Alstoy

I recall it was designed by MB for the Sha of Iran (may be urban myth), so that might shed more light on the ego & complex thing. Great car though.

lexart

I second, VW Touareg. Porsche/VW co-engineered platform with Audi V8 = hard to beat . . .

kyrocks

Love my X5 xdrive 35i Sport Activity - way more impressed with it than I originally thought. Wanted new Cayenne S, but couldn't justify that money for a 4th vehicle. Good luck.

linklaw

Range Rover or Range Rover Sport. If you plan on keeping it, get the extended warranty. Had a Touareg and lemon lawed it. Had more problems than my 83 Jaguar.

alexb76

Audi Q5, or new Toureg (same platform as new Cayenne).

Q5 IMO is the best mid-size SUV. Great MPG, great interior, and a looker as well. Big enough for most, small enough for wife to park easily!

Mike in CA

The new Touareg is available with a gas V6, V6 TDI, and V6 Hybrid. No V8.

texas911

I think its ok that the Touareg is a V6, since the OP mentioned V6 models. Saw the 2011 and its a good looking car. Haven't test driven it yet though.

LastMezger

We've got one. Pretty happy with it. Drives like a car in terms of ride/handling. You can judge the fuel economy for yourself as it's in my sig...albeit in L/100 instead of MPG.

Edgy01

A friend got a Cayenne S recently and told me that he got 25 mpg driving 101. Not bad for a vehicle with all that room. Performance like the older Turbos.

Leader

We sold our '06 Cayenne S and bought a Q5 a year ago.
6500 miles later, my wife still loves it.
While I really liked the Cayenne, the Audi is a better size for us.
I also don't miss the 12 mpg the V-8 Porsche used to deliver.
It'll be interesting to see what the "Cajun" looks like, if it's based on the Q5 platform.

alexb76

I think Q5 or new Toureg is getting the nod!

rijowysock

V6 cayenne might be v6 but faster than most Other brands with their v8. I'd go v6 (I actually did).

Best SUV for money hands down right now.

Mike in CA

Both very nice vehicles. But I had to have a V8, and am placing my Cayenne S order tomorrow.

w00tPORSCHE

My recs:

1) Go for the Cayenne V6 but test drive these too
2) BMW X5 35D
3) Q5
4) VW Toureg TDI

brquebral

For 30K, consider test driving a fully-loaded 2011 Subaru Outback. Plenty of room and power. The V6 engine gives you about 260 HP. It's well-built and a pretty reliable Japanese car.It was the SUV Motro Trend car of the year for 2009.