Audi Q7, Bmw X5, RR Discovery 3, RR Soort and Volvo XC90 ?

[SilverS8]

Good evening

Seems that some of the members here has experience with other Cars then our beloved 8's, so therefor i was hoping on some advise regarding the 5 Suv's in topic.

For the Audi/Bmw/Volvo i'm looking at 2007-08 and for the RR Disco 2003-2006

Which would you choose and why?

Which has the best room for a family and drives the best?

Absolutely anything you can contribute with from your own experience will be very appreciated,

Thanks

Jan

[S4_Sat]

Audi Q7

Nice car, handles well for its size. too big for most spaces, very heavy on tyres and brakes, not that economical, spec can vary massively, tax is pricey, 7 seater as standard (6 seater option is rare)

BMW X5

Not so bad, handles the best of the bunch, too much of a bell-end image associated with these, available in 5 or 7 seat forms, can be a bit gutless in X-Drive 30d guise.

LR Disco

Very good car, handles like a truck but grips surprisingly well, refined, plenty of space and gadgets, air suspension can be a bit iffy on the discovery 3, glass roofs can leak on the rear-most panel, 7 seater with huge boot and can tow huge weight.

RR Sport

Handles well, heavy of fuel and tyres as well, very tight on space for broad shoulders and rear headroom, gadget count is good, only a 5 seater, but of a WAG image with these too, 2.7D is woeful, 3.0D is much better, 4.4V8 is the best one but a bit thirsty.

Volvo XC90

Handles like a modern pick up (Hilux/L200), equipment count is good on later models and higher spec ones, all come with the same engine except the rare 4.4V8, heavy on tyres, gutless in 2.4D5 form and gearbox is slow, 7 setarer as standard.

Of all of the above, I'd go for the Disco as it's the best blend of space, spec, handling and hasn't got the image associated with the others. It'll also tow a mountain if you wanted it to lol. Little tip though, if you get one, have the windows tinted, in cold weather the heat escapes very quickly as there's alot of glass which is great for visibility but rubbish for retaining warmth.

[SilverS8]

Wow..!!

Verry appreciated and thanks alot!

The X5 and Disco is my 2 fav's. The Bmw for the driving experience and the Disco for the giant boot and looks less 'look at me".

Will prob see if i can find 1 of each to take it for a test.

[B17NKA]

Hello
You don't want an early Range Rover Sport neither only from late 2006 on,early Sports were unreliable,also the dash boards were lit by bulbs shining down on the gauges from the top of the cowl,like an old Opel Manta ? My brother is on his third Sport first one was a 2008 TDV8 fantastic car but thirsty,he now has a new 3 litre one that's fantastic as well,but still heavy on fuel and high tax bands
My personal preference Audi Q7 love em
Regard Andy

[PsYcHe]

XC90.. So insanely practical it's unreal, the petrol engines are really thirsty and the diesels need to be the 180 or 200hp versions really. Handles pretty crap though. Looks quite dated inside but does seat 7 proper adults with some luggage.

X5.. Pretty nippy if it's the 218HP 3.0 diesel. Handles well, sport suspension a little harsh. Comfy, not as practical for load lugging as the XC90 and apparently the 7-seat X5s were a bit crap as 7-seaters.

[Conquistador]

RR Sport, I've been driving them a lot over the last couple of years for work, the 4.4-TDV8 is silky smooth, goes like a train and sounds meaty from the outside and inside. The 3.0-TDV6 has still got some poke but is less refined in my opinion. Both are heavy on fuel though, and maintenance. I haven't driven the 2.7 diseasel, but it probably won't impress.

As B17NKA says, you want a post-2006 model, and if the budget stretches, a facelift version of that (with the all-LED tail lights. 2009 onwards). But in all models, I've found the ride choppy and firm.

I spent all of yesterday in the brand new shape RR Sport actually and it's such a vast improvement over the previous model. Its a lot softer, nicer to drive and above all SPORTier and is packed with all sorts of gadgets and features.



But for family, I'd pick a Discovery over a RR Sport...

[S4_Sat]

Let me be a pain in the butt and throw a curveball into the mix.

I work for a car hire company which deals in prestige and sports cars so I have pretty extensive experience with most types of cars.

Try the following cars which should come in at around the same price bracket as the cars you've mentioned.




Mercedes ML280/300/320CDi - alot rarer than the others, bit more refined and stable/solid feeling. Good spec too and especially in the Edition 10 models.

VW Touareg 3.0TDi - more discreet than the others, same driving experience as the Q7 and slightly better specced. Altitude version is just plain lovely. Could possibly even find a good 5.0V10TDi if you're lucky

Porsche Cayenne 3.6 - bit under powered but worth it for the driving experience. Best handling SUV out there.

These should be within your budget and have plenty of room for the family but only come in 5 seat form.

[SilverS8]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Since i live in the most expensive country in the world(Norway) it will only be afordable to buy either car with the smallest diesel engine

The Bmw does look the most stunning and as mentioned above prob is the most sporty of the bunch. I nede to check the backseat regarding rearfaced childseat and the remaining legroom in front when thats in place along with the bootspace for alle the other stuff A 2007 X5 3.0 TDI 234bhp comes in around 40-45000£..

The XC90 is from speaking to some people the best regarding space but lacks all the fun and sporty feeling.. 2007-2008 2.5 TDI 185 bhp has a pricetag between 30-35000£ so a bit cheaper,

Q7 Was at the start the one i would like the most, but from searching the net they seem to lack inside space both in the backseat and in the boot compared to the size of the car. Also if you dont find a s-line it looks really dull.... Cheapest 2007 3"0 TDi with 140000 miles on it will set me back apx 37000£

Touareg is a raised Passat and really dont have alot of space also they are full of faults and if you could find a 3.0 TDI with S-Line they are apx 42000£.

RR Sport is of the table after speaking to a colleague that had one. same backseat space as a Mk 1 Golf and the boot of a Vw Polo Stationwagon

So left we have the LR Disco 3 that has room for everything but according to Jeremy Clarkson they are rubbish I do like how they look with private windows and larger wheels. Its big, bad and hopefully safe. interior is dull, seats seems to lack side suppor(i wish the S8 D2 seats could be oem in any car!) the green lights inside dont really make me fall in love but that that might just be to many years in a Audi
2.7 TDV HSE 2005-2008 range from 28-40000£

What is the difference in SE vs HSE and whas there any upgrqdes during 2003-2009 when facelift came?

Thanks

[Condor]

I have an X5 and use it for daily commuting. It is the older model -an E53 4.8iS, with the Alpina engine and I absolutely love it - handles like a dream, has every electrical gadget made by BMW at the time and the interior finish is the closest to the S8 that I have found. It is Le Mans blue and still looks stunning. Hiwever, as you are in Norway I guess that 4.8 petrol engines are pretty pricey to buy and run..... I would have another BMW anyday as the main dealers have in my experience been a lot better than Mercedes and Audi.

As for the Cayenne, well its just plain bug ugly, what an awful looking car. The Merc ML range seem to have expensive issues and a very poor and bland interioor finish compared to Audi and BMW with uncomfortable seats.
The Toureg is ok and used to have the identical running gear to the Cayenne but looks a bit better and the price tag is better.

I last had a RR in P38 days, enjoyed it but the build quality is definitely not up to BMW quality and the main dealer experiences are generally poor, certainly mine were, and current friends with RR products have similar problems.

BMW all the way for me from personal long term ownership experience.

[Stevie]

Originally Posted by S4_Sat

Audi Q7

Nice car, handles well for its size. too big for most spaces, very heavy on tyres and brakes, not that economical, spec can vary massively, tax is pricey, 7 seater as standard (6 seater option is rare)

BMW X5

Not so bad, handles the best of the bunch, too much of a bell-end image associated with these, available in 5 or 7 seat forms, can be a bit gutless in X-Drive 30d guise.

LR Disco

Very good car, handles like a truck but grips surprisingly well, refined, plenty of space and gadgets, air suspension can be a bit iffy on the discovery 3, glass roofs can leak on the rear-most panel, 7 seater with huge boot and can tow huge weight.

RR Sport

Handles well, heavy of fuel and tyres as well, very tight on space for broad shoulders and rear headroom, gadget count is good, only a 5 seater, but of a WAG image with these too, 2.7D is woeful, 3.0D is much better, 4.4V8 is the best one but a bit thirsty.

Volvo XC90

Handles like a modern pick up (Hilux/L200), equipment count is good on later models and higher spec ones, all come with the same engine except the rare 4.4V8, heavy on tyres, gutless in 2.4D5 form and gearbox is slow, 7 setarer as standard.

Of all of the above, I'd go for the Disco as it's the best blend of space, spec, handling and hasn't got the image associated with the others. It'll also tow a mountain if you wanted it to lol. Little tip though, if you get one, have the windows tinted, in cold weather the heat escapes very quickly as there's alot of glass which is great for visibility but rubbish for retaining warmth.

Later XC90's have a 200HP diesel. I had one of these. They aren't badly under powered but are very heavy off the line as the turbo kicks in. Later models are much better built.