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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
2002. - 2007.
J - SUV
suv, 5 door
4 x 4
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2003. - 2007.
J - SUV
suv, 5 door
4 x 4

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4754 mm
1928 mm
1726 mm
555 liters
1570 liters
100 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4667 mm
1872 mm
1715 mm
465 liters
1550 liters
93 liters
2002 Volkswagen Touareg
2003 BMW X5

Engine

Volkswagen
3.6 FSI
Petrol
6 - V config, 4 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
3597 cc
280 hp
360 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Petrol
6 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
2979 cc
231 hp
300 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
2204 kg
8.7 s
215 km/h
19.4 l/100km
10.6 l/100km
13.8 l/100km
331 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1970 kg
8.3 s
210 km/h
17.8 l/100km
9.7 l/100km
12.7 l/100km
307 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 6 gears
2204 kg
8.7 s
215 km/h
19.4 l/100km
10.6 l/100km
13.8 l/100km
331 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 5 gears
1995 kg
8.8 s
210 km/h
18.1 l/100km
9.9 l/100km
12.9 l/100km
312 g/km

Expenses

4100 EUR
Price from
5300 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the suv segment and utilize the same 5-door suv body style and the 4 x 4 wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific petrol engine choice they offer. The first one has a Volkswagen-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 280hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 231hp engine designed by BMW.

Safety

Both vehicles got tested by European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. Moving further on, let's take a closer look at some additional safety-related facts. Both vehicles belong to the suv segment, which is generally a very good thing safety-wise, still it doesn't help us solve our dilemma, does it? Furthermore, if we'd like to consider vehicle mass in this context too, which we definitely should, Touareg offers a considerable difference of 12% more metal.

Reliability

Manufacturers have been building their reliability reputation for decades now and, generally speaking, it appears that Volkswagen does have a slight advantage, all the models observed together. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of Volkswagen, as well as BMW, with the same average rating of 4.2 out of 5. The same official information place Touareg as average reliability-wise, and X5 is more or less at the same level.We should definitely mention that owners of cars with the same powertrain as Touareg rank it on average as 5.0 out of 5, exactly the same as the other one.

Performance & Fuel economy

BMW is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.4 seconds less than its competitor. Still, it lacks the power to win the top speed competition, topping at 210 kilometers per hour, 5km/h less than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be BMW X5, averaging around 12.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (22 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 9% difference compared to Touareg.


Verdict

Volkswagen appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Touareg offers significantly better overall protection, taking the lead here. From there things take a different direction, with BMW offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. To make things even better, it consumps less fuel! I believe that, when we take all into account, we have only one winner here - the BMW. In any case that's my personal view, built upon all the data available to me. What should decide here though is the way you feel about the two vehicles, and I hope you'll find my guidelines useful in the process. Also, you could use the oportunity to find out which car, everything taken into account, would be the perfect choice for you in the eyes of the virtual adviser, among thousands of similar, yet so different vehicles.

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