X3 Loaner Cars
 

Vehicle- 2006 X3 3.0i as loaner car, verdict? still worse then a RAV4, Cheap Plastics around everywhere, hardly any wood and those doors? don't get me started on the thunk, its so tin-can! Rear accomidations-no rear ac, crappy cupholders and hard as heck plastic,blah! I just guess i'm missing something?

OOh and My X5? Its parked back in the garage :)

No doubt the X5 is a nicer car - 10k nicer in fact...

The X3, in my opinion, is suiting a slightly different demographic that may be less interested in some of the things you mentioned (though I agree with thte BMW thunk).

We're not market experts, I'm sure BMW knew what it was doing.

Lol

Well you probably paid $10k or so more for your X5 3.0. Now I won't rip on you for ONLY getting the 3.0 X5 - you know, the same engine as found in the lighter, better handling X3 3.0.

Thanks for your post though. :rolleyes:

It's funny how people see things differently. When I was test driving the X5 3.0, I found it to be heavy, slow, and $10k more with less options. I was in the market for an all purpose vehicle that could take a corner as good or better than a typical car and have decent acceleration. Cargo capacity is slightly larger in the X3 yet it looks smaller and is lighter (I guess that's why we're missing the "thunk").

I would be in an X5 4.4 or X5 4.6is if money fell from a tree but such is not the case. X5 refresh is coming out next year and I'd hate to being stuck in a older model so quickly.

I chose the X3 over the X5. The X3 meets my needs better, and at a lower price.

--Larry

For me I needed a family car that I could afford. The X3 was my entry point with BMW. Now in a few years I will upgrade to the X5. I am thinking a 2007 X5 in say 2009. My previous SUV was a Toyota Highlander. It was a great car, but once I drove the X3 there was no looking back. :)

Yes I will agree that the X3 drives MUCH faster, I don't understand why they didn't give it the 255hp Inline 6? Anyone? I got my X5 for the interior, I love interiors and I feel the X5's interior is a work of art filled with soft touch materials, tons of wood, no hard plastics and lots of leather,thats prolly why I don't like the X3 Much, Its fast and very useful but the interior is what gets a cold stare from me!

Was your X3 loaner a bare-bones X3 3.0? The sport package (at least the seats) and premium package on the X3 should be standard. It makes a world of difference, IMO.

http://www.cwsi.net/bmw/x3/x4.jpg

Yes it was loaded (premium/sport etc) but feel the dash, door trim and floor console, open the lid and feel how cheap it feels and no duel zone automatic climate control!

When you say lid, are you referring to where the navigation is? I think the nav is better placed in the x3. I agree the trim feels a bit cheap but not as low as RAV4 quality. An X5 3.0 non-sport felt cheap and overpriced to me, IMHO. Again, I liked the X5 4.4 sport but money tree has not sprouted yet. I've been waiting for 32 years. :-)

No Floor Console Lid, I dunno what about the X5 is cheap I do have a fully loaded one thou, but I'm turning 21 soon so I've been asking my parents to buy me a Range Rover *grin*

:tsk:

do you understand what i'm talking about thou? I just don't like the interior materials feel

yes, i understand... though I am of the school that you cannot fully appreciate your car until you own and pay for it and don't say things like

"i'm waiting for my parents to buy me a range rover"

not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is harder to appreciate something.

haha, I have my own company, I did pay for the X5 and everything I have, my parents consider this a major bday

If interior quality/content was #1 on “our have to have it” list we certainly would not have bought our X3 on an X5 or any BMW.

If interior quality/content is you #1 priority I suggest you shop a different country, even USA manufactures have much nicer leather and wood. :rofl:

I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. In my case, price certainly wasn't an object, but the X3, IMO, handled MUCH better than the X5 did, was more fun to drive, and suits my needs perfectly. This is, in fact, my 2nd X3, and I didn't consider "upgrading" to an X5 (or any other car/SUV) when the opportunity presented itself. And yes, I test drove both prior to making my decision. I will admit, the interior was an issue, but less so than the car's handling and "fun-to-drive-factor," hence my personal choice of an X3. Again: to each, his own.

Different strokes for different folks...

Having both in our family (+ a range rover in the extended family), I can say that driving the X3 & X5 are quite different beasts. The X3 is just so tossable, and driving it through a twisty outback almost captures the excitement as our 330Cic does. The X5 on the other hand is a much more luxury cruiser and does feel much more like a truck or tank in comparison to the X3. The interior of the X3 doesn't bother me, although i do appreciate the X5's much nicer interior. But hey, you can't complain when you get an X3 as your first car now can you :)...

Powerwise, BMW did some tricky things with the refreshed X5 throttle, making the car appear to be a lot quicker off the line (a small tap = a lot of power). However, push a 3.0i X5 onto the freeway, and the 3.0i struggles where as the X3 zooms on by. Well thats what I originally thought, until I drove a 3.0i Z4 (wow that thing just flies).

I find it harsh that you compare the BMW to a RAV4. Although the X3 does make use of a lot of plastic, it still stands out as 'german', from the placement of the buttons to the overall interior design. I can't explain it but it just feels german. Japanese interiors never quite accomplish that.

Unfortunately, BMW is moving away from the thonk (the Z4 being the first). As much as you and I might like it, many other people who I have been with in thonk era BMW's complained about the 'heavy' doors...

I also want to point out that the X3 is based on the E46, thus the platform entails that there is no dual A/C or vents in the rear for passengers. These features were only added in the new E90 3 series. Thus the next entirely new X3 will get these features. As you know the X5 is based on the 5 series (E39) and gets dual climatezone + rear vents. But think about it, and the end of the day, BMW does have to make differentiations between its 3 class vehicles (sedan, coupe, convertible, sav, roadster, wagon) from its 5 class vehicles (sedan, wagon & 6 variants).

Although the range rover and the x5 are based on the same platform, they are quite different. The RR has featherlight steering and quite cushy suspension. Although if you rev that BMW 4.4 up, you can still hear the beautiful soundtrack. Alas, new range rovers no longer come with BMW engines (:(), but at least they ditched the Mk. III Nav (finally !). Honestly, I find the interior of the X5 to be as nice, if not nicer than the RR. I was never a fan of the wood (matted wood) in the RR (which is used pretty sparingly just as in the X3) and the shiny metallic paint which coats all the plastics of the interior... As I said before, to each his own I guess...

I just don't know why everyone is justifying their X3 purchase to a 20-year old... :tsk:

:iagree:

Because the boi owns his own business!

j/k - it is more "why do I like the X3" as opposed to actually justifying to someone else.

yeah, The X3 is def fast, faster then an X5 for sure, my friend Kristi has a 2006 Rav 4 (new generation with 279hp V6) its a really nice car, totally high quality plastics and feels nice, I wouldn't call it an insult

FYI:

Per toyota.com
3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve SFI Dual VVT-i V6
269 hp @ 6200 rpm/246 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm

point taken, still more hp then either 3.0is