BMW X5 4.4 vs Cayenne s

[vbmwx5]

Originally Posted by FSETH

I recently purchased a 2004 X5 4.4 for my wife , have been very happy with the car. I just drove my friends Cayenne S and am blown away by its performance.....Now i am having buyers remorse. The Porsche feels so much faster , revs faster and feels like a sports car more than SUV. BMW feels much heavier and not as nimble, although on th positive side i like BMW interiors and smooth V8. it just lacks the guts of porsche.

Some of your complaints were handling related. The sport package would have addressed those. As you can see by the youtube video provided above, the 4.8is out handled, accelerated and braked the S. The 4.6is is a very similar set up to the 4.8is as far as brakes and suspension are concerned, so it should handle better than the S as well.

I agree , 4.6 maybe a better contender to the Cayenne S. There werent many cars around when i was looking . I found one with high miles and the condition wasnt great , so i bought the 4.4. I still think the X5 4.4 is fantastic just not as exciting as the Cayenne s.

[FSETH]

They didin't. The 04 4.4i got a power increase over the 2003 4.4i. The 4.6is was replaced in 2004 by the 4.8is. The 4.4i is the base V8. The 4.6is and 4.8is were the high performance versions of the V8.

[tomcat]

4.4 was standard model when X5 began in 00. There was a 4.4 from 00-06. The 4.6is came along in 02 as a sportier version with styling and performance upgrades, including retuning/boring of the 4.4 to 4.6. In 04 when 4.4 hp was increased, the sport model was also increased, bringing the 4.8is. This is my simplification. So in '04 4.4 wasn't "stepped down." I don't have the numbers in front of me but I think the 4.4 was something like 286hp 00-03 and 315 04-06. The 4.6 was 340ish and the 4.8 is 355ish.

Scott

PS-Just saw fseth gave a much simpler answer: probably while I was typing my letter.

[FSETH]

vbmwx5,

Read this thread. This may help the acceleration/feel of your X.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...l-service.html

Post #5+ is where it gets important.

[vbmwx5]

Thanks Fseth, this trick worked great! the car feels very responsive and get to 60 much faster , even sounds better. Maybe some grandma was driving my car , needed a good adaptation.

[Brit6]

I say just save up and get one of each! That's what i am thinking of doing, i can't get rid of my X5 but i really want a Cayenne

[serbiasrt8]

i have an idea,hw about you stop driving your 700 HP Porsche Trust me do that and every car will feel like a monster.

[askhao]

Originally Posted by serbiasrt8

i have an idea,hw about you stop driving your 700 HP Porsche Trust me do that and every car will feel like a monster.

yeah and like lend it to fellow xoutpost members for weekend drives and such...

[serbiasrt8]

Originally Posted by askhao

yeah and like lend it to fellow xoutpost members for weekend drives and such...

I rather go to Magic Mountain...Same Accelaration,same G's,same crazy adrenaline as with your Turbo,but for a price of a Can of Coke

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by vbmwx5

All sports package does is improve handling , doesnt improve power or the way engine responds and sounds. I did my research before comparing performance figures and reading reviews, The mistake i did is not driving the Cayenne s. I drove the 4.8 and 4.6 . I found the 4.6 only marginally quicker then 4.4, the 4.8 was way faster and sounds and feels like Porsche. I definitely feel the Cayenne S is more fun to drive and not muted like X5 4.4 or even the 4.6. BMW maybe a better all round car , Cayenne seems like a more fun SUV.

Well - this makes no sense to me at all. I have driven a couple Cayenne S models as well as the Turbo (beast), and I have also driven 4.4i and I own a 4.6is. The 4.6is is right on par with the Cayenne S on acceleration. Magazine tests confirm that as well - Cayenne's show times between 6.4s and 6.9s 0-60. I have seen times on the 4.6is from 6.1s to 6.5s on road tests. Seems almost too close to call with the slight edge going to the 4.6is, which makes sense considering it is ~400lbs lighter with the same HP and gearing is similar.

4.8is is indeed a bit faster than both of those with 0-60 in the 5.9-6.1 range which is Cayenne GTS territory.

The newer 4.4i with 315hp runs high 6's 0-60, so it is a bit slower than any of these other SUV's.

Now that said - I don't think 0-60 or even 1/4mi time is the most important thing in a SUV - not even close. I thought the BMW felt more sporting and nimble than the Cayenne and had a firmer structure with less rattles and flex over bumps in the road. I also prefer the seats and the interior in the X5 - at least in the 4.6is version. I would not in a million years trade mine for a Cayenne S. I was considering both when I bought, and I am very glad with my choice. Now - that said, I would take a Turbo on an even trade

To me the 4.6is is more fun to drive than the Cayenne S, but it is a really close call. Both are very good. And neither one holds a candle to my S4 in the fun to drive dept. either.