Anonymous wrote:I don't understand. The GLS starts at about the same price as the X7. If you are fancy enough for the X7, you are fancy enough for the GLS. The Q7 is cheaper but that's because, well, it's an Audi.

You should absolutely look at a GLS, in Diamond White.

LOL no

The Audi is premier the GLS is a slug and will be in the shop way more.

I have an X5 that I LOVE (M-sport with a turbo inline 8- sort of a step down from the full-blown X5M). Definitely no room for a third row, though. I say it's a "driver's car" (performance-oriented) that happens to fit the family...snugly.

DH loves his Aviator, which is very comfortable and has three rows, and he doesn't have qualms about the performance. So I say that one is a family car that also drives well (enough). But he also has a sports car for when he gets the need for speed. If that's not something you really care about, though, it seems to be a good bang for the buck compared to the luxury cars.

I drove a fully loaded X7 as a loaner (maybe the German luxuries drive more reliably as a PP said, but they do have their issues IME. So do non-German non-luxuries--my Mustang and Nissan sedan had plenty). The X7 was very nice and very big. Too big for me.

My $0.02!

The Audi Q5 and the BMW X3 are almost exactly the same size, so I assume the Q7 is smaller than the X7.

While BMW and Audi are fancy cars, and are in the same category as their competitor Mercedes, they don't have quite the same brand image.
Mercedes are fancier and much more associated with luxury.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is an X-7 midsized? I thought the 3 was small sized, 5 was mid and 7 was large

OP is ignorant and you are right. The X5 is the mid-size; the X7 is the full-size.

Also, only on DCUM does someone describe themselves as “not fancy,” but talks about considering a $75K vehicle.

FWIW, DH has the X5 and loves it. I have a fully loaded Lincoln Corsair and love it (I know the Corsair gets hate on this forum, but it really is awesome).

LOL, this is OP. Ignorant as charged. I guess I'm not as car-savvy as all you people! I think of vehicles like the Tahoe, Suburban, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. as full-size. What are those? SUPER-full sized? SUPER-DUPER Full Sized?
In any case, thanks for all the helpful feedback about what an idiot I am for not feeling fancy enough for Mercedes. I guess I just view the brand as much flashier than BMW or Audi. But I will definitely take your opinions to heart.

Mercedes is doing a much better job designing their cars as of late. You are right to think that a MB generally looks more glamorous than an equivalent BMW. Seriously, go check out a GLS, or a GLE if you want something smaller. Remember, Diamond White.

I am actually a fan of BMW, having owed a few of their straight six and turbo six cars throughout the years, but they have been really disappointing in the past 10 years or so. We bought our first Mercedes in 2013 and we are on our third one. MB is really pushing the boundaries of what a mass market brand can sell with cars like the GT and the G Wagen. The interior is especially fancy with their ambient lighting. Test drive one at night, it's like a dance club in there.

Mercedes’ dance club interior is tacky and out of place on a $100k car. I’d expect something much more classy and elegant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These cars and SUVs are pits of money. Parts are so expensive compared to Toyotas and Hondas. I guess people are stupid.

Or we don’t want to drive around in some plastic car?

I do not know the x7, but I generally do not like bmw. I have a GLS, and they are really nice. Way nicer than the Q7. Not sure if your price point, but I like the XC90 better than the Q7. The interior of the GLS blows the others away though. GLE is priced mid to upper 60s if you are looking for midsize. I wouldn’t consider the Q7 midsize.

plastic is exactly what comes to mind when I think of land cruisers (the Toyota equivalent to these cars)

Do you have a Land Cruiser?
We don't but have been researching one. They are used in 3rd world countries when people need to be sure their vehicle will not break down. They last much longer than most cars and are built with much more reliable parts. They've been discontinued because they were so expensive and most other cars have improved drastically in reliability making the Land Cruiser superior (but not by as much).
I think the Land Cruiser is overpriced but not sure I'd say it's plastic.

I was actually downsizing to a true 5 passenger midsize and test drove all three brands (X3, Q5, ML350). Before driving them I thought I was going to get the Audi, but I just never loved it (went back to test drive a couple times to be sure) and I do love my BMW X3. Part of me wishes I had gotten the two row X5, but I still love size/trunk of X3. Trunk size was my #1 factor so I didn’t look at comparable Mercedes after reading trunks were smaller. I have two older kids, so no need for car seats, but leg room was important.

The third row in the X5 is pretty small. I have friends with Q7s that love them and say they don’t feel so big.

I never looked at the BMW, but looked at the Q7 and GLS and ended up buying the Volvo X90 instead. I love it. I felt like the ride was smoother than the Q7 and I like the exterior look of it more than the other two.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand. The GLS starts at about the same price as the X7. If you are fancy enough for the X7, you are fancy enough for the GLS. The Q7 is cheaper but that's because, well, it's an Audi.

You should absolutely look at a GLS, in Diamond White.

I think op was implying Benz is for old people.

I have a Q7 and love it. It feels refined and sporty without being too large or flashy. Drives great in inclement weather and no reliability problems. I have a 2019 and the 2019+ have better reliability ratings following the Q7 redesign. Good tech, but intuitive to use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is an X-7 midsized? I thought the 3 was small sized, 5 was mid and 7 was large

OP is ignorant and you are right. The X5 is the mid-size; the X7 is the full-size.

Also, only on DCUM does someone describe themselves as “not fancy,” but talks about considering a $75K vehicle.

FWIW, DH has the X5 and loves it. I have a fully loaded Lincoln Corsair and love it (I know the Corsair gets hate on this forum, but it really is awesome).

LOL, this is OP. Ignorant as charged. I guess I'm not as car-savvy as all you people! I think of vehicles like the Tahoe, Suburban, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. as full-size. What are those? SUPER-full sized? SUPER-DUPER Full Sized?
In any case, thanks for all the helpful feedback about what an idiot I am for not feeling fancy enough for Mercedes. I guess I just view the brand as much flashier than BMW or Audi. But I will definitely take your opinions to heart.

Mercedes is doing a much better job designing their cars as of late. You are right to think that a MB generally looks more glamorous than an equivalent BMW. Seriously, go check out a GLS, or a GLE if you want something smaller. Remember, Diamond White.

I am actually a fan of BMW, having owed a few of their straight six and turbo six cars throughout the years, but they have been really disappointing in the past 10 years or so. We bought our first Mercedes in 2013 and we are on our third one. MB is really pushing the boundaries of what a mass market brand can sell with cars like the GT and the G Wagen. The interior is especially fancy with their ambient lighting. Test drive one at night, it's like a dance club in there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is an X-7 midsized? I thought the 3 was small sized, 5 was mid and 7 was large

OP is ignorant and you are right. The X5 is the mid-size; the X7 is the full-size.

Also, only on DCUM does someone describe themselves as “not fancy,” but talks about considering a $75K vehicle.

FWIW, DH has the X5 and loves it. I have a fully loaded Lincoln Corsair and love it (I know the Corsair gets hate on this forum, but it really is awesome).

LOL, this is OP. Ignorant as charged. I guess I'm not as car-savvy as all you people! I think of vehicles like the Tahoe, Suburban, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. as full-size. What are those? SUPER-full sized? SUPER-DUPER Full Sized?
In any case, thanks for all the helpful feedback about what an idiot I am for not feeling fancy enough for Mercedes. I guess I just view the brand as much flashier than BMW or Audi. But I will definitely take your opinions to heart.

Mercedes and BMW are equivalent brands. No one drives around in a $75K BMW and thinks they’re not driving a flashy car.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is an X-7 midsized? I thought the 3 was small sized, 5 was mid and 7 was large

OP is ignorant and you are right. The X5 is the mid-size; the X7 is the full-size.

Also, only on DCUM does someone describe themselves as “not fancy,” but talks about considering a $75K vehicle.

FWIW, DH has the X5 and loves it. I have a fully loaded Lincoln Corsair and love it (I know the Corsair gets hate on this forum, but it really is awesome).

LOL, this is OP. Ignorant as charged. I guess I'm not as car-savvy as all you people! I think of vehicles like the Tahoe, Suburban, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. as full-size. What are those? SUPER-full sized? SUPER-DUPER Full Sized?
In any case, thanks for all the helpful feedback about what an idiot I am for not feeling fancy enough for Mercedes. I guess I just view the brand as much flashier than BMW or Audi. But I will definitely take your opinions to heart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These cars and SUVs are pits of money. Parts are so expensive compared to Toyotas and Hondas. I guess people are stupid.

Or we don’t want to drive around in some plastic car?

I do not know the x7, but I generally do not like bmw. I have a GLS, and they are really nice. Way nicer than the Q7. Not sure if your price point, but I like the XC90 better than the Q7. The interior of the GLS blows the others away though. GLE is priced mid to upper 60s if you are looking for midsize. I wouldn’t consider the Q7 midsize.

plastic is exactly what comes to mind when I think of land cruisers (the Toyota equivalent to these cars)

Land cruiser is in a category of its own, but yeah, it’s still plastic inside.

Isn’t an X7 $100k? We sat in one once at the dealership. It was gorgeous. But...twice as much as my budget!