[Jordster]

I officially ordered a new car yesterday (An Accord 2.0T Touring) and I'll be saying goodbye to my Space Grey 2015 BMW X3 xDrive 28i.

After 3 years, here are my pros and cons:

Pros:
- Controlled and predictable driving behaviour
- Engine is excellent - low end torque makes it feel lighter than it is
- Sport auto trans is excellent - can pop off gears with vigor when called on
- Excellent in the snow (when shod with Blizzak WS-80)
- Enough rear-seat room for car seats
- Useful, plentiful cargo space
- HK stereo is still awesome despite much abusively loud listening
- Highway fuel economy is good for a vehicle this size and format

Cons:
- Fuel economy in the city and/or when the engine isn't fully warm (which takes 30+ minutes on a cold day) can be as bad as 16-17 mpg! Worst tank was 15. This got tiring!
- 28i engine is pretty fast on the line, but isn't that fast at highway speeds
- Rattles! Rattles! Rattles! I finally got my pano roof fixed after 3 years and 5+ tries, but there are still some other minor rattles.
- Minor issues with interior fit and finish - the aluminum piece around the shifter pops up out of place all winter long!
- iDrive system reset twice while driving, resetting everything including the clock, made me worry about electronics problems. Twice in 3 years isn't a lot, but it still spooked me
- Still kind of ugly, especially from some angles
- Runflat tires are cancer. I replaced them with Conti DWS06 (non-RFT) and never looked back, but now I'd be stuck waiting for roadside assistance if I had a flat. Never happened, though.
- BMW greed (and me not realizing there was a $300 "storage option" that I didn't have) left me with nowhere to keep my change. I put it on the pad behind the cup holder. One coin managed to enter the underbody of the car and now rolls around. I didn't even notice until the BMW tech noticed it and offered to go fishing for it, but warned it could cost many hundred $$$ or more. In short, accidentally missing a $300 option on my car and there was no better place to keep change.

I had intended to keep it longer, but I've decided that I'd rather NOT own a German car out of warranty. Still, it was fun while it lasted. All the best with your X3s!

[Aspen235]

Keep change in your pocket?

The new Accord seems pretty nice. Should get better mileage than an X3 for sure, but likely won't be as good as advertised with a turbo and short trips in the city. Camry hybrid is the city mileage king.

Cheers.

[atarivers]

How does the new accord compare in price with X3s? I'm thinking there isn't much difference.

[atarivers]

I keep them in a small plastic bag in the console storage.

Originally Posted by Aspen235

Keep change in your pocket?

The new Accord seems pretty nice. Should get better mileage than an X3 for sure, but likely won't be as good as advertised with a turbo and short trips in the city. Camry hybrid is the city mileage king.

Cheers.

[Jordster]

Originally Posted by atarivers

How does the new accord compare in price with X3s? I'm thinking there isn't much difference.

Ugh... The new X3 30i loaded up with the same level of equipment as the Accord Touring 2.0T is about $20k more expensive. $39k for Accord (in Canada) and about $60k for an X3.

How loaded is the Accord Touring 2.0T? a few standout features include adaptive dampers (!), ventilated front seats, an excellent HUD that can show a tachometer, rear USB ports, and an excellent suite of driver aids. Oh, and one thing you can't get on a BMW - remote start, plus the ability to remote-start and do a bunch of other stuff from your mobile phone if you pay for a subscription service. Tons of other features too, as you'd expect.

It also does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds (according to Car and Driver) and feels much faster than my X3 28i, especially at higher speeds. I don't think the 30i is any faster. Obviously the 40i is not a fair comparison.

Biggest thing I'm giving up compared to a 330i is xDrive rear-biased AWD. But for $20k, I'll just put on a good set of snows in the winter and tone down the shennanigans.

[FSociety]

Hey OP, I had an 14' X3 28i M-Sport for 2yrs so I know where you're coming from. After owning my X4 M40i for 2yrs I can say I can get same MPG or better without trying as hard (EcoPro 99% like I had to do in the X3) and my is 355hp/343tq perfect

[TJNies]

The OP is certainly welcome to their own opinions. I agree with most all of the points pro and con.
But many of the con are not material to ridding myself of the vehicle.

Coins? I found one of those old-timer zippered coin pouches offered at my bank. Keep it in the console and work great,

Ugly? Of course, that's in the eye of the beholder, but to me the new Accord looks like a Beluga Whale. Yikes.

The biggest thing on the con list I find myself thinking is having no warranty. Mine just went out of warranty a month back, then almost immediately the full TPMS system showed to fail (not just one tire low etc). They had to replace a module that had to be shipped from Germany. It would have cost about $650 installed, but I protested and they offered a goodwill repair.

Anyway, good luck and enjoy your new car!

[Jordster]

Originally Posted by TJNies

Coins? I found one of those old-timer zippered coin pouches offered at my bank. Keep it in the console and work great,

Ugly? Of course, that's in the eye of the beholder, but to me the new Accord looks like a Beluga Whale. Yikes.

The coin entering the underbody was my fault ... that probably wasn't the best place for coins. Still, when I paid C$53k (over $60k OTD) on a "luxury" car and I don't get a little glove box because of marketing department greed, it bothers me.

Ugly? Definitely my opinion. I think it looks great from the front, good from the back, and totally awkward from the side. The Accord ... needs a black replacement for the front grille (the chrome looks terrible to me) but I think it's pretty slick. Obviously... again .. just my opinion.

The real problem was the upcoming end of my warranty. I thought about aftermarket warranties, but I've heard they can be really shitty about not covering things. Also tired of paying for premium fuel at 13+ l/100km. I can do better if I am really careful, but that gets old, too. I realized that I can still get decent $$ for my car, and that cinched it for me.

[atarivers]

Wow, I would not have guessed the price difference is that much. I do know the build quality is better although the Acura/Honda materials are not quite as nice as BMW. I honestly prefer less flashy materials with fewer clacks, creaks, and peeling. There is way too much of that with BMW. I'm probably going Mercedes GLE or equivalent, possibly Audi when I'm ready to trade in. I'll save my shenanigans for the summer months and my roadster.

Originally Posted by Jordster

Ugh... The new X3 30i loaded up with the same level of equipment as the Accord Touring 2.0T is about $20k more expensive. $39k for Accord (in Canada) and about $60k for an X3.

How loaded is the Accord Touring 2.0T? a few standout features include adaptive dampers (!), ventilated front seats, an excellent HUD that can show a tachometer, rear USB ports, and an excellent suite of driver aids. Oh, and one thing you can't get on a BMW - remote start, plus the ability to remote-start and do a bunch of other stuff from your mobile phone if you pay for a subscription service. Tons of other features too, as you'd expect.

It also does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds (according to Car and Driver) and feels much faster than my X3 28i, especially at higher speeds. I don't think the 30i is any faster. Obviously the 40i is not a fair comparison.

Biggest thing I'm giving up compared to a 330i is xDrive rear-biased AWD. But for $20k, I'll just put on a good set of snows in the winter and tone down the shennanigans.

[najnad]

The telling part of this story is that the OP is going from an AWD SUV to a FWD sedan. Will he get better mileage, of course! Between the FWD and the less weight of the car and the more efficient engine, he will see better fuel economy.

But he wont have the versatility of the SUV (cargo and AWD) nor the driving position/view of traffic in the sedan. Of course, not everyone needs an SUV, so maybe this is the better choice for him.

As for the $20k price difference, the honda is not what one would call a "luxury" vehicle. And thats all I will say about that...

[Jordster]

Originally Posted by najnad

The telling part of this story is that the OP is going from an AWD SUV to a FWD sedan. Will he get better mileage, of course! Between the FWD and the less weight of the car and the more efficient engine, he will see better fuel economy.

But he wont have the versatility of the SUV (cargo and AWD) nor the driving position/view of traffic in the sedan. Of course, not everyone needs an SUV, so maybe this is the better choice for him.

As for the $20k price difference, the honda is not what one would call a "luxury" vehicle. And thats all I will say about that...

I wasn't trying to get into an Accord vs X3 debate. That's silly. Obviously an SUV has better utility. However, the reason I ended up in an X3 to begin with is that it's basically the cheapest option on the market if you want a midsize crossover with reasonable performance. The CX5 handles really well, and the Forester XT has enough power, but nothing quite hit both fronts. The X3 was worth the extra $12k to me. But when you look at cars, suddenly there are plenty of reasonably priced cars that drive really well.

My kids have grown and the gear (strollers, mostly) that we carry is dramatically reduced. Personally, I'd much rather drive a car. I've dealt with heavy snow in FWD cars for most of my life, and good snow tires go a long way (though I definitely will miss AWD on the worst of days).

The Accord is not a "luxury" car, just a very nice mainstream car. But the Touring is pretty nice, and has far more feature content than my 2015 X3 to which I *only* added C$7900 in options. A few that my X3 doesn't have are adaptive dampers, cooled seats, remote and/or app-based starter, HUD, garage remote, rear seat heat and USB chargers. and I know those things are available on the X3, but $$$.

[ThomasR]

Originally Posted by Jordster

I wasn't trying to get into an Accord vs X3 debate. That's silly. Obviously an SUV has better utility. However, the reason I ended up in an X3 to begin with is that it's basically the cheapest option on the market if you want a midsize crossover with reasonable performance. The CX5 handles really well, and the Forester XT has enough power, but nothing quite hit both fronts. The X3 was worth the extra $12k to me. But when you look at cars, suddenly there are plenty of reasonably priced cars that drive really well.

My kids have grown and the gear (strollers, mostly) that we carry is dramatically reduced. Personally, I'd much rather drive a car. I've dealt with heavy snow in FWD cars for most of my life, and good snow tires go a long way (though I definitely will miss AWD on the worst of days).

The Accord is not a "luxury" car, just a very nice mainstream car. But the Touring is pretty nice, and has far more feature content than my 2015 X3 to which I *only* added C$7900 in options. A few that my X3 doesn't have are adaptive dampers, cooled seats, remote and/or app-based starter, HUD, garage remote, rear seat heat and USB chargers. and I know those things are available on the X3, but $$$.

I test drove the CX5 and the Forester XT (previous 2003 XS) owner. I loved the CX5 manual. Fantastic (Miata) transmission. Unfortunately it was weak with the 2.0 as the only offering (now they've eliminated the manual.). The automatic for all the raves in the press was bleh to me.

The Forester XT was awful. Only offered with the CVT. No punch. No fun at all.

I drove a 2004 Honda Element 5 Speed which I converted to 6 speed (the 3rd in the world to have done it at the time) for 10 years from new. LOVED it. However it had it's issues also. I went through 6 sets of drive axles(known issue), the B pillars creaked/popped (known issue), Driver seat creaked (known issue), vtec solenoid gasket, etc.

The X3 was the first daily driver I had with an auto. The driving dynamics + excellent 8 speed sold me on it. If the CX5(2.5 liter) or Forester XT were available with a manual I probably would be driving one of those.