BMW Owner Reviews
Read genuine car reviews from real Australian car owners. Discover what it’s really like to live with different makes and models with honest & first-hand experiences. Find out what everyday drivers think about their vehicles—covering performance, comfort, reliability and more - only on CarsGuide
2025 BMW M2 review - Long-term owner
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By Owner Review · 10 Nov 2025
It includes BMW’s curved digital display with iDrive 8.5, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, premium audio and over-the-air updates. Safety technology like autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control is available, but because mine is the manual version, it misses out on both emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.The M2’s interior is driver-focused with supportive sport seats and high-quality materials. Rear seats are tight, best for short trips, while the 390-litre boot offers decent space for weekend luggage.The M2 drives with sharp, precise steering and a firm yet composed chassis. The S58 engine delivers strong, immediate power, making it both thrilling on bends and manageable for daily driving.The running costs of my BMW M2 G87 have been quite high, fuel economy is around 9.7 L/100 km in normal use and you certainly wouldn’t buy this car for its fuel economy.The M2 has been excellent, no major faults or mechanical issues so far.
2013 BMW X3 xDrive20d review - Long-term owner
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By Owner Review · 04 Jul 2025
It is little rough in terms of the comfort, but good on fuel. The brand is well known and a prestigious manufacturer. Interior is little hard, but the fabrics get damaged quite easily. Cargo area is small.
I enjoy the drivability of the car. It is easy to handle and has decent power. Too shaky, though, could be the size of the wheels.
Very good on fuel. Day-to-day running costs are quite affordable, but services can be expensive and parts are little expensive, too.
It’s a reliable car if you keep it updated. Regular services and mechanical parts should replace at the first warning.
2018 BMW 320i sedan review - Long-term owner
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By Owner Review · 22 May 2025
Multimedia is user-friendly, but a better sound system is needed in a luxury car. More airbags are also needed. There are no emergency brakes.
Mouse is handy. Rear cargo does not close automatically. No keyless entry. No wireless charger. No heated seats. No cooled or ventilated seats. No auto-activated wipers.
Like nothing else I have driven. Smooth yet sporty. Cool noise from under the bonnet. Amazing acceleration considering it's only 2.0-litre turbo. Gearbox is bliss. Sport mode feels like a beast.
Fuel consumption is great. Over 750km range with full tank. Insurance is expensive. SOS call system battery has failed already and was expensive to replace. Servicing is expensive, too.
It has done only 17,900 km and so far just the SOS call system battery has failed. Everything else work perfectly, but it's too soon to judge the reliability.
2019 BMW X4 M40i xDrive review - Long-term owner
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By Owner Review · 20 May 2025
Five-star safety rating. Airbags everywhere. Seat belts self tighten. Car will not drive with door accidently open, just drops back into N. Lane auto correction and vibration warning through steering. Brilliant brakes with never any hint of overheating. Top-class positive steering and handling. Comes with wonderful runflat tyres (more later). Harman Kardon sound system top class with six quality speakers. Easy pairing of phone and whatever you want. Will retain played CD in its memory of favorites if desired.All the controls for the driver are in easy reach, including dash-mounted (e.g. heating and air-con and sounds system). Steering wheel controls are easily operated and more than adequate. Steering column and steering wheel adjustments are electric. Boot space is quite adequate for most motoring, although the height is low at the rear, owing to the rear hatch sloping down. There is quite a useful cavity under the boot floor, where the spare wheel would be if one was included. You can leave the floor panel out of you wish for more room. If traveling a lot with children, you may find the space a bit restricted, but you would probably go for an X3, the X4's brother. You can purchase a spare wheel if desired. Of.course, the backs of the rear seats fold forward for much more space if needed, if no rear passengers are on-board.Absolutely perfect! Every part of the driving is what you would expect from a quality car. This the third BMW I have owned (previously X5 4.2L V8 and X3 M35i. I also own at present an X5 xDrive35d. The X4 is quieter, smoother and better drive then either of the other three. In all fairness, the X5 I also have now is a diesel, so it's a bit unfair to compare the two. The driving experience is unreal if you like a bit of boogy! At 385hp from a 3.0-litre engine, you would want no more. They have a governed top speed of 255km/h if you feel you need it? The exhaust noise on starting up is quite loud but soon quietens down to an acceptable level. Also, if you use Sports mode for driving, it has a very different tone. Not sure how all that works but the young guys love it. I can truthfully say out of many many cars I have owned and company cars I've had to drive, this X4 is by far the best. At 79 years of age now and starting driving at 15 years, there's been a lot. I drove Ford Escort RS1600 and RS1800 rally cars for 14 years and used to think how fast they were. This car would eat them!Fuel usage is very good for the performance available: 9.6L/100km often. Of course, if in a hurry, high 12s are usual. And if towing as I have done a 21ft caravan: 15L/100km. By the way, it runs on 91 octane fuel quite safely and well. With free servicing for three years, I have only paid for one fairly major service, which was near to $600. Since then it has had in my estimation an unnecessary brake fluid change at $130, but that was a serviced item. Something quite disturbing to me as a lifetime mechanic from new, the first service was due at a ridiculous 30,000k? I questioned this and was told that's what it is. When explaining my disapproval of this and offering to pay for a oil and filter change myself, it was refused. I changed the oil and filter myself. 4000km and again at approx 18,000km. I do notice now since the free services are over, the intervals have come down to 10,000? Funny? Insurance premiums are relativity more than acceptable for a $128,000 car and about $40 a month cheaper than our new $84,000 caravan? Both have a $400 excess.Very, very good. Only two warranty items have been needed doing in 4.5 years of the five-year period. A new coolant top up bottle leaked slightly and a lane change sensor and motor needed replacing. A bit disturbing was the wear rate of the huge 21-inch rear tyres. The center of the tread was unacceptable by our WOF standards here in NZ at 28,000km. These are not cheap at $830 for non-runflats each to $910 each for runflats. This was the only real disappointment of the whole car. And I did lower the recommended tyre pressures by 4lbs with little difference?