I'm thinking about becoming a rideshare driver. Uber X or XL? which do you ...

There are multiple factors, but the driver consensus seems to be UberXL

I assume you are referring to the profitabilty aspect of UberX and UberXL.  UberXL can make more money on each ride (as it has higher rates), but UberX can save money on the gas mileage and the vehicle cost.

One thing to remember is that if you have an SUV, you can drive for UberX and UberXL.  You can specify within the app whether you want to be accepting rides for UberX, UberXL or both. (Check this article: Can I drive for multiple Uber services? Can I switch between them freely?)

Which one is more profitable depends on your location and the hours you work, which determine the nature of your rides.  UberXL are desired and more popular for a) airport rides, b) busy vacation destinations, c) weekends and hoildays, etc., where there are larger groups requesting rides.

Taking these things into account, at Jersey Shore, you will most likely make more money using UberXL, if you can afford the higher vehicle prices.  You would be targetting a larger customer pool, and the UberXL rates are high enough to offset your elevated fuel costs. 

Additional tip:

• If a rider requests for a UberX, but shows up with more than 4 passengers, you can report this to Uber and they will adjust the fare for you retroactively.  Some riders try to scam the driver and request for UberX and see if they "get lucky."
• During busy times and around airports, you may want to set the Uber app to only accept UberXL rides.  This way, you can be guaranteed to be assigned to UberXL with higher rates.  Why driving for UberX (and wasting time) if there are UberXL customers out there, right?
• Family Vans (or Mini-vans) are accepted as UberXL in most locations.  These have low gas mileage so it's considered as win-win.

ippei 1202

Uber Driver, CEO of TaxiFareFinder and Unleashed, LLC