X5 = Good (the best rating)
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=451
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/tsp_archive.html

Cayenne = Not tested.. interpret as you will.

X5 is no where close to GTS period. In northern VA Fairfax county area, those E70 X5s are everywhere and I mean everywhere i once saw 5 E70 X5s in 2 rows of parking lot in Tysons Corner Mall, it becomes a dime a dozen. But I only see the new CayenneS once a month. And it looks much much better than the E70 X5. And i believe it performs better too.

I wouldn't say 'nowhere near' if you're referring to handling/speed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVl9wUEhkjs

Std. Cayenne and the 'S' variations are everywhere - they aren't 'rare' by any stretch of the imagination.

Methinks they are everywhere because most people figure out that it's a far, far better value than the GTS.

:stickpoke

Not according to northern virginia area, especially in fairfax where you could find an E70 every 5 mins driving. you dont see that many cayenne around. i doubt you see more of cayenneS than e70 on the road.

If you're interested in which is more "fun" a better match, competition-wise, would be the 4.6is or 4.8is. The 4.8is is a great match for the manual GTS...the 4.6is a match for the tiptronic GTS. The 4.8is (stock) is comparatively as refined but it holds a slight performance advantage over the GTS. The E70 4.8i is definitely as refined as the GTS but no match in a performance comparison but still "fun" to drive. However, i believe the E70 holds a better resale value than the GTS and is not as expensive.

This is of course my opinion based on experience as i've driven the vehicles mentioned. A good friend once owned the manual GTS but switched to the tiptronic. The GTS manual is a blast to drive but is a bit cumbersome in traffic.

i understand why we give biased opinions when comparing X5 to other high end SUVs. but sometimes we have to admit that there are whole bunch of SUVs (merc, porchse, audi...) that are far better than the X. why keep praising the X on performance, "fun" while others offer a lot more of it. if you comparing ML to E70 same year, the ML offers much more quiet and softer ride. on the Sport side, X5 can't compare to GTS period. go drive it, you will see the fun you have in E70 is no where near the fun in GTS. E70 X5 is just another brand name SUV.

is the GTS even in the same league has the 48i? it's like comparing a 5er to m5... kinda.

Well, I understand that you think an X5 Forum would be biased - duh, but I gave an unbiased opinion - as unbiased as I can be.

I'm very aware that there are a couple of better performing (than the X5) SUV's - one from Mercedes (ML63) and two from Porsche (both Cayenne Turbos). The Cayenne S is an overpriced Touareg - sorry.

I have driven the GTS many times - IMO (IN MY OPINION), the X5 4.8 (E70 variation) with sport pack and 20's handles nearly as well as the GTS at 9/10ths pace. Apparently, so did the race car driver/commentator on the Youtube video/link I posted above.

I might suggest that YOU (Cayenne FB) drive them both, then offer some feedback.

Save for the ML63, the other variations of the ML's won't hang on a road course with the X5 variant I mentioned above.

BTW, what Audi SUV do you think is better, faster, more full-featured, will hold resale comparatively, or is as good looking OR fun as the X5? Surely, you're not comparing the Q-tugboat :p:

You are really funny, at the end all your arrows point toward the X5. You must be kidding me on this. ML doesnt compare to X5? you kidding me, and FYI i dont have to test drive them. No need to say more on that. But do you realized that your brain is wired to think BMW X5 is better than other SUVs in the same league. CayenneS > ML > E70 = Q7 > RX > MDX thats the rank. Think out of the BOX. Even i check xoutpost.com more than 20 times a day my brain works independently. I am a bmw enthusiat but when it comes to comparing cars, i am very fair and unbiased. NOT LIKE YOU.

Just so you know, a stock ML550 is slightly quicker to 100km than a stock e53 4.8is. No need to even compare to the E70 4.8i.