[Stoshu]

Originally Posted by FCX5

In Northern VA/DC area the X5M is still rare, but the M50i is pretty common.

Northern Virginia was like my second home (traveled to our HQ and the Pentagon for work), since COVID-19, I haven’t been back and probably won’t because I retired at the end of December!

[jg05]

Originally Posted by thereef510

You've got a map in the instrument cluster, a map in the HUD, and up to 4 map views in the main dashboard. that's 6, how many more maps would you like?

I don’t disagree with the person that originally posted about the increased setup on the Audi in theory - you can have the satellite map take up the whole virtual cockpit.

However, Audi makes you pay for that feature as part of its Audi Connect and it costs somewhere around $30/mo. Otherwise you get their lower evolution maps everywhere. BMW gives you all of the connect services for the first 4 years (I think it’s still 4 years right).

Also, one of the things I don’t like about the Audi virtual cockpit is that one third of the screen can only be used in a limited manner, meaning, if you want the map in the middle (smaller/less useful than the x5’s IMHO) you can have audio information on one third of the screen but the other third is limited to either the time/date or the car info screen. We have a Q5 and I traded my S5 for our M50i nd I found that a waste of that third section of the screen since it really wasn’t as customizable as one would think.

Agree about the touchscreen only.

I also felt the SQ8, and all Audi interiors, are much too plain now with those two screens. It’s still a nice place to spend some time but for me, it was too plain with virtually no buttons.

I also found Audi unwilling to negotiate anywhere near as much s BMW and there is risk with ordering as someone posted, they don’t lock in your price or financing/lease terms until your car is delivered. Got my X5 within a month, my S5 took 3+ months to deliver. With rates going up and a lot of uncertainty, that just adds to the equation.

So no discounts, rough leasing terms (even worse if you go Prestige as they subtract residual for the highest trim line) equate to hundreds more per month and then all the rest that I posted here and earlier made leasing the X5 an easy decision.

I loved my S5 and enjoy my wife’s Q5 when I need to drive it and wanted to walk out of an Audi dealer with an SQ8 on order, but just couldn’t do it based on the above.

If the lease payment were more similar, I still would have gone with the M50i bit it probably wouldn’t have been as easy a decision.

I didn’t drive the RSQ8 but my guess is that the ride would have been even rougher and for similar specs (probably faster the M50i but unless you track, which I never will) and $35k+ more expensive and even worse lease terms it just didn’t even seem like something to consider.

Again, I am super happy with my decision to go with the X5 but to each their own.

Good luck with your decision!

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by jg05

I don't disagree with the person that originally posted about the increased setup on the Audi in theory - you can have the satellite map take up the whole virtual cockpit.

However, Audi makes you pay for that feature as part of its Audi Connect and it costs somewhere around $30/mo. Otherwise you get their lower evolution maps everywhere. BMW gives you all of the connect services for the first 4 years (I think it's still 4 years right).

Also, one of the things I don't like about the Audi virtual cockpit is that one third of the screen can only be used in a limited manner, meaning, if you want the map in the middle (smaller/less useful than the x5's IMHO) you can have audio information on one third of the screen but the other third is limited to either the time/date or the car info screen. We have a Q5 and I traded my S5 for our M50i nd I found that a waste of that third section of the screen since it really wasn't as customizable as one would think.

Agree about the touchscreen only.

I also felt the SQ8, and all Audi interiors, are much too plain now with those two screens. It's still a nice place to spend some time but for me, it was too plain with virtually no buttons.

I also found Audi unwilling to negotiate anywhere near as much s BMW and there is risk with ordering as someone posted, they don't lock in your price or financing/lease terms until your car is delivered. Got my X5 within a month, my S5 took 3+ months to deliver. With rates going up and a lot of uncertainty, that just adds to the equation.

So no discounts, rough leasing terms (even worse if you go Prestige as they subtract residual for the highest trim line) equate to hundreds more per month and then all the rest that I posted here and earlier made leasing the X5 an easy decision.

I loved my S5 and enjoy my wife's Q5 when I need to drive it and wanted to walk out of an Audi dealer with an SQ8 on order, but just couldn't do it based on the above.

If the lease payment were more similar, I still would have gone with the M50i bit it probably wouldn't have been as easy a decision.

I didn't drive the RSQ8 but my guess is that the ride would have been even rougher and for similar specs (probably faster the M50i but unless you track, which I never will) and $35k+ more expensive and even worse lease terms it just didn't even seem like something to consider.

Again, I am super happy with my decision to go with the X5 but to each their own.

Good luck with your decision!

Yup. Almost exactly what I had said as well - it boils down to cost of leasing and discounting. No other German manufacturer can touch BMW when it comes to leasing and in the US where people have really low savings, the easiest way to drive a new (good) luxury vehicle is to lease. So there is no real option to the X5 once you put yourself in the classic BMW lessee group. You are getting more car for the money.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by Stoshu

Northern Virginia was like my second home (traveled to our HQ and the Pentagon for work), since COVID-19, I haven't been back and probably won't because I retired at the end of December!

Good luck in retirement. I've been in the tech industry. On my 8th start-up, with a couple of them doing things for the Pentagon. LOL. Been living here since I graduated in 1997, it's a nice diverse community…

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by jg05

However, Audi makes you pay for that feature as part of its Audi Connect and it costs somewhere around $30/mo. Otherwise you get their lower evolution maps everywhere. BMW gives you all of the connect services for the first 4 years (I think it’s still 4 years right).

I also found Audi unwilling to negotiate anywhere near as much s BMW and there is risk with ordering as someone posted, they don’t lock in your price or financing/lease terms until your car is delivered. Got my X5 within a month, my S5 took 3+ months to deliver. With rates going up and a lot of uncertainty, that just adds to the equation.

$30/month for maps?? that's robbery! I also didn't know that the lease rates were so terrible across these brands. I knew Porsche's were more expensive but how can Audi (a dressed up VW) get away with doing that? I could even argue that spec for spec, BMW gives you a more powerful engine and performance than a similarly equipped Audi, and I'm supposed to pay more for an Audi? lol

The only real gripe I have about our x5 is the piano black like finish around the shifter area. I'm a neat freak, I don't let people eat in the car and I have a little microfiber cloth in the center console. No matter how hard I try, its all but impossible to get all the dust flakes from showing up in a bright and clear day on that section of the interior. the Audi's interior is full of that piano black material, which is a total non starter for me.

[Russ103]

I looked at and drove a Q7, which was very disappointing to my wife as well as me. For the price (under $80k) nothing compared to the performance of the M50i we ended up with. Try finding something that has 523hp/553tq that can run low 12's after picking up the kids from school for that price.

To be fair, neither one of us has ever liked Audi (as mentioned before, a dressed up VW) when compared to MB and BMW so this is a biased opinion.

[BMWBear]

Originally Posted by Russ103

I looked at and drove a Q7, which was very disappointing to my wife as well as me. For the price (under $80k) nothing compared to the performance of the M50i we ended up with. Try finding something that has 523hp/553tq that can run low 12's after picking up the kids from school for that price.

To be fair, neither one of us has ever liked Audi (as mentioned before, a dressed up VW) when compared to MB and BMW so this is a biased opinion.

To really be fair you would need to compare the M50i to an SQ7 which has 500hp/568tq.

[TXSchnee]

Originally Posted by thereef510

Thank you!! I simply dont get the Porsche hype when it comes to SUVs. A similarly equipped Porsche Cayenne is about 30k more than what BMW charges with probably the exact same 'real world' performance. I'm never taking this to a track, so all those people who brag about Porsche being best at handling doesn't really come into play when I'm using this for my daily commute or to buy organic cilantro at Whole Foods.

I paid $30k more for my E Hybrid than what my ordered 45e was. Everything about the Cayenne was nicer, included in that extra $30k were all the suspension upgrades (Air, and PDCC) meanwhile BMW doesn't offer DHP on anything below the M50i (when compared to a similarly built M50i, there is only a $10k price difference, and power wise the E Hybrid is closer to the M50i as well). I also prefer the 18 way seats to the luxury seating package (which was optioned on the BMW). It is really subjective though, I appreciated the better handling, which is still important even if driving slow. This in no way says the Cayenne is better, just better for me. As far as flashy, I have always considered Mercedes to be the "flashiest" of the German luxury makes.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by TXSchnee

I paid $30k more for my E Hybrid than what my ordered 45e was. Everything about the Cayenne was nicer, included in that extra $30k were all the suspension upgrades (Air, and PDCC) meanwhile BMW doesn't offer DHP on anything below the M50i (when compared to a similarly built M50i, there is only a $10k price difference, and power wise the E Hybrid is closer to the M50i as well). I also prefer the 18 way seats to the luxury seating package (which was optioned on the BMW). It is really subjective though, I appreciated the better handling, which is still important even if driving slow. This in no way says the Cayenne is better, just better for me. As far as flashy, I have always considered Mercedes to be the "flashiest" of the German luxury makes.

fair enough. if you can appreciate the difference in handling characteristics and the vehicle makes you happy that's all that matters at the end of the day. Although I'm very new to this market segment, to me as of yet, I cant appreciate the handling stuff. I still to this day don't know what 'floaty' actually feels like. in my mind, i've broken cars into 3 tiers:

tier 3: American, Japanese and Korean brands
tier 2: German
tier 1: Italian and British

I doubt i'd ever make a lateral move when I'd like to jump to tier 1. I also agree with you, i think MB is the flashiest. I hate the fact that they put their giant Tri star logo right onto the grill. its so tacky.

[Russ103]

Originally Posted by BYEIL

To really be fair you would need to compare the M50i to an SQ7 which has 500hp/568tq.

You are absolutely correct. I should have specified that I really disliked the Q7 all touch screens vs BMW's actual buttons.

[hdahman]

Q7 and is damn ugly car. Though Q8 is beautiful car. However I hate Audi latest gen interior either black or black!!

[BMWBear]

Originally Posted by hdahman

Q7 and is damn ugly car. Though Q8 is beautiful car. However I hate Audi latest gen interior either black or black!!

Literally the same car with a sport back.
They actually have a gray and deep red option in the SQ7.
Personally I never buy a car that doesn’t have black interior.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by TXSchnee

I paid $30k more for my E Hybrid than what my ordered 45e was. Everything about the Cayenne was nicer, included in that extra $30k were all the suspension upgrades (Air, and PDCC) meanwhile BMW doesn't offer DHP on anything below the M50i (when compared to a similarly built M50i, there is only a $10k price difference, and power wise the E Hybrid is closer to the M50i as well). I also prefer the 18 way seats to the luxury seating package (which was optioned on the BMW). It is really subjective though, I appreciated the better handling, which is still important even if driving slow. This in no way says the Cayenne is better, just better for me. As far as flashy, I have always considered Mercedes to be the "flashiest" of the German luxury makes.

I agree with you as well. I used to have a Cayenne S before my X5 (with DHP) and I prefer the size and overall interior layout of the X5, but while the options were more expensive on the Cayenne, the quality seemed a little nicer - including the leather and such. However, to me the X5 with DHP is a little quicker and has a more comfortable ride and handling is about the same. But as you say it is subjective. Both are really good and I am sure most people will be happier with either. Also, the Cayenne seemed to be more solid in that there were zero creaks of plastic rubbing and just solid over rough roads. The build quality is second to none.

An M50i's closest Porsche Cayenne competitor is the Cayenne GTS IMHO.

I might be in the minority, but I find the new Cayenne and SQ8 interior looks very high tech and modern in a good way. Well, so does the X5. So, it's all subjective. LOL.

[amphiprion]

No creaks or noises for me in the G05 over bumps or rough roads.

[cubanbimmer3]

Originally Posted by BYEIL

Literally the same car with a sport back.
They actually have a gray and deep red option in the SQ7.
Personally I never buy a car that doesn't have black interior.

I gotta agree with hdahman ! Think the SQ8 is an absolutely stunning ride. The SQ7, not so much. Looks wise, I'd probably say SQ8 over G05 m50i, but it's close. Driving: m50i hands down. And as others have said, pricing/discounts/leasing, BMW is hard to beat compared to other luxury brands.

Interesting to see someone say they didn't enjoy the drive of the RSQ8 considering its showing on the Nurburgring. Have always wanted to drive one!

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by amphiprion

No creaks or noises for me in the G05 over bumps or rough roads.

Same for my X5M.

[Frenetic]

I finally saw one of these in the wild; these things are like unicorns, but damn they look good. If not for COVID, I would be driving one.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by speedyman

This is an excellent question.
I closely cross shopped the 2 last September while driving a 2019 base Cayenne.
The Audi SQ8 is gorgeous inside and out. Interior is super high quality.
The BMW is a guided missile as 5200 lb SUVs go that has been shown to run 0-60 in 3.8/3.9 seconds. The BMW just checks all the boxes and does every thing right which is why that was my choice.
Both of these vehicles can be optioned to the sky unless you are comparing to Porsche.
My suggestion would be very strongly in favor of the M50i for what it is worth. The M50i at about the same price as the Base Cayenne is a total no brainer unless a Porsche is on your bucket list. I've had a number of them and very well know that they are simply over priced look at me mobiles.

Spot on! If Porsche is on your bucket list buy the M50i and get one of the 911 versions (or a Panamera as a stretch) . A Cayenne would be probably the worst way to check off a bucket list. IMHO. My last car was a Cayenne S. FWIW. The M50is better in every way. You can get a Cayenne GTS, but at that price you can get an X5MC that blows away both the Cayenne GTS and Turbo S.

[speedyman]

Originally Posted by MOTOP

Please don’t put Tesla quality in par with BMW or MB.

Very good point!

[speedyman]

Originally Posted by FCX5

Spot on! If Porsche is on your bucket list buy the M50i and get one of the 911 versions (or a Panamera as a stretch) . A Cayenne would be probably the worst way to check off a bucket list. IMHO. My last car was a Cayenne S. FWIW. The M50is better in every way. You can get a Cayenne GTS, but at that price you can get an X5MC that blows away both the Cayenne GTS and Turbo S.

My'19 Cayenne was a very nicely optioned base model that I traded on my current '21 M50i. The two were very close in price. The M50i is better in every way that I can possibly think of.

[-Vanguard-]

Originally Posted by thereef510

You've got a map in the instrument cluster, a map in the HUD, and up to 4 map views in the main dashboard. that's 6, how many more maps would you like?

Yea, people that complain about the "lack of customization" compared to Audi's virtual cockpit is a joke.

BMW has so many way to customize.

Lets talk about that fact that BMW shows ALL the songs currently playing when you scroll XM stations while Audi only shows the station genre. That's way worse.

[Frenetic]

Audi’s virtual cockpit is head and shoulders better than BMW’s semi-fixed, reverse-tach cluster.

Customization, at least to me, means being able to completely change the screen to suit your preference. If you want the tach front and center, ok then. If you want nothing but map and a small speedo, there you go. Audi offers that, BMW doesn’t.

We’re stuck with BMW’s same, strange, lame, reverse-tack layout no matter what. That’s not customization.