Trying to find a replacement for an Audi allroad...
 

Having a hard time finding a replacement for my wife's allroad. I already have an X5 4.8i so we don't necessarily need another SUV. She really likes the Outback, but I'm partial to German cars and have thought about everything from a 328xiT to an X3 to a used A6 Avant. Anyone come out of an allroad into an X3. We have dog and a 2 year old with gear so there is concern of a small cargo area.

Thoughts appreciated.

Hey Puzz -- I came from 5 yrs of driving allroads -- 2 in 2.7T and 3 in 4.2. Wanted to keep the 4.2 forever but the gas mileage and need to downsize (2 cars instead of 3) compelled me to let her go. So obviously I went with an X3. Observations and reasons.

1.a X3 drives so much better -- small road imperfections/bumps were jarring and unsettled the allroad. The suspensionon the ar was interesting and complex at the expense of comfortable imo. Easily disrupted over mid corner bumps and simply not supple. The X3 (07 and newer) has a wonderfully sorted chassis by comparison. Especially with stock 17 inch wheels and tires. BMW does chassis tuning better than anyone else.
b. X3 can be had with a manual transmission and its a really nice one. The at is OK, tho early 6spds have had their problems 08/09 should be fine.
c. The X3 is in its final year of production at Magna Steyr. This factory is well-known for exemplary attention to detail and makes its living producing cars that are put together beautifully. (G-wagens are made there). Its been made for 5-6 years and all the bugs have pretty-much been ironed out. I always try to get a car made in the final yrs of its production run. Fewer worries. (the new one will be made in south carolina)
d. Gas mileage -- I was getting 15.9 mpg with my beloved 4.2 allroad (18.6 in the 2.7) after one month of the same commute, I'm gettin 19.9 in the X3. And it is plenty fun to drive.

Audi drivers (myself included) love to rag on the interiors of BMW's. All I can say ishorse hockkey. My X3 is gorgeous, it is well designed, and there is nothing of low quality that I have encountered. The NAV is 10x better thought out in the X3 than the RSN-E I had in the ar and its high on the dash, not buried down by the gear lever.

d. Xdrive -- also a favorite thing to bash by quattro devotees. I wont pretend to be an expert. The quattro of the ar is a torsen system which is what the better audis have (versus a haldex on TT's and A3's -- still a good system) The only negative you can say about the xdrive is that it is a reactive system that shunts torque around in response to sensors that detect undesireable slippage and wheel speed asymmetry. Quattro pretty much just puts the power to all 4 wheels all the time. Whatever. What I have experienced is that in a foot of snow, up hills covered in slush/freezing slop Xdrive works just fine. Even with the standard pirelli scorpians. You will not get stuck in the X3.

So as an ex-allroad driver and an audi fan, I can tell you that the X3 is a really great car that is available now for great deals. There is no less room in the back seat, though the boot is a touch narrower -- it is taller. Get it! you'll like it.

The X3 is a fine car and I love mine. They can be had now for very low dollars -especially a demo/loaner 08.

About the outback- you really cant go wrong with it, but if, and only if, you arent a "car guy" your wife may not be. But if you are and like the feel of solidity and quality, it will bug you. Subbies are really great values and have an excellent awd system. Plus they usually dont break. They just arent inspiring imo and they tend to feel "small" and a little cheap. You certainly will notice it coming from your X5. Maybe not your wife. i didnt feel the X3 was significantly different in size compared to the outback. in fact the X3 feels bigger inside (maybe it the greater height/headroom)

Your comments are much appreciated. What else did you consider besides the X3? Did you look at the 3er wagon?

I needed the ground clearance. have a very long driveway that frequently is unplowed when I need to get out. So I went with x3. The 3 series though probably of same hip and leg room, seemed more claustrophobic due to the lower roof, to me...

my search included X3, Audi A4 (not getting a first year production car and the ground clearance is an issue), Subaru legacy GT -- 6 inches ground clearance was a good compromise -- but it just fealt cheap. Would have looked at the Audi Q5, Tiguan if they had manual trannies and again they are first year production models and I dont do that. So really came down to Subbie vs X3 -- and all it took was one drive in each. Money wasnt that different.