'11 RRS-SC v. '11 X5M...
 

I imagine majority of the views will be towards the X5M since you wound up purchasing it but for those who cross-shopped the two... Why did you decide to go with the X5M over the RRS-SC?

I personally hate the look of the RR but when I bought mine my M my close friend bought a RR Autobiography the interior blows away the M but the M has more of an edge to it. It feels more sports car like as well and the performance isn't even close even though the autobiography has a pretty good bump in power of the regular SC. I am late 30s and the M makes me feel my age the RR made me feel about 55 when I drove it. I also like the fact the M has a lot more aftermarket support.


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thanks for the feedback... i agree on the sportier feel. the RRS just feels big and bloated not as agile as the X5M but the interior quality, fit and finish are much nicer and everything feels well constructed. on the previous x5 i owned it had the m-sport function among many other options and lots of trim pieces started to peel and wear very quickly. which seems to be par for the course with bmw and the other ones i owned.

The autobiography has a great interior that's for sure it has a drink cooler as well that would be handy but in the end I wanted the sportier feel the M gives. I would drive them both back to back and see which you enjoy more I don't think there is a wrong choice with those two vehicles.

i did that last weekend... the x5m definitely handles better, is faster, feels faster, newer tech, better seat adjustment but the gas needle moves just as fast as the car... neither are going to win mpg awards but it seems the rrs is definitely better in that department.

my main gripe with bmw in general is the idrive. it isn't intuitive and unnecessarily complicated. audi's mmi is quantum leaps ahead of the competition in that department but i am bored of them already and not revisiting the brand until rs4 avant arrives. (if it arrives.)

I hear you on the iDrive, I would be surprised if the RR gets any better fuel economy especially since it's a much heavier and far less aero dynamic it may have a larger tank so the needle doesn't move as quick :-D

indeed. it's only half a gallon larger so not quite sure what the difference may be and i think there is only one mpg difference between the two... i never been a gallon gazer or cared much but the X5 48i M-Sport i owned constantly ate gas and made me notice how much i was filling up. more so than any other SUV/SAV i owned.

I drove both and the BMW was hands down the winner for me - but I am also a BMW enthusiast and I didn't want to drop another 30-40k for a Porsche

finally - not that any of these are known for Honda like reliability, but the BMW seems less of a hassle and since I prefer to do my own out of warranty repairs...I am more comfortable with BMW logic

the reason why the porsche isn't even in the running for me is because you get less for more money and the interior styling is not for me. at all. too many buttons.

this old interior is just awful... especially in the color of ear wax:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_interior.jpg

the newer version isn't much better and still utilizes the trajillion button feature:
http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-1280x782.jpg

it is really busy