X5 vs Touareg vs LR4 Tow Vehicle Decision

[JohnJL]

[QUOTE=cairns;5206691]FWIW:

Our neighbor has a Range Rover and hates it- she says she's getting our car next time. It's in for service constantly.


They (X5) handle and stop superbly, are reliable, powerful and luxurious and can tow just about anything you're ever going to need to. Plus, IMO, they're far better looking than anything else. The six will do just fine, the V8 is fantastic but I would get the diesel if it were available. I think BMW's tow capacity is underrated- any model would tow your setup with ease.

BTW the 335 and X5 V6 share the same motor. There is no turbo lag- at all. They use twin low pressure turbos to ensure that. [QUOTE]

Thanks Cairns. A few questions/comments....

You say your neighbor hates his Range Rover, which model/year is it and what does he use it for? There is a vast difference in the range and years.

WRT the towing capacity I couldnt imagine any reason why BMW would underrate their own towing capacity. At 6000lbx max it is just borderline carrying a 24' Pace and 2000lb race car. No safety margin.

Maybe it was a problem with that particular car but it indeed turbolagged like a dog. 2000rpm cruising, punch the gas and wait 2 counts before it kicks in. Could be a combination of the torque converter(?)/transmission/traction control/turbos but it lagged terribly. Unacceptably. It handles well but with the dealer offering his "best on the road price" of $80,000 it doesnt have the power, options, capacity, or space of the LR or Touareg. That's $3,000 more than the LR4 for less HP, towing capacity, rear luggage (dog) space, traction control, cameras, 3 sunroofs, and accessories.

After some more thought and seeing the LR4 again today the X5 is out.

I'll still give BMW a chance when its time for my car.

[enzo1]

funny story.... I was at the Dallas Motorplex watching a nascar race, had rained all night before, muddy as hell....jeep cj5 stuck, 4-wheel drive ford f250 stuck(drunks)comes to get it out , stuck, here comes a Hummer all tricked out to get it out , no go it gets stuck, ( crowd is going wild yelling obscenities ( ford vs chevy), etc, her comes these guys in a g500 mercedes ( very confident) yanks all 3 out, crowd went crazy!

[jwhcars]

We drove Land Rovers on and off since the late 80's - Range Rover,Defender,Disco and the last one we had was an LR4. We never experienced the problems a lot of people talk about. Perhaps a lot of people who never owned one feel the need to talk up how bad they are with out any first hand experience.
We bought a P-car in Colorado and trailered it to Pa. we hit lots of snow and had no problems.
I will say that winter wiper blades are a must even with a heated windshield. Some LR'S had a rear alignment issue but if you checked tire pressure on a regular basis it was not a problem catching it. They are thirsty but most SUV's are. The ride and off road capabilities are super. My wife liked the LR and felt safe and secure hauling the children. She regrets trading it for her EOS (she does like the EOS for what it is) but she did it under stress. I was ill and gas went sky high ( $100 plus fill ups) and she thought she would trade before the SUV market crashed.
I think if you have a good dealer that is half the battle. Good luck with what ever you choose.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm yet to hear anything good about Touareq reliability. The X5 is nice, but I wonder if it's not quite enough truck for the towing you want to do. The Land Rover would be my pick as it's beautiful inside and out, great to drive, and still a truck at heart (body on frame construction). I won't claim that it's as reliable as a Honda Pilot, but BMW ownership of Land Rover helped them make HUGE strides in reliability.