Hi guys, lurker here thinking about buying the SRT8. One issue I have is getting past spending $65k on a Jeep product, especially when the lowest end model JGC starts at $28k. When you start talking about that much dough you begin to wonder what else is out there. You know.. I'm here I might as well spend $X more and get [Insert more expensive vehicle here].
So I went to drive the X5. Mind you its the 50i model with 400HP which is lower but with 450 ft-lbs which is similar. No chance of me spending $100k on the X5M.
Now these are just my impressions after test driving both vehicles. This is here to try and help anyone making a similar decision. For reference the Jeep is $63k and the X5 was $74k
Looks: The Jeep obviously looks more muscular and sporty. I see a lot of X5's on the road and although I like the newer body style and the nose, the sides and back are just big slabs. Lots of plastic on the fenders and running board area too. Driving home I counted at least 15 of them on the road.
Seats: I was amazed at how flat and boring the BMW seats are. I was expecting better. The Sport seats are better but the sport package was something like $3k more.
Interior: Again I was taken aback by the cheapness of the BMW. The whole dash pad was hard plastic where the Jeep has a leather (or pleather) on a lot of the dash surfaces. Its crazy to see cheap hard plastic with nice real wood inlaid accents in the X5. General layout, appearance and quality feel of materials again went to the Jeep.
Power: The BMW has a strange lag to it. Not just turbo lag but some kind of built in throttle pedal lag. I read about it on line so its a known issue. You mash the go pedal and ... nothing... then 1 second later it takes off with a shot. Must be an eco thing. In the manual shift mode it was much better but in normal "D" it was horrible. Once you get going I think the Jeep felt faster but not by much. The torque is similar but I think the Jeep comes on sooner. My point here is that they seem to be tenths apart so no clear winner here. I could certainly live with either one.
Sound: The Jeep has more rumble both at idle and when you get on it. It sounds more angry. I guess I expected this. The BMW was for sure very quiet at idle and it does have a decent burble when you throttle it. But it never gave me that stupid childhood smile you hope for in a sports car.
Costs: Besides sticker I looked into other costs. For me in my state etc the Jeep was quoted as $950 per year and the BMW $1300. Not crazy but enough to consider. The bimmer is rated 2 mpg higher so that will make up that difference probably. Warranty is similar but Jeep has more power train and BMW has "free" maintenance which is actually a good thing because I hate to pay for an oil change at a BMW dealer.
Features: Both have just about equal size sunroof, radio speakers etc. Never messed with either nav or got too deep into the electronics. The Jeep has the snow/track/mud selector while the BMW just has its auto setting. Trunk and rear seat space was close enough to be a tie.
In the end I didn't like anything about the BMW more than the Jeep and quite a few things I thought were much worse. I was quite disappointed as I was expecting more for my money and the BMW reputation. I went into this feeling there was no way a $63k Jeep could be considered a "value" when you can get a top line Summit for $10-15k less... but after these test drives I may be a believer. Not sure yet if I'm buying the SRT8 but I can say for sure that I crossed off the BMW X5.
I have no interest in the Porsche or anything from VW, Audi, Infinity, Mercedes etc. Looks like my choices are the SRT8 and then a host of smaller cars such as VW Golf R or Subaru STI etc. Not the same at all I know. I set out to buy an STI but I just didn't like it. The Golf is beautiful and feels like a million bucks but its not fast. Its quick but not fast. I need trunk space so the BMW M3 and a host of other sedans are out. I live in New England so AWD is a must for me and my daily driver.
The quest continues!
So I went to drive the X5. Mind you its the 50i model with 400HP which is lower but with 450 ft-lbs which is similar. No chance of me spending $100k on the X5M.
Now these are just my impressions after test driving both vehicles. This is here to try and help anyone making a similar decision. For reference the Jeep is $63k and the X5 was $74k
Looks: The Jeep obviously looks more muscular and sporty. I see a lot of X5's on the road and although I like the newer body style and the nose, the sides and back are just big slabs. Lots of plastic on the fenders and running board area too. Driving home I counted at least 15 of them on the road.
Seats: I was amazed at how flat and boring the BMW seats are. I was expecting better. The Sport seats are better but the sport package was something like $3k more.
Interior: Again I was taken aback by the cheapness of the BMW. The whole dash pad was hard plastic where the Jeep has a leather (or pleather) on a lot of the dash surfaces. Its crazy to see cheap hard plastic with nice real wood inlaid accents in the X5. General layout, appearance and quality feel of materials again went to the Jeep.
Power: The BMW has a strange lag to it. Not just turbo lag but some kind of built in throttle pedal lag. I read about it on line so its a known issue. You mash the go pedal and ... nothing... then 1 second later it takes off with a shot. Must be an eco thing. In the manual shift mode it was much better but in normal "D" it was horrible. Once you get going I think the Jeep felt faster but not by much. The torque is similar but I think the Jeep comes on sooner. My point here is that they seem to be tenths apart so no clear winner here. I could certainly live with either one.
Sound: The Jeep has more rumble both at idle and when you get on it. It sounds more angry. I guess I expected this. The BMW was for sure very quiet at idle and it does have a decent burble when you throttle it. But it never gave me that stupid childhood smile you hope for in a sports car.
Costs: Besides sticker I looked into other costs. For me in my state etc the Jeep was quoted as $950 per year and the BMW $1300. Not crazy but enough to consider. The bimmer is rated 2 mpg higher so that will make up that difference probably. Warranty is similar but Jeep has more power train and BMW has "free" maintenance which is actually a good thing because I hate to pay for an oil change at a BMW dealer.
Features: Both have just about equal size sunroof, radio speakers etc. Never messed with either nav or got too deep into the electronics. The Jeep has the snow/track/mud selector while the BMW just has its auto setting. Trunk and rear seat space was close enough to be a tie.
In the end I didn't like anything about the BMW more than the Jeep and quite a few things I thought were much worse. I was quite disappointed as I was expecting more for my money and the BMW reputation. I went into this feeling there was no way a $63k Jeep could be considered a "value" when you can get a top line Summit for $10-15k less... but after these test drives I may be a believer. Not sure yet if I'm buying the SRT8 but I can say for sure that I crossed off the BMW X5.
I have no interest in the Porsche or anything from VW, Audi, Infinity, Mercedes etc. Looks like my choices are the SRT8 and then a host of smaller cars such as VW Golf R or Subaru STI etc. Not the same at all I know. I set out to buy an STI but I just didn't like it. The Golf is beautiful and feels like a million bucks but its not fast. Its quick but not fast. I need trunk space so the BMW M3 and a host of other sedans are out. I live in New England so AWD is a must for me and my daily driver.
The quest continues!
