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Old 7th March 2010, 00:32   #1
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Opinion Please: BMW 525i or X3

Hi Guys, I have been a long term Team BHP silent observer. Today posting my first thread asking for all you experts opinion. I am 25 year old and planning to buy a BMW, now I am confused between 525i and X3. I love to drive specially long drives, I drive about 45-50Kms Everyday. I am inclined towards sedan but I want to do a road trip to leh (from Noida, I live in Noida btw) this year, so x3 might be more suitable for that. I am very much confused. I would really appreciate if you can suggest me about which one to go for.

Last edited by aah78 : 8th March 2010 at 03:47. Reason: Thread moved to "What Car?" section.
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Old 7th March 2010, 08:26   #2
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Hi Mohit, welcome to Team BHP. This should be in the ' WHAT CAR ' thread.

I looked at your garage and you have mentioned you already own a 525i & an Endeavour.

Now why would you want another 5 series. X3 makes more sense does it not ? Variation in the garage

If I were you I'd take the Ford Endeavour to Leh.
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Old 7th March 2010, 08:27   #3
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BMW X3 is Cross-over SUV and BMW 525i is a sedan. You have mentioned that you will be driving about 45-50 Kmtrs every day. A sedan is an ideal vehicle for this kind of usage. You have also mentioned that you want an X3 because you are thinking of a particular road trip. Are you ready to compensate the comfort and luxury this sedan has to offer for a road trip? X3 does offer amazing Luxury however, when it is all said and done - 525i is the best for your usage.

X3 IMO is not a vehicle in which you would want to do 45-50 Kmtrs everyday. 525i is the ideal car for this kind of a deal. BMW X3 will cost you about 50 Lakhs (on road Price) and BMW 525i will cost you about 52 Lakhs (on Road).
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Old 7th March 2010, 08:38   #4
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1) IIRC, this thread must be in this section :
Luxury, Imports & Niche - Team-BHP

2) Out of the two, I would suggest you X3. Its more practical for the roads we have. Sedan will give more fun, but X3 is not bad. And considering the planned trip/s, X3 will serve much better than 525i.
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Old 7th March 2010, 09:20   #5
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If you must buy an X3, buy used. It is a run out model also and the forthcoming X1 will savage resale values. The ride quality is bad but it is a good handler. Finish is not on par with BMW's as this was designed and built by Steyr Puch. There was a used X3 which was on sale for a long time.

As you have an endeavour - go for the 525
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Old 7th March 2010, 11:05   #6
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I would suggest you take the endeavor to leh. You never know what kind of possible damage that could happen on the way. Stray rocks and all that. Of the two mentioned, the 525 makes more sense - it would offer a better experience than the x3, then again i'm a bit biased against suv's. The 5 is a looker, whereas the x3 does not merit any second looks.
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Old 8th March 2010, 01:24   #7
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my advice would be, please find about X3 and 525 from the internet as to what kind of vehicles they are and what purpose they are used for!

X3 is a sissy crossover vehicle dumped into india (as it hardly sold anywhere else) to make indians buy it, since it being a BMW!

use your Ford SUV for the road trip to Leh and buy a 525 for you city run arounds!

Last edited by GTO : 9th March 2010 at 10:23. Reason: Strictly no personal comments please. Removing first two lines.
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Old 8th March 2010, 03:07   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Parm View Post
X3 is a sissy crossover vehicle dumped into india (as it hardly sold anywhere else) to make indians buy it, since it being a BMW!
I agree that the X3 is a bit of a 'sissy crossover', and I thought it would never take off. But I have seen a reasonable number of X3s in other parts of the world. I guess it is BMW's answer to the other soft offroaders like the RAV4, CRV, Mazda5, etc, which has a rather substantial consumer base in Europe and North America.
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Old 8th March 2010, 13:31   #9
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Both cars are to be replaced soon (5 - 2010, X3 - 2011 end). If you're gonna be spending 50 lacs on a softroader - get the Audi Q5 - its newer, fresher and wayyy better equipped than the X3; If you want a Sedan the E350CDI or wait for the new 5 - the out of production 525i is way behind the new launches. Since you didn't mention a budget, I am guessing these fall in relatively the same range and are comparable albeit better options.

Either way - Parm was on the money with his post.

Cheers!
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Old 8th March 2010, 17:32   #10
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I own an X3 (2.0d) which I had purchased in Feb.2009 absolutely love the vehicle. It is quite roomy and handles very well and get it in a dark colour and it actually looks very smart.
People may have -ve things to say about the X3 but it has been rated as the most reliable vehicle in Germany for 2 years in a row.

BMW X3: Most reliable vehicle on Germany's roads

Yes, it is true that it is towards the last leg in its current cycle, but still it has some plus points over other Bimmers such as no Idrive and no Runflats. Do test drive an X3 before you rule it out.

Also, check out Business Standard Motoring review of the X3 where the guy states

"In fact, I’ll stick my neck out and say that it’s (X3 2.0d) the best all-round BMW you can buy in India – not the quickest, fastest, sexiest, most fun or best looking, but in BMW terms, the most value for money and the most satisfying in real-world conditions."

BMW X3 - Rated X3

One more option is to wait and get the new X1 which should be here by Diwali this year, ie if you can wait that long.
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Old 8th March 2010, 19:16   #11
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You already have a beemer in your garage so why not try something new this time?
Why not something like a Range Rover Freelander 2? It has pretty much everything a BMW has and even looks better. And I need not mention anything about its off roading capabilities.
Also you could check out the ML series or the Toyota Prado with the new diesel engine.
Or if you can extend your budget a bit go for the Lancruiser or the RR sport.
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Old 9th March 2010, 10:24   #12
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You love to drive, and have a daily running of 50 kms. Shut your eyes and go for the 5 series (but preferably, wait for the all new generation that's just around the corner).

Sedans are infinitely more fun to drive than SUVs. 'Nuff said.
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Old 9th March 2010, 11:27   #13
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IMO you must go for 5 series as this is the ultimate machine to drive, about X3 I would say never go for that even Q5 is better than that.
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Old 11th March 2010, 23:17   #14
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I would say get neither. Get the 520d, it whips the 525i and is cheaper too. If you can stretch then get the 530d

There is no point getting the X3 just for one Leh road trip purpose, if you must have an SUV then get the Q5 instead.

The 5 series and X3 will be replaced soon so the Q5 3.0 TDi seems like the best option as of now.
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Old 11th March 2010, 23:50   #15
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Ummm, how about the new X-Trail?? It will be pretty good for the Leh trip and is funky looking in an oddball sort of way. It will save you quite some pocket change too over the x3 or the 5'ers.
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