Please help with Sport Pkg. choice.....
 

I am in the process of selecting option on an '06 X3. The only one I have driven was an '05 w/ Sport. The ride was a bit harsh, imho, however, the handling was really good (Previous '03 M3 and current 325 owner).
Someone posted that each model year the ride of the Sport option has improved (softer). Is that true?
Is the Sport Pkg. a liability at re-sale time?

Thanks :thumbup: ,

SM

I love the SP on my X5
 

I really can't say much about the SP on the X3, but I do love the firm ride on my '06 4.4 X5 with the SP. It also depends where you drive on a daily basis. My X is a weekend warrior and I know all the good roads around central NJ. I really avoid the bad roads and take the long way around the known bad roads.

I have the ZCP package on my M3 and love the ride. It is true that the sport package has gotten softer over the years, especially on the 3 series. The SP is NOT a liability at re-sale time. Infact, it will work to your advantage most of the time when it's time to sell. I thing 90% of X5 owners prefer the SP.

Hope this helps.

To me, the answer to your question totally depends on your priorities and driving style/location. For me, I happily accept the trade off in ride/handling. I found the non-sp to be too floaty. However, I live in a place with decent roads (LA) and use mine for auto-x/track days.

It is imperative to determine your priorities and drive both versions on the roads you normally drive on. That is the only way to truly tell.

White05X3 and MY2NDM3, thanks for the posts. I ride a mixture of surfaces, good primary roads and curvy secondaries (Texas Hill Country).

What I was trying to find out was if there was an actual change in the sway bar/suspension componets to "soften" the ride in successive 04, to 05, to 06 model years. FWIW, I just changed to a z rated tire on my 325 and although it did improve responsiveness the ride was noticeably more harsh. That said, BMW could have only changed tires in the model years to obtain the resulting "smoothness".

I'm leaning toward the ZSP option, but I wanted to hear what others have to say.

Mine is an 06 with SP. I love it. It's firmer, yes, bouncy, no. We came from a 00 e46 with sp and a 95 540 M/sport. The X3 with SP seems a lot more refined than either of our last two BMWs and I won't even go into the last 12 we've had. Don't forget, you also get the GREAT sport seats. The very comfortable "M" Steering wheel. The 18 inch wheels, the cool door sills and the solid body color wheel opening trim. For me there was no choice. I think the Sport pack really makes the 06 X3 stand out nicely. Maybe you aught to drive both first. Drive them for about 20 miles and all road surfaces. You'll see what I mean.

I Needed the Sport Package
 

Our '04 X3 2.5i definitely needed the Sport Package. The sport seats versus the standard seats was the deciding factor. I did not want to drive around in a vehicle sliding off of the seats - the standard seats seemed to be modeled right off an Accord.

The SP ride was more controlled, and not harsh to me. My other two cars right now are a '01 E46 325iT w/ SP, and a '91 Miata. The X3 is the softest of the bunch, although much firmer than the '04 Beetle Convertible 1.8T w/ 17" wheels that it replaced (now have two children- neded the extra space). And I could not see getting a SUV (SAV?) that had the same size wheels as both the current wagon and the VW it was replacing - 18" was a minimum requirement.

The X3 and all BMWs are about handling. My first BMW (second car) was a '70 1602, so you can see I was never one for the top speed or fastest acceleration. But I have always been able to take exit ramps at 2x the "suggested speed", and feel confident on twisty backroads. Of course, you will be getting a 3.0i, so maybe you have different priorities.

BTW, although I too have heard others mentioning a softening of the X3 from '04 to now, I have never seen a post of any revised part numbers to back that up. My X3 came with Pirelli Scorpions.

Hope this helps...

To check whether or not there are part differences between the years, check a site like http://www.realoem.com/bmw. There was no part number difference between the 05 and 06 sport package shocks and sways. I did not check the 04.

For both 05 and 06 the base and sport package use the same springs. Again, I did not check into 04.

Hope that helps.

Great info!:thumbup:

I'm betting the greatest percentage of ride quality (that which people complain about) is in the tire choice and not stiffer sways, etc..

I bought my X3 '05 SPO w/Sport package recently, and I'm very happy with my decision. Not only handling is much better, but also tires, seats and steering wheel is beautiful and comfy+safe.

Sport!