New X3 - should I?
28 December 2005, 01:27 AM
#31
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The 2.0d was a March 05 registered car. I had that Superchipped to 190bhp and the engine was loosening up very nicely by the time we sold it.
Boot is OK, have had no problems with out Mamas&Papas or Mclaren buggies/pushchairs. We can get a fair amount in but it does require some planned packing of the boot when you want to make a big trip with suitcases, baby stuff etc. Certainly at times miss the cavern that was the boot of my Octy vRS. We have 2 kids, aged 2 and 8 months, so we're still lugging around a fair amount of paraphernalia and manage fine.
Storage - don't get me started. have to pay extra for the 'Storage Compartment pack' which gives you nets on the back of the front seats and and in the passenger footwell. Great! Hardly any useful extra storage space in the cabin.
I know the X3 polarises opinion but, if you've decided on the 4x4 route but don't want anything too big, that is practical and economical and handles well(not handles well for a 4x4 but handles well, period), then it is a good choice. I really grew to like ours and only sold it as I missed the oomph that we had had in our previous cars.
Enjoy the test drive,
Boot is OK, have had no problems with out Mamas&Papas or Mclaren buggies/pushchairs. We can get a fair amount in but it does require some planned packing of the boot when you want to make a big trip with suitcases, baby stuff etc. Certainly at times miss the cavern that was the boot of my Octy vRS. We have 2 kids, aged 2 and 8 months, so we're still lugging around a fair amount of paraphernalia and manage fine.
Storage - don't get me started. have to pay extra for the 'Storage Compartment pack' which gives you nets on the back of the front seats and and in the passenger footwell. Great! Hardly any useful extra storage space in the cabin.
I know the X3 polarises opinion but, if you've decided on the 4x4 route but don't want anything too big, that is practical and economical and handles well(not handles well for a 4x4 but handles well, period), then it is a good choice. I really grew to like ours and only sold it as I missed the oomph that we had had in our previous cars.
Enjoy the test drive,
05 January 2006, 11:07 PM
#32
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Right, I had one today for five hours, a 2.0d registered 11-05. A customer car, still with the guy's house keys and raybans in 
, for which I had to sign that I would pay for any damage . So I drove it like Humpty Dumpty in a dodgem race.
Plus -
Nice handling
Good engine, noisy at low speed but quiet at high speed (6-spd box helps, I was doing 2.7k where my toyota would do 3.45k). Flexible.
Lots of rear legroom (I'm told).
Minus -
Heavy steering
Doors are quite heavy to pull shut, for my lithe wife.
CRAP lumbar support - I needed major massage after 4 hrs
, so if I get one I have to buy the electric seats as only they have adjustable lumbar support
Cheap mechanically adjustable seats, they sounded like meccano when we put the backrest down.
Not great rear visibility
M-sport suspension. It's all true and more! Did you know for the Msport package they simply take the springs off and bolt the axle straight to the dampers? Jarring over most roads, I thought I might be able to live with it until I took a curve round a concrete section of motorway at 150kph and it almost took my fillings out! Also had a pain in the neck by the end of it!
Boot space is odd - not wide it's true, but actually rather deep.
They should have a non-Msport version for me to try next month, and this time it'll be a demo car rather than a customer's! Not sure I want to buy from them if that's what they do when my car is in for a service!
Still, it was certainly a lot quieter than ours at speed, so it remains on the list. But that frickin suspension...
, for which I had to sign that I would pay for any damage . So I drove it like Humpty Dumpty in a dodgem race.Plus -
Nice handling
Good engine, noisy at low speed but quiet at high speed (6-spd box helps, I was doing 2.7k where my toyota would do 3.45k). Flexible.
Lots of rear legroom (I'm told).
Minus -
Heavy steering
Doors are quite heavy to pull shut, for my lithe wife.
CRAP lumbar support - I needed major massage after 4 hrs
, so if I get one I have to buy the electric seats as only they have adjustable lumbar support Cheap mechanically adjustable seats, they sounded like meccano when we put the backrest down.
Not great rear visibility
M-sport suspension. It's all true and more! Did you know for the Msport package they simply take the springs off and bolt the axle straight to the dampers? Jarring over most roads, I thought I might be able to live with it until I took a curve round a concrete section of motorway at 150kph and it almost took my fillings out! Also had a pain in the neck by the end of it!
Boot space is odd - not wide it's true, but actually rather deep.
They should have a non-Msport version for me to try next month, and this time it'll be a demo car rather than a customer's! Not sure I want to buy from them if that's what they do when my car is in for a service!
Still, it was certainly a lot quieter than ours at speed, so it remains on the list. But that frickin suspension...
06 January 2006, 08:43 AM
#34
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Brendan,
In the UK at least you can add the Electric Lumbar support to any seats for £190.
Just been on the BMW uk website, looks like the way to go is for an SE rather than a sport to get the more compliant springs. The sport kit minus the suspension can be added to SE spec anyway for not that much extra.
Interestingly I see they still list the engine as 150 bhp/330nm torque rather than the 2.0d in the one series which has 163/340
Whats the story with the customer car though?
I'm hoping the customer gave consent
In the UK at least you can add the Electric Lumbar support to any seats for £190.
Just been on the BMW uk website, looks like the way to go is for an SE rather than a sport to get the more compliant springs. The sport kit minus the suspension can be added to SE spec anyway for not that much extra.
Interestingly I see they still list the engine as 150 bhp/330nm torque rather than the 2.0d in the one series which has 163/340
Whats the story with the customer car though?
I'm hoping the customer gave consent
06 January 2006, 09:31 AM
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I've scanned through this post but am not sure if the diesel is essential. Have you considered the Legacy Outback? We've been looking for a while for a car for the wife but have been focusing on estates (Merc/Honda/VW/Subaru). She secretly wants a SUV (secretly because she knows I don't like them!) so I suggested a test ride in the Outback. With the 3.0 engine it is smooth but will be pretty heavy on the juice but I have to say that it really impressed me.
The standard kit is very good, the interior is certainly better quality than the Merc C-Class that we tried before and it has a decent sized boot. The only downsides are the poor stereo and the fuel consumption. Residuals might not be great if you are likely to change soon but there seem to be good discounts available.
If you are looking at the X3 I take it that looks are not important to you
and I think that the Outback is quite a handsome car.
The standard kit is very good, the interior is certainly better quality than the Merc C-Class that we tried before and it has a decent sized boot. The only downsides are the poor stereo and the fuel consumption. Residuals might not be great if you are likely to change soon but there seem to be good discounts available.
If you are looking at the X3 I take it that looks are not important to you
and I think that the Outback is quite a handsome car.
06 January 2006, 04:32 PM
#36
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Simon, Leggy's out, I get far bigger discounts on BMW and wife wants a high ride, plus we must have diesel - so afraid it fails miserably
D, thanks for that nugget on the lumbar, I'll have to ask here but it's not in the catalogue. I'm slightly taken with the memory seat, I'm always joking about it when the wife drives ours, but it's a lot of money for small convenience and I just think it's another gadget to go wrong once out of warranty. The manual seats really did sound crap though.
We also don't have the 3? different trim levels, in fact we just have the one and they are apparently bringing in the Msport next, sorry later this, year.
I've also seen the thing with the engine at 150/163, I was hoping it was an oversight. Annoying if not
Re the customer car - you read it correctly! I have no idea if the customer gave consent - I find it difficult to believe that anyone would let a stranger take their car, and car and house keys!!! for five hours (copy the keys at mister Minit, trace the plate to the house by telling the cops he hit me, niiiiice....), and even more so when they made me sign I'd pay for damage but didn't swipe a credit card or anything. It's a 35k car FFS, how do they know I'm that solvent if I totalled it? And don't you think the customer would like to know that? Somehow I expect the showroom a) didn't tell him (most likely), or b) offered him a sweetner (this work for free if....), and at the same time c) promised him they'd pay for any damage, meaning the disclaimer I signed was worthless (or frankly, just to scare me, which it did, sort of.)
I even got around to this legal poser. It wasn't a contract, there was no consideration. So how could it be binding? And could I have escaped from it, on the grounds that they had done something illegal (and possibly criminal, TWOC??) and then they'd relied on me to pay out for damage directly caused by their illegal act? Cute academic problem, let's hope it stays that way. I'll try to forget about the cement mixer deciding he had priority to pull out in front of me, towards the end of the drive...
D, thanks for that nugget on the lumbar, I'll have to ask here but it's not in the catalogue. I'm slightly taken with the memory seat, I'm always joking about it when the wife drives ours, but it's a lot of money for small convenience and I just think it's another gadget to go wrong once out of warranty. The manual seats really did sound crap though.
We also don't have the 3? different trim levels, in fact we just have the one and they are apparently bringing in the Msport next, sorry later this, year.
I've also seen the thing with the engine at 150/163, I was hoping it was an oversight. Annoying if not
Re the customer car - you read it correctly! I have no idea if the customer gave consent - I find it difficult to believe that anyone would let a stranger take their car, and car and house keys!!! for five hours (copy the keys at mister Minit, trace the plate to the house by telling the cops he hit me, niiiiice....), and even more so when they made me sign I'd pay for damage but didn't swipe a credit card or anything. It's a 35k car FFS, how do they know I'm that solvent if I totalled it? And don't you think the customer would like to know that? Somehow I expect the showroom a) didn't tell him (most likely), or b) offered him a sweetner (this work for free if....), and at the same time c) promised him they'd pay for any damage, meaning the disclaimer I signed was worthless (or frankly, just to scare me, which it did, sort of.)
I even got around to this legal poser. It wasn't a contract, there was no consideration. So how could it be binding? And could I have escaped from it, on the grounds that they had done something illegal (and possibly criminal, TWOC??) and then they'd relied on me to pay out for damage directly caused by their illegal act? Cute academic problem, let's hope it stays that way. I'll try to forget about the cement mixer deciding he had priority to pull out in front of me, towards the end of the drive...
06 January 2006, 04:54 PM
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Just been on to the Portugese website - the options are very restricted compared to the uk 
Given they are all made in the same factory, I'd be surprised if they can't be had anywhere though (although it might be a special order)
My guess is they wouldn't have had a leg to stand on if you had wrapped it
Given they are all made in the same factory, I'd be surprised if they can't be had anywhere though (although it might be a special order)
My guess is they wouldn't have had a leg to stand on if you had wrapped it
06 January 2006, 05:02 PM
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My thoughts entirely - ask and it can be given. The next thing I have to check is if they can do a half leather/alcantara interior, a la Terzo and now my RAV4. We both love it. Toyota didn't offer it as an official option, but found a company here that could do it to their warranty standard and lo, it was done.
As for your seasonal comment
, they'd be even more legless if I threatened to tell BMW Europe what they did 
I've not heard of this dealer before, I think they're brand new - shows, doesn't it?
As for your seasonal comment
, they'd be even more legless if I threatened to tell BMW Europe what they did I've not heard of this dealer before, I think they're brand new - shows, doesn't it?