X3 M40i, Macan S, GLC43, or SQ5?

[Conissah]

The Merc and the Porsche are out for me. For the Merc, I just hate Saloon looking SUVs, they make no sense in terms of storage and they just look off to me. The Macan is just meh, they don't excite me, but they sell super well for a reason.

I've been in the Alfa's and man oh man, I fell in love. Both the Giulia and Stelvio are beautiful vehicles, but I see that you said you're worried about reliability. If it's any consolation, I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 100k miles and towed with it quite often, no issues whatsoever. I loved that thing, so much in fact that my next vehicle WILL either be an SRT Jeep or an SRT Durango. I have no hesitation to get another one. I think you should consider the SRT Jeeps tbh. They are good inside, albiet not Audi / BMW / Merc levels, but they're also not as expensive. They have a great ACC system, the ZF8 is brilliant, they tow very very well, and do 0-60 in a hair over 4 seconds. Plus that 6.4L V8 sounds wicked.

The new X3's with the S58 are ridiculous in terms of power, and they look SO GOOD. But having never been in one, I just have to base my opinion on the ones I've seen on the road and videos. As for the SQ5, my buddy has one, and I absolutely love that thing too. We put an intake on it, and hearing the supercharger whine when you're hard on the accelerator is awesome. It's the only supercharged SUV in your lineup. The build quality is fantastic, and used ones can be had for quite a steal. It didn't WOW me though in terms of acceleration, it was quick but nothing extremely exciting.

[GenXer]

I've owned a new Alfa-Romeo Guilia Q4 AWD with all the options when it first came out. It was quick even with the 2.0L Turbo. It was beautiful and well put together; excellent paint, good fit and finished but I still wouldn't recommend an Alfa. I paid $54K for it and sold it back to the dealer for $45K in 6 months with only 500 miles on it. The dealer had it for a couple of months and the price went down to $35k.

Stick with the Germans. I think you will be very happy with an X5!

[strohw]

Originally Posted by Conissah

I've been in the Alfa's and man oh man, I fell in love. Both the Giulia and Stelvio are beautiful vehicles, but I see that you said you're worried about reliability. If it's any consolation, I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 100k miles and towed with it quite often, no issues whatsoever. I loved that thing, so much in fact that my next vehicle WILL either be an SRT Jeep or an SRT Durango. I have no hesitation to get another one. I think you should consider the SRT Jeeps tbh. They are good inside, albiet not Audi / BMW / Merc levels, but they're also not as expensive. They have a great ACC system, the ZF8 is brilliant, they tow very very well, and do 0-60 in a hair over 4 seconds. Plus that 6.4L V8 sounds wicked.

Jeep SRT with a few options is mid 70k which is more than the ones you listed. Though it is also x5 sized, not the compact size of the others listed.

The Durango SRT starts 6K cheaper than the Jeep but they're being sneaky with that pricing. They pulled out the soft touch plastics and most of the upper end safety tech and put them into packages. Once you option those then they're the same price. On this one you trade a better Jeep package for a 3rd row or 10cuft of storage. I think the color options on the Durango are more fun.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by Conissah

As for the SQ5, my buddy has one, and I absolutely love that thing too. We put an intake on it, and hearing the supercharger whine when you're hard on the accelerator is awesome. It's the only supercharged SUV in your lineup. The build quality is fantastic, and used ones can be had for quite a steal. It didn't WOW me though in terms of acceleration, it was quick but nothing extremely exciting.

I think you're thinking of the old SQ5 which was supercharged, the new one is only turbocharged, using Audi's corporate 3.0T + ZF8, but for some reason the tuning on the new S4/5/SQ5's seems to be very laggy.

[GenXer]

This was mine.

[nick3753]

Originally Posted by Conissah

The Merc and the Porsche are out for me. For the Merc, I just hate Saloon looking SUVs, they make no sense in terms of storage and they just look off to me. The Macan is just meh, they don't excite me, but they sell super well for a reason.

I've been in the Alfa's and man oh man, I fell in love. Both the Giulia and Stelvio are beautiful vehicles, but I see that you said you're worried about reliability. If it's any consolation, I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 100k miles and towed with it quite often, no issues whatsoever. I loved that thing, so much in fact that my next vehicle WILL either be an SRT Jeep or an SRT Durango. I have no hesitation to get another one. I think you should consider the SRT Jeeps tbh. They are good inside, albiet not Audi / BMW / Merc levels, but they're also not as expensive. They have a great ACC system, the ZF8 is brilliant, they tow very very well, and do 0-60 in a hair over 4 seconds. Plus that 6.4L V8 sounds wicked.

The new X3's with the S58 are ridiculous in terms of power, and they look SO GOOD. But having never been in one, I just have to base my opinion on the ones I've seen on the road and videos. As for the SQ5, my buddy has one, and I absolutely love that thing too. We put an intake on it, and hearing the supercharger whine when you're hard on the accelerator is awesome. It's the only supercharged SUV in your lineup. The build quality is fantastic, and used ones can be had for quite a steal. It didn't WOW me though in terms of acceleration, it was quick but nothing extremely exciting.

The current SQ5 is turbocharged (with ungodly fake exhaust tips). The previous version was supercharged and at the time IMO the best sporty small SUV for the price. It didn't handle as well as the Macan, but sounded better, had more interior space and was cheaper in similar spec.

Edit. Beaten too it by Joshxxxx

[jamesinaz]

For the Subaru lovers.

https://www.facebook.com/officialgol...6454125228810/

Hope it worked.

[Conissah]

Originally Posted by strohw

Jeep SRT with a few options is mid 70k which is more than the ones you listed. Though it is also x5 sized, not the compact size of the others listed.

The Durango SRT starts 6K cheaper than the Jeep but they're being sneaky with that pricing. They pulled out the soft touch plastics and most of the upper end safety tech and put them into packages. Once you option those then they're the same price. On this one you trade a better Jeep package for a 3rd row or 10cuft of storage. I think the color options on the Durango are more fun.

True, but OP said he was looking at a 2 year old Macan, in which case a pretty low mileage 2017-2019 SRT Jeep is $45-50k. They're a lot for the money and tend to hold value well after that initial depreciation hit. The SRT Durango's (used) seem to be sticking up past $50k.

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

I think you're thinking of the old SQ5 which was supercharged, the new one is only turbocharged, using Audi's corporate 3.0T + ZF8, but for some reason the tuning on the new S4/5/SQ5's seems to be very laggy.

Originally Posted by nick3753

The current SQ5 is turbocharged (with ungodly fake exhaust tips). The previous version was supercharged and at the time IMO the best sporty small SUV for the price. It didn't handle as well as the Macan, but sounded better, had more interior space and was cheaper in similar spec.

Edit. Beaten too it by Joshxxxx

Ahh, did not know the new ones were turbo. That's a let down, the supercharger provided a great low end grunt, and that whine was awesome. I'd probably pull it from the list then, unless OP wants an "older" one.

[cfm56d7b]

jamesinaz, did you make the final purchase decision?

[Maitre_Absolut]

I went through this a couple of months ago to replace our X2.

I wanted the X3 M40i but the SQ5 won.

First the M40i leased like crap compared the SQ5. That could be a timing or geographical difference.

But the M40i MSRP also made no sense. Starting price just behind my old Macan GTS which is an infinitely better car, value, resale, etc.

Very happy with decision on SQ5. Not as flashy as the others but love the understated element to it.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Maitre_Absolut

I went through this a couple of months ago to replace our X2.

I wanted the X3 M40i but the SQ5 won.

First the M40i leased like crap compared the SQ5. That could be a timing or geographical difference.

But the M40i MSRP also made no sense. Starting price just behind my old Macan GTS which is an infinitely better car, value, resale, etc.

Very happy with decision on SQ5. Not as flashy as the others but love the understated element to it.

The biggest issue with the SQ5 is the throttle lag. After 3 vehicles with the same engine and issue, it was a deal breaker when I was looking to replace my totaled S5 Sportback. It's too bad because I really wanted to like the SQ5.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

I test drove the X3M and was honestly pretty disappointed. It was fast but nothing about it gave me that "wow" feeling. Maybe it's just me but I also felt like the seats were way too hard and not very comfortable, even on a short test drive.

As I said....we were on a track and encouraged to accelerate, corner, brake, etc as hard as we could.

I don't drive SUV's, so maybe that is why it impressed me. I was expecting "Soccer Mom" type driving...so maybe my opinion is skewed.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by Maitre_Absolut

I went through this a couple of months ago to replace our X2.

I wanted the X3 M40i but the SQ5 won.

First the M40i leased like crap compared the SQ5. That could be a timing or geographical difference.

But the M40i MSRP also made no sense. Starting price just behind my old Macan GTS which is an infinitely better car, value, resale, etc.

Very happy with decision on SQ5. Not as flashy as the others but love the understated element to it.

I glanced on the Canada website for both and the MSRP of the SQ5 and the M40i is only showing a difference of 3k. After I optioned pretty much everything for both cars, the difference stayed at just under 3k. A Macan GTS starts at 3k less than a full optioned out M40i. Here in the US, a Macan GTS starts at about 2K more than a fully optioned M40i.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

The more I research the more I come full circle back to the M Sport X5. Yeah, it isn't the handling machine a Porsche is but same or less money and more room and comfort and I still get my power. I may be close to deciding. Big issue is - got a BMW lease thru June 15. Not sure of they ever let people out of a lease early with no penalty if they jump into another lease right away. If they did I think this would be in my garage next week.

On this topic, the other vehicle my folks recently got was the new X5 M sport but with the 22 inch wheels. Tartufo individual interior with the glass pkg.

Much nicer place to spend time in than the Macan and even Cayenne; tech and ergonomics are first class. The 40i model is quick enough but won't thrill you. Where the X5 falls short is its driving dynamics. Great highway cruiser with more weighty steering at those high speeds. But I've found if you're going under 45-50mph you'll have almost zero confidence in how the car handles. The steering has zero road feel and even in Sport mode has no weight/resistance dialed in. I have a lot of difficulty keeping myself in my lane because of (a) disconnected steering and (b) the ever enlarging proportions of the X5.

So nice car overall but not engaging to drive besides at higher speeds. If you're cool with that the X5 is best in class and leases well.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

The biggest issue with the SQ5 is the throttle lag. After 3 vehicles with the same engine and issue, it was a deal breaker when I was looking to replace my totaled S5 Sportback. It's too bad because I really wanted to like the SQ5.

Why not just run a tune? Fixes all of that. Easy way to add 80hp and over 100 lb ft for $700. I like that the SQ5 has a normal mode. The MX340i is a little too high strung in its normal mode.

APR is far from the most aggressive choice, but there's some appeal to their Plus tune with warranty coverage, although many dealers seem okay with their regular tunes, but best to check with yours.


https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_30t_b9.html

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Why not just run a tune? Fixes all of that. Easy way to add 80hp and over 100 lb ft for $700. I like that the SQ5 has a normal mode. The MX340i is a little too high strung in its normal mode.

APR is far from the most aggressive choice, but there's some appeal to their Plus tune with warranty coverage, although many dealers seem okay with their regular tunes, but best to check with yours.


https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_30t_b9.html

Because some people don't want to bother with the hassles that come with a tune (they are fairly safe but if you don't have a "tune friendly" dealership that you get service with, say bye bye to your warranty).

Also the issue isn't about not having enough power...it's the transmission tuning on these vehicles.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

jamesinaz, did you make the final purchase decision?

No. Still in analysis paralysis.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Because some people don't want to bother with the hassles that come with a tune (they are fairly safe but if you don't have a "tune friendly" dealership that you get service with, say bye bye to your warranty).

Also the issue isn't about not having enough power...it's the transmission tuning on these vehicles.

Plenty of options for the transmission tuning too, on any ZF8. As stated, APR provides a powertrain warranty on their Plus tunes, but I get it, not for everyone. The APR tune still adjust throttle tuning and ignition delay, where a lot of the annoyance in the stock behavior lies.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

On this topic, the other vehicle my folks recently got was the new X5 M sport but with the 22 inch wheels. Tartufo individual interior with the glass pkg.

Much nicer place to spend time in than the Macan and even Cayenne; tech and ergonomics are first class. The 40i model is quick enough but won't thrill you. Where the X5 falls short is its driving dynamics. Great highway cruiser with more weighty steering at those high speeds. But I've found if you're going under 45-50mph you'll have almost zero confidence in how the car handles. The steering has zero road feel and even in Sport mode has no weight/resistance dialed in. I have a lot of difficulty keeping myself in my lane because of (a) disconnected steering and (b) the ever enlarging proportions of the X5.

So nice car overall but not engaging to drive besides at higher speeds. If you're cool with that the X5 is best in class and leases well.

I wonder if part of the issue with driving dynamics is the oversize wheels and tires on your folks car. I test drove one with 20 inch tires and had no issues with feel and holding a line. I admit it wasn't a sport feel but I didn't feel disconnected from the road entirely.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by strohw

I glanced on the Canada website for both and the MSRP of the SQ5 and the M40i is only showing a difference of 3k. After I optioned pretty much everything for both cars, the difference stayed at just under 3k. A Macan GTS starts at 3k less than a full optioned out M40i. Here in the US, a Macan GTS starts at about 2K more than a fully optioned M40i.

Odd that the local Porsche dealers have zero Macan GTS. All the base, S and Turbo you want but no GTS.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

No. Still in analysis paralysis.

Well - considering that auto sales are declining, you could be looking at better prices. Analysis paralysis usually comes to a swift conclusion while ready to sign a great deal.

[stein_325i]

I'm gonna throw in a wildcard. What about Model Y? Its not the prettiest choice, but its definitely an interesting and different vehicle from the others, and fits the criteria.