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We had an E70X5 4.8i, then an E61 535xi wagon (which we still have) and recently went shopping for an SUV to replace the 535xi wagon. We looked at the new X5 M50i, but the V8 has such a bad reputation for reliability that I crossed it off the list. We usually keep cars 10 years, so it would be out of warranty most of our ownership and people complain about the losing use of the car even while it is under warranty due to the number and duration of repairs. We tried an X5 40i MSport, but it just did not drive that well. The B58 engine gets great reviews, though. We ended up driving some Cayennes, a base model, an S model and a GTS model. We bought the S model and think it's fantastic. The Cayenne is the most car--like in terms of handling of any SUV we have driven. Not cheap though and the model is new enough that there are not a lot of used examples and the used ones are not discounted that much from MSRP. We figured that since we like nice cars and keep them a long time that it was worth the money for us.
I have been recommending the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade to others. There is also now a Genesis G80 that appears to be based on the platform but has the 375 hp twin turbo 6. I need a little fun in the family car since I have to drive it sometimes. Car and Driver tested the Cayenne S at 4.2 to 60 and 109 in the quarter, which is entertaining for an SUV even if it is well short of an AMG or X5M or Cayenne Turbo. I am impressed with this 2.9L twin turbo borrowed from Audi. Maybe I will add a JB4 eventually.
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