Hey guys, posting this on the X5 and X3 forum so I can see the diversity of responses:
Looking back, I can see how people felt the older (pre-2011 refresh) x3 was spartan and had issues. I also see that there seems to be many postings related to reliability on the x5- it seems the consensus is that it was more expensive to own and operate than the x3.
Given the major refresh of the x3 in 2011, I'm wondering how much of the comments about the older X3 being spartan and such are still valid. the interior of the 2012 that we test drove certainly didn't seem that spartan to me- even when we compared them side by side to a 2012 X5. Plus the 2012 ride quality was good for us (didn't seem to experience the harshness issues that people noted about the previous X3). A nearly fully loaded 2013 x3 comes to about 50k, while the base x5 with navigation, leather seats comes to 54k. The price difference between these two is not so big, so which would you rather get for 2013- a fully loaded x3 28i or a stripped down x5 35i? I know people asked this question on these boards for previous model years, but given where the respective models are now, I'm wondering how people think about this now...
We came down on the side of getting the x3- the interior quality seemed largely similar compared to the x5, and wife and I both liked the way the x3 drove. From the exterior, when you put them side by side, the x3 definitely was a little smaller, but not so much that it made a difference to us in terms of cargo space.... not sure about rear legroom though, but we'll have people in the back only infrequently for now. We chose the X3 betting that with the major refresh in 2011 and the new engine in 2013, the X3 is currently a more suitable car for us and better value than the mid-cycle X5. Also, don't have data to back this up, but from the anecdotes I see on these boards, it felt like there were more posts about X5 reliability issues than we see for the X3.
We're not changing our decision (already have a 2013 X3 for PCD on 4/26), but just wondering how others think about this... perhaps a little post-purchase insanity, wondering if we should have gone the x5 route.
Looking back, I can see how people felt the older (pre-2011 refresh) x3 was spartan and had issues. I also see that there seems to be many postings related to reliability on the x5- it seems the consensus is that it was more expensive to own and operate than the x3.
Given the major refresh of the x3 in 2011, I'm wondering how much of the comments about the older X3 being spartan and such are still valid. the interior of the 2012 that we test drove certainly didn't seem that spartan to me- even when we compared them side by side to a 2012 X5. Plus the 2012 ride quality was good for us (didn't seem to experience the harshness issues that people noted about the previous X3). A nearly fully loaded 2013 x3 comes to about 50k, while the base x5 with navigation, leather seats comes to 54k. The price difference between these two is not so big, so which would you rather get for 2013- a fully loaded x3 28i or a stripped down x5 35i? I know people asked this question on these boards for previous model years, but given where the respective models are now, I'm wondering how people think about this now...
We came down on the side of getting the x3- the interior quality seemed largely similar compared to the x5, and wife and I both liked the way the x3 drove. From the exterior, when you put them side by side, the x3 definitely was a little smaller, but not so much that it made a difference to us in terms of cargo space.... not sure about rear legroom though, but we'll have people in the back only infrequently for now. We chose the X3 betting that with the major refresh in 2011 and the new engine in 2013, the X3 is currently a more suitable car for us and better value than the mid-cycle X5. Also, don't have data to back this up, but from the anecdotes I see on these boards, it felt like there were more posts about X5 reliability issues than we see for the X3.
We're not changing our decision (already have a 2013 X3 for PCD on 4/26), but just wondering how others think about this... perhaps a little post-purchase insanity, wondering if we should have gone the x5 route.