mmarshall

Thanks.

In Manhattan, parked on the street, Q7s will "sell" all right. .

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

LOL.. Please do a review of the BMW X3 3.0si for the masses

Threxx

An observation I made a while back looking at the price of the three related SUVs (Q7, Touareg, and Cayenne) is that despite significant differences in the prestige of the brands attached to them... option for option, they really aren't priced that differently from each other.

I thought for a bit about replacing our 05 4runner with the Q7 but then realized that would just be wasting money in our situation. If anything we need to get a smaller SUV - it's just the two of us... no kids.

The Q7 would be more luxurious and more sporting to drive, but if I want sport, I will get a sports car. If I want luxury, I will get a luxury car. Buying a premium priced SUV because it's sporty and luxurious just wouldn't appeal to me unless I *had* to buy an SUV... then I might as well buy one that's nice enough to not hate it.

Otherwise I think I'll hold onto the 4runner. It's paid for, more reliable, body on frame construction will be better for off road and towing durability, and well - just more practical for me. No reason to drop a $500+ dollar a month lease payment on something I really don't need like the Q7.

Though with all of that said if I *did* have kids and *did* have nothing better to do with the money... the Q7 would be somewhere near the top of my list.

mmarshall

I fully agree that your family.....and their needs.....come first. The Q7, even for a base 3.6, is not chump change....why spend that kind of dough on a vehicle like that if you already have one that adequately serves your needs? The only practical difference between a Q7 and a 4 Runner, assuming, like many SUV owners, you don't go off-road much, is that you can throw the Q around corners like a Miata.......you simply cannot do that with the high, narrow, tipsy, truck-based 4 Runner.

But, in my high-income Washington, D.C. area, there are a lot of people who buy expensive vehicles.....or lease them if they don't buy. In fact, leasing is what keeps a lot of the premium-car dealerships in this area in buisness.

One suggestion, though. If you like the 4 Runner, start saving your money, and when it is time to replace it, look at the Lexus GX. The two are built on the same platform, and though they are not exact rebadged twins, there are strong similarities between them. The GX is everything the 4 Runner is.....with a noticeably nicer and more plush interior.

Threxx

I'm already thinking about replacing the 4runner with a GX when the all new GX comes out. I'd be EXTRA convinced if they managed to get the 5.7L in the GX... though something tells me that won't be happening...

Might otherwise look at the RX or if Lexus comes out with a smaller SUV because the RX is getting bigger, then look at that.

mmarshall

Though I'm not an engineer, a glance at the present-generation GX's underhood space suggests that trying to stuff the big 5.7L in may be a little overkill. Toyota didn't even use it on the Tundra until it was redesigned this year as (finally) a true full-size truck.

AzNMpower

I have one of these.........just a '04 version.

The Q7s are barely selling here. There's a zillion on the dealership lot, and I've seen like, 2 on the streets in the last month.

Threxx

What are the dimensions for the 5.7L? Any ideas? I know better than to assume that a little larger displacement automatically means larger physical dimensions of the motor itself. Though it's not exactly unlikely that it will mean that, either. I just wondered if you had the actual LxWxH of the new 5.7L compared to the 4.7?

mmarshall

No, I don't.....but it is not just the block dimensions you have to concern yourself with. The power steering pump (if not electric), master cylinder, hoses, belts, fan assembly and shrouding, battery, steering column, A/C compressor, fuel-injection system, etc.... all (or most) of these components also have to fit underhood with the engine. Cram them in too much, and it is not only a mechanic/technician's nightmare, but can also make the engine run too hot by preventing a reasonable amount of air flow around it.

As I stated in my review, the engineers who designed the Q7's 3.6L V6 did an excellent job of making the front of the engine flat and compact....it fits underhood with plenty of space to work on it.

Threxx

True - I'm just assuming block dimensions would be easier to find. Plus most of those components should be roughly the same in size no matter if they're attached to the 4.7 or 5.7 - some a little bigger for the 5.7, but nothing dramatic.

Incendiary

IIRC, Bricklin was responsible for importing Subarus into the US in the '60's before he got involved with Yugos.

spwolf

i dont think space would be an issue, but we wont get 5.7 in GX until new GX comes, which is in 2009?

mmarshall

Well, that shows he made ONE mistake, not two....although the original Subaru 360 that was first imported in the late 60's admittedly was a POS.
(I remember its Consumer Reports test in 1969...it ran the quarter mile at 47 mph, about half the speed of the typical car today).