[dk10438]

Originally Posted by BMWX3DRIVER

Personally, F-Pace is the best looking SUV, so not only X3 but any other SUV will look either uglier or boring next to F-Pace.
Now..if I talk about interior, reliability, and all other aspects of an 'automobile'..it's a completely different story, though.

+1
F pace looks the best to me.

[Golfgeek]

Originally Posted by dk10438

+1
F pace looks the best to me.

Macan????

[JK479]

Originally Posted by JSY

Ever since the X3 came out, there has always been this bashing of this model by BMW owners of other models and that always irked me. From day one, X3 owners were looked at as something "lesser" than themselves. It's not as much nowadays, but this post brings me back to when I got my first X3 in 2007 - even to the extent of comments that a man wouldn't be caught dead driving a X3, and that it was something for his wife. If you look back at the posts from the early 2000s about this car on this forum and others, you'll see those comments. Even people buying X3s were sometimes shamed into claiming it wasn't for them. My dad (RIP) had a 5 series and I think even he questioned my decision back then.

I guess things haven't changed so much with some folks. You're going to have your old-school M fans that abhor anything not M, and certainly anything that is M-performance and not M-powered. Then you'll have the 3/5/x series fans that still think the X3 is an eyesore and an insult to BMW. that's basically how the BMW fandom has been, despite the X3 rising up in stature especially after competitors starting coming out with their own luxury compact SUVs.

I admit I'm X3 biased. I was single for a good portion of X3 ownership and it gives me a nice ride with good utility that also made me feel like I was driving a car. I like how it looks, and since I am a tech-head, I really like what they've done inside. The X3 still makes the most sense for me right now, however let's stop it with the X3 owners are not real BMW fans mentality.

There is an understated elegance in the new x3- a trait Camry and Accord will never possess. Their new designs are way to out there.

[LaMpiR]

I've seen in in Vienna, Austria already and I can say only one thing. It looks amazing. I love it from every angle and comparing it to the Q5 is a no go for me.

[bwcooper]

Can't believe I'm joining a debate about looks as that is such a personal preference, there can be no real winner, but here's my two cents.....

I really liked the looks of the F Pace the most and might have bought one had the infotainment system not been so slow and buggy (from all accounts) and the mileage so poor. Also liked the Macan and Velar a lot but I'd have had to drop a lot of extras to keep price point similar to my M40i. The GLC and XC60 were both my least favorite looking SUV's. I just never liked the way they rounded things off. My wife drives as RDX, which is fine, though not very sporty, and I was coming from an RX350, but didn't like the way the latest reboot of it turned out--too big. I drove an NX for about a week while my old car was in the shop and think Lexus took a big step back from my older RX350 (which was about the same size)--bad visibility, bad infotainment design. It came down the the BMW and the SQ5. Given my disgust over the whole dieselgate thing and the big improvements I was hearing about the G01 vs F25, I locked in on the BMW.

From a pure looks standpoint, though, my list would be:

Velar
FPace
Macan
SQ5 and X3 (tied)
RDX
NX
XC60
GLC

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by sor

While we are on the topic of looks between SUVs, I parked near a 2nd gen Cayenne this afternoon, and I was surprised how bad it looked. I know it's a six year old design at this point, but man, after staring at the new X3s so much it really struck me.

It also seemed that my X3 was bigger than it. It's probably just the shape, from what I can tell online the Cayenne should be 5" longer and about 4" wider and 1.5" taller. Should have tried to get better side by side photos.

That Cayenne still looks good to me.

The white paint doesn't help, nor do the bulbous tail lights they put on it. But overall I find it very attractive.

[mtlcruisin]

Originally Posted by bwcooper

Velar
FPace
Macan
SQ5 and X3 (tied)
RDX
NX
XC60
GLC

I would have to go with:

Velar
X3
GLC AMG
Macan
Fpace
SQ5
RDX
NX
XC60

The back of the SQ5 looks drowzy, and the fake exhausts + all the lines on the front, underneath the headlights. They just didn't change it enough from the previous model. The GLC just looks well rounded, but not as tough as the X3. Macan, a bit feminine looking in the back but still looks nice overall. XC60, nice in the front, but the back is horrible, the lights and shape, no go for me, but I don't like volvos in general. Velar looks the most futuristic, and the Fpace too, but the back is a bit plain. X3 didn't change drastically either, but they made it beefier. I would have preferred a bit more of a change to the front, the grills still look like the shape of sunglasses.

[bwcooper]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

That Cayenne still looks good to me.

The white paint doesn't help, nor do the bulbous tail lights they put on it. But overall I find it very attractive.

Agree about the rounded back end. And the steering wheel isn't nearly as cool looking as SOR's!!

[Enilder]

Originally Posted by SoCali E36

We just got a big shipment of these in. Haven't had a chance to drive it yet but based on aesthetics alone, it's a really boring looking car on the outside. This car is the most vanilla car in our current lineup. It's like Bmw's design team completely gave up on this car. For those who haven't seen one in person, see for yourself first.

Completely agree. The previous gen. looks far better than the older one. The only SUV that seems attractive from BMW is X5 lineup.

[barcelona]

Does the G01 have 2 or 4 doors with comfort access?

The price difference from 30i to M40i is say $13.5k.
Previously 28i to 35i was say 5$k.

Branding to M classification and from 4 to I6, is steep.
Yes 355hp(M40i) is improvement from 300(35i).
However, my dealer says the 13.5 differential is cheap.

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by Enilder

Completely agree. The previous gen. looks far better than the older one. The only SUV that seems attractive from BMW is X5 lineup.

I first considered the X5 and took a 2018 X5 50i for a test ride. While I initially liked it, as soon as I saw the new X3 M40i and then took it for a ride, I got the X3 M40i.
The exterior of the X5 is old and stale looking and the interior is the same way. I also wanted to downsize from my 2014 Grand Cherokee Summit, so the X3 is just the right size for me.

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by barcelona

Does the G01 have 2 or 4 doors with comfort access?

For the 2018 X3, all four doors have comfort access.

[NYAWE60]

Originally Posted by BMWDude2018

The fact that some people are getting $8k off of MSRP on these models makes the price much more attractive. However, I agree with the OP's sentiments - I'm not paying big bucks for a 4-cylinder, especially an SUV.

Please tell me who and where is giving $8K off. I'm in if that's the case.

[edcrane]

Originally Posted by barcelona

Does the G01 have 2 or 4 doors with comfort access?

The price difference from 30i to M40i is say $13.5k.
Previously 28i to 35i was say 5$k.

Branding to M classification and from 4 to I6, is steep.
Yes 355hp(M40i) is improvement from 300(35i).
However, my dealer says the 13.5 differential is cheap.

30i to M40i is more than just engine. Think that if you comparably equip, the delta shrinks to something like 6-7k. Still significant, but power difference is much greater than the difference between 28i and 35i. If you’re just looking at MSRPs, I think the M40i is a pretty good deal — it’s an exceptional engine that really changes the experience. But the discounts from msrp may not be equal, and it’s possible that the real price delta is more than 6-7k.

[kozzi]

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the Macan and Stelvio are too small to be in this class? Shouldn't they be competing with the likes of a GLA or X1? When you can fit 5 adults and 5 suitcases in a these guys, please let me know.

[sor]

Originally Posted by kozzi

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the Macan and Stelvio are too small to be in this class? Shouldn't they be competing with the likes of a GLA or X1? When you can fit 5 adults and 5 suitcases in a these guys, please let me know.

Maybe like X4.

[kozzi]

Originally Posted by sor

Maybe like X4.

Maybe. I think the GLC "coupe" competes with the X4. Still larger than the Macan or Stelvio.

[goj]

Originally Posted by dk10438

+1
F pace looks the best to me.

Besides sleek headlights the F pace seems just as bland as the Audi to me.

Not to mention interior and infotainment is a step behind most competitors

[Mtxzptlk]

Originally Posted by NYAWE60

Please tell me who and where is giving $8K off. I'm in if that's the case.

+1

[sor]

I don't know about $8k, but several people have gotten 5-6% off + $1500 loyalty credit for owning an X3 or BMW already + $1000 holiday credit. That could be around $6k. The deals vary slightly but that's the rough outline. I've been hearing rumors that they're selling like hotcakes though and the MSRP discounts some dealers are giving are tightening up.

[dk10438]

Originally Posted by Mtxzptlk

+1

try costco
I got invoice minus 500 plus incentives
4500+1500 for a lease rebate. 6k on a 68,300 MSRP and I think there's another 1500 for loyalty

[BMWDude2018]

Look through the pinned thread, there are several that are over $7k and then in another thread there was one guy who go $8k IIRC.

I should have tried Costco. I don't know if I have any participating dealers in my area, but that deal you outlined there dk10438 is pretty sweet.

I only got $5500 off on mine. 1500 dealer, 1000 APR, 1500 loyalty, 500 USAA, 1000 BMW incentive from mybmw site (enter one of their sweepstakes)