howie222

Looking to upgrade my wife's '04 Tourag V8. Love the idea of the 320 cdi diesel. Drove two yesterday and was impressed. Couldn't tell it was a diesel. Then drove a V6 Q7, which I've driven before. Don't love the looks but they're very nice. Seemed smoother riding and a little sportier. But sucky mileage. Not worried about cost of fuel but feel like we should do our part and I hippocritically won't give up the "hot rod" I drive. Also drove X5. Had two previously. Still the sportiest but expensive and my wife will not master the iDrive. A pre-owned V6 Q7 with low miles and extended CPO warranty is seven to 10 grand less than the comprably equipped CDI and there are some pre-owned ones around. Don't know what to do. Opinions please. Thanks!

firefighter608

If fuel prices don't matter get what you and yours like
I personally love the ML320

blazinginder

In my opinion the Q7 is just ugly, the ride is nice and if you need a bigger car (which it seems to be) then sure it'd be a good choice but I'm just not a fan of it's looks. The X5 is nice and depending on where you are in the country is discounted to a certain extent. I just bought an 08 ML350 Edition 10 yesterday and couldn't be happier, the X5 is sportier but IMO ML is more luxury and comfort which is what I'm looking for.

AR.Shah

Here is my verdict:

Exterior:
Q7 very nice front, stationwagon sideprofile and ugly toycar-like rear
ML ok front, well designed sideprofile and good looking robust rear
X5 Bangled X3 front (read ugly), ok sideprofile and ok rear with perhaps too big rear lights (imagine how the car would look without huge wheels?)

Interior:
Q7 very nice interior design and 7 seats avaliable
ML beautiful and sporty dash, nice big seats
X5 ugly dash but rest of interior looks ok, 7 seats avaliable

Performance:
Q7 very heavy and bulky
X5 Probably best driving experience (best handling)? (havent testdriven one)
ML Good comfortable ride and top marks on the motorway

Normally I wouldnt compare these cars but I think Audi have outdone themselves this time although I still concider it to be a refined VW product. BMW is as always a nice sporty product, MB is a timeless piece of top detailed enginering with a star on the front to seal the jewelcase

kimcork

I spent a long time comparing the X5 and the ML. Both appear to be great trucks.

My first criteria was a FLAT cargo area with backseats down--X5 is only flat if you buy the third row of seats, and THEN you don't get a spare tire.

I think run flats would be a terrific benefit in a big city, like L.A. I also think that unless the X5 run flats are different from all the others, their frequent replacement costs will pretty much balance the free maintenance offered by BMW. I use my truck for nomal day-to-day travel to work, etc, and as an "adventure vehicle" for weekend trips to whatever wilderness areas are nearby (I'm in the military, I move a lot). For me, the run flats, especially without a spare, were a show stopper and pushed me to the ML.

I couldn't be more pleased--all my "stuff" (dog crates, bicycles, camping gear, etc) fits great and I like that I'm spending less time at the gas station.

AR.Shah

Cool Tell us about your wilderness experiences with the ML, I've had mine for 16 months now and have yet to try it on wild terrain. The only experience I've had so far was on snow where it sucked due to the Michelin Diamaris summertyres

kimcork

Oops--don't want to give the impression I'm taking my Benz out for some serious 4-wheeling. I just like having the ground clearance and capability to travel on unimproved dirt roads with occasional sand/mud without worrying about dragging bottom or getting stuck. My only trip so far was on a dirt road that any vehicle could have negotiated...so no real testing yet.