I'm not sure. but I'm not going to raise it in discussion with my wife again out of fear she'll shoot me in the head. She just wants me to buy something and stop talking about it.

I'm thinking that I may wait until September for the 2010 LCI X5. After sitting in a new Lexus RX350 yesterday and looking at the nav screen, I can't believe BMW won't be installing the new iDrive in the E70 for 2010. From my perspective, with all of the technology in the vehicle, the iDrive becomes the center of control and I find the screen difficult to read in bright sunlight (OK, maybe I just need glasses).

The only thing rushing me into making a decision is that the current offer on the Acura MDX ($10,000) may end this month. OK, I know I'm all over the road here, but I started loking at cars a while back and then got talked into looking at an MDX as a good utility vehicle by a friend, given the lure of a retail purchase rebate.

I started wondering why Acura would be making such an offer and discovered that Lexus has new product which is more fuel efficient and has better technology. Lexus has no rebates and the RX's are selling extremely well, while MDX started selling well only after the rebates were introduced. I also wandered into the BMW dealer for another look at the familiar to me BMW line (I've owned 5 BMWs over the years).

I sum things up like this: The BMW has the best drive and good fuel economy, but is also the most expensive and based on my experience will have the greatest number of problems during ownership and the worst resale. My test drive vehicle had a rattling passenger front seat and some noise from the rear hatch - stuff that shouldn't be left to the dealer to correct before delivery. I expect more of the same as time goes on, based on my past experience wth BMW. If you want the BMW drive, you have to buy the most expensive vehicle of the group and live with the greatest number of trips to the dealer. But, ohhh the drive!

The MDX is the least expensive with outdated technology and the poorest fuel economy in the group. It will get a redesign this fall to catch up. It is OK to drive - transportation - and I expect it will not have many service problems, although resale will suffer in 3 or 4 years as it will be considered to be a "gas guzzler" then, compared to what is on the market and esspecially because fuel prices will certainly be higher then than they were last summer.

The Lexus offers a comfortable vehicle (RX350) with great reliability, but it is supposed to have a soft and boring drive (I'm test driving one on Saturday) along with pretty short front seat cushions which don't seem that comfortable. The nav screen is amazing and the mouse system makes it easy to use. I realize it is just a toy, but it allows easy access to many daily use functions. I don't think it ismy type of vehicle, but I'd like to drive one. THe RX450h is intriguing with it's promise of low fuel consumption and one doesn't have to worry about where the cost of diesel fuel is going after this economic crisis is over.

So what to do?? Driving the X5 convinced me that of the 3 vehicles, it is the one I would most want to get into every day. The diesel will save me from stopping at the pump every week, but the $$ savings may evaporate when diesel fuel costs go back up. The Lexus isn't my style and the MDX while a bit of a guzzler, has price a low price going for it.

My first choice is to pick up the used X6 35 if it becomes available. I'd drive it until the new 5 series arrives and if I am able to get by without the extra seats, then I could talk myself into a new 5. It is really what I want. No matter how well the X5 drives, I keep thinking about how much better the 5 is to drive every day. The X5 is a close second though - which is why I got interested in it in the first place.

So there you have it - one confused consumer!!