I love my 4.6 also. IMOH it looks better then the porsche and the range rover. Oh yea.. Then you do this and it game over..

http://www.esstuning.com/systems/108-43x.html

 

I would stay away from the Range Rover honestly. I've owned a few British cars and two Land Rovers, and they simply just cannot get it right. While the newer Range Rovers are slightly better, given they are assembled with many BMW parts, they still suffer from British quality control issues. Being owned by Ford certainly does not help matters at this point either.
If you need the extra utility of the truck and live near the dealership and have a good relationship with the service department, then it might be managable. Otherwise, RUN!
The BMW 4.6 is also a nice choice. I am completely amazed at how well mine performs in relation to other sports cars. But being assembled here, in the US, they do suffer some minor quality control issues, which at this point on mine are just limited to squeaks and rattles. (7k miles on it). The 4.6 cannot be taken off-road in any capacity, while the Cayenne can in some situations. That is of course if you are willing to beat up such an expensive vehicle.

 

i personally have a BMW X5 4.6 its a great car and now the 4.8 is coming out so i think you should check it out.

 

i will definitely check out the 4.8 X5. i had an E36 M3 and it was one of my favorite cars ever. haven't had a bimmer since but it made me forever a fan.

 

download the Top Gear video review of Cayenne by Jeremy Clarkson, that will answer all your questions about Cayenne...

 

I think that dismissing the Rover because it is assembled in England is, in my opinion, wrong.

The fact that it is BMW engineering and running gear is great (tho I am sure some will gripe about that). Also, the fact that Ford has integrated its management and QC is another positive. Ford looks at Rover as a huge image maker - they have done it right -- they margins are much smaller in hopes of getting the image boost. Ford has also done a tremedous job with Jag and Aston Martin.

 

How are the rear seats in the BMW? stiff?

If I didnt get the BMW, I would get a Rover over the Cayenne for comfort. THe Cayenne rode harsh on rodes around here. It would annoy me way to much..

The Rover quality seems very high. Totally gorgeuous and comfortable inside.

 

only thing Ive heard about Rovers is that they are always in the shop. is it true?

 

The X5 seats are more sporty for sure. They are heated and recline however .

MWEELS

 

Yes and no. Basically, you either get a good one or a bad one. My father has a '99 Disco II with 85k+ miles and it has never really been in the shop for anything major. My '99 Disco II with 44k+ miles has only been in the shop once (and that was to fix a weld that came off of the heat shield on my exhaust - simple warranty fix). I haven't had any major problems.

The older Land Rovers were problematic, but the newer ones seem to be of better build quality.

 

well thats good about the newer ones because I was thinking about a new HSE

 

I believe they changed to bosch electronics in 1999 or so and that solved most of the problems.

 

What the hell good are any of the above mentioned 'baby' suv's? I guess if you are single, have a poodle for a pet, and never travel with luggage they all would be fine.

I have 3 Lab. Retrievers, a wife, a kid, and frequently a ****load of luggage and other crap that needs hauling. Try that with a X5, Cayenne etc. Not gunna happen!.

Get a Cadillac ESV (suburban equivalent). Install the 525 HP stroker kit that was shown @ SEMA, a blower or both and leave the "baby" SUV's for driving to store to pick up a case of beer.

 

I think everyones needs are different.

I have four friends and we want to get up to the mtn in one hour to go snowboarding. Whats nice about the X5 is its powerfull and will handle all the way up and down the moutain.

Boats are for the lake.

MWEELS

 

MWEELS -> do you trailor your boards? I guess the X5 is kinda powerful.... mabey. It's no big-block eating 10 lbs of boost though.