Thanks for a great comparison.
You are a brave guy for plunking down that kind of $ with no test drive! Glad it worked out. I too would no problem with the "old" engine. it's very responsive. I had forgotten about rear window visibility. I remember that the BMW was better. How different are they? This turns out to be super important to me in a daily driver. It can wear on you not getting fast visual feedback.
For a 19K premium it makes sense. If I bought a Cayenne I'm sure it would be at least a 40K difference! They offer some attractive and pricey options.