BMW X3 and CX-5

Ok, time to add some fuel to the fire. ;)

I feel like I'm uniquely positioned to offer an opinion here. I actually bought a used 2008 X3 about 3 years ago at 100K miles and put 50k miles on it. Just recently I took it to a dealer to do the airbag recall and a reprogram/diagnosis for a nagging issue (last ditch effort to diagnose before deciding if I wanted to ditch the car) during which time I was given a loaner car for 4 days which happened to be a 2017 X3 with the twin turbo 4-cylinder. Shortly after weighing my options with the aging X3, I ended up trading it in for the 2014 CX-5 GT.

I am a person who does pretty much all of my work myself. Basically the only thing I can't do is tires, alignment, and A/C work. I can make a car last a very long while. I've retired two cars at around 200K miles that actually had plenty of life left and have also owned and maintained several motorcycles. But I had reached my limit with the X3. I got to a point where I owed some money on it and was looking at about $3K in parts just to get it back up to snuff for the long haul. And that would be providing no other major malfunctions after those repairs. And this is after putting about $2K in parts into it about a year ago. I was just not looking forward to holding on to it long term. But I LOVED that car. The inline 6 was so smooth and just plenty of power at any given point. It needed struts and shocks pretty badly, but otherwise steering, etc. was awesome.

For my next car, I prioritized reliability. I wanted to buy something that basically needed fluids, brake pads, belts, and maybe the odd starter, battery, water pump, etc. in a roughly 5-10 year span. Oddly enough, due to BMW's fast depreciation, the dealer I was working with had a 2013 X3 (nearly identical to the '17 I drove) with the inline 6 and something like 35K miles which was only a grand more than my 2014 CX-5 GT with 45K miles. So for an initial purchase, I was really looking at the same outright cost. But having done the BMW thing already, I knew I'd be potentially looking at some major repairs at 100K and above. With the CX-5, I didn't feel the same potential burden.

Having driven the '17 X3 and my '14 CX-5 nearly back to back, the ONLY thing I feel like I'm giving up with the Mazda is power. However, it still has enough power for what I need and hitting the gas pedal still provides plenty of fun. And yes, the X3 is quieter overall, but I don't find the CX-5 to be loud. Steering and handling is awesome. Brakes are great and have a progressive feel to me. Comfort is as good or better. I live in Texas, so things like a heated steering wheel are not a make/break decision for me. But even with the cool mornings we just got, the auto climate control is very good and I even kicked on the seat warmer for kicks when it was 45 degrees one morning.

But let me be perfectly honest: If I made twice what I do and money was seriously no object, I would probably do the BMW 3 year lease and then move to the next BMW. I freaking love those cars. But for me and my budget/lifestyle of doing my own maintenance, I can sacrifice a chunk of power for reliability, especially when I am getting a great handling car with leather seats and enough tech to keep me happy.

And one small thing: I know we're in the engine and transmission section, but the loaner X3 had the upgraded sound system that sounded TERRIBLE to me. Thankfully, it did have a 7-band equalizer that I played with a bit, but the stock settings were very mid-heavy and it sounded like the only sound source was in the dash. The Bose in the CX-5 sounds much better to me at flat stock settings, but I did dial the fade to the back a bit as anything with speakers in the dash is going to sound front heavy.
 
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To me, these 8 and 9 speed transmissions are overkill. Not shifting issues, just to many shifts. Not necessary. Complication just because they can eke out another MPG on the EPA cycle.

an 8 speed, when tuned right makes the most out of a torquey engine. the shorter first gear, longer top gear and last 3 Gears being overdrives do help improve effciciency, but the closely spaced ratios really help make the most out of your engine in terms of performance as well. based on what you've said, i doubt you have driven an 8 speed BMW before.
 
Ok, time to add some fuel to the fire. ;)

I feel like I'm uniquely positioned to offer an opinion here. I actually bought a used 2008 X3 about 3 years ago at 100K miles and put 50k miles on it. Just recently I took it to a dealer to do the airbag recall and a reprogram/diagnosis for a nagging issue (last ditch effort to diagnose before deciding if I wanted to ditch the car) during which time I was given a loaner car for 4 days which happened to be a 2017 X3 with the twin turbo 4-cylinder. Shortly after weighing my options with the aging X3, I ended up trading it in for the 2014 CX-5 GT.

I am a person who does pretty much all of my work myself. Basically the only thing I can't do is tires, alignment, and A/C work. I can make a car last a very long while. I've retired two cars at around 200K miles that actually had plenty of life left and have also owned and maintained several motorcycles. But I had reached my limit with the X3. I got to a point where I owed some money on it and was looking at about $3K in parts just to get it back up to snuff for the long haul. And that would be providing no other major malfunctions after those repairs. And this is after putting about $2K in parts into it about a year ago. I was just not looking forward to holding on to it long term. But I LOVED that car. The inline 6 was so smooth and just plenty of power at any given point. It needed struts and shocks pretty badly, but otherwise steering, etc. was awesome.

For my next car, I prioritized reliability. I wanted to buy something that basically needed fluids, brake pads, belts, and maybe the odd starter, battery, water pump, etc. in a roughly 5-10 year span. Oddly enough, due to BMW's fast depreciation, the dealer I was working with had a 2013 X3 (nearly identical to the '17 I drove) with the inline 6 and something like 35K miles which was only a grand more than my 2014 CX-5 GT with 45K miles. So for an initial purchase, I was really looking at the same outright cost. But having done the BMW thing already, I knew I'd be potentially looking at some major repairs at 100K and above. With the CX-5, I didn't feel the same potential burden.

Having driven the '17 X3 and my '14 CX-5 nearly back to back, the ONLY thing I feel like I'm giving up with the Mazda is power. However, it still has enough power for what I need and hitting the gas pedal still provides plenty of fun. And yes, the X3 is quieter overall, but I don't find the CX-5 to be loud. Steering and handling is awesome. Brakes are great and have a progressive feel to me. Comfort is as good or better. I live in Texas, so things like a heated steering wheel are not a make/break decision for me. But even with the cool mornings we just got, the auto climate control is very good and I even kicked on the seat warmer for kicks when it was 45 degrees one morning.

But let me be perfectly honest: If I made twice what I do and money was seriously no object, I would probably do the BMW 3 year lease and then move to the next BMW. I freaking love those cars. But for me and my budget/lifestyle of doing my own maintenance, I can sacrifice a chunk of power for reliability, especially when I am getting a great handling car with leather seats and enough tech to keep me happy.

And one small thing: I know we're in the engine and transmission section, but the loaner X3 had the upgraded sound system that sounded TERRIBLE to me. Thankfully, it did have a 7-band equalizer that I played with a bit, but the stock settings were very mid-heavy and it sounded like the only sound source was in the dash. The Bose in the CX-5 sounds much better to me at flat stock settings, but I did dial the fade to the back a bit as anything with speakers in the dash is going to sound front heavy.

The new X3 you drove has a single, twin-scroll turbo. It is not twin turbo.
 
Mazda has benchmarked the CX-5 against the X3 and Q5, so it is not surprising that it is competitive minus the engine performance. I really think Mazda can build a X3 competitor that is affordable, if they can put the 2.5T engine into the CX-5.
 
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