaw in its programming! BMW fixed that, but the battery still inexplicably drains in cold (at or below zero) weather. I love my little car in the warmer weather, but it's unreliable when weather gets cold, even with the "winter package".

Love the car, its ride and dealer service. Good mileage, stable ride. But 4 times through major defects: Power-train, timing chain, wheel bearings, turbocharger - all under 65K miles. Something to think about when buying this car.

If you can't buy it new then look for something else. Just search on youtube and google N20 problems and noises. First the oil pump chain will start whining, second the Timing chain will make noise people will think it's diesel engine, the plastic expands and start rubbing on the chain causing unwelcome noise, Then On a cold start you will get a little puff of white smoke because either the Turbo oil line valve started leaking or the turbo seal let's oil in the turbo when cold, either way oil will get to the combustion champers and will cause carbon buildup on the valves which will result in the engine shake and the full car will shake when the gear box change gears, you can use injector cleaner in your gas tank to make things better but you will still have a puff of smoke on cold starts, Trying to fix those issues- where to start? Turbo is $1800 , labor to take the engine out and replace the turbo or the oil feed line is $1000 , I didn't check how much it will cost to replace the oil pump chain and the timing chain, but trust me it's not going to be less than $800. I ended up replacing my BMW X3 2013 with 70k miles with a Nissan Altima, I lost $3000 but I would have lost more if I kept the car until it's not drivable. I am not boy racer and I do take care of the service and oil changes on time. I would never buy any BMW with N20 engine.

I bought a CPO x3 35i and LOVE it! It's a huge upgrade from the very reliable Camry I had before. It's very sporty and nice on the inside and outside!

I have owned this car for about a month now and I love it. I'm only on my 2nd car (had my first one 16 years) and had been looking for an SUV and this was definitely the one for me. It has all the features I wanted including navigation, bluetooth, cruise control, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, panoramic moonroof, and a love that I can open and close the trunk electronically. The moonroof even has a little net that pops up at the front when you open it which seems to minimize the wind noise. It drives really nicely, and I'm looking forward to taking it on road trips. The design is nice too and even though I bought one that is 3 years old it doesn't look outdated. I am very happy with this car and hope to keep it for a long time.

I leased my 2013 BMW X3 in December of 2012 and it has been a wonderful ownership experience. The car drives and handles like a dream and the cold weather package is second to none. We take my car on all of our road trips because it is so comfortable to drive and ride in. The only issues I have had are the rear lift gate mechanism needed to be replaced, and I had a loose wire in my right rear door that needed to be tightened up so the window would lower/raise. I consider these to be minor issues. Otherwise the vehicle has been perfect! I have serious considered purchasing this vehicle off lease but due to concerns over high long term cost of ownership I will be returning the vehicle.

i bought my 2013 BMW X3 28i November 2012. Brand new vehicle in/out of service for electrical/electronic failures. October 2013...bluetooth stopped pairing/service found a ULF-SBX fault, needed to reprogram vehicle. December 2014...front accessory socket (phone charger plug-in) failed. March 2015...again, bluetooth stopped pairing/jumps to AM radio station instead.

I am not a car expert, but I have had issues with my 2014 X3 that I bought in the fall of 2013. While the drive is comfortable, gas mileage is no more than 19mpg in the highway. During the midwinter of 2014 the Bluetooth, radio, navigation often and intermittently stopped working. Because the dealers car garage temperature is controlled all electronic components seemed to have worked. So, they could not detect any issues. They looked at me and said your car has no issues. But as you drive out of the garage and into the cold harsh winter of 2014, the Bluetooth and the navigation stopped working intermittently. This issue continued until mid April of 2014. In my opinion,2014 BMW X3 may not have enough insulation which should protect its electronic components from very cold weather.

I have had my 2013 X3 28i for just over a year now. Since then I have had to replace the windshield due to chips (did not use dealer); replaced a tire with nail in it (had the tire warranty); had the washer rotor and system replaced (twice); plus my power brakes went that was related to the recall and got all new parts due to that. Having said that, it still has not lived up to my expectations. There is a lot of outside noise while driving as well as I just noticed recently the sunroof (panoramic) squeaks loudly. I really expected a smooth quiet ride and this is not it. I was also disappointed by the excess of brake dust that literally covers my wheels. When I asked about this, the dealer said the company was more concerned about the driver experience than the wheels. That was one of three dealers I've dealt with trying to find one that is good! The start/stop during long stops at a light or in traffic takes a lot to get used to and gets frustrating when the wheel locks. I do not like that it is set for that as the default instead of turning it on when you want to use it. I do, however, get 24.6mpg which is mostly highway due to my work commute. The interior dash is very boxy and I've found other vehicles that their interior feels much more luxurious than this one. Even with the warranty left on it (which covered all but the windshield above.... and also had to wait 2 weeks for a part for the washer rotor because they had to "boat" it from Germany) I am starting to look for its replacement. I hate to do that because I had such high expectations of this vehicle and friends talked so highly of their experiences. But with all that has gone "wrong" so far, I cannot imagine what I would put into this car cost-wise once the warranty runs out.

Had the first generation X3 bought in 2004, a 3.0, loved driving it, the power, good handling, great package of right size with carrying capacity. Enjoyed it for nine years then got a 2013 X3 xDrive35i last year. Have 24,000 miles on it in 15 months of driving, the only problem was one run flat tire that had a sidewall puncture and was replaced for free under warranty - I have the tire and wheel warranty. Other than that, no problems whatsoever, and really enjoy the car over my 2004 X3. The engine is smooth and really whooshes along before and after the turbos kick in. And I thought my 2004 was quick, the 2013 flies. The nav and electronics take time to get used to, but right off the bat the navigation, electronic shifter, iDrive knob controller, Satellite radio, Bluetooth calling, all worked well. The voice control still needs work, or I need to work on it, but don't need it much really. Like how I can do most everything while driving through the iDrive controller. My mileage with the 2004 X3 3.0 was around 16 MPG, not great of course. Slightly better with the 2013 version at 19.4, I'm happy. Like the auto start/stop feature, makes me happy to have it shut off at long stop lights, and that I can turn it off in stop and go traffic. Ride is really good, greatly improved over the first version, much more compliant, feels more like the other five BMWs we've had before. We just sold our 2001 325i and got a 2014 328i xDrive GT and love it. Again a great package of seating space, feels like a 5-series especially the back seat, carrying capacity with the big hatch trunk, and driving dynamics with better fuel economy and plenty of performance from the 2.0 turbo four. Excellent reliability, decent gas mileage for a performance vehicle, really great ergonomics for passengers and objects, very good handling and driving dynamics with a super smooth powerful engine. Some of the computer things are difficult to work through admittedly. Searching for stuff through the navigation system can be hit or miss. Voice control is a work in progress. Finding everything in the phone book can be fiddly at times. But otherwise the interior driving experience is very smooth, easy and seamless. Everything easily accessed through the steering wheel controls, or console, or iDrive controller. My wife's GT even has a handwriting recognition touch pad on her iDrive knob! Great cars.