bartolome

I am looking at a Cayenne Turbo, a BMW X5 4.8i and an E500 BMW Sedan. All lightly armored to basic level 3 or B4. I want fun to drive, comfort and, most of all, the most reliable of the three.

The Cayenne was my first pick but I'm worried about the posters who've indicated problems with: "vehicle hesitates when the accelerator pedal is depressed. when the vehicle does respond, it shoots out into traffic; AND,
Vehicle suddenly loses power ("throttle control" as the service rep puts it), usually while traveling at highway speeds. this causes sudden deceleration, creating issues for surrounding traffic. in each case if i floor the accelerator i can maintain approximately 25 mph to get to a side street"; and also: "Cracked coils, Fouled plugs. Cardan shaft, Coolant tubes ------ water pouring onto floor, Cracked coils (yes, I know, but it happens more than once)" and,
"EXCESSIVE FRONT TIRE WEAR – REPLACEMENT AFTER 5000 MILES"

The X5 4.8i owners often indicate transmission problems.

MB E500 owners seem to just have the normal run of the mill problems but the vehicle only has 4.9" of clearance. I live in Mexico where topes (like speed bumps in a shopping mall) are all too frequent.

I know there are a lot of knowledgeable car people on this list and I would really appreciate your thoughts.

00Jay

I was in your situation a month ago. Went with a newer Cayenne S (08). Every X5 I sat in, squeeked. Didn't matter if it was an 08, 07, or 06. The ride on the X5 is somewhat firmer than the Cayenne and that's comparing to a Cayenne without the air suspension and yet I felt that the Cayenne could handle better. All of the vehicles you're looking at have their common problems, and are not the most reliable cars on the market. It'll probably come down to test drives of all vehicles and your wallet. Choosing the Cayenne was probably the least smartest financial move considering the maintenance and driving costs, but at the end of the work day, hopping in Cayenne and spending 30 minutes cruising home is pure joy.

Edit: Missed the information on your post about vehicle being armored.

Andy E.

The American cars seem to dominate the field of lightly armored security vehicles where a Suburban or even an Escalade would probably serve you better than any of the German SUV's (G-Wagen excluded).

From what I know, the Cayenne/Touareg platform has been armored as high as B6 but unfortunately, the added weight-to-power ratio is nominal. You may experience a shortage of much-needed power on some of those hilly climbs on Mexican terrain with a fully-loaded SUV and the A/C on maximum.

Here's an early Touareg with a B6 armor level in sale in Mexico for under $100K. http://www.worldwidearmor.com/for_sale_191.html

k722070

I have an 05 e500, seems like it would handle the added weight of light armor ok.
no problems so far with mine, but if you head over to mbworld forums there are lots of scare stories about the air suspension and cost to fix.
the e500 is more of a pleasure to drive rather than fun. the cayenne and x5 are fun.

bartolome

You don't know how much I appreciate this advise. I can't thank you enough - great advise!
thanks
bart