Look at this comparison between A43.0 wagon and X5 3.0 you can draw your own conclusions:

Fuel Economy:

A4 : 18/25 mpg <- more economical
X5 : 15/21 mpg

Acceleration:

A4 : 6.8/15.4 <- faster
X5 : 8.1/16.3

Cargo volume :

A4 : 27.8 cu ft <- bigger
X5 : 16.1 cu ft

Quality of Final Assembly :

A4 : Germany <- hmmm, subjective but I'd give it to the A4
X5 : United States

Handling :

A4 : Sedan, 18.2ft turning radius <- better handling
X5 : Raised hybrid SUV, 19.9ft turning radius

Safety :

A4 : driver/passenger/side airbags standard, abs, traction control, child safety locks standard
X5 : same

Towing Capacity:

A4 : no data
X5 : 5000lb <- probably the winner

Price :

A4 : $33k
X5 : $40k+

Conclusion : Unless you are towing a 5000lb trailer, the X5 is only better if you think that you'd rather spend $7k extra, getting half the cargo room, inferior handling, and a slower vehicle that guzzles more gas in order to get the extra ground clearance and the BMW badge.

 

Just IMO, no comparison. Will you compare a MDX (Canadian built) with BMW 330IX (German built)?

Different catagories. One is SUV, another one is wagon.

 

ummm....woudn't it be more apporpriate to compare the A4 wagon to the 325iT or 525iT?

 

great comparo what's next, a comparo on the TL and 530i?

 

I think it's a valid comparison because 99% of potential X5 buyers have no intention of taking it off road or use it to tow a trailer.

They are only buying it because of the image of "Sport" and the "Utility" and it falls short of an A4 wagon on both fronts IMHO.

If you really wanted to I suppose you could raise the A4 wagon another 6 inches off the ground to change it's "category"