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SUVs BMW X3 & X5 BMW X3 vs Subaru Forester XT vs Infiniti FX 35 vs Toyota RAV4
1193 messages, Last post on Apr 18, 2008 at 2:49 PM
You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 09, 2006 2:06 pm) Samantha
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Replying to: kumari (Jan 09, 2006 8:13 pm) To see the difference between the 330i and the XT, you have to take it into a curve and mash the gas. Do the same with the RAV4. Driving it at 50 with a light foot tells you nothing about the car. Also if you ever have the chance take the X3 up to 130. I'm not defending the X3 by any means, but after a 330i and subaru and having extensively test drove the X3, I can say the X3 handles like a sedan. No it doesn't have the punch of the XT, but the BMWs do not drive like Caddy's they are meant to be pushed very hard and maintain absolute composure. Take any BMW into the twisties and drive it hard it will not waiver. Try that with a Caddy.
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 10, 2006 6:54 am) Samantha |
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Replying to: kumari (Jan 10, 2006 7:12 pm) The RAV6 should have decent acceleration, but again, no matter how fast in a straight line, it will not drive like the X3. I'm not saying BMWs are for everybody, but the X3s overall handling will be much better than both of these. Having owned a BMW I'm sure you can appreciate the comments.
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I thought it did feel heavy, much more so than a 3 series wagon for instance. In fact I'd recommend that vehicle if you want to stay in the BMW family and truly enjoy sporty handling. Before you say I drive like grandma - at the X3 Test Drive event, I won that little orange cone they hand out for "Best Performance". And my X3 didn't even have the Sport Package. -juice
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jan 11, 2006 11:08 am) Len |
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Replying to: kumari (Jan 10, 2006 7:12 pm) What sold me (more than a year before I actually bought) was the BMW X3 Ultimate Driving Event during the summer of 2004. The firm organizing the event for BMW brought in as instructors people who race professionally. (No, they weren't NASCAR/Indy-level racers -- they supplement their income doing BMW testdrive events, after all -- but they were professional drivers nonetheless. Each instructor was "paired" with 3 event participants. One person would drive, the instructor would ride shotgun, and the other two would sit in back, listening to the critique/advice. The course was defined by cones set up in a stadium parking lot. It was perhaps 2 miles long, with a variety of driving challenges -- long and short straightaways, sweeping turns, S-turns, hairpin turns. Top speed, maybe circa 60/70 on the longest straight. Everyone accelerated HARD, braked HARD, and cornered HARD. They went through a LOT of tires. The instructor in my X3 (riding shotgun) moved the transmission to neutral when one of the other participants did something phenomenally stupid (shortly before completely blowing out the course completely), but otherwise it was very evident that the level of confidence that the X3's could be pushed very, very hard without a serious safety risk. So when I was back in the market late this year, the X3 was at the top of my list. The one vehicle I might have waited for is the Acura RDX (due out this year). But after truly awful service experiences with the two Acura dealers in my area, that brand knocked itself out of contention. (It would have been a different story if I were still in the state where I'd orginally bought my Acura.) If you want the utility that a SAV/SUV offers, you're going to have to give up some gas mileage to get it. The larger shape will never be as efficient as a comparable station wagon. But with family and dogs, I want every bit of extra space I can get in a SAV/SUV that's still a blast to drive. (And I'm not regretting my decision to forgo the RDX, even though the photos out of Detroit just this week and the engine specs are impressive.) VERY happy with my X3.
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Thanks for straightening me out.  jrynn is describing the same event I attended, I still have the miniature orange cone to prove it. -juice |
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 10, 2006 7:36 pm) BTW, where are you guys doing all this fun test track driving? I've never heard of these things. Samantha
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Replying to: jrynn (Jan 11, 2006 2:16 pm) Right now I have a Mazda Navaho 4X4 which is on a truck chassis and has a lot of hauling room and can handle weight. I bought an armoire on eBay last year and schlepped it home in the back of my car!! Won't be doing that with any of these. Heh, heh, heh. You know, I actually started a conversation with someone in a parking lot today because they were driving a Toyota Prius - and she was so proud of it - said it gets 42 MPG average! And, it does have a lot of cargo room with the fold-down seats. But, unfortunately, not enough for me, which is too bad, because I can pick up a certified one used at the Toyota lot. Thanks guys, for all the tips, Samantha
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