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      01-09-2014, 07:42 PM   #1
woodchuck1
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Did anyone else happen to see TV show Top Gear name the BMW X3 one of the worst cars in the history of the world?
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      01-09-2014, 08:39 PM   #2
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That is the original X3
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      01-09-2014, 11:42 PM   #3
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I can think of a lot of other obvious vehicles that should be "Worst Car in the History of the World."
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      01-10-2014, 06:47 AM   #4
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mge.92 is right, this was the previous model (E83). The other thing about Top Gear is that Jeremy Clarkson was/is biased against BMW for some reason. It is a very entertaining show, but not to be taken too seriously in my opinion.
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      01-10-2014, 08:16 AM   #5
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I saw the Top Gear Worst Car episode recently(was a straight to DVD special but htey aired it on BBC America a few months back) where they labeled the F25 X3 one of the worst cars in the world. Just gotta take it with a grain of salt.

I think they called it something like the village idiot in a town full of geniuses. Said it was confused due to it's size.

My wife never watches car shows but when it was on the other night I replayed it and showed her. We got a good laugh about it and now she doesn't think too highly of the TG boys (I still thoroughly enjoy them).

I drive a 2013 335i MSport and I still feel like my wife's 2011 X3 is the more special car. If I had to choose between the 2 I'd choose the X3. It's an amazing little SUV that has top tier performance and efficiency, excellent on road manners and a surprisingly stout little off-roader (unless you destroy your tire sidewall and then assume the X3 is an awful off-roader ;-) ). It's pretty rare you can have those same attributes in a single vehicle.
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      01-10-2014, 11:14 AM   #6
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I saw it, too and yes they were referring to the F25...even showed a nice M-sport example in the show, if I recall correctly. Their analysis was grounded more in the question of why the car needs to exist and what need it's really filling... but all of us are evidence enough that the need exists and that the current gen X3 fills the need well.

I also think Clarkson, Hammond and Captain Slow a bit of a hangover from the first gen X3, which was widely derided by reviewers.

I'm a big fan of the show and was really hurt when I saw this segment. Actually, I was pretty shocked. Then I got back in my 35i M Sport, put it in Sport+ and matted the throttle...all better
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      01-10-2014, 02:26 PM   #7
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I think that Clarkson et al really don't understand SUVs/SAVs. Based on living in England for 3 years (and really enjoying my time there, it's an absolutely beautiful country), I would agree that this type of vehicle is probably not well suited to the normal UK driver. North Yorkshire farmers, on the other hand, really do need a proper 4WD vehicle and the Land Rovers and such do an admirable job.

Here in Colorado, we needed a vehicle which would do a reasonable job of getting through the snow and handle an occasional dirt/gravel road while providing travel space for 2 and good mileage. We do have winter storms but 99% of our driving is on dry roads. Apparently, these characteristics are widely valued in the US and many other countries, hence the popularity of modern SUVs/SAVs which are somewhere between normal 2WD and true off-road vehicles.

I enjoy Top Gear but recognize that the show's popularity is due in part to Clarkson's irreverent (some might say inflammatory) comments and opinions on a wide range of topics, including BMWs, Porsches, Corvettes, and various ethnicities. Don't take any of it too seriously.
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      01-10-2014, 02:51 PM   #8
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I live in Rural Cambridgeshire in England and think that Softroaders as they are known are absolutely relevant. They offer better traction on often damp roads, a better view of the road ahead because of higher ride height and crucially vastly improved fuel economy over their larger siblings - and when diesel costs £1.389 per LITRE, this makes their existance all the more relevant. We had a Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE - it did 27mpg. We couldn't afford to run that - so swapped it for an XC60 which does 40mpg on a good day. The Discovery was fantastic, but as we werent traversing mountains and towing 3.5 tonnes daily, it was wasted on us. The softroader offers the most desirable benefits of both the 4x4 and normal car sectors, in my opinion.

The naysayers will argue that they don't handle as well as the cars on which they are based and that they attract premium pricing yet poor off road performance.

The statistics speak differently - when I originally enquired, there was an 8-10 month wait on a new X3 and the Audi Q5 2.0TDI retains 72% of its value after 3 years.

I had a 530d which all the reviews said was the one to go for. The reviews didn't favour the X3 so much. What did I end up doing? Ditching the 530d and getting an X335d which is a much better overall package for where I live.

The moral of the above? Reviews are only someone elses opinion. Just televised or published.
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      01-10-2014, 03:21 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ianfp View Post
mge.92 is right, this was the previous model (E83). The other thing about Top Gear is that Jeremy Clarkson was/is biased against BMW for some reason. It is a very entertaining show, but not to be taken too seriously in my opinion.
That is a understatement. I quit watching the show on BBC America a couple years ago because of some very rude things he said. He is a arrogant pr#*k. It just is too bad the America version was such a flop.
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      01-10-2014, 05:45 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mge.92 View Post
That is the original X3
No it wasn't. The show just aired last week. Their video was an F25 no doubt about it.
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      01-10-2014, 05:53 PM   #11
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In that case, I fully agree with Gouda about Clarkson!
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      01-10-2014, 07:52 PM   #12
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I love Top Gear. If you asked me what my favorite TV show is, I'd respond 'Top Gear' without a moment's hesitation. And Jezza is by far my favorite. The episodes of TG when he isn't around are rather unremarkable.

Having said that, I watch it purely for the entertainment aspect and do not expect any kind of worthwhile car related advice from them. I don't think even they themselves take their car advice too seriously. To me TG is just a humorous show with a car theme to it, which actually makes it a lot of fun. C'mon JC thinks the Range Rover is the answer to every car related question in the world...really?? Range Rover??? Doesn't it have one of the worst reliability records ever.

If you want a TV show with actual car related content, try watching Fifth Gear. Fifth Gear is factual, solid advice based in the real world, actual road tests and boring. I still prefer Top Gear.
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      01-10-2014, 08:20 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodchuck1 View Post
Did anyone else happen to see TV show Top Gear name the BMW X3 one of the worst cars in the history of the world?
The thing with TG is, it's simply not a review, it's a SHOW with completely biased opinions and outrageous actions, and that's why people love it (me included). It's a piece of entertainment. It's not consumer's report.
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      01-11-2014, 11:52 AM   #14
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On the show where they said it was the worst of the BMW line they didn't actually have much bad to say about it other than compared to other BMW's it looked like the village idiot. They were choosing one car from each manufacturer as that manufacturers worst, it was not chosen as the worst of all cars. I believe if you look on the Top Gear website they actually have some good things to say about it. Top Gear has a support crew who take care of the cars and drive them around while they are being reviewed, the support crew's web site said it was one of their favorites and they were sad to see it go.
I love the British Top Gear show, refuse to watch the American version as just a mere copy.
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      01-11-2014, 03:13 PM   #15
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If you enjoy the car you've chosen, who cares what a tv show or any other person says? Not this call sign.
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      01-13-2014, 01:06 PM   #16
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I like fifth gear better and I agree with their review of the f25. It's not a looker but it is a driver's vehicle.

When I first moved to NYC and saw all the SUVs, I couldn't understand why get one if you're never going to go off road. Years later and many ruined tires and rims, I realize that much of the area is "off road". This is what the X3 is built for and what Clarkson doesn't understand.
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      01-13-2014, 05:00 PM   #17
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I saw the 5th Gear test drive and didn't they all love the car out on the track especially when they got all wheels off the ground! That was a 2.0 D, so imagine what they would have said if they had driven the fire breathing 35i that most of you lucky Americans drive

Last edited by ianfp; 01-13-2014 at 05:00 PM.. Reason: typo
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      01-15-2014, 06:12 PM   #18
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Top Gear's own review of the X3 is 7/10, same score as the Audi Q5.

"BMW went back to the drawing board for this all-new X3, and it has worked wonders"
http://www.topgear.com/uk/bmw/x3

Sounds like the TV show contradicts with its own test results.
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      01-16-2014, 09:06 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ianfp View Post
I saw the 5th Gear test drive and didn't they all love the car out on the track especially when they got all wheels off the ground! That was a 2.0 D, so imagine what they would have said if they had driven the fire breathing 35i that most of you lucky Americans drive
When I got my X3 the dealer told me that only one in four X3s is a 35i.
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      01-17-2014, 11:59 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flavius View Post
When I got my X3 the dealer told me that only one in four X3s is a 35i.
I agree

In my informal polling (looking for the 35i badge as I pass other X3s in Vancouver and NYC), there are very few 35i. I mainly see 28i.
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      01-17-2014, 12:27 PM   #21
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I would of preferred a 35i but would of been concerned with the wife driving a vehicle with that much power as she came from a 110hp civic... I would of thought it was less than 1 in 4, from what I see I would of guess 1 in 6 to 8.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluedevils View Post
In my informal polling (looking for the 35i badge as I pass other X3s in Vancouver and NYC), there are very few 35i. I mainly see 28i.
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