I just changed from a 2000 X5 4.4i to a 2006 X3 3.0sd a few weeks ago, and I'm loving it so far. The twin turbo diesel has so much grunt, and the X3 as a whole feels quite alot more nimble and tighter than the X5 did.

Yes, it is more of a "girls car" as my father said when he heard what I bought, but with the style 205 wheels and (as of today) 5% tinted windows, it still looks pretty damn good.

And it is hard to argue with 27mpg rather than 16mpg...

The only things I really miss are the split tailgate, the HID lights and the V8 sound. But that 580nm from 1750rpm makes up for it :-)

Gotta love lots of torque. Silver always looks good, nice choice.

What is the price of diesel fuel verses gasoline in New Zealand?

Petrol here costs $NZ2.30 per litre and diesel only costs $NZ1.52 per litre (plus an additional tax of $0.05 per km on diesel vehicles)

That's $US4.50 per gallon for diesel, and $US6.80 per gallon for 96 octane petrol.

I wanted a black X3, but because I wanted the 210kw sport diesel engine, my options were limited (it was the only one for sale in the whole country!)

I could have had a black 3.0d (160kw) or a large selection of petrol powered X3's but I really wanted that 3.0sd badge :-)

Big cost saving, good way to go. Enjoy!