I drove the 2.8 last week and was not overly impressed. Nice vehicle, but less refined options and more like a scaled back slimlined 3 series with next to no options and they still were asking 46K for it. I was originally in the market for a 2008 x5, but the cost difference between those and a new X3 was pretty negligable. Plus the new X3's are so damn close in side to the 08 x5 now.

The only 3.5 was on the showroom floor and boxed in a bit so not really greatly accessible. I sat in the 3.5 and well it was loaded to bear with everything you could want and more. It felt like the X5 as far as overall room and comfort. Still had not gotten a chance to fully test drive it.

Well, I called them a couple days later and had them pull it out so I could try it.

It was great!! It's no 4.8 twin turbo v8, but it has fantastic speed and the flappy paddles were cool to play with while in Sport plus mode. Handled very well in the corners. It was different trying to get used to the new efficiency option in it. The brakes would continue to grab while slowing down, even when my foot was off the pedal. There is some newer technology to use the breaking power of the engine to power some new electrical features. Helps make the engine that 10% more fuel efficient while converting some of the residual energy into a battery store of some kind to help the vehicle use less gas. I didn't fully understand all of it, but it made sense when the sales guy explaned it. I'll be looking into it more.

The ride was much better than the old X3. Smooth where the old version was more rigid and bumpy and muted where the old one was loud. You can stil feel and hear the road some, but not nealy as much as he old one. Freeway driving was responsive and tight, even when not in Sport mode. Engine sound, was slightly muted in the newer one, but you can still hear it reving just fine.

With the salesman riding along, it's not like I could take it for a full corning test, however bobbing and weaving in and out of traffic on the freeway and side roads it was very responsive. Run Flats are standard, but the 18's on the sport model felt quite nice. FYI, the Flappy Paddles are included in the Sport package. They are no longer a charged option.

I've driven a 535i with sport before and this felt better than that one did. I don't have the extensive Bimmer experience that a lot of people on here do, but comparing it to the 3 series, 5 series and X5's I've driven, it was better than the 5 series, and on par with the x5 and 3 series sport models. I have never driven a M Sport so I cannot compare against those.

For a 3.5 Twin Turbo this was more than sufficient for me. I liked it so much I ordered one with Sport Package, Cold weather and Premium package. I opted out of the Nav and I drive. I have Nav for free on my Droid and honestly the Idrive, although improved, is mor cumbersome that it is useful. $2500 for the Nav package and more for the tech package isn't overly worth it for the amount of driving I do yearly.

I also test drove the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q5 and although the Cayenne was nice, the v8 in that thing gets crappy gas mileage. It felt nice but for the price I kept feeling like it should be more outstanding than it was. I wasn't overly impressed. The Audi Q5, well let's just say where the BMW looks refined and stylish the Q5 looks cold and unrefined and felt like a plastic box with wheels. The 240 hp of the Q5 was slow off the block compared to the 3.5 BMW and had about the same driving feel as my old 06 Toyota 4 runner. The Audi was nice, don't get me wrong, but for a 47K vehicle it looked and felt like a plastic box lined with leather and felt lining. It also didn't feel as balanced as the BMW when turning or weaving in and out of traffic.

So I did some calling around and I ordered the X3 with the 3.5. Plus, going with a dealer outside the major city I live near, I was able to get them to give me a discount off the MSRP, which the ones in the city were not willing to do because it's so new. So basically I got the 3.5 motor included for 2K instead of 4K and got them to throw in a few little freebies like floor mats and cargo net for free. It's not much of a discount as discounts go, but it was better than the larger dealerships were even willing to offer.

I'll post some picks when it arrives in Mid February.