TrailEd328
New member
A (pre-owned) BMW X5 4.8i
It was a short but sweet experience owning the Toyota. I really loved it.
On Cape Cod, the 4R employed awesome performance on the beach and an overall versatile aspect not found in a lot of SUV's offered today. Now that I am back at school, and find myself using my SUV more for various reasons(I have a 328i sedan that has been in the garage a lot this Fall) I found the 4-Runner to be a completely different car in the city/urban areas. In this environment, the 4R has handled poorly, the brakes were very mushy and the car lacked the assertive 'edge' that I have experienced from my past cars. Driving in traffic was hell- merging, sudden braking, uncommunicative steering... I was not confident driving the car. We also experienced a lot of flood rains earlier last month and the car lost traction pretty bad when I was going around a rotary- part time four wheel drive I guess. My family is very car orientated. My dad loves cars, and so does my mom. I'm a BMW guy, My dad is a Benz guy and my mom is all about Saabs. My dad and I bought the 4R on the last day of the month, and got a great deal. We were very excited for the new addition to the car fam! My dad only drove the 4R once but was unimpressed with the braking/handling as well. He did say on the highway it was very comfortable! which I agree. The gas mileage was also impressive given the size and weight of the car. I never found the car underpowered... it was not exciting but definitely had pick-up. Trading the 4R in for the X5, we lost an overall $740.00 less than what we paid for it- and I put on about 6,800 miles- so the resale on these cars are incredible. While I was not seeking the 4R to be sporty, performance orientated, or luxurious- I did, however, expect it to be a secure car. While i'm sure many of you feel that your 4R is secure, I find this a subjective manner- and decided to look for other options. Now that I have had the X5 for about two weeks- I feel as if it was the right decision. I just love the european engineering of BMW's and the overall dynamic feeling they provide. The heavy doors, Steering feel and braking are all 100x better than the 4R's. My car is also equipped with the 'Adaptive Drive' option- which virtually eliminated body roll. The X5 has 25k miles, with extended maintenance. I've never had any substantial problems with BMW's and this cars service history/dealer appointments are an A+. It was owned by a Doctor in Boston. While they are completely different cars, I am glad that I got to experience the 4R. My mom had an FJ40 when I was about 6 years old as our beach car, and I used to do my homework in it every night. I loved it. I got kind of attached to the 4R as it had little things that reminded me of our old LC. However, practicality issues overruled my decision to keep the car. I have found this website very informative and full of enthusiastic owners. I will still stop by to see what everyone is doing with their 4R's! I hope the next owner of my trail edition uses it for what it was made for and enjoys every minute of it!
To anyone buying a trail edition or not sure which model, consider;
-The limited- Full time 4WD along with a more stiff suspension should negate some of the characters I disliked in my car.
-The brakes never get more firm. Our sales guy told us they would break in and feel more solid. They never did.
-Sounds system is a joke. Easy upgrade, however.
-Steering is very artificial. I found the car very boring to drive sometimes.
-The gas mileage is very good on these cars.
-Seat comfort is A+ as well!
Overall, I am happy with my decision to get rid of the 4R. The X5 is truly a dream. The grumble of the exhaust, panoramic sunroof, great audio system, and overall quality all lead up to a very nice driving experience. I miss the 4R, though... and how unique it was. It was definitely a special car.
And here is Mr. X5!
Enjoy yourselves and thanks for reading!:hatsoff:
It was a short but sweet experience owning the Toyota. I really loved it.
On Cape Cod, the 4R employed awesome performance on the beach and an overall versatile aspect not found in a lot of SUV's offered today. Now that I am back at school, and find myself using my SUV more for various reasons(I have a 328i sedan that has been in the garage a lot this Fall) I found the 4-Runner to be a completely different car in the city/urban areas. In this environment, the 4R has handled poorly, the brakes were very mushy and the car lacked the assertive 'edge' that I have experienced from my past cars. Driving in traffic was hell- merging, sudden braking, uncommunicative steering... I was not confident driving the car. We also experienced a lot of flood rains earlier last month and the car lost traction pretty bad when I was going around a rotary- part time four wheel drive I guess. My family is very car orientated. My dad loves cars, and so does my mom. I'm a BMW guy, My dad is a Benz guy and my mom is all about Saabs. My dad and I bought the 4R on the last day of the month, and got a great deal. We were very excited for the new addition to the car fam! My dad only drove the 4R once but was unimpressed with the braking/handling as well. He did say on the highway it was very comfortable! which I agree. The gas mileage was also impressive given the size and weight of the car. I never found the car underpowered... it was not exciting but definitely had pick-up. Trading the 4R in for the X5, we lost an overall $740.00 less than what we paid for it- and I put on about 6,800 miles- so the resale on these cars are incredible. While I was not seeking the 4R to be sporty, performance orientated, or luxurious- I did, however, expect it to be a secure car. While i'm sure many of you feel that your 4R is secure, I find this a subjective manner- and decided to look for other options. Now that I have had the X5 for about two weeks- I feel as if it was the right decision. I just love the european engineering of BMW's and the overall dynamic feeling they provide. The heavy doors, Steering feel and braking are all 100x better than the 4R's. My car is also equipped with the 'Adaptive Drive' option- which virtually eliminated body roll. The X5 has 25k miles, with extended maintenance. I've never had any substantial problems with BMW's and this cars service history/dealer appointments are an A+. It was owned by a Doctor in Boston. While they are completely different cars, I am glad that I got to experience the 4R. My mom had an FJ40 when I was about 6 years old as our beach car, and I used to do my homework in it every night. I loved it. I got kind of attached to the 4R as it had little things that reminded me of our old LC. However, practicality issues overruled my decision to keep the car. I have found this website very informative and full of enthusiastic owners. I will still stop by to see what everyone is doing with their 4R's! I hope the next owner of my trail edition uses it for what it was made for and enjoys every minute of it!
To anyone buying a trail edition or not sure which model, consider;
-The limited- Full time 4WD along with a more stiff suspension should negate some of the characters I disliked in my car.
-The brakes never get more firm. Our sales guy told us they would break in and feel more solid. They never did.
-Sounds system is a joke. Easy upgrade, however.
-Steering is very artificial. I found the car very boring to drive sometimes.
-The gas mileage is very good on these cars.
-Seat comfort is A+ as well!
Overall, I am happy with my decision to get rid of the 4R. The X5 is truly a dream. The grumble of the exhaust, panoramic sunroof, great audio system, and overall quality all lead up to a very nice driving experience. I miss the 4R, though... and how unique it was. It was definitely a special car.
And here is Mr. X5!
Enjoy yourselves and thanks for reading!:hatsoff:
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