X5 35d vs. Porsche Cayenne Diesel

Hey guys,

what are your thoughts on this match-up? I'm convinced I'm going to buy a Diesel car, now it's a matter of deciding between the 2. I never thought I'd see these 2 cars priced so closely, but hey, thanks Porsche!

Let me know your thoughts,
Dan.

Originally Posted by grilodan

Hey guys,

what are your thoughts on this match-up? I'm convinced I'm going to buy a Diesel car, now it's a matter of deciding between the 2. I never thought I'd see these 2 cars priced so closely, but hey, thanks Porsche!

Let me know your thoughts,
Dan.

If all things are equal I am taking the Cayenne but they really aren't, a basically equipped Cayenne is approx 68k however a similiar MSRP X5 can be had approx 10-12k less due to
discounts, only you can decide if an extra 10k is worth it as I am sure the discounts on the Cayenne are not there.

Definitely the Porsche.


But seriously, have you priced them both out fully configured with incentives?

Yeah, that's the problem with Porsche ... they have so many options and ways to customize the car that it's just impossible to get a competitive price. After discounts we're looking at a $10-15k delta and that's tough, though I might be willing to do that if it's worth it. Haven't driven the Porsche yet because I know for sure I'll love it, just a matter of loving it enough.

Cayenne any day. It looks better in my opinion, fuel mileage will probably the same if not better in Porsche, both equally fast, the interior I think it's better in Cayenne, lots of buttons and who does not like lots of buttons etc. plus it is Porsche.
If you're really in between then if I were you I'd wait until the new X5 comes out (late '13? as '14 model? or early '14), compare and decide then. Porsche Diesel won't be available in US probably until late this year or early next year anyway. That's why I personally bought an affordable '09 35d. I'll drive it until 2014 and then decide between the new X5 diesel, Porsche diesel or GL350.

Are you leasing or buying for the long haul? If you are leasing, I'd seriously consider the Cayenne. They are great looking vehicles, and the price difference won't sting as much. If you are buying, then the X5 is hard to beat. It should much more reliable than the Cayenne -- especially since BMW has had a few more years to work out the kinks on the US emissions requirements. As a reference point from the petrol version, Consumer Reports ranks the Cayenne's reliability as worse in class for reliability. Audi, VW, and Porsche seem to consistently end up on the unreliable list (i.e. - expensive repairs). The 35D got average reliability which was better than the 35i actually.

Originally Posted by Lance Alot

Are you leasing or buying for the long haul? If you are leasing, I'd seriously consider the Cayenne. They are great looking vehicles, and the price difference won't sting as much. If you are buying, then the X5 is hard to beat. It should much more reliable than the Cayenne -- especially since BMW has had a few more years to work out the kinks on the US emissions requirements. As a reference point from the petrol version, Consumer Reports ranks the Cayenne's reliability as worse in class for reliability. Audi, VW, and Porsche seem to consistently end up on the unreliable list (i.e. - expensive repairs). The 35D got average reliability which was better than the 35i actually.

Porsche is consistently at the top for IQS, long term reliability, and build quality. FYI, Audi is ranked higher than BMW for long term reliability in JDPower.

OP, if you are buying, it's not a bad idea to get the BMW. I say this because my X5 was $62k (sold for $54,XXX). A Cayenne TDI priced with the same toys and such was over $70k and the dealer is offering a max of $1k off sticker (even after buying multiple cars from them).

A X5 might be almost $20k less, which is a considerable chunk of change. Next time around, I might swing the extra coin for the Porsche, but the E70 is a fantastic option.

If the Cayenne TDI was around last year, I would be driving a Porsche. People can call me a badge whore, but Porsche does have more brand prestige than BMW and with that comes some ridiculously priced options.

The BMW is basically the second best driving car in its class. I love my E70, but there's just something else about the Cayenne. If you can afford it and are willing to pony up, life is short, enjoy yourself. The Cayenne TDI will be a rare car.

Originally Posted by grilodan

Yeah, that's the problem with Porsche ... they have so many options and ways to customize the car that it's just impossible to get a competitive price. After discounts we're looking at a $10-15k delta and that's tough, though I might be willing to do that if it's worth it. Haven't driven the Porsche yet because I know for sure I'll love it, just a matter of loving it enough.

Yup, the customization is endless.

Another major is how quick do you want the car. You can have a E70 in your garage within a month. The Cayenne is going to harder because it's made in Germany and the TDIs are going to be much rarer than the V6/V8/V8T Cayennes. If it's anything like the Touareg TDI or Q7 TDI, you're looking at a couple months easily.

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

Porsche is consistently at the top for IQS, long term reliability, and build quality. FYI, Audi is ranked higher than BMW for long term reliability in JDPower.

I don't recall seeing JD Power ratings for specific models, but I'd be surprised if they rated either of these brand's SUVs highly. Consumer Reports put the Cayenne, Q5, and Q7 at worst in class reliability.

Originally Posted by Lance Alot

I don't recall seeing JD Power ratings for specific models, but I'd be surprised if they rated either of these brand's SUVs highly. Consumer Reports put the Cayenne, Q5, and Q7 at worst in class reliability.

I traded in a 07 Audi Q7 on my X5d. Completely bulletproof car for the 4 years I had it. Know tons of people with Q5s. Again, no issues.

Originally Posted by Lance Alot

I don't recall seeing JD Power ratings for specific models, but I'd be surprised if they rated either of these brand's SUVs highly. Consumer Reports put the Cayenne, Q5, and Q7 at worst in class reliability.

OK....just checked JD Powers, as I was curious. The Cayenne is rated highly in aggregate by JD Powers due to performance and features. Reliability is in their lowest category as I suspected -- along with our beloved X5

Originally Posted by Lance Alot

OK....just checked JD Powers, as I was curious. The Cayenne is rated highly in aggregate by JD Powers due to performance and features. Reliability is in their lowest category as I suspected -- along with our beloved X5

Honestly, I've given up on looking at all of these ratings because they are always all over the place. Everyone rates the X5 and Q7 as having poor reliability, but I seem to be doing better with them than the Lexuses and Toyotas in my family.

I'm in the market as the wife is up for another vehicle and looking at the Porsche Cayenne but she prefers the Panamera but of course I am into diesels. I noticed the Porsche is 0-60 in 7.2 s and our X5 is 6.9 but no big deal. I just can't get over the Panamera looks, like a weenie dog 911 but it will be hers.

I love the styling of the new Boxster but find the exterior styling of the Cayenne unappealing...

Originally Posted by grilodan

. I never thought I'd see these 2 cars priced so closely, but hey, thanks Porsche!

.

Originally Posted by grilodan

Yeah, that's the problem with Porsche ... we're looking at a $10-15k delta

Yeah, so your first post was, in fact...uhhh...wrong?

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

I traded in a 07 Audi Q7 on my X5d. Completely bulletproof car for the 4 years I had it. Know tons of people with Q5s. Again, no issues.

I have nothing but bad luck with Audi, total garbage IMO,

2002 A6 2.7 T, saw the shop approx every other week, dumped at 27k

2010 Audi Q5- Lemoned- had it about 2 weeks ( 367 miles ) mechatronics unit on transmission failed, replaced , next day the transmission failed, spent approx 60 days
in the shop , only bright spot is that they gave me a brand new Porsche Cayenne to drive.

Originally Posted by ductman

I have nothing but bad luck with Audi, total garbage IMO,

I agree.

I don't even consider an Audi as an option when I think about getting a new vehicle. Audi ranks well below Ford IMHO.

buy X5M

Originally Posted by Penguin

I agree.

I don't even consider an Audi as an option when I think about getting a new vehicle. Audi ranks well below Ford IMHO.

BMW ranks below Audi for long term reliability. What's your point?

Originally Posted by ductman

I have nothing but bad luck with Audi, total garbage IMO,

2002 A6 2.7 T, saw the shop approx every other week, dumped at 27k

2010 Audi Q5- Lemoned- had it about 2 weeks ( 367 miles ) mechatronics unit on transmission failed, replaced , next day the transmission failed, spent approx 60 days
in the shop , only bright spot is that they gave me a brand new Porsche Cayenne to drive.

Damn, that sucks. It's definitely a hit or miss with these German brands, that's for sure.

I have the gas powered versions of both the Cayenne and X5. Both are great but if I could choose only one and the $10-12k difference isn't an issue I would choose the Cayenne. Better handling, interior, etc. quality seems to be the same.

For what it's worth, when I investigated the reported issues for new cars you have to understand how they capture the data. They ask people to provide feedback on features when they first buy the car. What seems to have happened to the Cayenne is the just awful memory seat Implementation and people complained (rightfully) about it. There were also lots of complaints about not having a clock. These seemed to push the overall rating down. The rest of the car is rock solid. Porsche did make some software improvements and added a clock to the dash since then. You just need to be careful in generalizing off of any of these surveys.

If you can restrain yourself with the options and just want the car itself -- the base diesel Cayenne is a great deal, lots of included content that the X5 has as options (leather seats etc.), but you would have to order the car and wait since the dealer will only have "well optioned" -- cars on their floor. However as others have said, there will be virtually no discounts (certainly no generous "eco credit" on the Porsche) and your out cost will be higher.

I think you have to drive both cars and compare. I am not sure which engine is installed in Porsche diesel, but if it the same engine as e.g. A6 3.0 TDI then I would pass. I had 530d (one turbo) and we had Audi A6 3.0 TDI (one turbo) in my family - BMW was much better engine IMO (more responsive, better sound, better mileage, etc.). IMO 35d is better engine than 30d, so 35d vs. 3.0 TDI...???

Apart from that exterior and interior is also important, but this is personal thing - I like Cayenne exterior, my wife hates it, we do not like the interior...

I like that you can chose independent options with Porsche (as it is possible with BMW in Europe). I do not like to pay more for Porsche just because it is relatively rare to spot (in comparison to X5), but there are people who opt for 20'' tires which need to be replaced much oftener than 18'' or 19''... not my money, not my business

^ new updated for MY13 diesel. It's twin turbos now