You had me sold on the X5 until your follow up response. I know, the 4th one snuck up on us, ha! Otherwise it would be a Cayenne Turbo case closed.

Ok, MB GL 350. I'll add that to the list. Which Q7 did you drive? v8 or v6? Sline? They don't make the v8 anymore, so this is my last chance to scoop up a V6 S (aka turbo) to get it comparable to GL or RR Sport. If Sline, was it comparable to the X5 feel?

For you and wpgfordguy, did you try out the RR Sport? I thought the LR4 was a little heavy on the curves though the kids thoroughly enjoyed the stadium seating.

 

I used to Drive a RRS S/C as my demo.

The all New sport has (kinda) 3rd row.

LR4 is better for our crappy roads and 8 months of winter and it's about $12K less for an LR4 and a comparably equipped RRS in Canada.

a RRS and an LR4 are exactly the same chassis other than the stiffness sway bars and the Shocks

 

Go to your fav BMW dealer and put a deposit down and tell them you want to take the X5 on an extended test drive. Think about how long you will keep your SUV. If you will keep it less years than it takes for your smallest kid NOT in a car seat to outgrow the third row, you'll be fine in the X5. But 'small' or 'big' is all relative so try living with it for several hours - go on an errand with it fully loaded with kids.

I generally stay away from Land Rover/RR products -their resale values are awful and still have worse reliability issues than the Germans in my personal experience and the LR4 handling is awful.

The Q7 third row isn't any bigger than X5! I don't know why...it's a much bigger car. I drove the V6 but really I wasn't impressed. It felt dated to me.

The MB GL series are really nice. They look great too. And going down the road it feels like a giant block of metal undeterred by the elements. Very tuetonic german feel. If the X5 didn't fit the bill so perfectly (and about $7K less than the MB), and fit in our garage perfectly, we'd probably have gotten the MB...VERY close second.

 

I went through this exact dilemma having had added a 3rd kid recently and 3rd row was a requirement.

Basically everything I drove, drove like a truck except the x5 and MDX. I settled on the MDX due to the larger 3rd row area. There is now the JX35 as an option too.

If handling and car like ride and refinement isn't up there on your priority list then there are quite a few that will fit the bill.

If I had a higher budget, the new Range Rover sport would probably be in my stable. Well maybe not as the Merc e63 AMG wagon modified with 3rd row or a Tesla p80 with third row would take priority for the sake of performance and handling while I cart around the family.

 

Modded 463 rwhp Pontiac G8 GT. Four doors and under 4 seconds to sixty.

 

This will fit 4 kids and have 3rd row?

 

Stupid question

 

It would be too small. I'm looking for a minimum 6 seater.

 

Ok, RR off the list...X5 on the list especially since it sounds like the leg room on the way back seats are comparable to the Q7. Yes, MB is pure luxury. Def a contender.

 

Stupid answer. Read the original post closer next time.

 

AMG & p80...I love the way you think! Pic shows kids calling bids for the rear facing seats. I really wanted one so the kids can wave peace out to the cars we fly by at ~500mph but husband refuses to pay 6 figs for a wagon. Wish the RS6Avant was available on this side of the ocean but alas...

Per roadsession's enthusiastic feedback on top of yours, I will be testing out the X5. Thank you! BTW, nice gold rims.

 

In all honesty, it was hard for me to pass up the x5 since I'm a BMW guy. The 3rd row seats could work out if you have kids under 7-8yo. Also if you've seen the nurburgring lap times on the x5, there's the proof that it can handle. The newer x35i twin turbo 6 makes as much and is faster than the older 4.8i 8 cylinder motor but is quite a bit more fuel efficient. Add a Vishnu tune and you will leave your porsche in the dust in a straight line. Or get the Vishnu Procede system with single turbo conversion and get up to 625whp on the family mobile with car like handling(no to auto-x though ).

 

Are you having good luck with the MDX? I was a little nervous about it because it's the first year Honda is making it in a brand new factory in AL, and out of the 10 SHD AWD Tech pkg ones on the lot, 8 had poorly fitted body panels, and 6 had unacceptable noise / creaks intruding into the cabin! And then of course on the evening of our extended test drive, the thing went into limp home mode. Finally, the all touch screen interface sunk it... Then we found out many owners were able to lemon their 2014 MDX on the MDXers forum because of repeated issues with the truck.

Reminds me of when MB first built the first ML in a brand new factory in AL...took them like 4 yrs to shake it off!

 

I've gotten the previous generation and it has been solid. The 2014 is actually narrower due to soccer moms previously complaining on how hard it was to park the older version. but it is longer and have sliding second row. They also went down on power and displacement to up the gas mileage. Sorry but can't comment on the 2014 other than a quick test drive and inspection which yielded nothing spectacular compared to the previous generation to warrant almost a double in pricing which I couldn't justify.

 

Yes...wise choice...that previous MDX is apparently rock solid - so much so that resale prices went UP recently...