Here are some questions for you X 3/5 owners. Thinking of trading in my 2003 Pathfinder LE on a new X 3/5. What ever I can get the best deal on. I will get a military discount here in Germany and will be able to get one for a nice price. Here are my questions:

1. How well do these vehicles do in the snow and off-road? Not major off-road, just in the colorado mountains getting to the ski slopes type stuff.

2. How is gas mileage? I get 17 mpg on the Autobahn in the Pathfinder and it is killing me!! I have to stop for fuel every couple of days.

3. Which has more cargo room, the X3 or X5?

4. What are your recommendations?

5. What are the Pro and Cons on these vehicles?

Thanks for the help.

Here are some questions for you X 3/5 owners. Thinking of trading in my 2003 Pathfinder LE on a new X 3/5. What ever I can get the best deal on. I will get a military discount here in Germany and will be able to get one for a nice price. Here are my questions:

1. How well do these vehicles do in the snow and off-road? Not major off-road, just in the colorado mountains getting to the ski slopes type stuff.

2. How is gas mileage? I get 17 mpg on the Autobahn in the Pathfinder and it is killing me!! I have to stop for fuel every couple of days.

3. Which has more cargo room, the X3 or X5?

4. What are your recommendations?

5. What are the Pro and Cons on these vehicles?

Thanks for the help.

Hi!

We actually just left Germany (military) and bought a 2.5 X3 while we were there. Here's what I can tell you thus far.

1. We took ours up in the mountains of Switzerland numerous times and it handled great. We got the optional ski bag (haven't used it yet) but with the one back seat down my husbands snowboard fit perfectly. The HDC was fantastic when driving up and down the snow covered streets, definitely need winter tires though.

2. City gas mileage is anywhere from 19-21mpg and on the autobahn, at normal speeds (not the 110-120mph we liked to do) we got close to 26mpg, usually steady at 25mpg.

3. According to the specs the X3 has a bit more cargo room.

4. Recommendations: Heated seats, rain sensor, ski bag, sport package (we like the cornering capabilities, drives like a car), leather as opposed to leatherette.

5. I love my X3. I like the size, the capabilities, the look and the price. The X5 is a beautiful vehicle as well and has a more 'luxurious' aspect to it compared to the X3. But for the price and the size the X3 was a better fit for our purposes!

Where in Germany are you? We were near Leighton Barracks in Wuerzburg. If you are in that area check out Rhein BMW and talk to Donal, he is a great guy and will take care of you.

The only other thing for you to do is to test drive both and see which one you like better. Like I said, we love both of them but the X3 was better suited to our needs. Plus, it fits better in those tight parking spaces in Europe!

Let me know if you have anymore questions. We've had ours for a little over a year now.

1) Taken our X5 a bunch of times for skiing trips. Great in the snow/slush.

2) X5 3.0: Get an average of around 19.5 mpg. But this is mostly is rush hour traffic with speeds not going over 40 mph. Road trips: average around 23.5 mpg.

3) X3.

4) Same as above.

5) Test drive both. Both are great vehicles. I'm guessing you will get a better deal on a X3 probably since it's produced in Austria compared to X5 being shipped from Spartanburg, SC.

The answers above are all good. I'd add the following:

X3 vs. X5 & sport vs. standard: The X3 and X5 feel and handle differently, in my opinion. This is partially due to size and weight. Similarly, some people like the sport suspensions, but I didn't. I recommend you drive them and compare.

Driving in the snow: I go skiing in the Sierras. This past winter I was caught once in a squall and once in a true blizzard. The standard X3 all-season tires worked better than I hoped in both cases. I carried chains but didn't need them. The "sport" mode on the steptronic transmission allows manual shifting which was all I needed.

Good luck with your decision.

If 17MPG on the highway is killing you, I would not suggest the X5 4.4. I average about 19MPG with my 4.4. The power is great, but you will pay for it.