Wow, this sure has created a lot of "colorful" posts. I hesitated to join in until I found my fire suit lol. Before I make any comment, let me preface by saying that (a) everyone has their own expectations and requirements when buying a vehicle, and (b) by and large I agree with the OP. My X is relatively old (2005) vs the OP's, it's the 4.8is. But the concerns are the same. I've owned it for not quite 2 months, and one of my very first posts was to mention how "underwhelmed" I am with the SAV. I agree it's more of a "driving machine" than anything else. It's got snappy performance, a sporty ride and handles GREAT. I also love the heated seats and steering wheel. The fit and finish is excellent, it's very comfy and I think would be great on long trips. The pano roof is outstanding!

BUT; the DSP sound system? I've heard Mazda Tributes with better. The Nav is totally dated compared to the 2003 Jeep I sold to buy the X, and light years behind my wife's '05 FX35. I don't think this is asking too much in a $75k vehicle, regardless of whether it was designed as a "driving machine" or "luxo" vehicle. I don't have the deep pockets that the OP must have to swap one new vehicle for another in short order. However, I don't feel my X is satisfying MY needs (which may be different from yours), and I'm going to try to sell it or trade it on something that suits me better. That, I believe, was the intent of the original post. If there has to be some tradeoff in the process, I'll decide what's worth it and what's not.