Unless you're a speed demon, the 2.5i will do, especially with the price difference! Wow, 15k is a bit much to ask for. In the US, there was a $6k difference, about $2k once you added on the optional stuff that came standard on the 3.0i.

Since Americans love more power and more creature features, the 3.0i sold about 2-3x better than the 2.5i, which is why BMW pulled it out.

After 19 months and about 25k miles, there's only been on recall (ignition coils) and one problem area. The engine made a "diesel clatter" at idle which they attributed to a weak belt tensioner. Otherwise it's been trouble free, surprising since our X3 has pretty much all the options that could possibly break.