Jonnyz1245

thought I would toss it out there for discussion

Obviously the S4 is going to be a better driving experience.

I ski, hike, and have a small chocolate lab. No kids and at the present time,

X5 gives me utility the S4 does not. I have driven the diesel 3 times and actually really like it. Its comfortable, drives great, looks pretty good IMHO and after discounts is priced in the same ballpark.

S4 will definitely put a a bigger smile on my face but in terms of pure utility the X5 may be a better long term purchase. I keep my cars for 6-8 years so...

bbmaster

Two different vehicles. Hard to compare. S4 has lower center of gravity so it's more sporty and less prone to body roll. X5 has higher ground clearance and better for deep snows. There are pros and cons to both, but it eventually depends on your needs. If I have to choose one vehicle to drive all year round among all the cars including the X5, it will be the S4. Period.

Zed 2.0

Apples or oranges?

ZCD2.7T

How about pears? (Acura MDX)

boulderbobo

I have a '01 B5 S4 and a new B8 on order. We also have a '11 E70 X5 and a dog (75 lb female lab). The dog rides in my current S4 but probably won't ride in the new one much. She always goes with us in the X5. If you want utility the X5 is the way to go. BTW the X5 is surprisingly fast and agile and really fun to drive.

Bob-

Muray

I've ridden in X5 and X6 plenty of times and have actually considered this before so I can give some input. If you plan on having kids in the future and have only one car, X5 all the way. It's really a nice SUV that's actually pretty quick for a turbo 6. Probably the nicest SUV out there for an enthusiast besides the Cayenne. If you plan on having no kids or having a dedicated kid's car, S4 all the way. You can easily put a ski rack on top of the S4, having a dog won't be a problem with the backseat, and with snow tires the S4 will be as good or better than X5 in most snow.

My co-worker's wife has an X5 and he has an X6 (I don't know why anyone would buy such a monstrosity), and they are not that great in snow with all-season runflats. Also, if you get a nail in one of those run-flat SUV tires, expect to pay out someone's weekly salary for one. You can't fix and reuse a run-flat tire once it punctures unlike regular tires. My gf and I decided to get me an S4 first, then a Q5 or a Lexus RX for her. But I might put her in a CR-V instead, ha ha!

NWS4Guy

I have a kid and an S4, no probs at all.

DrVolkl

AMG ML63 gets my vote. That's what I shoulda got.

JackyNYC

LOL, I'm from queens as well and i went through the same thing you are going through. My finacee and I thought about getting an suv for the future. We were going to get a q5 for her and something else for me, possible an audi (maybe s5 when if it's 3.0 v6). We ended up getting an s4 for me and q5 for her in the future. I'm not sure about putting her in a CRV though lol.. but who knows.. maybe a rogue would fit her fine as well. We're still debating which suv to get, she loves the q5 but i think for the price point, an mdx has much more utility.

Anyway, back to the OP's question. it will depends on how many cars you will have and your lifestyle. if you and your family plans to only have 1 vehicle, it'll be a better bet to get the x5 or q7. You will defnitely miss the s4's performance but at the end of the day, what do you need more?

WatchNut

I have three kids and an S4. Still no problems. For longer trips, we use my wife's car, but on trips around town, they all go in the back seat pretty comfortably.