Compared to Land Cruiser...

[Pablo]

Picked up my 4.8 two weeks ago and I wanted to post my preliminary observations, particularly compared to the Toyota Land Cruisers that I have owned for the last 14 years. I should first say that the Land Cruisers were great and I never had a single problem with them. Albeit soft, they were quiet and very nice on the highway. I have averaged 14 mpg in the city and 16 on the highway. On the rare occasion that I traveled off road or tackled big snow, they were competent and somewhat agile vehicles for their size. That being said, after 14 years I was ready something different.

I researched the offerings from Lexus, Porsche, VW, Infinity, and Audi and in the end thought the X5 offered the best combination of luxury and performance. Now after 2 weeks of direct comparison to my 1999 Land Cruiser, I wanted to provide X5world members with my opinion of the similarities and differences.

OK, there are not a lot of similarities but I do think the seating position and overall visibility are closer than not, especially compared to the Cayenne, Infinity and Toureg. Both are very comfortable and for lack of a better word, easy to drive. They are also both very roomy in the front and rear seats. The Land cruiser obviously has more room in the back for storage but the front and rear seats seem very close in size. The X5 has more luxurious interior than the Land cruiser but materials and finish is exceptional in both.

The way the X5 drives completely sets it apart from Land cruisers. I'm still amazed that BMW has been able to get this heavy of vehicle to corner so well and feel this solid while being perfectly smooth on rough roads. None of the other vehicles I test drove were anywhere near this impressive with performance and comfort. It is clearly not surprising that the X5 handles worlds better than a Land Cruiser but it might shock some to hear that it also handles rough roads as good if not better. It is smooth when you want it to be and tight when you need it to be. I was never this excited to drive my Land Cruisers. The X5 is more quiet in the city but has about the same amount of wind noise on the highway. Gas Mileage during break-in appears to be slightly lower at 13 mpg in the city but I'm hoping that increases after break-in.

I know this is information is probably common knowledge to most on this forum but I hope it helps some of you. I will post pictures soon.

[xx3]

:welcome: !!

Glad you like your new X...

Your thoughts are very appreciated. I've never known much about land cruiser's...

post pics soon !

[chris24]

Totally agree. I had an Inifiniti FX45 prior to my 4.8i and while I expected the handling to be very good (a requirement for me), it's a little better than I expected, but more surprisingly is how well it does handle rough roads. Less sidewall than the 20's on my FX, yet much smoother over bumps, potholes, etc... and the FX gets pulled from side to side, amost jumping across the highway when I hit some bumps. Not a hint of that with the X5.

[streetsoffire]

Pablo: The X is definity a much better driver and road going vehicle, and I believe some here have even taken them on 'non-paved' surfaces. I still own a LC, and it is a much better off-road vehicle. When I go hiking or trail-hopping, or off-roading, its the LC that fits that bill. I have never had to dig it out of the snow; flooded streets are not a problem, and it can carry a ton of gear. Its just not fun to drive. For that, I turn to the X. Its quick and agile, looks great even thou its an 02, and it feels good in my hands. I am happy you liked both.......

[mkaresh]

The E70 has a much better ride/handling balance than the E53. It's more like BMW's cars in the way it provides a decent right together with excellent handling (for an SUV).

As you note, though, the LC and X5 are very different vehicles. The LC doesn't pretend to be about the driving experience. Where I get hung up is with the Range Rover Sport, which strives to bridge the gap between these two types. I test drove one expecting good handling...and, well, no.