[McTricky]

Just curious what others would consider comparable in the same size, power, build quality, and price range. Pros and cons, please.

I think of obviously the Audi Q3, MB GLA 250 and Volvo XC 40. Also the Caddy XT4 and Buick Envision, though maybe a tad larger by certain measurements. The upcoming Mazda CX-70 has my interest piqued too.

[tex2670]

I drove an XC40 - I would definitely get that car. Power was good, and the mild hybrid drive made it pretty quick off the line. Nice interior.

I thought about a Mini Countryman or Clubman too. I liked both, but a loaded Countryman was about the same price as the X1 I ordered, with the older tech.

I don't really love the Q3 styling; and definitely dislike the GLA. There's no way the Caddy will be nearly as nice - I'd only consider Caddy if there was a really great deal to be had.

Alfa Romeo has a new model coming out - Tonale. I don't think I could do that; I don't trust AR's reliability.

[FlashMonkey929]

I considered a bunch of SUV's while shopping around, but there were a lot of factors going into my original criteria. I was originally looking for something a lot more budget friendly, being self-employed and nearly going broke during all the Covid restrictions the past two years. I considered the Subaru Forester, the Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV, and even the Ford Maverick pickup due to it's cheap price. I eventually settled on the VW Taos SEL (about $35K), as it was the right size for my tiny parking stall, affordable, had lots of attractive features, and looked good. Unfortunately, in my state (and on my island), there are only one or two dealers for each manufacturer and they are positively raping the general public, with Toyota and BMW being the exceptions. The VW dealership was tacking on a mandatory $5,000 in "dealer installed accessories" that was nothing more than floor mats and a paint sealant from what I could see. They would absolutely not budge on price, so I went over to BMW just to see since I loved the new X1 but never considered it as it was something I considered as too luxurious compared to my needs. Being that after pricing one out it was about $5K more than what I would have had to pay for the VW, had way more power, a power tailgate, and much better build quality, it was a no brainer.

[McTricky]

I just can't quite warm up to the "cute-ute" look of the XC 40 and the MB and even more so with the Mini, which I wouldn't really consider the same class. Not a big fan of GM products, although I'd go for the Buick over the Caddy, even though it's made in China. Agree on the Tonale and Dodge Hornet. I don't trust the reliability.

I've had two CRVs and a Subie Outback. The look of the new CRV is improved, but I hate CVTs and it's just a little too underpowered for me. Same for the Subies and I think they still have cylinder head issues. The Toyota's seem to be going down the same road as Kia/Hyundai in styling. Crazy angles, lights, grilles, etc. The Venza isn't too bad, but still. I had a 2009 TDI Jetta. Nice car, but got caught up in the whole DieselGate, HPFP and had DSG issues. Still, the Tiguan and Taos look pretty nice, but way underpowered for me.

If money was no object I'd go for an XC 90. I've always loved the new styling since it came out.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by McTricky

I just can't quite warm up to the "cute-ute" look of the XC 40 and the MB and even more so with the Mini, which I wouldn't really consider the same class. Not a big fan of GM products, although I'd go for the Buick over the Caddy, even though it's made in China. Agree on the Tonale and Dodge Hornet. I don't trust the reliability.

I've had two CRVs and a Subie Outback. The look of the new CRV is improved, but I hate CVTs and it's just a little too underpowered for me. Same for the Subies and I think they still have cylinder head issues. The Toyota's seem to be going down the same road as Kia/Hyundai in styling. Crazy angles, lights, grilles, etc. The Venza isn't too bad, but still. I had a 2009 TDI Jetta. Nice car, but got caught up in the whole DieselGate, HPFP and had DSG issues. Still, the Tiguan and Taos look pretty nice, but way underpowered for me.

If money was no object I'd go for an XC 90. I've always loved the new styling since it came out.

Well think you've effectively ruled out all other choices, and it's time to order an X1.....

[FlashMonkey929]

I agree the VW offerings are underpowered. They were "good enough", and the lower power means I'm less likely to get myself in trouble. This will be my first SUV, as the practicality for my business outweighs driving a faster car now. Before the past 3 BMW's, I'd always been a VW guy having owned an '86 GLI, '00 GTI VR6, and an '07 GTI FSI.

The Volvo appealed to me, but the horror stories of the only dealer on island pretty much killed it for me. Never been a fan of the American SUV's with the exception of possibly the new Bronco. Mercedes never really appealed to me either, don't really care for the styling or driving feel. Audi was a possibility, but the dealer markup on what's essentially an expensive VW made it more expensive and less appealing than the BMW for a similarly equipped X1. The Korean brands were only a brief thought because of the value they represented but they never really stood out. The RAV4, I actually really like they styling of it, but for the money I would have rather had the Taos. I also briefly considered the Mazda lineup, but the visibility was kind of poor while driving, almost as bad as my 4 Series.

My only real wish for the X1 is that it was possible to do a sunroof delete on all trims, I've never been a big fan of sunroofs and have never used them on any of the cars I've owned.

[McTricky]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Well think you've effectively ruled out all other choices, and it's time to order an X1.....

That's why I'm here but I still have to see it in the raw and drive it. DCTs can be a love it or hate it affair.

[McTricky]

If VW tuned that 2.0 to output 230 HP (like the Audi) in an R-Line Tiguan I'd seriously consider it over the BMW for the money.

Monkey, which Mazda did you drive, the CX-5?

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by McTricky

If VW tuned that 2.0 to output 230 HP (like the Audi) in an R-Line Tiguan I'd seriously consider it over the BMW for the money.

Monkey, which Mazda did you drive, the CX-5?

Yeah, if the VW just had a bit more power it would be great. I was hoping APR would have come out with a tune for the Taos too that would have put it closer to 200 crank HP and that probably would have been enough.

For Mazda, I test drove the CX-30, the CX-5 looked a little too bland so I was actually considering the CX-50 but they didn't have any on the lot to test drive. The Mazda felt alright to drive, but I don't think I'd be happy with the power unless I had the turbo model.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Yeah, if the VW just had a bit more power it would be great. I was hoping APR would have come out with a tune for the Taos too that would have put it closer to 200 crank HP and that probably would have been enough.

For Mazda, I test drove the CX-30, the CX-5 looked a little too bland so I was actually considering the CX-50 but they didn't have any on the lot to test drive. The Mazda felt alright to drive, but I don't think I'd be happy with the power unless I had the turbo model.

I just got a CX-30 Preferred for my son (non-turbo). It's a nice car for $30K, but nowhere near competitive with the X1 class of cars.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by tex2670

I just got a CX-30 Preferred for my son (non-turbo). It's a nice car for $30K, but nowhere near competitive with the X1 class of cars.

It's a great car, lots of magazines consistently rate it in the top 3 in it's class, definitely sportier than many of the other options out there. The rearward visibility and smallish windows made it an issue for me, otherwise I probably would have favored it.

[McTricky]

The CX-5 looks good from the front, but the rear end kills it IMO. It's almost like they just gave up. I think the CX-70 fixes that so it'll be interesting to see one in person. And yes, I would only have the 2.5 turbo.

[McTricky]

I also was interested in the CX-50, but the more I looked at it the more it looks like a wagon, which the misses won't have.

[Kromans1]

We had a 2023 Buick Envision on order but the fully redesigned X1 made us cancel it. We had an Envision in 2016 and we actuality loved it. The cabin was so quiet, it had decent pickup and the cargo space was plentiful back when we had the stroller to cart around. Now that the kid is in a booster and can fully walk despite constantly complaining about it, we can lose a little on the cargo but will now be gaining a bunch on luxury and coolness. My son is pretty stoked about the ambient lighting.

[McTricky]

Yeah, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the 2ng gen Envision is light years ahead of the first gen. That Avenir trim in silver is pretty dang sweet looking IMO. I'm just wary of the engine and if the build quality will hold up over time. It's definitely a cruiser vs sporty.

[SeekTheFinest]

We shopped the X1 against the BMW X3, Volvo XC40, Acura RDX, Audi SQ5, and Toyota RAV4. Those were the cars we actually test-drove while looking for a new vehicle. This car is replacing my wife's Honda CRV, so any option had more power which was key. She really liked the XC40, but in 2023 they discontinued the R-line option, which gave you the black roof which she really liked so that ended up coming in 3rd place. The X3 was seriously considered but when optioned out, the price point was going to be $7-8k higher than the X1 and the vehicle is somewhat dated inside since it is due for a redesign in the next couple of years, so it was put in 2nd place. We like the look of the RDX, but the infotainment system was kind of clunky and the price point was higher than the X1 (3rd). The performance of the SQ5 was great. It truly put a smile on my wife's face, but for a commuter car, it didn't make much sense (4th). The price point would have been $12-$15k higher than the X1 and the interior build quality was not on par. We have a Q7 from '17 and the interior in my opinion is nicer than the current SQ5. The Q7 is a great car, with good power, and all the options that I would ever need, but it is bigger than for my wife's needs. Coming from a CRV we really wanted to like the RAV4. I think the design is great on the car, but the dealership experience was not. We went in to look at a Hybrid XSE and upon arriving found out that they actually didn't have any new vehicles on the lot. They let us test drive a used base model and told us that if we wanted a Hybrid we would need to reserve an incoming one and if so desired we would also have to pay a markup (5th). I asked how much and they told us they couldn't tell us, but no matter as that was a hard no. So we arrived at BMW inquiring about the upcoming X1 (1st). Got an order sheet, found that the car offered all the options that my wife wanted in a new vehicle, and was told an allocation was available. The order was placed and now we wait. If it was my car, the X3 M40i would probably win out, but it's not so I have to be happy with her decision. The only thing missing from our build was the trailer hitch (for hauling bikes), but I guess the Msport package doesn't support it anyways and I wish the Shadowline package did not give you black mirrors, but everything else being offered is what we wanted to hopefully in 6-8 weeks the new car will be here and the CRV can be retired.

[McTricky]

Thanks for that.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by SeekTheFinest

We shopped the X1 against the BMW X3, Volvo XC40, Acura RDX, Audi SQ5, and Toyota RAV4. Those were the cars we actually test-drove while looking for a new vehicle. This car is replacing my wife's Honda CRV, so any option had more power which was key. She really liked the XC40, but in 2023 they discontinued the R-line option, which gave you the black roof which she really liked so that ended up coming in 3rd place. The X3 was seriously considered but when optioned out, the price point was going to be $7-8k higher than the X1 and the vehicle is somewhat dated inside since it is due for a redesign in the next couple of years, so it was put in 2nd place. We like the look of the RDX, but the infotainment system was kind of clunky and the price point was higher than the X1 (3rd). The performance of the SQ5 was great. It truly put a smile on my wife's face, but for a commuter car, it didn't make much sense (4th). The price point would have been $12-$15k higher than the X1 and the interior build quality was not on par. We have a Q7 from '17 and the interior in my opinion is nicer than the current SQ5. The Q7 is a great car, with good power, and all the options that I would ever need, but it is bigger than for my wife's needs. Coming from a CRV we really wanted to like the RAV4. I think the design is great on the car, but the dealership experience was not. We went in to look at a Hybrid XSE and upon arriving found out that they actually didn't have any new vehicles on the lot. They let us test drive a used base model and told us that if we wanted a Hybrid we would need to reserve an incoming one and if so desired we would also have to pay a markup (5th). I asked how much and they told us they couldn't tell us, but no matter as that was a hard no. So we arrived at BMW inquiring about the upcoming X1 (1st). Got an order sheet, found that the car offered all the options that my wife wanted in a new vehicle, and was told an allocation was available. The order was placed and now we wait. If it was my car, the X3 M40i would probably win out, but it's not so I have to be happy with her decision. The only thing missing from our build was the trailer hitch (for hauling bikes), but I guess the Msport package doesn't support it anyways and I wish the Shadowline package did not give you black mirrors, but everything else being offered is what we wanted to hopefully in 6-8 weeks the new car will be here and the CRV can be retired.

Yeah, I was disappointed when I found out that Volvo eliminated the R-Design trim. You can effectively build an R-Design model by picking the right options, but you can't get the black offset roof. FWIW, the dealer said they could get the roof wrapped in black if i wanted...but I was already leaning toward the X1 anyway, so I didn't get into a discussion of those details. The XC40 is still a really nice car, but the black roof was what really attracted me to it initially.

[McTricky]

Funny, my wife doesn't like the black roof. Said it looks disconnected.

[FlashMonkey929]

I was actually thinking about having the X1 roof wrapped in black between the rails, just to kind of blend the panoramic sunroof in. I don't think it would look good with the pillars wrapped though.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by McTricky

Funny, my wife doesn't like the black roof. Said it looks disconnected.

Mine too. Luckily, it never became an issue.

[McTricky]

I'm giving it a second look, especially the Plus trim