boman993

Wagon guy here too. I think the choice should come down to what you really need the most out of this vehicle; is it space/utility? Great/decent fuel economy? Budget? Driveway candy/statement?. Your list of choices overlaps many of these, some more than others.

I'd get an X5 Diesel. Lots of space, good value, great fuel economy and looks descent!

Roche993

I am in the same situation now looking to upgrade my 04 Touareg v8. The amount of driving I do each week is about 1.5 tanks of gas or $120-$130 as in 13-14 MPG. I am very much leaning towards a diesel and have it between the ML Bluetec (wife has 320 Bluetec), and the Touareg TDI. Cayenne is a little too much money to get one that looks decent and have never been an X5 person. Having driven them both, the Touareg seems quicker/smaller/more agile than the ML. But the ML has tons of goodies that the VW does not plus 50 more torques. Cant seem to get past the all glass roof on the VW either. Pricewise the ML is a little more than a loaded VW but I still have some more research to do. I have become a fan of diesels, that is for sure.

96PCarrera993mg

Test drive an X5d and then let me know how you feel about BMW.

chsu74

I agree about the X5d. If it was not for the space I wanted from a GL... The ML Bluetec was not on my list when I bought the GL..

Van1

What parts exactly cost an arm and a leg on the V10 TDI? Aside from the engine the rest of the car is just like any other Treg, Cayenne, or Q7. In fact, I've made several parts purchases lately from Sunset for things like Turbo S control arms, eccentrics, tie rods, and brake pads.

I'm glad that folks are asking a lot of money for V10s. Not sure if they are getting the money though. These things did sticker $72k new.

My VW dealer didn't seem to have any problems dropping my engine to replace a left turbo oil feed line. Granted, this was under warranty. But I am prepared to pay out of pocket at the same dealer when out of warranty for any engine work. Nothing puts more of a smile on my face than when I mash the pedal and call up those 553 lb/ft of torques.

Having said all of that, if I had to replace the V10 TDI today it would be a MB ML350 diesel. At 455 lb/ft, it has more torque than the rest of the diesel Euro utes. And the best looking interior.

grappamon

I have driven most that people have mentioned and I simply prefer the Jeep Grand over the suv's costing twice as much. I shopped Cayenne S, GTS and X5 and chose a loaded Jeep with the HEMI. 80K miles and solid as a rock. My wife has a '13 MB GLK350 and I would drive my jeep any day over that thing.

Cayenne was nice, GTS was better, hated the X5 (too stiffly sprung) more difficult to get in and out of. The power delivery of the HEMI won me over. Build quality has been outstanding on it over time. Handling is no match for the porsches but that's not why I bought it.

Personally I would not even consider a Range Rover. A friend had one and the sunroof leaked and air suspension failed before he even got plates on it. Looked good though.

Of course this is just my opinion...

chsu74

anything is relative when we own Porsches. Over 14 qts per oil change in the V10 and buying Porsche parts for a VW is par for the course I guess. It is another VW phaeton W12 in their line up.

boman993

Whoa, the Cherokee gets a lot of recomendations here..I guess nobody saw the Moose Test video before buying one..

Van1

It's 11.5L or around 12 qt for an oil change on a V10. I know because I've changed the oil myself in my V10 for the last 6 years. And for whatever reason, buying Porsche parts from a Porsche dealer (Sunset) has been cheaper than buying VW parts from a VW dealer. Weird, I know. Anyway, some of what is posted on the internet reminds me of what was posted when I bought my first Ducati. And that turned out to be a highly reliable motorcycle.

grappamon

That video was a bit extreme but it would not sway my opinion of my jeep. I am well aware of how it handles and I drive it accordingly and well within the limitations of the vehicle. Dont drive an SUV like a car.

You should never attept a manouver like that. If you need to make an evasive manouver you move once to the left or right then staighten the wheel and come to a stop. Never should you whip the wheel back as they were doing. If it is not safe to move to one side, like oncoming traffic, then keep the wheel staight and hard on the bakes.

I am not a profesional driver or instructor, but this is what I was taught and has worked for me at least 3 time that I recall. My driving skills may be above average but that is because I have had proper instruction and track time.
Most drivers in the US are horrible because they give out licenses with very minimal training and education. Sorry for the rant but lack of driver training is sore spot for me.

Tom 328

Not to stray too far off topic, but to put your point in perspective, Quadcammer, you're saying you wouldn't choose a car because it has less than one more problem in a year than the average of 1.26 problems. And that's not even considering that owner-reported 'problems' are not always genuine problems, often user misunderstanding, particularly in a car so complex.

Although my Rovers have reliably (pun intended) defied that statistic, I'd still wouldn't let that trump any other factors even if that was true. When every car made averages in a range of about 1-2 problems, the variance is too small to matter.

jnoble79

2 weeks ago I bought a 2011 X5 3.5i M-Sport package after a long search through various SUVs. I'm very happy overall with the ride, spaciousness, and styling. And damn, it commands much more respect than the 993 from the yellow cabs. Can really push your size/weight around. Oh, and nobody tries to race you.

grappamon

Sorry for getting off topic, I say drive as many as you can get what you like. We all have different tastes and needs in a vehicle. None of them are perfect.

FrenchToast

I can comment a bit on the Audis.

First question. Do you plan to tow anything? Answer that first.

Allroad:
Great car. Truly incredible. Not a poser, it is really offroad capable. Adjustable suspension is incredible. The C5 chassis is just a great car: great design, great interior. A few of the earlier ones had an optional third row rear-facing seat. Two engine choices for the U.S.: 2.7 V6 biturbo or a 4.2 V8 (late 2003-2005). However.
The allroad has some issues. The fantastic air suspension is maintenance intensive. Figure the front bags are gone after 100k, rears maybe 150k. A coil conversion is a common modification. Arnott makes replacement bags with varying reports of durability. The automatic transmission Audi used in that era, well, isn't great. Depending on how it was driven, it can demand a rebuild after 150k on the biturbo, and possibly even 100k on the V8. Those are if it wasn't cared for I think. But I'm not too sure, not familiar with the Auto. The 2.7-engined allroads were available with a 6-speed 01E gearbox, but with shorter ratios than the 01E mated to the biturbo in the A6 and S4. On the V8 - the timing chain is on the back of the engine! I don't want to think about changing it. Oh, and speaking of allroads, see my avatar.

Q7:
Also great car. But like the allroad, the ones equipped with adjustable ride have those issues. But it was only an option on the Q7. If you can get one, go for one with the 8-speed auto over the 6-speed (I think the 8-speed was introduced in 2010 or 2011). Also not sure if the early ones had any MMI issues. I remember in 2006 MMI was still in its infancy and had some issues.

Also - your wife should know how to drive a manual. In the case that your 993 is the only working car and she needs to go somewhere!

Take care,

Arrwin

Hi All,

Much appreciate everyone's feedback. To answer a few questions, we're hoping to keep it < $40k. Third row is not a must, but a nice-to-have. I know it's an SUV, but I would still appreciate some sportiness characteristics (3-spoke, sports seats, etc.) if possible.

With that said, I swung by the MB dealership after work today. I ruled out the GL and test drove a CPO'd 2010 ML350. After learning how much it cost to fill up and the mpg it just doesn't make sense for us at this time for the GL. They have more than a few on the lot (at least 10). The interior finishes seemed high-quality and the drive pretty smooth. The rear seat room and trunk space is probably a perfect size for us. A few things bothered me however. 1) The transmission stalk was like my father's Oldsmobile 2) The CPO warranty is only an additional 1 yr. after the factory warranty ends. I do like the look of the car and it appears to be pretty well built. So...it'll stay on the list. Anything I need to look out for in the 2010 and 2011's?

Next I want to drive is the Cayenne and X5. I'm actually a bit surprised there aren't more people suggesting the Cayenne here. Do you guys just prefer more variety in your stables?