Thread: X3 > Mustang
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      04-24-2013, 05:43 PM   #1
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X3 > Mustang

Just a quick and to us, a surprising anecdote.

My wife and I just got back from a vacation where we were excited to have a Mustang GT 5.0 for a rental. Currently we own a 2013 X3 with the 2.0T engine.

Our excitement quickly deflated once we started to drive.

To our amazement, on every level the X3 was more fun to drive and "zippier" around town. Yes the Mustang was faster in a straight line. Perhaps it handles better too. But it felt very disconnected to the road and just lacked a fun factor that for some reason is present in BMW's, even the X3. After four days with the Mustang, we couldn't believe we were saying it, but we concluded that not only was our M3 better (which we were expecting), but so was our X3! Our X3, with the four cylinder, the dog hauler, the car that still to this day just isn't "cool," was in fact more fun and pleasurable to drive than a Mustang with over 400 horses! We started kind of dreading getting back in the Mustang after four days.

I think what really killed the Mustang for us was several fold. Lack of visibility for one thing. My wife is 5'4" and was looking right at the dash almost the whole time as a passenger. The steering is very disconnected. We were on winding mountain roads a lot of times and there was never even a hint of feedback or the wheel becoming stiffer with hard turns. And lastly the outright machismo of the whole thing. Everything, from the shift knob to the dials to the stitching just screams macho, without any balance. I really wanted to like it and not be a snob but at the end of the day, I really appreciated how much more sophisticated BMW's are in everything from the dash to the steering wheel to the drive.

I know this is a weird comparison, and I hope I don't offend any Mustang lovers out there. Certainly looks cool and the 5.0 engine surprisingly revved very nicely.

Just thought I'd share in case any of you are going through a midlife crisis like me and is actually considering one.

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