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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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Replying to: markcincinnati (May 14, 2006 5:46 am) Coming down the final few months of my allroad lease and the manual tranny desire is driving my choice. Bought a SUbaru Outback 5speed manual 4cyl used 2002 for my son to drive, but he don't get it until next spring. So rather than bone up an Audi without it, nor move down to a A4 with not enough back seat, Im gonna wait and see the changes occur and how pricing falls out. The flaws are all being addressed for me. Mainly the spartan interior. After sitting in an X5 and then the X3 its a bit much. X5 is a great interior! Im gonna sign up my son for the teen driving school in South Carolina. $700 for two days to learn defensive driving is well worth the cost! X school sounds like fun also, but I'll wait until Im a card carrying member. Sorry the Audi Q5 is not coming out soon enough, but as we have discussed before this is the natural successor to the allroad with manual tranny. |
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An automatic, but I was very impressed with the motor. What ever horspower they say it is it feels much stronger. Seating was nice and all around very nice ride! Standard set up with 17's. One fault, it made my head bounce around. You can feel ever dip on every surface. Lateral was just fine, but horizontal movements were a bit extreme. I drove a 5 series BMW, 525 also with basic set up and fell in love. Apples and oranges. Do I really need awd in piedmont north carolina? Both x3 and 5 made my 3 year old Allroad feel like a box of lose bolts. New car syndrome. I will still wait until the new X3 comes out and see if any improvements are made. Perhaps this is just its charactor and it literally sticks to the road. This x3 just seemed to suck to the highway but at the same time "tippy". I have 2 ruptured discs in my neck and am a bit sensitive to such movements. My wifes 2000 ML320 did a similar thing, but the BMW was more pronounced because of its positive handling charactoristics. I saw somthing I found interesting. The rough interior is nice, but inconsistant. The carpet was plush and in the beige as the seats. Why not black or grey? Didn't first generation x3 have it that way? And it was all so plush. The seats also seem too dressy for that dash. They were very comfortable. I might say I liked the Black bumpers better. The mono makes the front and back profiles seem too tall looking. Perhaps the X3 in its current form is just not for me than its not a great vehicle. Except for the "bobble head" effect on this body, I very much was impressed. Can't say for shore its off my list, but damm that 525 was sweet! 530 with standard transmission might be even more so! |
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Replying to: driver100 (May 13, 2006 10:26 am)  What do I think is better overall? What's better, or best will always be inherently subjective. So, I dunno, Cayenne? Touareg V8? Perhaps the upcoming RDX? But without even having to leave the BMW showroom, how about the 530xi? Yeah, I know. It's not officially an SUV, or SAV, but really, aside from a bit of extra ground clearance, is the X3's purpose in life that much different? I think the 530xi can do just about anything the X3 can do, only better. Plus, as an added bonus, it is the only vehicle in the entire BMW lineup that has a power tailgate. Now, that's cool! 
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Replying to: bodble2 (May 15, 2006 8:17 pm) |
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Replying to: bodble2 (May 15, 2006 8:17 pm) The X3 has more cargo room heigh-wise. That makes a big difference in the type of cargo that can be carried. The extra ground clearance of the X3 makes a huge difference in heavy snow. The fold down seats of the X3 plus the extra height will allow you to carry cargo and animals in a way the 5 series will never approach. Touareg? It's junk, IMO. |
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Replying to: bodble2 (May 15, 2006 8:17 pm) In the X3 you are pretty high up with huge windows and great sight lines. I find it difficult to get used to driving a regular car after the X3!
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Replying to: bargamon (May 15, 2006 7:48 pm) The X3 is a bit of an enigma too. It supposedly represents the "look" (style) of the upcoming X5, it has been criticized for being rough looking from the inside and it is also by many accounts in desperate need of the 255HP 3.0 and 6spd step. Yet many -- at the dealership -- say (and then put their money where there mouth is) the X3 is "their pick for the best all around BMW currently." One of the client advisors has given his new X3 the "M" treatment (cosmetically.) He hopes there will be an "M" option soon (perhaps the turbo charged 3.0 and a 7 speed SMG, too.) The owner (of the BMW dealership) has a daily driver: you guessed it, an X3. The finance manager, ditto. Perhaps the steady undercurrent of complaints (here and elsewhere) about the X3 does motivate me to defend this car (which is my wife's, BTW) moreso than I would otherwise. Were money no object the 5 series with X drive certainly ups the luxury quotient considerably -- but factor in at least an additional $10,000 for this improvement. Besides, the X3 rides a bit higher and does feel solid and stable -- but the price paid IS ride quality. My wife, after three Audi TT's in a row perceives the X3's ride quality as a huge improvement. If you've been used to a 5 series, a Lexus or even a Cadillac, the X3 will seem stiff, firm and maybe even "harsh." If you can believe anything we can come up with here on the WWW -- and if you can wait a few months -- see what the 2007 version has in store. My bet is that many of the roughness of look and stiffness of ride issues will be dealt with. Further, the 255HP engine with both better power and better efficiency is a virtual certainty as is the 6spd steptronic. This go round, I would not expect the 7 spd smg transmission, though. The X3, so it seems, has been the ugly duckling -- the swan is due, soon.
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Replying to: bargamon (May 15, 2006 7:48 pm) (however, I don't know if it is the best car for someone with back problems - might want a softer ride in that case) |
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Replying to: bargamon (May 15, 2006 7:48 pm) I am in full agreement there. I have a 2004 in white and as I said earlier, I wouldn't want the monochrome paint if it was offered free. Makes the car look like a huge white cloud. |
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Replying to: markcincinnati (May 16, 2006 4:24 am) I would not say the ride was harsh, but almost "tippy". I will not spend 60k! For the money I thought the X3 was a hell of a ride! I would not even say it needed more power! The tourque seems ok to me. Maybe What I really want is just a car after all. THe X3 certainly might have a place in my garage once we are done. Again, I really liked it. I would love to see a future stable of a 330i coupe and an X3 in my garage! |
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