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SUVs BMW X3 & X5 BMW X3
3287 messages, Last post on Nov 14, 2009 at 6:14 PM
You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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. . .drive it like you live. I just signed back in and found this word war about two vehicles. What is snob appeal? Do BMW's have it? Beats me? There are snobs of all sorts for all sorts of things. I know folks who own Saabs, Volvos, Nissans, Audis, BMWs and Mercedes (and plenty of other brands.) Nothing I can put my finger on would make me think that BMW appeals any more or less to "snobs." People that like and repeatedly own Saabs can claim they like their cars because they're quirky -- but the key on the floor isn't usually something that makes me feel the Saab fan is a snob. I freely admit to knowing nuttin' about the Toyota RAV that has been part of the preceding discussion. My ONLY comment is I would, personally, not look at the X3 and the RAV as having a similar intended market. My wife thinks the X3 is "mostly" a BMW car not a BMW SUV (of course even BMW calls it an SAV.) She might consider an Infiniti or Acura "SUV" but I doubt it. She momentarily "paused" at both the Cayenne and Touareg V8, but found them not quite as car like as the X3. Maybe she would've loved the Toyota -- my gut is telling me they are generally not cross shopped. I have no clue what, if any, snobbish behavior this suggests. I don't personally know any valets so they are not able to offer me any insights either. The X3 is a great BMW -- IF it is equipped with "all the toys" -- indeed, it seems to be darn near a Premium Car when all the option boxes (except auto trans) are checked off. My wife busts on my continuing to be an Audi customer -- but this has nothing to do with her being a snob as far as I can tell. Drive it like YOU live. 
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I drove the X3 in deep snow after it was first introduced and the xdrive was amazing. The thinking here eludes me. For example taking the Cayenne turbo as an extreme example, if you ignore that fact, the Cayenne turbo hits 60 in 5 seconds can do 155 without breathing hard, compete with a 911 and is capable of serious off-roading; anyone can say the new RAV4 is just as good for $65K less. To me the same thought process holds for the X3, while not a speed rocket or off-roader by any means, it handles as competently as the 3 series sedan. Something the RAV4 will never do. Yes it's more expensive and probably faster as well. People don't buy the badge, they buy what the badge represents in terms of performance and the essential BMW character.
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Dec 20, 2005 8:23 pm) Precisely. BMW has remained focused on its "Ultimate Driving Machine" mission statement ever since the introduction of the "New Class" 1500 sedan at Frankfurt in 1961. In the case of the X3, BMW has managed to combine surprising off-road ability with-as you noted-the responsive handling of a 3er sedan. Now, if Munich would only cook up a "3.5is" version... |
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Wow, that's one impressive list of cars I must say. But do you drive/own any other brands, beside the Jeep??? After having owned BMW's (325ic, 330ix, Z4, X5) for about 20 years, my cousin is switching to another "snob mobile": Lexus. His next car will be a Lexus (RX330 most likely). The one thing he says he'll miss about BMW is how grabby the brakes feel. To him that's the essential BMW character. 
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Replying to: victord1 (Dec 20, 2005 9:28 pm) There are a lot of very nice cars on the market these days. As I mentioned earlier, we seriously considered an Xterra Off Road instead of the X3 but we finally decided it was a bit over the top for a daily commuter. In the past decade we've also owned a 1993 Pathfinder SE and a 1984 T-Bird 5 speed Turbo Coupe. Back in 2001 we were ready to pull the trigger on a CPO Audi A4 Quattro, but the local Audi dealer tried to pull a fast one(as usual) so we drove over to the BMW dealer and bought a CPO 528i. I'm also first in line to buy a pristine 1967 Cougar XR-7 when/if the original owner ever decides to flip it. My cars don't have to be BMWs, but they do have to be somewhat interesting.
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Dec 20, 2005 8:23 pm) But pitted against the X3, the gaps are much narrower. In some aspects the RAV actually goes one up on the X. I think the RAV will not compared well with a fully-loaded, sport-suspensioned X3 3.0 (especially if it gets the 255hp motor, and 6-speed steptronic). But I have seen, and driven a base (or lightly optioned) X3 2.5, and that model is nothing to write home about, anyway you look at it. It's underpowered, with few amenities and lux features, has cheap-looking material inside and out. To me, it disgraces the BMW marque. You can't tell me the RAV with V6 doesn't eclipse it. If I can only afford to buy an X3 in that guise, I'm not going to waste my time with a pretender. I'll rather go with a loaded "lower" brand.
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