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Bye Bye GTi


Simonl
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"How many times have you struggled to shake off a 1.9TDI on a motorway!!"

Exactly - which is the main reason I let my GTi go, well that and £75 a month less running costs.

I sadly found that I just wasn't able to use the lovely car to it's full potential. Sad really frown.gif

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Must admit even though im not a fan of BMW at all there 3.0 Diesel engines are fantastic and there new twin turbo 200bhp+ 2.0 diesel sounds very interesting too. VW is getting left way behind in TDI tecnology by both BMW and Fiat. VWs new common rail TDIs due soon need to be special but i doubt they will be as good as the current crop of diesels out there myself from what i have been hearing.

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Tell me more about the 2.0 twin turbo BMW diesel......have not read much about that yet. What cars will it appear in and when roughly. While a 3.0 diesel is very tempting the existing 2.0 diesel with just over 160bhp is not bad at all so a twin turbo 2.0 with over 200bhp might be a nice middle ground.

That 5 series touring looks very good too, needs to be the Sport model as yours is to look the part. Interesting to hear you feel the 2.0 is not all that slow.

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It will most definitely go into the 3, the 5 and the X3... esp as they've put the 2.0d in them and esp as they'd make more on any of those cars per unit as they would on a 1 series.

It's probably going into the 1 Series to bolster poor US sales TBH.

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Funnily enough, no i don't.

I'm absolutely smitten with this new one... never in a million years did i think that would be the case with an X3.

But i just love the engine, love being that bit higher and love the extra space. You can still throw it about as well as it is really chuckable. And let's not forget being able to use all that lovely torque straight of the line in any weather!!! grin.gif

GTi was a fantastic car and the 2nd best handling car i've ever owned (2nd to a 3 series M Sport Coupe) But as lifestyles change, so do circumstances and so do requirements, i knew i'd outgrown my GTi long before i sold it.

The only thing i dearly miss about my GTi are it's looks, and it's gearbox.

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[ QUOTE ]

Funnily enough, no i don't.

I'm absolutely smitten with this new one... never in a million years did i think that would be the case with an X3.

But i just love the engine, love being that bit higher and love the extra space. You can still throw it about as well as it is really chuckable. And let's not forget being able to use all that lovely torque straight of the line in any weather!!! grin.gif

GTi was a fantastic car and the 2nd best handling car i've ever owned (2nd to a 3 series M Sport Coupe) But as lifestyles change, so do circumstances and so do requirements, i knew i'd outgrown my GTi long before i sold it.

The only thing i dearly miss about my GTi are it's looks, and it's gearbox.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am lucky being single and no kids I can enjoy the luxury off a GTI, but it sounds like your pleased as punch and yes the MPG will be great compared to the GTI.

Happy motoring

169144-ok.gif

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Am I the only one who thinks X3s are utter cack? It has to be one of the ugliest cars ever made and why oh why wouldn't you have a 5 series instead of an X3?

Just another example of Americanism creeping slowly over our once civilised society ....

I hope it comes with dark glasses and a big hat, so you don't have to show your face in public wink.gif

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder mate. At least it provokes an opinion which for me is always a good thing.

Anyway, drive one and you wouldn't use the word 'cack' to describe it.

My wife (who uses it the most) didn't want to drive about in a 5 series, and quite frankly i don't blame her... it is after all an exec car.

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Just another example of Americanism creeping slowly over our once civilised society....

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure i'm with you on that one, the last time i checked they were German!

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You know what I mean about Americanism, the fact that SUVs or whatever the latest moniker is, are abundant on British roads.

I'm just having a pop because I don't like 'em, everyone has a free choice. I'm sure it's surprisingly nice to drive and would be ideal for a skiing trip to the Alps.

However, as a cyclist and an Elise driver, these types of cars present the biggest risk to my personal safety, because of their ride height.

Whilst it makes the occupants feel very safe, it does exactly the opposite for those on the outside.

I just don't get these cars (not just X3s, but everything in that category). I can understand why somebody would want a Land Rover Defender on a farm, or a Toyota Land Cruiser to cross the Gobi, but as for the rest, I can't see it.

Anyway, you're happy with it and that is the main thing, just watch out for me on my bike/in my Elise - and tell you missus too, it's always the birds who drive over things/people in these motors....

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[ QUOTE ]

You know what I mean about Americanism, the fact that SUVs or whatever the latest moniker is, are abundant on British roads.

I'm just having a pop because I don't like 'em, everyone has a free choice. I'm sure it's surprisingly nice to drive and would be ideal for a skiing trip to the Alps.

However, as a cyclist and an Elise driver, these types of cars present the biggest risk to my personal safety, because of their ride height.

Whilst it makes the occupants feel very safe, it does exactly the opposite for those on the outside.

I just don't get these cars (not just X3s, but everything in that category). I can understand why somebody would want a Land Rover Defender on a farm, or a Toyota Land Cruiser to cross the Gobi, but as for the rest, I can't see it.

Anyway, you're happy with it and that is the main thing, just watch out for me on my bike/in my Elise - and tell you missus too, it's always the birds who drive over things/people in these motors....

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said that man, my thoughts on SUV's entirely. The X3 isn't even a good looking one, but I'm sure it's nice to drive. I must admit I severely dislike these 'soft-roader' 4 x 4 shopping trolleys, I just can't see the point of them. Each to their own I guess .

Edited to add - Did you watch the Top Gear review of the X3 before buying it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nX-bxVLrGg

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Must admit im not a fan of SUVs but the X3 drives really well on road so well it shocked me infact, off road was rubbish. Its ride was hard though. I also though it only came in black lol as i have never seen one in another colour lol. Im sure some people with SUV are glad they had them in the outskirts of york and down south on the edge of the floods in recent weeks. I can also understand why some people want a higher driving position after spending many hours using our recovery truck/vans but because of this i also know the huge downside of the nearfiled visability this height gives you too.

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Well I was never expecting an X3 to go down really well on a performance car forum lol, it will always divide opinion. But lets be honest, it's not a 4x4 and never will be. It's a jacked up AWD estate 169144-ok.gif The most mine will go off road is the beach car park at Saunton Sands grin.gif

BTW Snoopy, mine had the M Sport suspension deleted. Totally transforms the ride 169144-ok.gif

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The point of these type of vehicles for people with a young family is the extra space the boot provides. You have loads more height in the boot compared to any normal estate type car and that can be vital when carrying buggies etc. I can put a buggy up lengthwise in my SUV vehicle and still have loads of boot space left. Also the safety of a bit of extra ride height and the assurance of 4 wheel drive all are good when it comes to a vehicle that 99% of the time carries the most important things in my life - my wife and two kids.

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funny thing is that I knew someone who had a cayenne turbo in switzerland - found it unusable and unsafe on the roads (although I suspect he had the wrong tyres on). Changed to a SL merc and apparently it drives better than the big SUV thingy. So bigger might not be safer if you lose control more.

Still, you can't argue with space and family protection - to the dogs with everyone else!

My biggest problem with SUVs as a new driver - I can't see through them to see what is going on ahead so I can't drive defensively and react well in advance that makes me feel safe.

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[ QUOTE ]

My biggest problem with SUVs as a new driver - I can't see through them to see what is going on ahead so I can't drive defensively and react well in advance that makes me feel safe.

[/ QUOTE ]

Simple solution - drop back further from them..

I do agree with that statement though 169144-ok.gif

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If you've ever seen the injuries to a child in a side-on collision whilst riding in the rear of a 4x4 versus injuries sustained in a saloon / hatchback, you'd know why our kids ride around in the back of the Land Rover, and not the GTI ....

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Land Rovers are a bit of a unique beast it must be said....very robust vehicles. X3's are not in that league, and are not really that high for an SUV.

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