Sport or X ... Too confused ..
 

I am really confused to get either a Sport or a X.
I want Sport look and Handling but I do skiing and X will be of good help getting in up the mountain. I think it should help in the Seattle rains too ...

I'm in northern Connecticut and I ski in Vermont. I decided to go with the sport because out of the 365 days in the year, I'd rather have the sportier and tighter suspension, larger breaks, paddle shifters, 18" wheels, limited slip differentail, sport seats and the the 4 wheel active steer option, and I prefered the minor variations to the side sills and front fascia that make it look more agressive, and I prefered the contrasting stitching that comes with the sport model. The way I see it, it only is actually snowing 20 days out of the year, then you have another 40 winter wet/slick days... so when you total it up, are you buying a car for the 60 days a year... or for the 300+ days a year... It made my decision easy. Plus if you put a good pair of snow tires on the sport, the VDC, TCS, ABS & EBD safty features will suprise you how good the car will handle in bad weather. and I have a 1 hour commute in the morning.

The above, plus my job allows me to work from home if the weathers bad enough, and as an emergency backup my wife drives a Jeep liberty (4WD).

The X is great if you deal a lot with the snow and wet weather and have absolutly no other solution (2nd car, public) and weather is not an acceptable excuse for work. Then I would recommend you go for the X, it's like having a little more security.

That's about all the advice I could give, to help you out, and maybe say, what kind of driver are you? would you enjoy the paddle shifters and sportier vehicle, or are you just fine in a X using and keep it in drive all the time.

Don't forget though, "x" drivers can still shift sequentially, using the gearshift lever. ;)

Just no extra paddle shifters.

Back in the summer when I ordered my Sport, I was also contemplating the purchase of the X instead. In the end, for most reasons that you have mentioned above, I ended up going with the Sport. No regrets whatsoever.

The X makes a lot of sense
 

It is objectively close in performance and adds a safety dimension. But the S is just sooooooooo right .

A couple of things to ask yourself. How many days are you driving on snow covered roads vs cleared roads? If all you are doing is skiing a few days a year then you have options. First buy your sport and put a good set of snow tires on, makes a big difference. If the roads you travel on to go skiing are bad then throw a set of chains on.

I would recommend snows even for the X. If you spend a majority of time on snow covered roads then the X with snows would be a better option.

What I'm saying is don't let a few bad days of weather force you into a model you don't really want. My whole life has been driving in snow and I can tell you it comes down to two factors, the driver and the tires.

Well, if it's really about the sport *look*...
Buy the X for the reasons stated;
- buy a sport bumper from parts(or swap)
- & buy a spoiler

I am getting too too confused now :) :)

Just get the Sport and put snow tires during the winter season.

I think i am gonna do that .. Luv Garnet Amber S with tint

Drive both, see if you can live with the X as it comes out of the box.

I used to own an 05X. Great car. Great for trips to Tahoe in the Winter. Nothing like getting past chain control. The car was quick and solid in the bad weather. My only complaint when it comes to skiing is that when you come off the mountain during say a Blizzard, it's a pain in the a$$ getting your boots off and into the car without thrashing the inside of the car. Lesson learned, rent a locker. <g>

I now drive a 06 6mt coupe for the reasons stated above. 98% of the time, I don't need AWD.
I wanted a sportier ride too. The front suspension on the X is unique and thus there is NO option for upgrading the shocks, short of custom made jobbys. The handling a bit heavier footed.

Still a great car. If I lived in the snow belt or maybe even Seatle, I'd probably still have my X.