Rolo

I sure thank you all for your insight. Narrowing the search for the wife;s new car. Have taken the VW off the table. Drove the 6c and was simpley not impressed at all. And can't see paying 50k for a VW

With the porche not being an option (no where to get it serviced within 200 miles.) I am down to the the Volvo and BMW (3.0) Performance wise the BMW is impressive, safety edge goes to the T6. I am more comfortable with the X5 simpley because I know more about BMW. And the local service is outstanding. BMW also has a better maint program.


But the wife really like the t6, hell she liks the t5 twd. Thoughts are welcome

JasonF

Rolo-
I had an opportunity to drive the Cayenne "S" for several hundred miles while my 993 was getting a suspension upgrade and was able to closely compare it to my wife's X5 (she has the 4.4 litre V8). I found the Cayenne to be very sluggish compared to my X5. In fact, I had to check under the hood to make sure the Porsche had a V8...The X5 feels much torquier and merges/passes traffic with much more gusto. I can't imagine the thought of a six cylinder Cayenne without very aggressive gearing.

Interior quality of the Cayenne was at least on par with the BMW, maybe slightly better.

So far, we have been very happy with the X5. If I recall, it received the highest safety ratings of ANY vehicle ever tested, so it's no slouch in that department. One big negative for the X5 is the woeful rear storage. I would make sure that you spend time checking the cargo capacity to make sure you can get by with what the X5 provides.

Our X5 has been very reliable, and the maintenance program is top-notch. Unfortunately, I have no experience with the XC90, I hope my ramblings on the X5 are helpful. Good luck!

Edward

XC90 offers more cargo room and offers third row seating for two children (or adults for short jaunts) ; X5 space behind back seats is smaller (boardering on laughable for a "truck")

XC rides very well, but bias is toward comfort and touring ; X5 handles better for sporty driving (and more "sports-car" like in general).

Safety is Volvo's hallmark (read about it's Boron steel pillars, space frame, and air curtains for ALL passengers) ; X5 good NHTSA results, as well.

XC's image is more conservative, utilitarian, family style ; X5 more sporty, urban, appeals more to a younger audience.

Reliability: I think each has had their teething pains. 2004 probably promises better reliability than used would be my guess.

You must consider your own real-world usage and personal priorites.
Good luck!

Edward

laurence '97 C4S

X5 has basically the same ratings as the Volvo from NHSTA. So on safety front, I think they are probably equal. on the driving front, there is no comparison. BMW is much better than the Volvo, IMHO. Have yet to drive any Volvo that has steering feel that is any good. I find them to be way over boosted on the power steering front, zero feel for the road. I am biased however, I own an X5.l

BobbyB

The X5 is the more fun of the two - but a lot of little things seem to brake. The maintenance plan is OK, but for what you get vs cost of the vehicle it's not all that much. My wife loves her's would trade - I am the one who takes it to the dealer, who I've gotten to know very well. In all fairness it's never broken down or left us stranded.

We owned a T5 before and between the two, by vote goes to the X5 - good luck

Harold

Edward said it. You have to think about your real world needs. If you have a (relatively) large family, or need the space, the Volvo wins hands down. If you are talking about driving experience, the X5 does it better (but then thats what you have the 993 for ).

You just need to prioritise your needs first then your desires. For me, it was a needs thing- I have three kids in child seats, and need to ferry extra people around from time to time. The X5 just couldnt do it, space wise.

And I realise now that I dont necessarily need to be thrashing around in every car that I own- if my kids/family are in the car, I just need to get from point A to B in safety. So the Volvo won in my case, even though the driving experience could be considered somewhat lack lustre.

YellowC4S

The X5 is made here. That automatically takes it off my list.
Just my .02

Travis

We've had our '03 XC90 for nearly a year now and so far we have been quite happy with the choice. It's our family hauler so we opted for the T6 with 3 rows of seats.

The car is heavy so don't even think the smaller motor will do; especially this group.

It rides very much like large sedan and has swallowed all of my two kids' stuff plus all the rest of my wife's shopping sprees. Pretty much what you would expect for this kind of vehicle.

Looking forward to a performance chip and perhaps some better shocks when they become available for the suv, er that's what the wife wants.

Enjoy,

-travis

ciemo

My wife and I have rest driven pretty much every luxury SUV out there.

Her favorite: Lexus R330 for pleasure driving.
My favorite: Porsche Cayenne S for handling and acceleration (I was the first customer to drive the S at my dealer the day it was released while someone took the first Turbo test drive)
Second favorite: Toureg V8

But, we need 3 rows which eliminates both of those and most others.
We also want more than 20MPG which definitely eliminates the Cayenne and BMW X5.
Decent snow traction for trips to Tahoe (which seems to eliminate the
Infiniti FX45).

Narrowed down to Volvo XC90 and Acura MDX. We wanted the XC90
right up until the point that we test drove it and the MDX back to back.
XC90 T6 acceleration at freeway speeds was lackluster. Steering was
butter smooth (amazing). XC90 third row comfort was second best.
Second row was not as wide as MDX. Didn't like the body roll.

The Acura just felt solid at freeway speeds. Never really noticed the
body roll (we're used to driving a 993 and a BMW 528i wagon so even
minimal body roll is discomforting, even if it's mild).

If only Porsche made a 7 seat SUV that wasn't grossly over engineered.

Sigh. It'll probably be the Acura MDX this year because of overall features, comfort, and price.

Rolo

Harold,Travis...

Did the Volvo Dealers work with you on price or was it MSRP? What should I expect if we go that way?

Ciemo We looked at the MDX tonight. Very impressive. But to be honest our Honda is very impressive. Just not thrilled with the bland styling. The MDX looks very sharpe. But it struck me after we left. Its just a nicer version of what we have sorta

Travis

Rolo,

We paid MSRP. No deals last year. I haven't heard of many folks who have done better than sticker since last year either.

Go to swedespeed.com or volvospy.com for owner forums.

If euro delivery is of interest, I believe this is an option you can choose. Timing wasn't good for us to go this route, but with the good past experience when we did this with MBZ, it turned out to be one of our better vacations. Next time!

Happy hunting

-travis

'95 C4
'98 E430
'03 XC90 T6

Harold

Rolo,

There is a general worldwide shortage on the XC90 and the dealers are in general sticking firm to prices. I paid list. No discount

YellowC4S

Touareg V10 Diesel gets 23+ MPG. Due in May

Rolo

I just have a hard time spending 50k on a VW. No doubt they have really done a nice job. But ......

ciemo

Rolo, agree that the MDX just doesn't have interior styling that
screams luxury vehicle. Also agree that the MDX exterior styling
doesn't hit you at first, but it has grown on me. (Personally I think
the X5 is ugly and I'm a Bimmer fan, the XC90 looks like the X5
should have).

My sister in law felt the back seat on the MDX had more room than
the Honda equiv (not the Odyssey but the other).

Touareg V10 Turbo Diesel is high on my list. If it only it had 3 rows, it'd
be my first pick. I'd be huntin' down biodiesel and let the kids joke about
how it smells like a french fry mobile. An *** kickin, take no prisoners
french fry mobile. :^)