Is the acceleration hesitation still a problem on the 2012 X3
 

I have read several threads about the BMW X3's acceleration hesitation. :mad: Is this hesitation on the 2012 X3's?

Other than driving in the 'sport' mode, are there any other reasonable suggestions?

Also, is this problem on other manufacturer's cars?

i don't perceive the hesitation, and in fact, like most automatics, the car wants to creep forward when stopped, and requires a foot on the brake to keep it stopped. except for rentals, i've only driven manuals since 1970, so perhaps i'm not the most sensitive to automatic transmission nuances. mine is a 2012 x3 35i, picked up late jan pcd. if you want gentle acceleration, it will deliver that. if you want vigorous acceleration, it will deliver that. i find it quite simple to get the response i want with the proper pressure on the accelerator.

Yes - it exists (I have a 2012 X3 28i; Jan production). It takes some getting used to and after the first week I haven't noticed it. My take is that the power-train computer tries its best to keep RPM less than 2,000 and rapidly changes gears as the X3 accelerates from dead stop. In my view it quickly becomes a non-issue. Sport mode helps.

Perhaps it's not an issue on the 35i...? I don't know...

Regards,

My Q5 had a nonlinear throttle and a hesitation. The hesitation was really frustrating, as it felt like the car shifted into second too early. Engine speed dropped too low, making acceleration uneven. This issue was the main reason I bought my X3 3.5i after only 18 months with the Audi.

My X3 has the nonlinear throttle (seems to be becoming quite common), which takes a little getting used to. The only issue now is when I drive my wife's car with its linear throttle - too many aggressive starts for my wife's taste ;)

I drive an older car where the throttle opens in direct relation to how hard I press the accelerator pedal. The x3 provides what feels like 85% of what your foot calls for. I'm hoping the driver experience control will mitigate this programing fault. The only solution I've read is to mash the throttle as you pull away. Alternatively you can drive like you are "driving miss Daisy". :)

I have an 07 X3, that felt anemic in terms of acceleration, when I first got it.

Resetting the tranny, so that it could learn my habits made all the difference in the world. Since the learning mode lasts for 1000 miles. My guess is, the first time the tranny was "trained" the SUV was probably being broken in, where people have a tendency to drive very light.

A tranny reset, to tune-in the shift pattern and a refresh of the engine's spark plugs and pre-cat O2-senors, to bring back the engine's max torque, really changed my perspective on the X3... big time.

For you guys I'm guessing your mileage is too low to truly warrant a spark plug/sensor tune up. However, if you haven't reset the tranny, post-breakin period... you'll probably be presently surprised if you do.

How do you 'reset' the transmission? How does the transmission learn driving habits? enquiring minds would like to know...

Disconnect the battery = resets the computer.

The f25 issue isn't the transmission like it was/is on the older models. There is a delay programmed into the drive by wire.

i think the dealer just reflashes the ecu so that it will have an "open mind" to relearn your driving habits.

Here's some links to the tranny reset procedure for push button start BMWs.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=261285
http://forums.5series.net/topic/4001...moother-shift/

I had to adapt the procedure for my X3 with the turn key ignition. But it wasn't a big deal.

These BMWs have adaptive shift transmissions to more tailor the car to your driving habits. Remember these cars' throttle control are drive-by-wire which opens up the ability to record how much and how fast a person presses on the accelerator pedal. When you reset the tranny, it goes (back) into a generic shift pattern, from which it is learning how you press on the gas pedal to accelerate to a desired speed and what you do, once you get to that speed.

How we accelerate when we buy a brand new car, with 2 miles on the odometer is way different from how we accelerate when the same car is through the break in period, some 10 to 15K miles later...

Hope this helps :beerchug:

Maybe it's me, but I don't sense a delay. It just feels like I'm pressing the gas pedal casually and getting less acceleration than expected because of the nonlinear behavior. I expect 25% throttle but get 10%. If I gun it, then it responds quickly.

Ya that's the design flaw that people are talking about.

I found a product to fix the problem but it is not available for the F25 yet.

Here is the sales pitch from the website:

Call it what you will, in practice it feels like the throttle cable (if it had one) isn't properly adjusted. Maybe "non-linear" is the best way to put it.

I think folks who DD the x3 will adapt and not notice it as much as others who only casually drive it.

The funny thing is, it actually drives in a way like my smg m3 - where to be smooth from a stop you have to first feed in light throttle and wait for the clutch slip to be taken up by the hydraulics.

We just picked up our 2012 28i two weeks ago, trading in our 2007 X3. In my opinion, the difference between the two cars is huge. The 2007 had an ongoing jerky/inconsistent acceleration from a stop despite software updates, "relearning" our driver input etc. Thus my number one concern was that this issue is fixed in the 2012 X3. Happy to report, that at least in our vehicle the acceleration is smooth and consistent. Further, the ride quality over bumps and rough roads are light years better in the 2012. Just my 2 cents....

In my opinion, yes they still need to do some work on the calibration.

I can only imagine that the poor souls who get Auto Start/Stop in the 2013 X3 will suffer even more... I can see offering this as an option, or even allowing one to activate it, but requring one to deactivate it after every start on a supposedly driver oriented vehicle is crazy. I am SOOOOOO glad we got a 2012. We wouldn't have purchased the X3 with that feature. Even KIA allows you to buy auto start/stop or not buy it in an option package. BMW likes to make money on every other option, why not charge for this1?

so they can show better mileage numbers for both regulatory and marketing purposes.

Here is a link to the feature you mention. I did not know what it was so I searched for it and found this. This, IMO, is taking fuel conservation to the point of absurdity. Even with this acceleration hesitation and as much as I like my 525, I will take a look around at other cars. This start/stop thing wold drive me batty, and maybe to another brand of car.

With some of the new features, I will have to unlearn my current driving habits. Too many times I depend on the power in my 525 to get into small gaps in traffic, pass a car when there is an opening to pass, and other times I need instant response. I will be scared to do this with the acceleration hesitation.

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...tart_stop.html

Start / Stop isn't so bad and in some situations it's good. Also it's good with diesels as the BMW ones don't have the smoothest tick-over though they are smooth over about 1,200 rpm.

i don't think you will be scared in those situations. first, those who complain about this hesitation are talking about accelerating from a stop, or sometimes re-accelerating after slowing down. i haven't heard anyone say they detect this, e.g., when moving in traffic and accelerating to pass. second, i've had my x3 35i for about a month, and i don't perceive any hesitation. your foot learns to do what is necessary, in the same fashion that you adjust to different engagement points with the clutch on varying manual transmission vehicles.

My 2012 X3 just arrived and the hesitation is quite obvious. Not sure what the solution is yet? Anyone got any ideas?

Your 2012 just arrived? They have been making the 2013's for several months now...

I wonder if he really has a 2013. My 2013 got here about the 5th or 6th of May and it sho don't have no acceleration hesitation. You better be careful when you press the accelerator and ready to go and go fast. There may be a nanosecond hesitation but you don't worry about it. This thing has got power and it is only a 28i.

Uhhhh
 

Disable it

My 2013 35i that I have had two weeks now totally hesitates sometimes. I am already in the habit of disabling the auto start/stop thing when I turn on the car so that's never a factor. I have found that I have to drive around in Sport mode if I don't want to experience the hesitation upon acceleration. It's super annoying and I'm not very happy about it. It is nothing like my 2011 335i. Not a bit. And I'm getting 6 mpg less so far.

Wabbajack, it sounds like your car has another unrelated fault. Are you using quality fuel?