Quite a Comparison
For some reason we love to spend money on our vehicles. The luxury SUV market is booming in a way that could never have been predicted at all. Many of the large three row luxury names are outselling their sedan counterparts and are making it difficult to ignore the fact that we Americans love these big brutes that have all the quality and features that we want to enjoy. Audi expects the Q7 to outsell the A6 very soon, the BMW X5 already sells better than the 5-Series, the Volvo XC90 is the top dog for this Swedish automaker and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport sold more models than the entire Jaguar lineup last year.
While all four of these vehicles come with a high price point we need to take a look and see if the $70,000 price mark (which they are all close to) is well worth the cost. In order to give a fair comparison all four have a third row of seats which is an option on the BMW and the Range Rover and come with all the bells and whistles you could ask for to give you a fair assessment as to which one you should choose if this in fact is the category you will be shopping in.
This SUV offers a price that is lower than the Land Rover or the Audi and is powered by a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. This is also the best-selling of this group of great SUVs. This is an upright standing SUV that is faster to sixty mph than all but the Q7 in this comparison and it offers us a great look of the area around us with the panoramic view out of the roof and windows to keep our attention and imagination.
The drive of the X5 compared to the other three is a bit disappointing with its lighter than expected steering that only stiffens when it’s in Sport mode. This SUV also offers the least amount of steering precision of the group which meant it required more correction than any of the others. The suspension of the X5 is perfected to give you a great ride over any road obstacle but the body does lean more than the other three in this list. Unfortunately the overall ranking for the X5 was that it came in fourth out of the four models compared.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE
Even though this comparison is of three row luxury SUVs and this one does have a third row it’s made of two small seats that most children won’t even want to sit in. Even with that said this SUV is fun and agile and made for a better overall steering experience than the BMW X5. This SUV enjoys the power of a fantastic V6 engine that is supercharged and ready to take on whatever we want to throw its way and you can easily hear that this engine is getting the jo done with the amount of noise coming from the engine area.
What this Land Rover is for you is a solid and powerful machine that can get things done. It is the heaviest in the group and drinks the most fuel, but that doesn’t make for a bad marriage as it will take on the off road challenges with ease if that is where you need to go. Unfortunately the Range Rover needs to be upgraded inside and most don’t see the off road areas which meant this vehicle landed itself in third place on this particular contest of great luxury SUVs.
This SUV immediately takes your breath away when you step up into the interior of this beautiful behemoth. The interior appears to be fitting of a vehicle that costs much more with the soft leather seats that bring the leather to the doors and instrument panels as well. the buttons and looks across the board look like they have been hand-picked just for this vehicle to make it one that has metal and wood trimming along with the right number of cup holders for the entire family to enjoy the ride in this awesome SUV. The third row is even large enough for adults to feel comfortable riding in them.
Making use of a supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder engine the XC90 is powerful enough to handle the road and challenges given to it. Even though this engine is powerful for its size, this vehicle is the slowest of the group to reach sixty mph as it takes the Volvo a full six seconds to get there. Overall this SUV is the quietest of the entire group and has the best interior but its driving is just not quite enough make it the winner as the XC90 makes its way to second on this list. If you’re looking for something a little smaller that matches the same level of luxury and power under the hood, consider XC90’s little brother, Volvo XC60.
Even though the interior of the Volvo model was something special, Audi has continuously give us some of the best interiors on the entire market and the Q7 was in no mood to disappoint during this comparison. The beauty of the Q7 is the combination of the solid build that is admired in the Land Rover that is mixed with the smoother ride and carlike qualities you find in the Volvo to be a vehicle that is extremely impressive from every single angle.
This SUV is not only the highest rated for the comparison; it’s also the most fun to drive of the group. The 333 horsepower coming from the supercharged V6 engine make it an aggressive and fun vehicle to drive. The run to sixty mph for the Q7 came in at 5.5 seconds which was the best in the group. The engine sounds wonderful in this vehicle and the only one that sounded better is that which is found in the BMW X5. This is one of the most comfortable vehicles to drive and ride in and it was the clear winner in this comparison test.
Just because the BMW scored the worst in this test does that mean it’s a bad vehicle? Should I avoid the Land Rover Ranger Rover Sport since it only managed third and need interior upgrades? These are questions you must ask yourself. As stand-alone models all four of these vehicles are amazing and offer you some of the best features for you to enjoy, but if you are considering one over the other directly you should probably look to the Volvo or the Audi models to find everything you need and the driving experience that is right for you.
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