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      07-31-2013, 02:44 PM   #1
rchendesign
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A men's car or a women's car?

Just decided to get an new X1 xDrive28i.
I'm a man, but I heard that X1 is designed for women and a lot of women like it. Are there really much more female driver on X1 rather than male driver?
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      07-31-2013, 03:22 PM   #2
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How about a "person's car"?

I'm a man. The X1's combination of relatively small size, interior versatility, performance, and price appeals to me, enough so that I bought one. There are other men here who have X1s and like them. There are women who like them too. "Much more," I can't say. I suspect there's a general perception out there that most small SUVs/CUVs are "women's cars"--the whole soccer mom thing. Doesn't mean that only women drive them, or that only women like them, or that there's something wrong with men who drive and/or like them.
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      07-31-2013, 03:24 PM   #3
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Whoever told you that is misinformed. But my second car is a Miata so what do I know?
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      07-31-2013, 03:28 PM   #4
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I see women driving Panzers like Cadillac Escalade or Ford F150 and they don't know how to park them. Are these a woman car?
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      07-31-2013, 03:32 PM   #5
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Soccer moms here drive underpowered X5s and MDXes.
I guess the X1 is too small for them.
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      07-31-2013, 03:32 PM   #6
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First time I hear that the X1 car has been targetted to a particular gender. I'm thinking that its strong resemblance to a station wagon may have given someone the idea that this is a chick car. But take it out for a test drive and you'll get the undeniable whiff of testosterone.

Also, the hard steering on the xDrive, the hard (but still compliant) suspension, the lack of some softer materials, or overall posh feeling, it makes me think that BMW may have missed their female audience with the X1. Just my opinion.

If you like and enjoyed driving it, buy it regardless of gender. I did.
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      07-31-2013, 05:28 PM   #7
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Just bought my wife an X1 xdrive28i M-sport. Her decision was certainly influenced by me, but in the end her decision to trade her Q5...and chose X1 over X3 for performance and handling. I gave up my 135i for her Q5 3 years ago to have a safe family hauler. We have two kids under age 3. I'm still driving her TDi jetta, and I'm anticipating ill be stealing the X1 more often than not. Though my 100miles a day is better suited for the oil burner.

Had all intention of placing deposit on an M235i, but the X1 may satisfy my sporting need while the kids are young.

I think the X1's compact form factor appeals to young women, but when equipped its far from a mom mobile. Same goes for the 1-series...base 128i has strong appeal to young women looking for a sexy lux brand, add M-sport and that car is an enthusiasts ride.

My $.02, though my current DD is a red jetta...so...
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      07-31-2013, 06:22 PM   #8
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It appeals to whom ever likes the car. I love the looks, performance, ride height, and i am a male.
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      07-31-2013, 07:11 PM   #9
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I think this is an interesting topic.

Only super large manufacturers can afford launching gender-specific cars. I don't think BMW is one of them. VW launched their Beetle with its flower base and cutesy design. Women loved it! The Minis seemed like they were capturing a lot of the female audience, so Mini branched out to produce other models to recover their male customer base. I recently got in a Mini Countryman. Holy cow, the only thing missing was a nitro boost canister by the side of the driver. Along the lines of these sub compact cars, I think the new Fiat 500 is turning out to have a lot female followers. Out of BMW, I remember seeing a lot of women driving the BMW Z3 roadster in the late 90s, although I don't think BMW ever intended it to be their target audience. I also remember when Honda launched the Element in 2002?. They wanted to target a 20 something crowd, out of college who had a super active lifestyle (e.g., surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking.) Interestingly enough most buyers turned out to be middle age urban men/women who wanted more space without the typical gas-guzzler big SUV look that dominated the scene back in those days.

Last edited by Chris Pringle; 07-31-2013 at 08:45 PM..
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      07-31-2013, 08:39 PM   #10
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I've only seen women, or men with men or men who like men drive them in the Seattle area. Doesn't matter to me as I drive what I like regardless what is popular with whom.
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      07-31-2013, 10:12 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcx1 View Post
How about a "person's car"?

I'm a man. The X1's combination of relatively small size, interior versatility, performance, and price appeals to me, enough so that I bought one. There are other men here who have X1s and like them. There are women who like them too. "Much more," I can't say. I suspect there's a general perception out there that most small SUVs/CUVs are "women's cars"--the whole soccer mom thing. Doesn't mean that only women drive them, or that only women like them, or that there's something wrong with men who drive and/or like them.
That makes sense to me. I'm a Chinese guy in US now. In china, men even drive beetle. So I hadn't heard anything about 'a car for a particular gender' before, until someone told me evoque is a women car, Jeep Liberty is women car... So I wonder what about X1 or if it's strange if a man drives one.
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      07-31-2013, 10:17 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj View Post
I've only seen women, or men with men or men who like men drive them in the Seattle area. Doesn't matter to me as I drive what I like regardless what is popular with whom.
Oh, that's interesting. So you never saw a men who liked women drove a X1 alone in Seattle area? LOL
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      08-01-2013, 07:54 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rchendesign View Post
Oh, that's interesting. So you never saw a men who liked women drove a X1 alone in Seattle area? LOL
Well, he IS in Seattle.
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      08-01-2013, 10:28 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Pringle View Post
Only super large manufacturers can afford launching gender-specific cars. I don't think BMW is one of them. VW launched their Beetle with its flower base and cutesy design. Women loved it!
You do know that the beetle started out as the KdF-wagen, and who commissioned it, right? And that until the sixties, female car owners were few and far between?
If anything, it was designed as a car which men could use to bring their wives and children with them - after all, that's exactly what A.H. asked Porsche to design.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Pringle View Post
The Minis seemed like they were capturing a lot of the female audience, so Mini branched out to produce other models to recover their male customer base.
The Mini has traditionally been a single man's car that women hated. It's not a kid-friendly car, for one thing. And stick shift only.
If anything, I'd say it's the opposite - the bigger models were introduced to capture more family buyers.
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      08-01-2013, 11:51 AM   #15
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Grovsnus:

There seems to be a disconnect. You seem to be talking about Beetles and Minis from the 60s/70s and I agree with your reference points. I'm talking, however, about the modern redesigned versions. The new Beetle was definitely more female-oriented with its flower base, colors and so on.

BTW, according to Mini:

All MINI Cooper models are available with a quick-shifting six-speed Aisin automatic transmission.
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      08-02-2013, 01:45 AM   #16
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This thread is making me horny.
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      08-02-2013, 04:18 AM   #17
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Took delivery of my X1 yesterday morning and have been driving it 350 KM since then with a good mix of hwy and city driving. My wife also tested and our conclusion is simple: It's a man's and a woman's car... We are equally delighted! I suspect this to have been BMW's intention.

We really enjoy the way this thing settles nicely on the road and in the curves, and we really enjoy the power combined with low fuel consumption. The 20d engine is a close to perfect match for this car (But yes, you can always use more if fuel prices and speed limits are of little interest, I will not argue against that). Anyway, we appreciate the same features and not only the car as such.
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      08-02-2013, 07:28 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rchendesign View Post
... but I heard that X1 is designed for women and a lot of women like it. Are there really much more female driver on X1 rather than male driver?
Poppycock!

So is a woman who likes women allowed to drive an X1? Would a female park ranger not be allowed to drive it? What about a guy who delivers cupcakes for a living?

What defines a female car anyways? Size? Interior finishes? Speed? Durability? You drive the car you want. Many people will have different directions for their cars which will ultimately shape how it is their car, not necessarily a gender-car.
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      08-02-2013, 02:37 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tendim View Post
So is a woman who likes women allowed to drive an X1? Would a female park ranger not be allowed to drive it?
A park ranger should definitely not drive an X1 for work purposes.

My take on whether the X1 is suitable for women is that the seat belt height isn't adjustable, and for at least one well-endowed woman, this makes it woman-unfriendly.
YMMV
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      08-02-2013, 03:34 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rchendesign View Post
Just decided to get an new X1 xDrive28i.
I'm a man, but I heard that X1 is designed for women and a lot of women like it. Are there really much more female driver on X1 rather than male driver?
Do what I did.
Put the title in your wife's name, but you drive it.
If your macho male friends ask, you can tell 'em it's your wife's car.
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      08-02-2013, 05:56 PM   #21
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With no power lift gate option and way above average weight steering, I don't think X1 is a women's car. In fact, it's a young and strong men's car! (At least that's what I tell myself)
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      08-03-2013, 06:37 AM   #22
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If anyone gives me crap about it (hasn't happened yet), I'll just ask them to drag race. Unless they have an exotic, they'll lose.
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