I caved in and finally joined the SUV brigade....
 

or as BMW calls the X3: Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV). Anyone got one of these? My 3.0i steptronic is on order after I pulled the trigger at the dealer last night. I am really impressed with the X-drive system, and on the road, this things feels no different than my 530i sedan:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1115795985.jpg

LeRoux

Porsche makes an SUV too...its called the Cayman....er Cayenne... or something like that

I wouldn't call it caving. Heck, SUVs are just station wagons with more ground clearance. :>)

I've owned two 4Runners (one of them I four wheeled pretty extensively) and find that they are very versatile vehicles.

Mike

Holy crap! I just picked up a 4Runner Limited and I love it! Never had an SUV before either, and now it's all I drive. I'm taking those really long speedbumps as fast as I can, trying to catch air. And the chicks dig it.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1115812404.jpg

Hey, let's just make this a 4Runner thread! I love our '03 V6 Sport 4wd, decent handling for an SUV, plenty of power, and 20+ MPG. That said, if the wife cared about my opinion we would have purchased an X5. Nice pick LeRoux.

My folks have an X3 and I have driven it many times. It's a great vehicle as far as road feel, doesn't feel like an SUV. Could use a tad more power the only reason I say that is it's a BMW and they are usully offer more than enough power. The X5 with a 4.4 offers the power I want.

One more thing I think it needs more buttons, JK the first time I got in I felt like I had to learn to drive again. Did you get navigation LeRoux?

The navigation option is quite expensive, around $ 4000. I already use a Garmin automotive unit, so I did not think the BMW system justified the additional cost. The Nav system comes with TV capability, but no DVD. Who watches TV while sitting in the car? (TV only works while stationary). My kids would have loved to watch dvd's while driving, but that is not possible either. I may install a 3-rd party dvd player. I did order a bunch of other nice-to-have" options though.

I drove both the 4.4 X5 and the 3.0i X3. Power/weight is similar, so driving feel is also similar. I felt the X3 had more power than I needed. Besides, the X5 is due for replacement late in 2006, hence my decision to opt for the X3. My kids fit very comfortably in the rear.

BTW, the X3 is much more than a "raised" wagon! It has pretty amazing offroad capability. But I agree, I did not want a wagon built on a truck chassis either.

LeRoux

Here in the US the navigation is much cheaper but there is no TV option. Good choice!