2013 X3 28i White/Chestnut order questions

Greetings from Chicago. Long time lurker, first time poster. We are on the market for a small lux suv for my wife. A little about me. I have a Porsche Boxster S Gen II that I really enjoy as my DD car (even in the winter w/ winter tires on – I know, I’m “crazy”) and am active in the planet 9 boards under the same handle. Wife and I have driven many options we liked (Q5, xc60, MB ML 350, cayenne, x3, etc). it came down to X3 and Q5 (surprise surprise). We have chosen the X3, mainly because of the richer interior and heated steering wheel –a must for my wife (I’ll post my thoughts on comparisons between the cars driven another time). I’ll say that this forum has been very helpful in narrowing things down. So thank you all!

So, we are very close to ordering 2013 X3 28i for pick up at the BMW performance center in South Carolina (due mostly to the overwhelmingly positive reviews from folks here re the PC delivery experience, so thanks again!). We will be using BMW’s EPP program, which sets the price at wholesale invoice minus a set amount ($1,500 in this case). We have spec’ed it as follows:
• Ex. Color Alpine White
• Nevada Chestnut Leather interior
• Fineline Siena Wood
• Premium Package
• Sport Activity Package
• Cold weather package
• Convenience Package
• Dynamic Handling Package
• Park distance control
• Rear view camera
• Cargo net

Chose the 28i because of fuel economy and because my wife does not care about the bigger engine (I don’t either, we have another car for that ). I was a bit on the fence about the DHP package (have not driven an X3 with it since I can’t find a dealer in Chicago that has one). But all the reviews from here say to get DHP as it is a worthy option to have. So, I’ve quoted it with it included for the comfort adaptive part of the suspension for my wife (since it is supposed to offer more comfort than the std suspension) and so that I can adjust to suit my more sporting driving preference. We do not need the nav, hence why we did not spec the tech package. My wife does need, however, the backup camera.

What are people’s thoughts on Chestnut leather? I also have not been able to see it in person, but have seen the many pics in this forum and the Edmunds long termer that also has it. We chose the sienna wood instead of the darker wave wood because to our eyes (at least on the pics we have seen) it looks better and brighter/more lively. My wife’s current car is red ext with black interior and mine is silver ext with black interior, so the wife and I want a change from the black interiors. We are also considering the sand beige interior, but the wife is concerned that with our dog (a lab) and kid/s (hopefully 1 w/in the year) that the sand beige will get dirty too quickly and be a PITA to maintain. Any thoughts from those who have the Nevada sand beige on maintenance and dirt factor with kids and dogs?

Sorry for the long post. In summary, I would welcome opinions on: 1) chestnut leather; 2) sand beige leather maintenance; and 3) any other random thoughts you may have on the order.

Thank you all! We are very excited.

White and chestnut? Awesome combo!

Nice deal on the EPP, where can I get in on that!?

Even Chestnut is likely going to show dirt and wear like the other beiges, even though it's orangier and deeper. Have you considered Mojave?

I just found this pic and noticed that's Fineline Siena wood there. It doesn't really match, IMO.

I love that colour combo! I saw one at my dealers while I was ordering my X3. It confirmed for me that that is a great interior colour. I agree with the above post, I think the lighter wood interior is too close to the chestnut; there is not enough contrast. Think about the darker wood.

I have the brushed aluminum finish (M-sport), chestnut (red-brown in Cda) and carbon black. One of the reasons I went for the M-sport package was because I didn't really like either of the wood finishes with the chestnut.

I think the darker the colour the more kid proof it will be. I have black now and wanted a change. Chestnut was the obvious choice for attempting to kid proof the car with a change.

Love the leather color, not the lighter wood. We have the Oyster leather with the Dark wood, and I think its beautiful... Either way, welcome to the board and good luck in your purchase!

The colour combo is great, although I'd spring for either the aluminium or dark wood with the Redbrown (Chestnut) leather.

I have White/Chestnut in my '11 328iT and think most photos I've seen are suspect. For instance, the one Wabbajack attached looks way too much orange to me. Chestnut is much darker. Personally I prefer the German name for the color: Rotbraun. Half red, half brown. Perhaps slightly darker than I would personally prefer.

I'll attach a photo or two, but I refuse to claim that my photos are an accurate depiction of the color.

Edit: OK, those photos look quite a bit lighter and redder than I see in real life... Sorry. FYI, I'm Llarry on Plant-9 and am waiting for a July build 981 Boxster S.

Thank you all for the feedback. We placed our build order with the spec listed in my post. We are very excited. Leather color looks great in all pics I've seen, I'm sure we'll love it.

Adding purchase data points to the forum: total msrp including destination, maco and "training fee" (btw, all these "fees" are BS and cannot be waived) but without taxes, title, tags, etc. is $49,155. Our cost $43,740 (without taxes taxes, title, tags, etc.). We used EPP, which is the executive preference program. My wife's company participates. Here is more info: http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte...ceprogram.aspx.

So overall, EPP is awesome pricing, although if someone was able to get a quote for $500 over invoice (which some here have posted as doable) and then add additional discounts (Team USA, USAA discount, loyalty, etc.) they might be able to do better. Unfortunately, EPP cannot be combined with any of these aforementioned incentives. Further, the EPP discount from invoice for the X3 last year was $2,500, whereas this year is "only" $1,500. Other models have deeper discounts (e.g., 6 series = 6K). Google for more info.

I'm awaiting confirmation on the build date and when we can pick it up in South Carolina. Hopefully, it will be about a month or so. And the wait begins.