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BMW X3 vs Subaru Forester XT vs Infiniti FX 35 vs Toyota RAV4

1193 messages,  Last post on Apr 18, 2008 at 3:49 PM

You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW X3, Subaru Forester, Infiniti FX35, Toyota RAV4, SUV

Messages Page 117 of 120

#1156 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [kumari] by jrynn

Jan 11, 2006 (3:16 pm)

Replying to: kumari (Jan 10, 2006 8:12 pm)
Samantha/kumari, you ABSOLUTELY can drive the X3 VERY hard.
 
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.

#1157 of 1193 GrandPA by ateixeira

Jan 11, 2006 (3:55 pm)

Thanks for straightening me out.
 
jrynn is describing the same event I attended, I still have the miniature orange cone to prove it.
 
-juice

#1158 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [kdshapiro] by kumari

Jan 12, 2006 (2:46 am)

Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 10, 2006 8:36 pm)
I can't believe you get as much as 27 MPG from the XT!!!! I'd be thrilled with 20 MPG!!! I only do city driving - primarily w/in 5 miles from my house, so I'll probably get 18 and be thrilled with that! I just want the extra power for those times when I'm on the freeway or want to go to the mountains. I wouldn't feel safe in an automatic 4 cyl car w/o the turbo. I like knowing the power is there if and when I need to use it. The BMW X3, being a 6 cyl, gets less gas mileage - I think the sticker may have said 17 or 18 city and it's usually a few miles less than that. The XT said 21/27, I think, and that was for the auto. The stick didn't get as good mileage according to the brochure.
 
BTW, where are you guys doing all this fun test track driving? I've never heard of these things.
 
Samantha

#1159 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [jrynn] by kumari

Jan 12, 2006 (2:58 am)

Replying to: jrynn (Jan 11, 2006 3:16 pm)
You piqued my interest with the Acura RDX, so I googled it and saw a preliminary pic. It reminds me of the Toyota Prius, more like a car than a wagon or SUV. I really need the height in the cargo area to accomodate dog crates and home repair supplies (lumber, tools, etc.), so that's why I need something different.
 
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

#1160 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [kumari] by leo2633

Jan 12, 2006 (6:35 am)

Replying to: kumari (Jan 12, 2006 2:58 am)
Regarding the cargo area of a Forester: I have carried a full size top freezer refrigerator, a full size dishwasher in its shipping crate and several low dressers in the back of my 2001 (not all at the same time of course!). I can also stand several full size garbage cans up in back at the same time. I think juice said he has carried a washer (or dryer) in his as well. It may not fit an tall armoire (but then again, it just might, depending on how you load it in), but it does fit an amazing amount of stuff.
 
Len

#1161 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [kumari] by kdshapiro

Jan 12, 2006 (6:45 am)

Replying to: kumari (Jan 12, 2006 2:46 am)
"The BMW X3, being a 6 cyl, gets less gas mileage"
 
Not necessarily, the BMW has a 5th gear overdrive so the engine revs much lower than the XT at highway speeds.

#1162 of 1193 IIHS News Release on Rear Crash Protection in SUVs by p0926

Jan 13, 2006 (1:24 pm)

Subaru Forester is one of only 6 SUVs and the only small SUV to earn a good rating for protection against whiplash injuries in rear-end crashes.
 
Excerpts from article:
 
ARLINGTON, VA — Only 6 of the seat/head restraint combinations in 44 current model SUVs are rated good for protection against whiplash injuries in rear-end crashes. None of the seat/head restraint designs in 15 pickup truck models earns a good rating. Overall 4 out of 5 SUV and pickup seat/head restraints recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are rated marginal or poor for whiplash protection. This is the first time the Institute has tested SUV and pickup seats using a dummy that can measure forces on the neck during a simulated rear-end crash.
 
Only the seats in the Ford Freestyle, Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover LR3, Subaru Forester, and Volvo XC90 models earn good overall ratings.
 
"Manufacturer advertising often emphasizes the rugged image of SUVs and pickups," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "However, the Institute's evaluations show seats and head restraints in many models wouldn't do a good job of protecting most people in a typical rear impact in everyday commuter traffic."
 
Seat/head restraints in the Volvo XC90 and Subaru Forester earn good overall ratings, in part because of their advanced designs that help keep the head and torso moving together in a crash. As an occupant's torso sinks into the Subaru seat during a rear crash, a mechanism in the seatback is designed to push the head restraint up and toward the back of the head.
 
Full article is here: http://www.highwaysafety.org/news/2006/pr010806.html
 
-Frank

#1163 of 1193 Re: IIHS News Release on Rear Crash Protection in SUVs [p0926] by rsholland

Jan 13, 2006 (1:55 pm)

Replying to: p0926 (Jan 13, 2006 1:24 pm)
Good news indeed Frank. I wished the WRX and WRX Limited had those good head rests. The WRX TR does, however.
 
Bob

#1164 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [leo2633] by kumari

Jan 14, 2006 (7:27 am)

Replying to: leo2633 (Jan 12, 2006 6:35 am)
Len, RE: the cargo area. I'm amazed you got a refrigerator in there. It barely had the clearance height to accept an airline type XL dog crate and it took up the ENTIRE back area. And this was with the rear seats folded down. I schlepped the damn crate down there to make sure it would fit before deciding on the car. I'm wondering if the 2001 you mention had a higher clearance. Right now, I'm glad I still have my huge, gas-guzzling SUV because I have to schlep a twin sized bed and frame to my mother's house. I'm really gonna miss all that space, but not the lousy gas mileage. And, if I really need the help, my cousin drives a Suburban. LOL

#1165 of 1193 Re: Subuaru Forester XT vs. BMW X3 [kumari] by p0926

Jan 17, 2006 (9:54 am)

Replying to: kumari (Jan 14, 2006 7:27 am)
FYI, I have one of those airline type extra large dog kennels and it fits in the back of my 04 Forester with the rear seats up (it's tight but it fits). Maybe the brand you have is just that little bit larger?
 
-Frank

Messages Page 117 of 120

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