We love this car, we have a 2003 BMW 325 wagon, wife wanted something bigger that sat higher. We already had a truck, so X5 was too big but X3 was too small. Interior is great, I call it the luxo-barge. Seats are super comfortable, interior layout is (typical BMW) great, plenty of room, it's great for an 8+ hour drive or long days in the car (done both). The split hatch/trunklid is really handy, I don't know why some of the early reviewers didn't like it. It is taller, heavier than a sedan and has airbag springs in the rear and you notice that in the handling, but it it can still tell it's a BMW, so even with the extra weight and height, it still handles a lot better than non-BMW sedans. The N55 (six cylinder) has plenty of power (the car can get out of it's own way) and makes it fun to drive. The 8 cylinder would have been awesome but one in our price and mileage range wasn't available. The icing on the cake - people either like this car (some) or they hate it (more) so the resale on them isn't good. The one we got was a lease return, so it was regularly maintained and low mileage and we ended up with a $72,000 MSRP car for less than half that. Maintenance hasn't been bad, moonroof cover broke, got it covered under warranty and I'm about to replace a thermostat, water pump (proactive while I'm changing the thermostat) and parking brake module. If you've got older BMWs, you'll have to get new tools (lots of external Torx) and Bentley's doesn't publish manuals for them. Still pretty straightforward maintenance, but the parts are expensive, even through Pelican Parts. Oh, only bad thing is the run flat tires - we've been through two full sets in about 3 years. They handle like crap and the rears wear heavily on the inside, resulting in two tire failures while driving, luckily the car still handled well. The wear isn't obvious unless you specifically look on that inside rounded edge, not where you would normally expect to find heavy wear. I would recommend standard tires, a can of fix-a-flat and an air pump (wife wants the run flats in case she's alone or I would change to the standard tires).

Hatchback feature gives me the interuor space I want. Nothing on the current market can compare, newer X models included. KIA Stinger comes close but cramped interior a major draw back.

Much easier to get in and out of than an SUV. Drives much more like a sedan, yet has lots of storage when the back seats are folded down. Speaking of back seats, these are more comfortable than the back seats of the 7 series sedan .. This is built on the previous generation 7 series frame (ie comfortable) with all the latest technology upgrades. It is the perfect car for long distance traveling for up to five adults. I am also impressed with the six cylinder engine. I thought I would need the v8 for such a large car, but the six is perfectly adequate. Once I got used to it, the adaptive cruise control is a gem