Some good news, some bad news, next car search begins

[Actor]

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

Oh yeah, absolutely... I still will test drive anything... I was on their website for an hour or so getting up to speed with the their current technologies, etc. One thing is for sure, I would definitely feel my family would be safe in the vehicle.

….and before you ask, I do not work for JLR!!!!

[Bluehorseshoe]

Second this Actor. For the hell of it, test drive a new RR Supercharged (full-sized, not Sport). It is superb. M5 is nice balance between sport and luxury. RR SC is a nice balance between luxury, off-road and sport. My vote is '15 RR or M5. All the best and congratulations on your wife's pregnancy.

[ezmaass]

B-1 - congrats on the new baby! My wife and I had our first last summer - now 7 months old, and it definitely does change you... including those OCD behaviors. My experience so far, though, has been that the baby is surprisingly clean in the back of a car... they're pretty well nestled into their car seat, so no mess. There's been an occasional spit-up, but it usually doesn't go further than their own chest. You're going to love being a dad - there's nothing like it.

While I think I'd have to put some thought into what makes sense to suggest, I CAN say I'd steer clear of a Land Rover. I love the cars, but like you had a very poor experience in the past... maintenance, as well. These things are like tanks, and they're beyond impressive when put to the test... but they're just unreliable in my experience. And if you're 2.5 hours from a dealer, I wouldn't ever consider it.

[Bluehorseshoe]

Drove mine hard for a little over 3 years and was only at the dealership 3 times for normal maintenance without a single problem. Hit or miss I guess. I loved that it was vault solid and didn't need to be babied, particularly where I live in the northeast. For me it was the epitome of reliability, capability and safety for my kids. It makes more sense if you live closer to a dealership for sure. My nearest dealer was a little over an hour away and it was no problem. But over 2 seems unreasonable.

[B-1Pilot]

Thanks for the nice words and the inputs... I will probably go test drive all four I would consider in that class (X5, Cayenne, ML, and RR), just to see. I think my wife will get the biggest vote here... she's a bit petite and doesnt really like too large of cars though -- she's perfectly happy with her three series even when I have tried to get her into something larger.

My experience with range rover ten years ago was not great, but they sure are like being in a tank, so their safety is without question -- I worry about the electronics and expensive maintenance.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is no better car for me than the M5 at my price point. I will most likely order another; but I will go test drive the latest offerings from the competitors just to be sure first.

[Spinny02]

+1 Cayenne no other SUV feels the same after you've owned one.

[Bluehorseshoe]

While you're at it, and if it's with your wife in mind, it will be hard to beat the new RR Sport. I really wish BMW kept RR. Those two are made for each other like no other two car companies. RR is the BMW of SUVs.
Although the X5 is nice and has become much nicer with 2014 model year, it cannot currently compare to a full-sized RR. The Sport is more comparable to X5.
I would only consider X5 diesel and Cayenne diesel. These diesel variants have made the gasoline models almost obsolete IMO.

[positiveions]

Congrats on both, especially the baby :thump:.

You know, the X6M is an awesome car to own with an upcoming baby: powerful, spacious, and comfortable.
However, the downside that it only seats 4 people.

[mstmng]

Originally Posted by positiveions

Congrats on both, especially the baby :thump:.

You know, the X6M is an awesome car to own with an upcoming baby: powerful, spacious, and comfortable.
However, the downside that it only seats 4 people.

U get 5th seat as an option

[SM335i]

have you considered looking at the new audi s6? I think its pretty awesome with the TTV8

[avlnch]

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

Thanks for the nice words and the inputs... I will probably go test drive all four I would consider in that class (X5, Cayenne, ML, and RR), just to see. I think my wife will get the biggest vote here... she's a bit petite and doesnt really like too large of cars though -- she's perfectly happy with her three series even when I have tried to get her into something larger.

My experience with range rover ten years ago was not great, but they sure are like being in a tank, so their safety is without question -- I worry about the electronics and expensive maintenance.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is no better car for me than the M5 at my price point. I will most likely order another; but I will go test drive the latest offerings from the competitors just to be sure first.

I would recommend driving the:
- Porsche Cayenne GTS or Turbo
- Porsche Macan Turbo
- BMW X5M
- Range Rover HSE S/C

I have owned a Range Rover HSE S/C. I have also owned a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.

Currently I drive F10 M5, and my three cars before that were E60 M5's.

The Range Rover HSE S/C I would say is maybe the most practical car for having a kid. While it has decent power it does drive very much like a boat.

The Porsche Cayenne is an SUV that drives and handles like a sedan. Defiantly not a boat, and is very fast. There are various Porsche Cayenne models depending on how much you want to spend. You would probably want the GTS or Turbo model.

The Porsche Macan Turbo is now out. It's like a baby Cayenne. I have not seen or sat in/drove one yet.

The only other SUV that handles like a car is the X5M. If you want to stay within BMW M and really like your F10 M5, this is the closest SUV. As you know, the X5M engine is very similar.

[B-1Pilot]

Originally Posted by avlnch

I would recommend driving the:
- Porsche Cayenne GTS or Turbo
- Porsche Macan Turbo
- BMW X5M
- Range Rover HSE S/C

I have owned a Range Rover HSE S/C. I have also owned a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.

Currently I drive F10 M5, and my three cars before that were E60 M5's.

The Range Rover HSE S/C I would say is maybe the most practical car for having a kid. While it has decent power it does drive very much like a boat.

The Porsche Cayenne is an SUV that drives and handles like a sedan. Defiantly not a boat, and is very fast. There are various Porsche Cayenne models depending on how much you want to spend. You would probably want the GTS or Turbo model.

The Porsche Macan Turbo is now out. It's like a baby Cayenne. I have not seen or sat in/drove one yet.

The only other SUV that handles like a car is the X5M. If you want to stay within BMW M and really like your F10 M5, this is the closest SUV. As you know, the X5M engine is very similar.

Sat in or saw all of these today at the auto show...

Macan Turbo really looked cool, but couldn't sit in it. I will be testing one of these out in May when they are available

We didn't like a single range rover.

The X5 is pretty nice and familiar. I look forward to how the new X5M turn out

I wanted to get in the AMG ML, but that was locked too.

Audis did nothing for us, but Volvos were surprising nice!

Looks like I am now going to be gone overseas for just over a year now, so more time to decide.