SUV WARS! Luxury SUV Head-to-Head! Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Mercedes GLE vs. VW Touareg

So, the Toerag is new but the virtually identical under the skin Q7 is not new??? Wouldn't it be accurate to say that the Toecrap isn't really new?

I'd love to know how the V6 Atlas would have done because the Atlas is much better at being an SUV that the dismal Toefungus and costs so much less.

It's interesting that CarWow is talking about a fire-sale discount on the Audi.

The Atlas is utter, utter garbage.

That may be true, but the Toerag was cataclysmically bad in the SUV segment here. There is a reason it's GONE.

The Altas is hands down better than a Toeturd.

I liked my first-gen Touareg even if it was in the shop every month.

Wouldn't do it again though, LOL!

The Toecramp was anywhere from $20K to $40K overpriced for the segment VW needed it to be active in. It felt small like an Escape inside. It looked the size of an Explorer. It drove like it weighed as much as an Expedition. Dealers were NOT thrilled with it. They wanted a RAV4 and a Highlander and VW gave them an unsellable mess. While we still had VW in the portfolio we quickly stopped stocking it.

If you are looking for an executive car and less of a family one, I see the appeal of the X5. I could see using it as my daily driver to work, with occasional drives with the family. But when you are looking for a family hauler for vacations, tournament weekends, or taking the neighbors kids, the Q7 still shines in th segment. BTW, the Q7 is only 3 years old (it’s not like it has been around for 10), and has a fresh with even more tech from the A6 coming next year.

On another note, I didn’t realize how ugly the new GLE is. I have liked past generations for its mix of luxe and truck accents, but this is such a mismatch of MB styles, and does not seem to flow well. Not to mention, it provides zero utility elements for kids or trips to Home Depot.

The new MB GLE and GLS have both been hit hard with the ugly stick.

I just traded my GL350 for a Cayenne and am very happy. IMO, the Cayenne is the best VW Group vehicle built on that platform.

At this point, I'd head up a class to the X7 or down a class to the Explorer/Telluride.

Even though it would never happen, I'd love to see CarWow guy get his hands on an Aviator.

Ford and VW seem to have agreed to the same front end styling on their SUVs.

And both need rethinking.

Agreed. Two wrongs don't make a right.

The new Mercedes-Benz GLE is a strong contender in this class. It has excellent refinement, luxury, technology and the three-pointed star on its grille. For many buyers that will be enough. The Q7 is still great but it's starting to show its age relative to the newer competition from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

IN some ways, I question why Benz continues to make their entry-level trims for almost every model, fairly average products. It seems they don't really put the "effort" into making the model truly competitive unless it's an AMG version, whether sub-AMG or full-AMG. This is different than what BMW and Audi do for their entry trims. So, either Benz is smart from a marketing perspective and forcing a buyer into the higher-priced AMG if they want the goods. Or BMW and Audi are smarter and gunning for volume sales for lower trims.

In this group, no doubt the X5 and GLE stand above the others. The Q7 is a strong choice, but its frumpy styling is just that, frumpy. If I had to go with a lower trim model (6-cylinder), it would be the X5. If I were to go with the sub-AMG or sub-M models, it would be the GLE.