How is the MDX with the higher rated engine specs vs. the X5 anyway? The numbers on the new FX are pretty high too but people always point back to the X5 (or Cayenne) regardless. I'm surprised BMW does it time and again.

About the X5, one of my very first posts here was about me complaining how the X5 didn't impress me as much as I thought it should have. I test drove a non-sport 3.0si with barely anything and went back days later to another dealer to test the 3.0si sport pkg as well as a 4.8i. It definitely grew on me - I think it deserves at least another shot. The delay was not a good selling point for me either but I've learned to live with it (read: adjusted driving styles). Plus it learns at break-in so if you are aggressive with it, it can very much be as responsive as you'd expect. You'd have to think new cars being test-driven are very much confused in the learning phase. If you are more aggressive with it and it still feels underpowered, then you have your answer. Otherwise, you'll be glad you gave it another shot like I did.

MDX engine is a 3.7L. Feels good/ good enough. Rest of the car is pretty blah. Feels cheap inside. SH-AWD works well, but the suspension is poorly tuned. High spring-rates, but underdamped shocks. I've noticed this with 04+ Acura's. Makes for a choppy/unstable ride.

Definitely will try another E70. Hopefully an 07 with more miles.

Then just get the 4.8i. IMO you can't get a mid/large SUV with a 6-cylinder and complain about the performance...it's like getting a convertible and complaining about the tow rating. And trust me, they thought through the gear ratios...and these made the most sense for this vehicle. Just because you won't use the towing doesn't mean other people won't, and they have to come to the best compromise.

If the 4.8i is out for you, then you have two options. Either get the 3.0 and understand that it is what it is...the entry X5 with the corporate CAR engine which will be slower by definition, or get a lighter car with that or a similar engine which will have better performance off the line. If cost is the limiting factor, you have to decide what's more important...storage/AWD/SUVness or performance.

Not really. There's nothing wrong with the engine. Your analogy of getting a convertible and complaining about towing isn't even close to working. It's more like getting a BMW and complaining about the performance. Guess what man, a small displacement engine starting from a stop in a long 2nd gear is far from the Ultimate Driving Machine. The vehicle would've been a-ok if they had they actually used 1st gear.

What percent of X5 owners do you think even have a hitch, and what percent of the time do you think those owners tow? BMW owners care about performance, not the tow rating. See what I'm getting at. 1st gear = reasonable marketing figures and nothing more. It's pretty dirty.

And you should let Acura, Infinity, Porsche and MB know that a 6cyl can't perform in a suv. And for that matter, go let the guys who determined the E53 3.0i's 5spd gearing know too.

First off, relax. I'm just giving my opinion here...I'm as entitled to mine as you are to yours, and I'm not trying to insult you here. I'm trying to help your mom and dad get the car that's best for them.

That said, the X5 3.0 is a vehicle with compromises. I didn't say that a 6-cylinder can't perform in an SUV, although in most cases that's true. What I said is that you can't get a 6-cylinder heavy mid/large SUV and expect it to be fast. Except in cases of small SUVs like the RAV4, X3, etc, the 6-cylinder version of any SUV is not going to be a strong performer. It will get around but it's not going to be as fast as the V8 version. I didn't say there was anything wrong with the engine. There's nothing wrong with the transmission, either. It's the weight. A large, heavy vehicle with an engine made for cars is going to be slower than one with a big V8.

Performance is relative. Not all BMWs are that fast, and because of physics...in this case power-to-weight...the X5 3.0 is going to be among the slowest. Not only that, since this is not one of the premier performance lines, luxury is going to have a bit of a preference over performance...so it makes total sense that the car would start in 2nd. If you could drive the car from 1st gear you would see what I mean...it tends to be a bit jerky which is not ideal in an SUV. The gear ratios you listed are pretty typical for any car, so I'm not sure what you would expect.

What I was trying to say is that if you're going to get this SUV, you understand what it can do and what it can't. If your parents aren't happy with the straight-line performance, then they should opt for the 4.8i. Another option for them is to get the X3 3.0si which is much lighter and will perform better as a result.

Again, it comes down to deciding what is more important...performance, which is on a spectrum from lowest to highest, cost, or utility/AWD/size (all of which add weight).

Kumbaya. :)

You're absolutely right. An suv equipped with a 3.0L is a compromise. However, by only allowing the engine to use a long gear, it's handicapped even further.

You're also right that other vehicles have similar ratios. The E53 3.0i did, with a slighlty longer fd. However, all those other vehicles use their 1st gear.

I'm not sure why the vehicle is jerky in 1st, since we apparently never got to experience it. You have a 4.8- which uses the same ratios as the 3.0si, with a longer fd. So it's very well possible that 1st gear ratio is too short for the V8, and maybe even the I6. The E53 3.0i uses 5.14/2.83 (1st/2nd) which is even shorter than the E70. If the reason for the 1st gear being jerky is too short a gear, they should make it longer. Whether the that's the reason or it lies elsewhere, they should address the problem, not omit the gear.

Bottom line is that no-one in my family lusts after straight-line speed. All of us are more concerned about the handling and driving-dynamics. However, while we're not concerned about the vehicle being fast in a straigh-line, there is a problem if it's slow.

After one month and 660 miles, I'm getting used to the throttle action in our 3.0.

Put your foot in it just a bit from a stop and it'll get up and go. Sport mode makes a big difference - much more so than in our old 325 wagon. And of course, you can throw it into manual and shift it yourself.

It's no V8, but this inline-6 is a pretty great little engine. I have no complaints.

I owned a 2007 MDX for a year. While I liked it, I thought it was much more sluggish overall than the 3.0 X5 (even though the MDX specs are better).

I agree with another poster here, the MDX ride is just OK, it felt heavier and choppier. The MDX is a nice SUV, but seems to me to be more like a really nice Honda than a true luxury vehicle.

I just took the X5 on a 4000 mile trip. It is much more responsive a higher speeds than the MDX was.