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BMW X3 vs Subaru Forester XT vs Infiniti FX 35 vs Toyota RAV4
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Comments
-juice
Yay for the easy-clean cargo mat. My rubber mat is actually the excuse my brother used for not wanting to load it into his Pathfinder (it was mostly HIS stuff) when taking it to a dumpster - "But yours will clean out easier!" Fortunately nothing spilled!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Tell us more about how you will use it.
Do you need lots of cargo space? How long is your commute, and is it city or highway? How many passengers ride with you typically? Do you drive hard and hit the apex at every turn, or leisurely and prefer quiet isolation?
Both of your choices fall on the sporty/compact side of the segment. They should be fine for up to 3-4 people and not too much luggage. You may find the ride stiff if you commute on city streets with lots of pot holes, so choose the wheel size carefully. You can get 20" rims on the Infiniti but that may be overkill.
Have you driven either one yet?
Yo Juice, I'm pretty sure that someone who states that "I really don't know too much about cars" is probably not going to know what you're talkin about :P
Personally, I don't care for the beetle-like looks of the FX and the resulting lack of usable interior space. The X3 is a nice vehicle but the Lexus RX 330/350 is worth a serious look.
-Frank
Ken
I live alone so it would typically be just me, my commute to work is about 20mins, 1/2 city 1/2 highway. However, during the winter season, I do like to drive about 3-4hrs to the skiing resort. Typically, my friends would car pool with me so I would like to have a little bit more cargo room for 4-5 people's weekend bags. Both of these cars' cargo space would be bigger than my A4 now. Mild driver, unless I'm running late but I don't typically break hard.
Would you mind sharing more on the difference between 18 and 20" wheels? Also, do these cars require a lot of maintenance? My A4 is about 10yrs old and it's getting expensive for me to fix. WIth the FX35, what are your views on the blind spot that people talked about? Is it serious enough to cause accidents?
Consider a backup camera or rear sonar parking assist, those should help.
The X3 is better in that regard, boxier shape plus bigger windows.
As for the rims, 20" rims seem to be in fashion nowadays, but what happens is the tire sidewalls get shorter, so there isn't a lot to absorb an impact. Bumps feel stiffer and noisier. On smooth roads this is OK, but on broken roads and speed bumps this may become annoying to you.
Just make sure you get a long enough test drive, turn off the radio, drive in the conditions you will encounter every day. Ask yourself if the ride is too stiff? Do the same for any test drive, come to think of it.
I'll make another suggestion - since it's auto show season, head to one of those, if there is one locally. You can check out both cars and some competitors in a non-pressure environment, without pushy salesmen.
I took my family to the DC auto show last year, and we "test fit" several vehicles, and narrowed our choices down quite a bit. Then we only had to test drive those few vehicles.
Yeah my ego is real bruised by the XT. I don't own an infinti because of the name shoot infiniti is the bottom of the luxo barrel. If I was really into prestige I would own a c230k just so I could say I had a benz.
In my mind nothing on the road has the performance, features and style of the FX. I guess that is why you don't see us on this thread trying to "justify" our purchase. Are there better alternatives sure but to me they costs tons more.
The same reason you bought your XT is the reason I bought my FX. I couldn't justify spending 4k more on the V8 or 8k more on the X5 or 15k more on the cayenne. Because the FX35 met all my needs at a price point I was comfortable with.
I can understand the appeal of the x3 3.0 (the 2.5 is ludicrous just lke a cayenne v6) I have driven one and it is a delight. I however find the interior tacky and it costs the same as my car while lacking many of the features.
Therefore I am very happy with my purchase. If speed and cargo carrying capability is your thing go for the XT no bones about it it is a good ride but it doesn't have the features or style I was looking for.
Style is a lot different than prestige. Target sells stylish stuff that has no prestige and there are plenty of prestigous stuff to me that has no style. I just hope you guys enjoy your XT's and X3's a quarter of the amount I enjoy my FX.
And while style may be one of your top priorities, for others it may be performance, fuel efficiency, towing capacity, off-road ability, cargo capacity, etc.
-Frank
In two words, "I do".
Good luck, edunnett.
0-60 in a 2002 WRX is @ 5.7 seconds.
2004 Forester XT @ 8 seconds.
Nevermind how differently a Forester and a WRX handle - regardless, you would not have a chance...
Actually it depends on who's doing the testing (along with a host of environmental factors). Car & Driver (Aug 2003) clocked a 5-speed 2004 Forester XT doing 0-60 in 5.3 sec. For comparison purposes, that's a tenth of a second faster than the 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i (C&D Jan 2003)
-Frank
Even Consumer Reports, the slow pokes of the industry, was quicker than that. I've never seen anything that wasn't in the 5-6-7 range, even for the automatic.
Especially in view of the automatic transmission hesitation problem.
Thanks!
The Mercedes Benz was amazingly large. I like the second row bucket seats and it handles nice. What else should I try?
I have a new Sienna and that 3.5l V6 is a gem. I brought home 50 bags of lava rocks this week. Everything fits.
It may be big if you only have 2 kids, though. Do they bring friends along a lot of the time?
The '09 Forester proved somewhat better, if no match for the Honda CR-V. Still it had just enough footroom for me.