1FlossedM3

Finalizing my search on the new Daily Driver. Narrowed it down to two cars.

13 X5 35i (Turbo 6) 50kmi, Certified Pre Owned. Black/Black. Almost every option, tech package, m sport package, cold weather etc.



13 Cayenne S Meteor Gray on Black 42000 miles, CPO till 11/19

$88,420.00
Exterior:
Meteor Grey Metallic
Interior:
Standard Interior in Black
Warranty Start:
September 28, 2013
Additional Equipment
1BK
Air Suspension with height adjustment and PASM
1D6
Trailer hitch without tow ball
1NP
Wheel Hub Cover with Colored Porsche Crest
2ZH
Multi-function steering wheel incl. steering-wheel heating
4F6
Porsche Entry & Drive
9Q
Meteor Grey Metallic
CK0
21" Cayenne SportEdition Wheel with Wheel Arch Extension
G1G
8-speed Tiptronic S including Auto Start Stop Function
MA
Standard Interior in Black
PE5
14-way Power Seats w/ Memory Package (w/o Alcantara®)
PU3
Premium Package Plus
PU6
BOSE® Audio Package
QJ4
Exterior Package in high-gloss Black
UN1
Online Services



The Cayenne is roughly $10,000 more than the X5.. but I'm thinking it's a far nicer vehicle. Thoughts?

deilenberger

Your thoughts are correct. The Cayenne is a FAR nicer place to be in..

FWIW - was in a friends almost new X5 Diesel today - and remain unimpressed. After being used to the fit and finish inside a Cayenne - the X5 looks like a Ford. The X5 seems rather primitive - and they don't even come close on making plastic look like real metal.

Metz

I owned a 2011 CS and loved it, just couldn't justify keeping it and my wife's X5, which is exactly like the one you are considering....M Sport, etc. The CS is $10k more for a reason and as Don mentioned the fit and finish aren't comparable. 6 turbo versus naturally aspirated 8 so the motors are much different as well. With the CS you'll have more suspension options as PASM works really well plus that V8 is sweet and gets pretty good mileage. Having said all that an M Sport X5 is a really nice truck (more trucklike than CS, too). It feels really planted and the motor is great for everyday driving. Ours has the extra 3rd row seats so gives us more flexibility than the CS, but of course that only matters if you need to occasionally have two extra (very small) passengers from time to time. The worst thing about the X5 is the huge runflat tires. With the M sport setup you have only a couple tire choices, they wear very quickly and are incredibly noisy after about 10k miles. If I had the choice, didn't need the extra two tiny seats, and the $10k wasn't a factor I'd go for the CS. Both great vehicles and other than the tires I don't have any complaints about the X5. My wife hammers the crap out of it, drives lots of miles, leadfoot, etc and we've had no problems whatsoever mechanically.

Dilberto

I have been wanting to buy the X5 since 2006....I still always return to the Cayenne. It's really NO CONTEST.

deilenberger

Before deciding on the 958 TT, (when I owned an '06 CS/ti), I drove one of the prior generation I35 X5's (probably a 2012), a CPO at a BMW dealer and was really surprised at how agro it felt to drive and how poor the ride quality was. I'm sure a lot of that is due to the run-flats - but really - BMW should have been ashamed to be selling the truck. Plus the idiot shifter just made me wonder "why"? What was wrong with the PRNDL design? The shifter was not intuitive - just different - apparently for difference's sake.

And that's from someone who between cars and motorcycles has owned something like 16-16 BMWs in the past few decades.

chsu74

Comparing a 6cyl vs 8 is really not fair. The BMW will have less $ to depreciate. Command system is better in the BMW by a little bit(I came from a F10 550.) I feel the Cayenne is more solidly built compared to my 550. You will probably keep the Cayenne longer because it is a much better vehicle overall.

1FlossedM3

I do agree, my Mom has a X3 35i sport package and the car bounces all over the place, run flats don't help either.

BMW's Adaptive Drive helps with the ride, but it's an option... and should be standard.

PhilT3 (PT3)

I've had both... Cayenne/Porsche every time if you appreciate the finer materials, fit and finish and superior handling.

nodoors

Add me to the list of people of people who was disappointed in the X5 35i. I drove a family member's new one back in the Summer and did not like the ride. The heads up display was kind of nifty, but definitely a frill I don't need and the rest of it was just uninspiring.

kalyan

My wife test drove a X5 (don't remember the engine) and then the same day she test drove a Cayenne S few years ago when she was in the market. She loved the way the CS drove over the X5 and we bought a CS few weeks after the test drive. She did not even want to waste time test driving the Merc SUVs.

ScootCherHienie

We drove a lot of X5s and a few Cayennes while vehicle shopping... the X5s made us smile while driving them (after driving so many Audi, Infiniti, Acura, and Lexus SUVs) but the Cayennes made us laugh out loud because the feel and performance was so much better than the X5. And BMW has no advantage in reliability/maintenance cost. My brother bought one and within a month they did an oil change and the shop found plastic shavings in the old oil drained from the X5 (strainer in the huge drain funnel) which turned out to be the tension shoes for the timing chain that drives the camshafts. And the floppy timing chain chewed up the inside of the timing chain cover so that was disbursed through the engine too. $19,000 and 3 months resolving that problem (they had purchased a used vehicle warranty).

iTradeShips

FWIW, my opinion on the comparison...

I owned an 08 X5 4.8L V8 which I put 136,000 miles on it over 6 years, although during two of those years I worked in Europe 2 weeks a month. My wife bought a 12 Cayenne S Hybrid and after two years wanted out of it, so I sold the BMW and kept the Cayenne. I've put about 55k miles on it (106k on the odometer now).

My comparison of the vehicles...

I personally felt the BMW's all steel suspension (with Sport option) provided better corning and body lean on Connecticut's windy backroads than the Porsche does. However, the Porsche's Air Suspension (PASM option) provides a better overall ride experience. The BMW's run flats on a bumpy road could be a bit rough on the back at times, and the overall number of handling options between ride height and steering/suspension sensitivity, give you so many more options. I also read a recent comparison in Car and Driver, where they commented that the X5's steering wheel feel and sensitivity have really gone down hill the past several years. I've had some loaner Cayenne's when in for service, and my impression in the steel suspension's (no PASM) corner better than the PASM setup. But then you lose the ability to soften the ride when in somewhere like NYC.

Contrary to someone else's claim herein, in my area the BMW was clearly cheaper to maintain. Based on my mileage, I'm in for service twice a year for oil change and winter/summer tire switch over. At Porsche, my yearly bill runs about $1100. I bought the BMW new, so all scheduled maintenance was included for 3 years and 50k, and I bought the service upgrade option which was $2200 to extend that to 6 years 100k. Considering that included brakes as well as oil changes, and general inspections, the BMW was clearly cheaper.

The BMW interior tends to be simpler, but their iDrive input system was a pain in the ***. Hopefully they have upgraded to touch screen by now. If not, forget it.

Personally, I think the Porsche is a better looking car, and in the BMW you clearly have a vehicle that has already been restyled, whereas the Porsche hides its age better.

If I was buying another one today, I'd probably lean to the Porsche.