[Ant Man]

Last year I tried a 30d Msport and was left thoroughly disappointed. I then tried a Honda CRV (new 4th gen) 2.2D EX which had better steering and brakes but was not as pretty, rolled too much round corners and is not available in dark metallic blue. Overall I felt it was a better car than the X3, particularly when comparing prices of similar equipped cars. I then looked around and found the Mazda CX-5 in AWD 175ps Sport Nav trim. Imo, the best looking out of the 3 and the best driver's car too. Excellent driving and pedal position. Manual gearbox is short throw and very slick, brakes and steering good with the former having plenty of feel and the EPS not bad at all. Very little body roll considering the height of the car. Granted some of the interior plastic on the lower part of the dashboard and some on the door cards are not as good as the X3 but the rest is. The fit and finish is also very good and everything feels very well made and robust. It also runs on normal tyres and comes with a spare wheel, which was essential for me. Mazda have copied the BMW design for their idrive and rotary heating controls. The dash reminded me of BMW. The 175PS diesel engine is an absolute peach. Peak power is at 4,500 RPM and it revs to 5,500rpm but it's so quiet and does not sound like a diesel at all, even at low speed.

It also weighs around 100kg less than a 20d, spec for spec and is vastly cheaper to buy. I don't care about residuals because I'll keep the car until it dies. I'm expecting it to be reliable as it's Japanese. Service costs are a little cheaper than BMW too. Service one is £250 all in, service 2 £285 and service 3 £303. It is chain driven (like BMW) so no cam belts to replace.

The only negatives, DAB is not available and Mazda UK have no idea when it will or if it can be dealer retrofitted in the future! Whilst having a fully powered driver's seat, there is no memory settings.

I'd recommend anyone to have a test drive in one after driving an X3 before making one's mind up.

[Amber]

Different strokes for different folks.

[stumblingtrout]

Fully loaded it's £28,695.

It's probably a great car. I don't think i'd even consider test driving one though. I don't like the look of it & there's no 6 cylinder diesel. It's not distinctive enough.

I'm sure it's a fabulous car though, and at £28,695 for a fully loaded model it wont break the bank in comparison to other crossovers. Like the X3...

[roadkillrob]

I have had a few mazda's over the years, they are a ways from a BMW, but much better driving than anything from Honda or Toyota for the most part if your looking for a sporty ride!

Doubt anyone is cross shopping them here in the US, CX-5 starts at 21k X3 starts at 40k.

[Want the thrill]

184 horsepower For the Mazda vs 300 for the 35i. Don't think I'd even bother looking.

[The X Men]

The CX5 and the X3 is not even in the same league, comparing apples to oranges really. Mazda does handle pretty well, but that's it. The whole car is full of cheap material and safety rating is not as good as BMW. Personally, Mazda is pretty close to the bottom of my list as far as Japanese cars are concerned.

[lbjgh]

I compared the kia sportage with x3 when I was shopping and found it to be much better value than the bimmer.

It also had a better warranty and 30hp less than my 35i.

Mazda only sells the soccer mom version of the cx5 in Canada... If the skyactive diesel sold here I would have considered it.

I don't consider my x3 a premium product and bmw doesn't treat me like a premium brand purchaser... I got the bimmer because it was fun to drive. The mazdas are known for their fun to drive character so enjoy the new wheels

[BeeMdblU]

Maybe I should keep my mouth shut, but Kia and Mazda? seriously guys? are you for real?

[lbjgh]

Yep, I'm no brand snob.

No doubt the x3 is the performance champ but it shouldn't be confused as a luxury vehicle. Expensive? Sure. Excellent engineering? Sure. Value? Not so much. Innovative? Not really.

The low compression Mazda diesel is very interesting.

[heverlee]

£28,695=$43691 which can already buy a 2014 X3 here in US

[Snowman73]

Originally Posted by BeeMdblU

Maybe I should keep my mouth shut, but Kia and Mazda? seriously guys? are you for real?

+1 So Ant man was dissapointed with the 3.0d MSport??? Really! And you said that you are happier with a 175Ps Petrol! I really think you may have driven the 2.0d and not the 3.0d. I live in East Anglia and couldn't test drive a 3.0d as there weren't any. Online now - approximately 13 in the whole of the uk for sale!! The 2.0d is very slow - Also - if you didn't drive it in sport mode then you missed a whole lot of car. Ok - you are entitled to your opinion - I suppose if people didn't have those we would all drive the same car. But let me say this - try and sell a mazda in 3 years time as opposed to an X3 and then you will see the true cost saving - my friend has a ssanyong korando - which is rated over in the uk and she says I could have bought one of them at half the price. However, the ssanyong and the X3 lose the same amount of money over three years - considering the X3 is twice the price - it is a much better investment. Especially in the UK as there are hardly any X3 3.0d.

__________________________________________________ _______________2013 3.0d X3 M-sport Deep Sea Blue, Black Leather, Xenons, DIRAC Professional Sound sytem, Pro Nav, 19" Wheels, Tinted windows, Folding Mirrors, PDC, ASS, DAB Radio, Aluminium trim inc roof bars

[Sco]

Originally Posted by lbjgh

I compared the kia sportage with x3 when I was shopping and found it to be much better value than the bimmer.

It also had a better warranty and 30hp less than my 35i.

Mazda only sells the soccer mom version of the cx5 in Canada... If the skyactive diesel sold here I would have considered it.

I don't consider my x3 a premium product and bmw doesn't treat me like a premium brand purchaser... I got the bimmer because it was fun to drive. The mazdas are known for their fun to drive character so enjoy the new wheels

When I was looking I test drove full spec Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai and X1 before test driving and buying the X3.

The Qashqai was very good value with lots of gadgets, but the driving experience very much felt like a small car in a negative way.

The Sportage was also good value but during the test drive I remember the adjective 'boring' just popping into my head as I was driving along.

The X1, despite its heavy steering was a noticeably more engaging experience and I suddenly got excited about buying a new car having been so disillusioned with the Japanese efforts. It then occurred to us that, due to family expansion, we would outgrow the X1 part way through the lease. I was not too keen on the exterior either and the X3 seemed a better fit.

6 months on and I am still very pleased with my choice. Only complaints would be:-

- the phone preparation in the under armrest storage compartment. What a total waste of space for something which as far as I can tell provides no real functionality benefit.

- the BMW online services, whilst great in principle, are very poorly executed in practice.

- the in-car email does not work with iphones.

- satnav is full of glitches and very unreliable.

Other than that and notwithstanding the considerable extra cost, I am glad I opted for the BMW.

[Mingstar88]

wthh what are you smoking......comparing X3 to CX 5

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by heverlee

£28,695=$43691 which can already buy a 2014 X3 here in US

$44000 for a Mazda, there is a sucker born every minute The same CX5 in a gas version here would be around $25000. Seriously, if I were to buy a diesel engine, it would not be a Japanese car. The Europeans have much more experience designing and building diesel engines.

[saulgoodman]

I had a chance to drive a CX-5 grand touring this memorial day wknd and few things I like better than X3.

1. Rain-sensing wiper is very sensitive than my x3, it picked up a slight drizzle which I didn't even notice on the windshield.

2. Blind-spot system in the side mirrors are very intuitive, with blinking indicators based on distance. Very accurate though.

3. Steering wheel feel and design, looks like one from pure sports car.

4. Drives like a miata. Not quick as x3 but very agile.

[Kiernan]

Originally Posted by The X Men

$44000 for a Mazda, there is a sucker born every minute

You're not familiar with prices in the UK are you? My X3 20d MSport with a manual gearbox and a few toys (no navigation though) had a list price of over £40,000, so in excess of US$60,000. You guys would get a top specification X3 35i Auto for less than that.

Hopefully that explains why a Mazda loaded with extras at £28,000 doesn't seem so bad after all.

[Snowman73]

Originally Posted by Kiernan

Hopefully that explains why a Mazda loaded with extras at £28,000 doesn't seem so bad after all.

My X3 cost me £43k (after a discout of just over £3k) so yes - expensive in the UK.

Mind you - I wouldn't spend that much on a Mazda -


__________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
2013 3.0d X3 M-sport Deep Sea Blue, Black Leather, Xenons, DIRAC Professional Sound sytem, Pro Nav, 19" Wheels, Tinted windows, Folding Mirrors, PDC, ASS, DAB Radio, Aluminium trim inc roof bars

[Renaud]

I am quite disappointed that nobody is comparing the Dacia Duster (just google it) with the X3. I am not sure, but it seems that the Dacia is somewhat cheaper. Some may even say that it is better value for money

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by Kiernan

You're not familiar with prices in the UK are you? My X3 20d MSport with a manual gearbox and a few toys (no navigation though) had a list price of over £40,000, so in excess of US$60,000. You guys would get a top specification X3 35i Auto for less than that.

Hopefully that explains why a Mazda loaded with extras at £28,000 doesn't seem so bad after all.

I guess I did not realize how expensive cars are Europe, sounds like it even more expensive than Canada.

[pokerface]

Originally Posted by lbjgh

I don't consider my x3 a premium product and bmw doesn't treat me like a premium brand purchaser... I got the bimmer because it was fun to drive. The mazdas are known for their fun to drive character so enjoy the new wheels

That is true. As much as they'd try to lead you to believe otherwise, I didn't feel like I was treated any better than a purchaser of a mass market product.

Originally Posted by BeeMdblU

Maybe I should keep my mouth shut, but Kia and Mazda? seriously guys? are you for real?

I think with the former Audi head of design at the helm of Kia and Hyundai they may have some real contenders in the next generation of vehicles.

[Bimar]

Better to even try the forester XT though still not in the same league though XT pricing is now at premium pricing

[cadman50]

Originally Posted by Renaud

I am quite disappointed that nobody is comparing the Dacia Duster (just google it) with the X3. I am not sure, but it seems that the Dacia is somewhat cheaper. Some may even say that it is better value for money

wthh what are you smoking