Which luxury SUV? BMW X5 vs Mercedes GLE vs Porsche Cayenne (cost, Merc)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our 2013 Lincoln MKX lease is up in 2 months so went shopping. Considered 2016 MKX, explorer Sport and Lexus RX.
Test drove 2016 BMW X5 and came home with it that night.
My wife loved how it drives and feels and she is not a car person.
We went with X line, 20 inch rims, alpine white over mocha with running boards.
3 neighbors are now looking at BMW!
They're looking at the brand, just like anybody with a Macbook gets attention regardless what the specs are.
They're looking at the brand, just like anybody with a Macbook gets attention regardless what the specs are.
They said they "fell in love" with the X5--so what? Seems like they're happy with it. And yes, it has a "brand", bmw. Every car has a "brand". Some people buy only Hondas or Chevy's--those are "brands" also.
But I can't tell you how much "attention" I get for owning a 6 y.o. Macbook......
The Porsche is probably a little better, but it's more expensive (crazy that the BMW is the "low cost" option).
The Mercedes GLE does not feel like it's in the same league. It's cheapened up a bit. For example it does not have vented rear disk brakes like BMW and Porsche (and every other performance car).
The GLE's V6, which on paper has more horsepower than the BMW inline 6, is slower and gets worse gas mileage. The BMW inline 6 is a superior design over its competitors' V6s because all inline 6s are inherently balanced. Look up Wards top 10 engines ( via Wikipedia) , and the BMW inline 6 is on the list almost every year.
They said they "fell in love" with the X5--so what? Seems like they're happy with it. And yes, it has a "brand", bmw. Every car has a "brand". Some people buy only Hondas or Chevy's--those are "brands" also.
But I can't tell you how much "attention" I get for owning a 6 y.o. Macbook......
They're all huge money pits out of warranty, if that is at all a concern for you. If it's going to be anything other than a short term lease, I'd go for a Lexus LX and would be reasonably sure it will outlast me. Of the above, the Porsche would be the best ownership experience.
Took the words right out of my mouth. All will be money pits once the warranty is out. So long a its a lease or the TS is planning on selling once the warranty is up, I'd go for the Porsche and hav fun with it.
If you go with Cayenne, be prepared for the first service to be around $1,000. I've seen many people pull up to dealer in base Cayenne for first service and saw what my service buddy charges them. Once they leave I tell him they should have bought a Lexus if only buying base model, he agrees. If going S or higher, then Porsche is way to go.
I haven't driven all of those but I have put over 90k (130k on the clock) on my 2010 X5M and it has had little things go wrong but it has never broken down or left me stranded anywhere. Just my .02
My buddy is on his 3rd. What gets him is the cost of tires. He seems to pop a tire every year.
If you go with Cayenne, be prepared for the first service to be around $1,000. I've seen many people pull up to dealer in base Cayenne for first service and saw what my service buddy charges them. Once they leave I tell him they should have bought a Lexus if only buying base model, he agrees. If going S or higher, then Porsche is way to go.
This is exactly what scared me away from a Cayenne! We got very close to pulling the trigger on a base Cayenne, but I always call a handful of local dealerships inquiring on pricing on standard maintenance (e.g. 10K, 20K, 30K, 50K services) before I ever purchase a car. It was a bit crazy how widely variant the recurring costs would be.
Needless to say, I ended up in a Lexus RX - the F-Sport version. I get it's not really in the same league as some of the other options listed here, but it is a very compelling offering when I saved $20K off of what I would have spent on the Cayenne (my RX was $49K + TTL). Not even starting to count the difference in the price of maintenance, repairs & insurance.
I'm very happy with my decision and have had 0 issues with the car since I bought it in October.
The grille is not for everyone, but I love it as well as most of my close friends (I'm 28 FWIW). The interior is a significant improvement over the previous RX. I also really like my 12" navigation screen and it is undoubtedly the first thing people mention when they get in the car.
Also a nice perk is it still runs on regular gas, and the F-Sport does come with the variable suspension which is $$$$$ on BMW, MB or Porsche. The F-Sport has some very distinct looks, but shares most parts with the regular RX. Think the only real difference is the brakes/rotors are slightly different.
But overall, reliability and a bit more feeling of value won it for me at least. I will take the $20-30-40K I will save over owning my Lexus for 7-10 years vs the Cayenne and line my 401K/IRA/taxable accounts and the growth compound.
I had a ride in a new Porsche Cayenne. Passenger side front.
The seat was like sitting on a wooden park bench. Hard as a rock.
BUT the owner states that the drivers seat is one of the most comfortable that he has ever had.
This is his 3rd new Porsche so he has a tendency to like the Porsche.
Took the words right out of my mouth. All will be money pits once the warranty is out. So long a its a lease or the TS is planning on selling once the warranty is up, I'd go for the Porsche and hav fun with it.
I'm curious: Have you owned a bmw, porsche, or M-B? A lot of people go around saying high-end German cars will be "money pits" who have never owned one. They've "heard it" from other people saying that (who have also never owned one, and so on).
And there are those who confuse the high prices that dealers charge for service after the warranty is up, with the cars being "money pits". I have a 17 y.o. bmw; & it hasn't been to the dealer since the warranty ran out. Lots of really good indie bmw shops around.....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
