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Porsche Cayenne vs. Acura MDX vs. BMW X5

57 messages,  Last post on Apr 12, 2012 at 9:21 AM

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What is this discussion about? Porsche Cayenne, Acura MDX, BMW X5, Car Comparisons, SUV

Messages Page 2 of 6

#8 of 57 Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX by trabd123

May 13, 2009 (10:15 am)

I looked and test drove the three cars but can't decide on which one I should buy. MDX is the cheapest but wasn't happy about the interior quality and the front end look. BMW x5 is the most expensive and I had leased one six years ago and it was great. Audi Q7 is not bad looking but not sure about the maintenance and repair issues.
 
What would you recommend and why?
 
Thanks.

#9 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [trabd123] by bdmccullen

May 13, 2009 (6:23 pm)

Replying to: trabd123 (May 13, 2009 10:15 am)
Surprised to see you list the Q7 as I think that is a much bigger vehicle... a true 8 passenger crossover. I'd recommend the Audi Q5 over the X5 or MDX. The Q5 is very nicely appointed and handles very nicely. Its exterior styling blows the MDX away and compared favorably with the X5 and Cayenne. I think I'd favor it over the base Cayenne but I also think you can get some great deals on an S and I would splurge for that if possible.

#10 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [bdmccullen] by trabd123

May 14, 2009 (8:33 pm)

Replying to: bdmccullen (May 13, 2009 6:23 pm)
Q5 is kind of small for me and I believe it was specifically introduced to compete with BMW x3, RDX and the new small crossover MB. I love the Cayenne S but I'm trying to stay away from to 60k price tag.
 
I also heard from the Audi dealer that Porsche is using the Audi Q7 engine for their Cayenne cars.

#11 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [trabd123] by gagrice

May 15, 2009 (8:19 am)

Replying to: trabd123 (May 14, 2009 8:33 pm)
I like the Cayenne also. I may settle for the VW Touareg TDI V6 diesel. I would sure entertain the Cayenne if they go diesel. I just am tired of hitting the gas station every 300-400 miles. I have no doubt the TDI will get 30 MPG on the highway. About double my Sequoia. The $116k price tag on the Cayenne S would give my wife a heart attack.

#12 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [gagrice] by hby123

May 15, 2009 (5:02 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (May 15, 2009 8:19 am)
if you want diesel, i think the x5 diesel could be another one. i was deciding between cayenne s and x5 35d before going for the cayenne. 35d is a sweet diesel engine too

#13 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [trabd123] by hby123

May 15, 2009 (5:13 pm)

Replying to: trabd123 (May 14, 2009 8:33 pm)
not sure if the V6 used by Cayenne is from Audi/VW but it is my impression the 4.8V8 is pure porsche engine

#14 of 57 Re: Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX [hby123] by gagrice

May 16, 2009 (5:27 pm)

Replying to: hby123 (May 15, 2009 5:02 pm)
I would give the X5 35d a TEN for performance, mileage, handling. I think it is a great vehicle. I did not think the X5 was as comfortable as the Mercedes ML320 CDI I test drove. I prefer the BMW inline 6 engine over the V6 diesel from the rest. I don't like the Urea injection forced onto them by CA. The earlier MB diesels do not need Urea. Same engine as the new ones. Top that off with diesel in my little area of San Diego is 10 cents cheaper than Regular unleaded.

#15 of 57 Re: hook up the MDX [bdmccullen] by polarsand

May 18, 2009 (3:18 pm)

Replying to: bdmccullen (May 13, 2009 6:09 am)
A soccer mom car with more power, less money and better handling than the base Cayenne. I will take that. Get the S and you comparing apples and oranges.

#16 of 57 MDX ftw by x5killer

May 18, 2009 (4:01 pm)

funny about the MDX being a soccer mom car. you can say that about almost any SUV but actually the MDX is probably one of the more masculine and truck like of any in the midsize suv category (along with maybe the Pathfinder which is too bulky and boxy like the Pilot)
 
I see tons of soccer moms in BMW X5's and Porsche Cayennes. yes they are country club soccer moms but honestly the soccer mom arguement is bs at this point because both of those suv are more feminine and driven by women.
 
like someone said, MDX is more power, less money , and better handling. add to that the better features and more cargo room and overall space it just wins overall pretty significantly.
 
significantly enough that no matter how much I tried to consider other midsize suvs, it always came back to the mdx.
 
i mean to each his own and i've already admitted that I like the Cayenne styling the best, believe me. But i had to make that a secondary priority to the important stuff like features and price and reliability and cost to maintain etc. Maybe when i'm older i would do the Cayenne but while i have a young child and all the MDX is just better overall.
 
its not perfect. even from the Subaru B9 Tribeca I had before, I actually believe it or not found a couple things better about that suv over the MDX. mostly the fact that the back seat could move forward and back and if you put it all the way back it had the most backseat legroom of any midsize suv and more then the larger MDX even.
plus the puddle lights on the Tribeca were cool.
 
other then that though I think the MDX is better in every way and though the evenly weighted boxer engine made the Tribeca more like a porsche suv then the cayenne and the symmetrical AWD is probably industry leading (along with quattro) the SH AWD is right up there and prob one of the best for handling which acura claims others car companies are try to copy and emulate the sh awd. I'm sure its more then adequate for rain and snow too but its nice that it has an emphasis on handling so the awd is actually used during the majority of dry non foul weather driving as well for the handling aspect.
 
Believe me, i considered everything. The Mazda CX9 sometimes trys to compete with the MDX and its decent looking enough but in the end its just going to fall short of the Acura and its made by Ford and shares a platform with the Edge and so that just completely eliminates it. but it is cheaper then the MDX so ppl may like that but for me the MDX was perfect middle territory, being still a luxury make in Acura but yet less then the X5 and Cayenne, both of which you get less for way more money.
 
I did like the nice larger size of the Buick Enclave and its rounded looks but its not rated as well as the MDX and who wants a GM right now when you can have the year after year highly rated Honda/Acura reliability. in that regard Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura just win. The Lexus RX350 is smaller then the MDX though and also very soccer mom feminine so that was out. I love Nissan/Infiniti but i had a pathfinder in the past and the new one is almost too big and boxy like the Pilot.
 
some say a Pilot is a slightly larger cheaper MDX but the only thing they share is the chassis. again MDX is more perfect giving me luxury but yet still very masculine truck like and utilitarian suv that I'm not afraid to actually use like i would the cayenne.
 
the X5 front end just looks wimpy to me anymore with the small bwm grille. i like the rear but thats it. again you just get so much less for so much more money with both of those.
 
the Q7 is too big and looks like a long wagon and just not as good as the MDX in other ways , not rated as well and more money. the Audi Q5 is x3 size so thats completely out.
 
i could go on but point is i considered everyting and for me it just always came back to the MDX. even if the styling doesn't excite me as much as some of the others (mostly just cayenne) and in some ways not even as much as my 06 Tribeca (only 06 and 07 had the Alfa Romeo front grill and hood line headlights like the Cayenne before the redesigned it in 08 to a more conservative suv design looking like everything else) but the MDX styling is decent enough and it has a strong front end and back end.
 
with some nice accessories (which are much more reasonably priced then X5 or Cayennes) and then tinting the frotn windows to match the backs and putting some 22" wheels on the MDX, believe me its one of the best looking things on the road so that takes care of the looks.
 
look in the end its personal preference somewhat, but the ratings from consumer reports can't be argued with as they are the only unbiased publication (unlike car and driver etc) everyone always says what they have is the best but I try to be honest. I admit several times that for me the Cayenne is the best looking but to say its a guys car and the mdx is a soccer mom is wrong because i see tons of women in the cayenne (and granted i said country club women) so that argument is just bogus. yes there are lots of mdx on the road because its popular, well rated and not overly expensive. meanwhile there are just as man X5 though and plenty of Cayenne so its not like its so rare.
 
exclusivity is nice and i had it for years with the 06 B9 Tribeca (shortened to just Tribeca in 08) was one of the first on the roads. took the subaru symbol off, ppl would always stare at it, compliment it and ask me what it was and sometimes i'd say a new Alfa Romeo suv (the front and rear end were both very Alfa Romeo like and not by accident as the guy who designed it , designed for Alfa Romeo before Subaru) and i had it all h ooked up with wheels and everything so yeah, it was the only thing on the road that looked like it even compared to other 06-07 B9's which there weren't many of anyway.
 
so i lost exclusivity but the Cayenne wouldn't have neccesarily given me that and I customize my MDX enough to make it unique which is much more affordable to do th en on the Cayenne where even on the base the accessories and options can take you up to 70-80k very quickly.

#17 of 57 Re: MDX ftw [x5killer] by blckislandguy

May 18, 2009 (6:31 pm)

Replying to: x5killer (May 18, 2009 4:01 pm)
Let me interject a note of sanity here. Actually, two notes of sanity.
 
1) If you are like most people, you buy a car, you run it, and you wind up owning it for 5 to 7 years minimum. Which dealer will give you the better experience (quality people, free loaners, personal attention, etc.) over the next 7 years?? The high volume store where your sales "consultant" will be long gone in 60 days? Or, a niche sports car manufacturer who has to fight for every sale and seems determined to keep the customer? I get notes on personal stationary from Porsche (not Porsche-dealer) executives seemingly every month or so, four years after I bought my Cayenne!
 
2) The Cayenne, even the V6, qualifies as a Section 179 deduction. Don't even ask your CPA what this means. Just understand that the government just paid for 33% of your new SUV if you use it in your business as a delivery vehicle of sorts.(Is life fair? Where was Dick Cheney when I was in the Mekong Delta making $99 a month and saving it to build a company?).
 
All in all, a modestly optioned V6 Cayenne is the Best Buy now on the market. I think that with a sunroof, Bose, and heated, leather seats (what else could you reasonably need?) , you would be well under 40K with the Section 179 deduction. If you don't own a company nor are in a professional LLC that lets you use deductions such as these, I think the price of poker just went up. Maybe you should rethink your transportation spending. The 2009 Volvo XC70 which now is around 30K after some pushing and shoving may be more reasonable.

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