Not to interrupt the how-to-configure-your-Beemer discussion but...

Date: 11/12
Location: LAX
Level: PC
Reserved: Intermediate
Offered: Nothing at first -- "Er, let me see what we got here...". Then various oddballs, including Captiva, Suburban, Excursion, Wrangler.
Requested: Almost any Mazda
Offered (& declined): Mazda 5
Offered: Mazda CX-9 (as soon as it got out of the wash)
Exchanged to: VW Tiguan

This particular experience was just as weird and disorganized as my summary above implies. When I arrived, every slot on the Preferred board said "See Preferred Counter". The agent found my reservation, and instead of offering anything just asked me what I wanted. Which flummoxed me, because usually I reserve Full and ask for an Infiniti or BMW, but I'm honestly not sure what to ask for with an Intermediate reservation. So I asked what they had, and was told "Basically nothing -- let's see..." followed by an eclectic list of SUVs that didn't sound all that appealing. Apparently Veteran's Day cleaned them out of every kind of sedan, leaving only SUVs and the occasional minivan.

Happily, during the 15 minute wait for the CX-9 to show up, I found a Tiguan sitting in the Exchange-n-Go row and took it. While I didn't much like it at first (mushy accelerator pedal, very basic interior & features), it grew on me a lot, and I'd happily request one in the future. It feels like a BMW X3 once you get the accelerator calibrated, and this is a good thing.