Just curious to hear owner's thoughts on the differences between the two, and whether you even considered the Cayenne S. I am looking at a 4.4i v. Cayenne S v. GX470

I drove the Touraeg (spelling??) and while it is impressive -- just not my cup of tea. LX470 is to big. The HSE -- although nice, felt big and honestly, the interior was kind of crappy for the price, at least to me. Volvo XC90 -- not 100% sure about their reliability. We had an S80 and it was in the shop A LOT!

I wondered the same, never drove the Cayenne just cuz the size and price. But i'm very happy with the 4.4 X5.

We test drove the Porsche Cayenne S and the BMW 4.4. The price differential was over 10K and the BMW felt quicker, and had a superior ride. Easy decision. Thow in the BMW's 4 year maintenence, and its a no brainer.

is a 4.8is worth the premium?

Well, IMO the Cayenne was ugly ugly ugly

They drive very well, and the interior is OK, but the X5's design had me sold since the second I saw one

Didn't hurt that it is a great vehicle with excellent dynamics

What about the Jeep SRT-8? 0-60 in 4.5sec, etc. etc. for $45k.
My only problem with it, is the very poor towing (only 3,500 lbs) and extremely limited off-road ability. The front air dam looks to be about 6" off the ground - which is plain stupid for ANY SUV.

I like the V-10 Touareg - but its $70k.
The Cayenne is butt ugly.
So, its an X5 4.6 I suppose . . .

The Jeeps are really nce, and weren't out whewe got the 4.6

If I did it again, I would be very tempted to get one

Interested in thoughts as well. Looking at used X5's and chili peppers for a daily driver. . . . and one that can tow.

X5s also have a feature called Towing Stability Control, using the DSC sytem to control trailer sway and 'wag'

Brian, you dig your X5 I take it? '02-'03s with the 4.6is is pretty accessible and to my eyes look better than the facelifted 4.8is's.

Yea the 4.6 is great - we have about 40k on it and it is problem free, really a nice car.

If you can, look at the 03s, they have a few features the 02 doesn't, like power fold-away mirrors, the towing stability control, and a couple others, I'm not familiar with them all though

Interested in thoughts as well. Looking at used X5's and chili peppers for a daily driver. . . . and one that can tow.

x2

in same predicament...daily and towing capabilities

so 03 x5 4.6 is being narrow down!
thanks

2000 M Coupe for track
2003 Z4 for sunny days
2001 996 C2 Aero to collect dust
1989 Civic si hatchie for autx
2005 Tacoma daily/tow for now

Update, bought an 05 4.8is today in Lemans Blue. Should be delivered by week's end, fingers crossed.

Update, bought an 05 4.8is today in Lemans Blue. Should be delivered by week's end, fingers crossed.

pls post update when you get it - we may be replacing the 'hoe.

Some pics; from the dealer photos

http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A(5).jpg
http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A.jpg
http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A(3).jpg

Some pics; from the dealer photos

http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A(5).jpg
http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A.jpg
http://buzzlot.com/root/data/automanager/Thompson_Org/14218A(3).jpg

very f**kin' nice!

very f**kin' nice!

Thats what I'm saying.
Nice 4.8is U got there frayed:buttrock

Thanks man, still waiting on delivery; was hoping it as my xmas present but it ain't gonna happen. :(

Jeff, nice X5 man.

Thanks mang, it's getting picked up tomorrow in Philly. They say I'll have it the 26th.

I hate you Jeff :( Always one(ten) step ahead of me!

dayumn, they took the pics down. will try to have the dealer send their picture file

Nice choice. I bought an '07 Lexus ES350 right after Christmas - not for myself obviously. I do admit, it's a pretty nice car if you want an entry-level luxury vehicle. The NAV system is fantastic and the adaptive headlight system is better than BMW's system. I am still looking at tow vehicles -- and cayenne S is out the picture.

The new cayenne will come with 390 hp -- and I think will push the cayenne S prices down. Not to mention, not interested in spending $40K+ on just a 'tow' vehicle. I would not mind a 4.6is -- but, what is their tow capacity? I went to look at a toyota sequioa limited and they have a 6800 lb tow capacity. Fairly nice vehicle as well -- but, again, $39K.

I am trying to stay around the $20K mark -- and, I am thinking a nissan titan LE 2004 might not be a bad way to go -- if prices drop down a bit more. I am willing to bump the price if I can get an X5 4.6is for around $30K; but, not sure if that is realistic.

I was thinking of going the nissan titan route for a tow vehicle and getting a jeep wrangler sahara as a daily driver. Then, down the road, picking up a used 2001 X5 4.4i for SUV duties.

Those Titans make great tow vehicles. You can get them new in the 20's. Don't know on used. They have a beast of a motor and you get Jap reliability, making it a better choice than the domestics.

I'm tired of having a bunch of cars. Not enough time, too much hassle. I'm using the 4.8is as a daily driver and tow vehicle, the GT3 will likely be my weekend car and track car, leaving me the ability to sell the track car.

The 4.8 is a fantastic urban assault vehicle. Comfy, roomy back seats (more room than my wife's lexus), decent ergonomics, great engine note. It is by no means a sports car, but bmw had done a good job masking a lot of the obvious drawbacks of SUVs. It looks pimp too and its nice having all the bells and whistles too, including cupholders!

Thought I would update this thread. I decided to purchase a 2003 4.6is. I looked at many vehicles -- GX470, LX470, Landcruiser, Titan, F150, Cayenne S, Toureg, and others.

The reason I chose the 4.6is was the fun factor in driving and, for some reason, it appears to be a 'little' bit better looking that some of the normal 4.4's I've seen. I've been averaging around 16-17 mpg in the city. Granted, I am not stomping on the accelerator -- but, it still feels quick. I considered the 4.4i with sport package; but, I kind of felt that the gas mileage is not that different.

The one I bought has pretty much every option I was looking for -- navigation, tow package, rear side air bags, etc. I think it had every option. Plus, the price on it was good. I did decide to purchase an aftermarket warranty "just in case". I called my BMW SA and he indicated Easy Care, which I purchased, was an excellent warranty company that the dealership has dealt with and never had problems with. The warranty is steep - around $3900 -- but, over 3 years and up to $100K, $1300/year for the warranty is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Funny thing -- I found it sitting on a Chevy lot. It had been there 60 days or so, and they were desperate to get rid of it. They said the person traded it in for a F550. They said that many of their customers typically do not look for a luxury vehicle on their lot. I was driving through since it was right next to Acura and just stopped to look at it ... and, within 4 hours, the car was mine. Never really planned on the 4.6is; but, I think it suited everything I needed. It originally was listed on their lot for $39995, then dropped to $37995, and, I bought it for even less than that combined with the amount of the warranty. The vehicle does have 20" rims on it which I really wanted the 19" ones or even 18" -- but, the dealership bought me 4 brand new michelins for the car since to me, the tires looked like they would need replacing (okay, the tires were good ;) but, I felt it it did not hurt to ask). I hear tires are not cheap at all. So, that sealed the deal for me.


When I looked at the '04-05 cayenne S's, they were commanding $40K+ price tags still and if they were CPO'd - around $43-47K. Plus, they get the same if not worse gas mileage (11-13 is what most cayenne S owners are averaging in the city).

The X3 just did not do it for me. It seems a bit overpriced for what you get (no offense to X3 owners). I would rather own an '04+ MDX or even the Honda Pilot (pilot is a great value IMO). The X5 3.0 - seemed to be a bit underpowered from my perspective. I was really going to focus on the 4.4i; but, the 4.6is just popped out of nowhere. Most 4.6is owners seem extremely happy with their vehicles and, for some reason, have a lot less problems than the 4.4i guys do -- maybe that is a wrong perception; but, that seems to be what I've read on X5world.

Now is actually a great time to buy an X5 it seems b/c of the gas prices. My jeep was averaging 12 mpg; so, anything above that is awesome from my viewpoint :)

nice purchase. 4.6's are sweet.