MDX, hands down. Will cost far less to own over a 100K life. Arguably nicer infotainment system too.

? Starting in 2008 ? also, I read on some car forum that the 2011 has transmission problems that were fixed in 2012. Can't remember what it was and may not be reliable information.

Currently shopping this exact set of cars, plus have one or two to add to the list.

X3/X5 really thought this is where we would end up. The gadgets are super, but the driving isn't the "ultimate" or whatever BMW likes to say. Choppy ride in the regular and sport trims.

MDX, nice but uninspiring....replacing an Odyssey, so the Odyssey is uninspiring and better in other ways.

Range Rover Discovery and Evoque - small and cheap quality inside.

Audi - not interested based on previous experience, didn't look.

Maserati Levante - WOW is all I can say, might be more fun than a Cayenne. Engine, drive, interior.....all top notch. This will make the final 3.

Mercedes GLE - this one surprised me the most, I really like it, has the features, feel, drive......also part of the final 3.

Cayenne - I thought we were shopping for 1 car, but I think we are going to get two, the Cayenne is that good....I drove a few year old GTS and was blown away, this makes the final 3. Despite some nagging quality issues like the transfer case, I trust the dependability of the Cayenne, I think it is vehicle I could own long term.

We went to the Chrysler dealer, drove a Grand Cherokee.....first, they couldn't get it to start, then it had a grinding noise on the first turn......some people have great luck with these, we decided to pass.

So I think we will end up with a GLE350 for the wife, and a Cayenne for me......

Go drive the Levante......WOW

Lou

Based on the experiences of others that I know, and what I have read about recent Chrysler/Fiat models, I don't think they have gotten much better. A friend of mine traded in his Chrysler minivan last year IN THE MIDDLE OF A VACATION because he finally had his fill of the random stalling issue that the dealership couldn't figure out.

Yes starting with the 2008 facelift models. Though the parts aren't bad if you want to DIY the repair on an earlier Cayenne, and they are dirt cheap. There's also a center driveshaft bearing that can wear out causing vibration (about $400) and the air suspension pump or shocks can leak with time, though you can get new ones aftermarket from Arnott. The air suspension was optional on most models, but standard on the turbo. I had it on my 2008 Cayenne GTS, it's actually damn good.

Of the ones on the list, the MDX seems to be the one that stands out. It has all the luxury of the Mercedes at lower cost and higher reliability. We would have gotten one when we were in the market for a larger familymobile but we needed something with more seats. I'd recommend the MDX over the others.

Something else to consider, though, is the Toyota 4Runner/Lexus GX470. The Toyota Landcruiser models are beautiful but insanely expensive. The 4Runner/GX models look beautiful to me and seem to be more functional, roomier, and less expensive. I'm sure they're more than an MDX but they might be worth considering.

I routinely get X3s as loaners when I have my 535 in for service. I do not like them at all. I fully understand not wanting to stay with an X3.

I beat the crap out of an 05 MDX, nothing but normal maintenance up to 150k or so then traded it in on my Tacoma. My wife drives an 05 RX330 bought from Speeder, she loves it, more luxurious than the MDX, also more buick like in terms of suspension, etc. I don't know how that carries over to newer ones. The MDX was no sports car but it handled better and had a fairly firm suspension compared to the Lexus. Japanese products can have some fun to drive quotient and soul, maybe not the dark soul of some BMW's I've seen described here. Drive it, then decide.

I can share here, I think.
My wife drove our 2006 Honda Odyssey from new until appx. 110k in 2014.
She said that she would do ONE minivan, and I can support that sentiment. The Odyssey was an EX-L, and was a great vehicle basically all the way through. We did front wheel bearings and the timing belt/water pump service. That was it in addition to oil changes, filter changes, brakes once and a couple of sets of tires. Really not many issues, and was still a great vehicle.
Decided to upgrade in summer of 2014.
List was pretty short, as we wanted to retain 3 rows of seats - but only really necessary when we had visitors from out of town.
Because of AWD, seating, price, milage and general brand opinions, our short list was really only the MDX and the Q7. BMW seemed quite expensive, as did the M-B. The RX350 is only a 2 row seating vehicle from what I recalled at the time. The new highlander was just coming out, and if I knew it had 3 rows available at the time - perhaps we would have driven one.

I drove the MDX, and it handles well and is typical of Acura. I had an RDX when newly introduced. Great seats, nice power, stiff ride - but horrible gas milage. I realized about 17mpg in that vehicle. Kept it less than 2 years and bought another Subaru to replace it.

In any case, my wife drove the MDX, and then spent 20 minutes with the dealer to try and figure out the HVAC, Nav and infotainment controls. No way. She was nearly in tears. 2 big screens and a dashboard full of buttons. The vehicle would have probably been nice, but the controls just were too clunky.
I really did like the previous design (I think through either 2012 or 2013), but this iteration was not going to work for us.
In addition, the cargo room in rear seems a bit less than the Q7.

We test drove and bought the Q7 TDi in Premium Plus trim.
Since June of 2017 we have put a little over 40k on it, including a few trips between Atlanta and WI. Great highway cruiser. Very stable and great mileage. 28-30mpg on the highway at 80 with A/C On and fully loaded (2 kids, 1 dog, 2 adults and a bunch of luggage).
No mechanical issues.
Drivers' side door panel (interior) had a small split after about 20k miles, and the dealer didn't argue about replacing. And - everything worked properly when they were done.
Maintenance is a bit steep. We bought the prepaid maintenance for the first 45,000 miles - and I think that was a smart move. Paid 1/2 of list (or wouldn't have done it that way).
It needed tires at 24k, and brakes at 35k. Neither were cheap. But then again, I have been driving subarus and hondas prior.
DIY brakes all around from our host (Pelican) ran me about $650 for ATE parts. Cant figure out why they made the rears so difficult to get the calipers off. Special multi-star wrench required, and I couldnt do it without an impact wrench. Just could not get to the bolt with a big enough lever.

In any case, it's been a great vehicle. Solid handling and great torque.
Will be interesting to see what happens as it is on the TDI "List".
If they offer a buyback, it's a financial no-brainer - but I'll never get another Audi Diesel (I expect).

Don't think I would have bought one in gas at high teen mileage on premium.

Hope this review is helpful to you.

+1 love mine

We have owned 3 X5's and a Q5. Now have a base Cayenne. The Cayenne blows the competition away.

Just got on my sisters X3 and felt ok but then I rode on my brothers MDX with the enhanced tecno package is just amazing.. blew away the bmw.

Thanks everyone, was traveling today so I couldn't respond.

He has drive the Q7 and the X5 (M for grins and th V8 and 6cyl), the rear of the Cayenne was the same size as the X3 so he crossed that off the list unfortunately.

Will see if he has driven thto MDX tomorrow.

I have shared a bunch of the replies, so I appreciate it.

He may also want to consider the Mazda CX-9. I would at least take one for a test drive.
They look sharp.

I picked this Sport Super up last November because I test drove it up I-70 in Denver and it pulled up the mountain like a freight train. It's damn comfortable too, and super quiet.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1490987339.jpg

We put 220,000kms on our 955 Cayenne turbo and it was great. We now have a 958 TT and it is amazing. We have 2 big dogs and have never felt the like we did not have enough cargo space...

Grand Cherokee is a totally different animal.

It (and the Chrysler 300) have Daimler Benz (Mercedes) roots. Nice vehicle.

Minivan, not so much. Cherokee is not either.

This.

Thanks for all the advice, in the end he didn't listen to me or any of the words of wisdom on here and got a 6cyl X5.

Well, too late to suggest a new Toy. RAV4. It's a Toyota, after all.

She loves her MDX, it's a great vehicle.

That said, maybe look at the Land Cruiser, or the Lexus variant of it.