 Let's go surfing now. Everybody's learning how to come on a safari with me. What is up you guys? Welcome back to another one. If you are new to the channel, I am Gold Pony. I do new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube and today we are in the new 2021 BMW X3 courtesy of Apple BMW in York PA. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so wanting to check this one out today, this is now part of the third X3 generation first introduced in 2018. There is one minor change for the 2021 model year and I'll get into that as we go on to the video. And I always enjoy reviewing this one. So we had to get back into it again today. So having said all that way to guys say, let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. And so there are a few different configurations you can go with for the 2021 X3, first one being the S drive 30i starting at $43,000 even then there is the X drive 30i starting at $45,000 even and that's actually the one we have today. There is the M40i for $56,600 and the X drive 30e for $49,600. And so as you can imagine with all of those trim levels, there are a few different engine configurations as well. And so the first one and the one we have today belonging to the 30i trim levels is going to be a two liter twin power turbocharged inline four cylinder 248 horsepower 5200 rpm 258 pound feet of torque available to around 1400 rpm power sent to the rear wheels for the S drive or all wheels for the X drive through an eight speed automatic with paddle shifters and launch control actually believe it or not. We will be testing those paddle shifters out as well as acceleration test in a little bit here but zero to 60 time comes in at six seconds flat which is quite impressive top speed 130 miles per hour with MPG numbers coming in at 25 city 29 highway for the rear wheel drive 23 city 29 on the highway for the all wheel drive configuration then but so if that didn't sound like quite enough power for you there is the M40i so with that particular configuration you get a three liter twin power turbocharged inline six cylinder 382 horsepower 5800 rpm 368 pound feet of torque at 1800 rpm power sent to all four wheels that is an all wheel drive configuration only through an eight speed automatic zero to 60 on that one 4.4 seconds which is ridiculous for an SUV to be quite honest top speed 155 miles per hour 21 miles per gallon in the city 27 on the highway so this last configuration though is going to belong to the 30i this is going to be the two liter twin power turbo inline four cylinder with an integrated electric motor that of course being the e for a lecture so this one puts out a combined 288 horsepower combined 310 pound feet of torque sent to all four wheels through an eight speed automatic zero to 60 in 5.9 top speed 130 miles per hour with a combined 60 MPG ease that of course is going to be the fuel efficient option but nonetheless before we do any kind of paddle shifter test in this one I did want to mention there are some drive modes and so there's drive mode buttons there are three of them located just to the left of the shifter they will include eco pro comfort and sport adjusting things like the shift points the throttle response the steering sensitivity and actually the suspension settings as well so quite a bit can definitely be adjusted with those driving modes so having said that what I am now going to do is test out the paddle shifter so I'm going to push the shifter all the way to the back and to the left that is actually going to give me full manual shift mode the vehicle will not shift for me let's go ahead and do that paddle shifter test I just want to see how quickly they are going to react for us essentially all right in first gear guys ready wait sport mode over go whoa BMW I swear you always get it right there these paddle shifters are amazing it feels like I'm driving a Maserati shifting through the gears there this thing is ridiculous the paddle shifters are lightning quick is what I am trying to say like ridiculously quick like you would not think an SUV would have paddle shifters like this these could easily go on a supercar and feel right at home quite honestly so wow that always surprises me it really shouldn't because I should be used to this at this point BMW kills it with paddle shifters so enough with that let's just give control back to the x3 here let's do a quick little acceleration test well let's see how quickly the x3 is going to get us here up to speed all right you guys in three two one from a standstill go no launch control by the way oh my gosh oh my gosh oh man when that turbo kicks in this thing is ridiculous so the launch control I have a feeling would be absolutely amazing on this thing I didn't put it on but still there is a little bit of turbo lag without it but with it that should be eliminated I would assume but dang once that turbo kicks in man this thing can go certainly no issues emerging onto the highway or anything like that so anyways to go along with that acceleration as always braking is equally important and so up front you will find 13 inch ventilated front discs in the back 13 inch solid rear discs and that is for the 30i configuration if you were to go with the m40i that is actually upgraded a little bit to 13.7 inch front disc 13.5 inches in the back so you will get a little better braking there if you were to go with the m40i as opposed to the 30i as far as the 60 to 0 stopping distance goes that is going to come in at 123 feet for the 30i 112 feet for the m40i so quite a substantial difference there but quite honestly even 123 feet is really good 112 feet is really overkill for the x3 to be quite honest but most of the suvs that I test out though typically it's in the upper 120 some of them are even in the 130 so 123 feet is certainly perfectly fine for the x3 and as far as that braking feel goes no issues today whatsoever there's no brake pedal delay or anything like that so definitely on point there as far as suspension and handling goes up front you will find a multi-link front axle suspension in the back five-link rear axle suspension front and rear stabilizer bars along with twin tube gas pressure eye shock absorbers and I did want to also mention there is a dynamic handling package it goes for $1400 that is available for the 30i that gives you an adaptive damping suspension and variable sport steering but this is one I would certainly recommend for the 30i because that adaptive damping suspension what that does is monitor each shock absorber individually not only giving you a smoother ride but also tightening up the suspension during heavy cornering as well so really giving you the best of both worlds and I reviewed an x3 with that adaptive damping suspension last year and I can tell you it is amazing the ride quality is 100% on point even comparable to the x5 and the x7 because it makes a world of a difference that adaptive damping suspension system so I did want to mention that to you guys we don't have it today but if you wanted the very smoothest ride in the x3 I would certainly recommend that one in addition to that though if you go with the m40i you will also get a retuned suspension for better handling characteristics so that's going to be there for you as well and for that particular trim level there is an adaptive m suspension that goes for $700 so essentially the same concept though is just going to give you the best of both worlds so once again I would certainly recommend that but as far as the ride quality goes without the adaptive damping suspension the one we have today it's still perfectly fine to be quite honest it's not going to be as smooth though and you can certainly tell the difference between the adaptive damping suspension and the non adaptive damping one but having said that it is perfectly fine it's pretty much as expected for ride quality at least as far as steering feel goes it's wonderful absolutely no issues there so many suvs have loosey goosey steering feels it's starting to annoy me a little bit but with the bfw x3 that is not the case and in addition to that when you put it in the sport driving mode it gets an even weightier steering feel so 100 on point when it comes to the steering feel in this thing and as far as cabin noise goes that's perfectly fine as well I mean it's pretty much as expected it's not the quietest ride out there there are quieter bmw's that are offered but again it's certainly not bad it's pretty much as expected there as well that touching on visibility I could see perfectly fine out the back certainly no issues there in addition to that rain sensing windshield wipers do come standard across the board on the x3 meaning whenever the x3 detects any kind of rainfall or even mist it will automatically turn on those windshield wipers so it's just one last thing you got to worry about there essentially and there is a head up display that is optional for the x3 essentially what that does is display your speed as well as the speed limit of any given road up on your windshield better helping visibility once again so one last thing you got to worry about there as well but that about rounds out the performance segment of this review you guys let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of this brand new 2021 bmw x3 all right here she is you guys the 2021 bmw x3 finished in alpine white for anybody who is curious of the color name let's go ahead and start up front on this one there is an active kidney front grille with satin aluminum grille surrounds and of course active kidney meaning those grille shutters within the grille will open and close dependent upon the engine cooling that is needed at any given time definitely a nice little feature there to the sides led headlights with the cornering function will come standard meaning when you're going around a bend at night those headlights will swivel based on your steering angle better help illuminating what is around that bend that's always a good thing led daytime running lights do come stared at as well along with the automatic feature meaning when it starts to get dark out headlights will turn on automatically for you there and there are led fog lights just below and I did want to also mention if you were to go with the m40i you will find an m40i specific or m specific I should say front end to this one a little more aggressive styling and that can actually be had with the 30i trims as well there's an m sport package it goes for four thousand dollars if you wanted to go that route too but now let's go ahead and make our way to the side of the x3 and so now starting up top satin aluminum roof rails do come standard on this one there will be gloss black roof rails if you were to go with the m40i or that m sport package for the 30i satin aluminum fender accents satin aluminum windows surrounds so a lot of satin aluminum trim accents I will say with the 30i at least that we have today rear privacy glass does of course come standard as well and then taking a look at the side mirrors they are body colored power adjustable heated side mirrors that come standard with led integrated turd signals as well and take a look down at the wheel setup 18 inch y spoke alloys with all season run flat tires for the 30i 19 inch double five spoke alloys for the m sport package and m40i and of course there are plenty of additional wheel options available if you really wanted to make the car your own then make your way to the back of the x3 here shark fin antenna up top of course just below that rear spoiler with an integrated brake light just below that rear window wiper as well and of course you do get led tail lights that come standard across the board as well a little better illumination at night there satin aluminum rear bumper trim is going to come standard as well and then just to the sides of all of that the exhaust finish is going to differ amongst the trim levels as well for example dual exhaust outlets with circular chrome tips for the 30i trims however if you were to go with the m40i you get dual exhaust outlets with rectangular darker tips so either way i do believe you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip it's up announced since we are around back the x3 when it comes to opening that rear liftgate there is a power liftgate that does come standard on this one and there is a hands free liftgate that is going to be optional but as far as that power liftgate goes there is a button on the key fob there's also a button on the rear liftgate itself so either way is going to be perfectly fine there once opened up cargo capacity comes in at 28.7 cubic feet if that was not enough space for you there is a 40 2040 split meaning the rear seats do fold down pretty darn flat as well bumping that up to 62.7 cubic feet decent amount there and as far as that cargo area goes there is led cargo lighting back there there's plenty of grocery hooks tie down anchors actually a decent amount of in-floor storage back there as well so basically everything you would possibly need in a cargo area is going to be back there they make our way to the rear legroom that comes in at 36.4 inches so for reference i'm an even six feet tall this is how much space i have back there did what i also mentioned for those rear passengers there is a rear center armrest with cup holders that come standard there is rear ventilation with automatic climate control meaning the rear passengers can set their own temperatures as well that's always nice heated rear seats are going to be optional on the x3 and they do have a couple phone charging ports back there as well then they make your way to the front seats 10-way power adjustable front seats do come standard they actually come with two-way power side bolsters as well one of my favorite features on bfw's you don't always find that on suv's and vehicles out there so i do love that they got the side bolsters it kind of holds you in place better around the turns since attack upholstery comes standard lumbar support and full leather seating is going to be optional for the 30i trim levels then if you go with the m40i you will get 14-way power adjustable front seats with four-way power lumbar memory settings and two-way power side bolsters once again full leather seating once again optional for the m40i and heated front seats of course will come standard but then taking a look at the steering wheel it is tilt and telescoping and it is leather wrapped as well heated steering wheel is going to be optional as far as the 10 and 2 grips go they're definitely nice not quite as big as some of the other bfw's that are offered but they're plenty fine for this one so no issues there for me then making our way to the startup let me first start by actually showing you guys the key here all of your buttons are going to be located on one side of the key lock on lock button to pop the rear hatch the bmw logo in the middle that is going to be your lock button in case anybody was curious there but of course it is all keyless entry with a push button start so all i'm going to do is simply put my foot on the brake and press that engine start button located just underneath of the infotainment screen there it's open then once started up speedometer is on your left tachometer is on your right and there's a little bit more information you could check out kind of in the center bottom area there like your outside temperature how many miles you have left until you hit empty there's a couple other things you could scroll through by using the steering wheel mounted controls on the right side as well so that's going to be there for you and to elaborate on that a little bit more there is a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster that is available we don't of course have it today but that's going to be with the premium package for the 30i trims and it's also going to come standard with the m40i so if you wanted that digital gauge cluster that is how you're going to get it then take a look at overall interior quality a panoramic moonroof comes with the convenience package for the 30i by the way that package goes for $1850 and then the m40i it's going to come standard with that universal garage door openers do come standard for up to three different garage doors found in the bottom portion of that rear view mirror there three zone climate control coming standard ambient lighting is going to be available but does not come standard but it is there for you if you wanted it and overall as far as interior quality goes even without any of the added package options interior quality is still absolutely amazing on the x3 first off i love the contrast between the dark and light colors in this thing i love that but wood trim also comes standard you can find that on the doors and also just above the air vents below the infotainment screen there i love the x3 badging that's going to be located throughout this one including just in front of the cup holders there and there's a little bit of storage space there and of course your cup holders like i was saying just behind that you have an electromechanical parking brake and within the center armrest you have a phone charging port any good bit of storage in there as well but overall interior quality has been perfectly fine for me then take a look at the tech display it is a 10 and a quarter inch color touchscreen display that comes standard and it's actually more than just a touchscreen display believe it or not there's a circular dial and buttons located just to the right of the shifter you can also adjust things via voice activation and there is gesture control that is going to be optional and that's essentially where you just use gestures to do things like turn up the radio or turn down the radio and there's a bunch of other different things you could do as well but that is a pretty darn cool feature as well i've played around with that on bmw's before either way though you do get bluetooth and audio streaming android auto apple carplay does come standard as well factory navigation system is going to come standard along with that you check out your weather information your average driving statistics mpg stuff like that climate control settings and of course your radio information as well and by the way when it comes to the sound systems because we always have to test it out 12 speakers 205 watts comes standard there is an optional sound system for $875 being the 16 speaker harman kardon sound system with 600 watts we don't have that one today we basically have no options on this one but having said that let's go ahead and turn on the radio see what we got playing today and let's test out this 12 speaker sound system that we have here today dude actually not that bad of a sound system clarity was definitely plenty fine not the most bass in the world i will say that but again 12 speakers is going to give you decent clarity so absolutely no issues when it comes to that wouldn't have minded a bit more bass but that's what you got the harman kardon therefore but last thing i wanted to mention you guys on that tech display is of course when you do put the x3 in reverse you will find a rear view camera across the board and there is a 360 degree monitor that is going to be optional on this one and parking assistance plus is going to be optional as well with x3 parks itself that's a pretty cool feature as well but having said that the standard reverse camera does only take up a small portion of that full 10 and a quarter inch screen so wouldn't have minded if that was a bit bigger but i will say it is extremely high quality so that's always a good thing and as always that is going to lead us into safety and so to start the x3 is an IIHS top safety pick plus which is the very highest designation given by IIHS that's always a good thing front side side current airbags do come stated in the back you're going to have latch aka lower anchors and tethers for children for the rear car seats rear child door locks tire pressure monitoring system but some of the more exciting advanced safety features that come standard will include automatic high beams frontal collision warning a blind spot monitoring system lane departure warning auto dimming rear view mirror with a driver side dimming exterior mirror as well and front and rear parking sensors as well so in the end when it comes to my final thoughts of the x3 there's lots plenty plenty of options you can get on the x3 to really make this one your own but having said that it can get a little bit pricey when you do that but nonetheless it's there for you great ride quality great interior quality even without the options i will say that rear window sunshades would have been nice i will say that but then again that's what you got the x5 and x7 for i guess if you wanted them and all these advanced safety features are definitely a big plus for this one as well and IIHS top safety pick plus it's a very safe vehicle the x3 is what i'm kind of getting out there but that is about it for this one you guys thank you so much for watching feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen there if you like be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're in the new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel after all do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and i will see you guys all in the next video wish they go