Best Seven Seat Seat SUV: 2010 BMW X5 Vs. 2010 Audi Q7 Vs. 2010 Acura MDX

When it comes to luxurious seven passenger SUVs that manage the useful trick of not needing three “compact” parking spaces at the mall, no one does it better than BMW, Audi and Acura with the 2010 X5, Q7 and MDX. Acura pretty much patented the luxury seven seat crossover concept years ago with its first generation MDX and for 2010 it still maintains a strangle-hold on the more financially restrained end of the marketplace. (Read: The X5 and Q7 can get VERY pricey with options.)

2010 Acura MDX

Okay, the MDX pretty much only comes one way: the way God and Acura intended it to be. That is why you only get one strong 3.7 liter gas powered 300 horsepower V6 with the same wheelbase so it is always not too big on the outside for suburban traffic warfare yet still has room for the legs of the humans in the third row seats. Then there are new standards like the redesigned and upgraded 2010 6-speed automatic which improves fuel economy over last year to 16 city/21 highway.

Remember, no 7 seat SUV with AWD is going to get Prius-like EPA fuel efficiency numbers due to the simple fact that SUVs and crossovers all weigh quite substantial amounts. SUVs and crossovers are built to tackle tasks that 75% of the time you won’t even be undertaking behind the wheel (like carrying seven people) but they need to offer you all of these abilities 100% of the time. The MDX does this all for you with a song in its heart and thankfully gives back even the unexpected which includes quite a bit of driving pleasure.

Prices range from the very reasonable (for this category of vehicle), with the base model starting at $42,230 to the Navigation/Premium audio mid-level edition coming in at about $47,000 to the ultra-loaded $54,000 model that has so many high-tech features it may take you the life of the lease to read about them all in the owner’s manual. Unlike the Audi and BMW, options only come loaded onto the Acura in bundles and in my opinion the mid-level Nav/Premium Audio variant is the best value proposition especially as Acura has one of the most intuitive navigators in the business.

When fully loaded the MDX can essentially drive itself, brake itself, find its way around your hometown better than you can and possesses such a powerful premium audio system it could quite possibly render you deaf if it ever turned the volume up all the way up to the proverbial “This is Spinal Tap” marker at 11. Efficient, spacious yet still enjoyable to drive the 2010 MDX is without question all the SUV/crossover that anyone ever needs. Did you hear that Escalade drivers?

2010 BMW X5

Where the X5 really shines is in its ability to offer a multitude of ways to outfit your X5 to suit your personal style and taste. Just start by looking at engine choices. There is the basic 300 horsepower “basic” turbo model which gives turbine-like acceleration at all speeds for the “price-conscious” BMW driver, a high mile per gallon diesel variant for the tree-hugging ecology minded and even a turbocharged V8 and M-Powered models for people looking to use up the last of our national resources in high style.

The interior of the X5 is standard BMW fare meaning austere styling mixed with high quality materials. Acceleration is strong even from the diesel engine and the only negative is that the third row seat in the X5 is too cramped even for children. At least children with legs.

The X5 makes great sense as a fun to drive, fast SUV if you only need five seats. If you need seven you might want to have a look at either the Acura or the Audi. Make no mistake, however, that the X5 is probably the best handling SUV out there with the 2010 MDX with Acura’s clever road holding SH-AWD system following close behind thanks to the infinite ways it can put power down through its wheels and onto the road.

If you are in the market for a seven seat luxury SUV the MDX and X5 are absolute musts to test drive on the same day to see which ride/handling balance you prefer. To be honest, the MDX has a ride that cossets a bit more than the one found in the X5 but the variation is so minute that the choice would have to fall to your individual taste. Or whichever one had the most conveniently placed cupholders for your active lifestyle.

2010 Audi Q7

While the Audi lacks some of the third row spaciousness found in the MDX, it is roomier than the one in the BMW. The Audi also offers three engine options, a naturally aspirated six-cylinder that can get over-burdened at times and diesel or V8 gas engines that never make the driver feel anything less than “over-adequate.”

Sadly the exterior styling of the Q7 is not up to the standards of its very own stylishly well built interior. The Q7 looks stylistically squeezed in the midsection almost as if it is trying to fit into a suit coat that is three sizes too tight for it. Little brother Q5 suffers from no style styling lapses and that is why it (and not the Q7) is the second best selling Audi model in the United States.

While the Q7 makes a fine choice as a seven seat SUV, the MDX is a better value when you compare them feature to feature and the Acura also manages to score out over the Audi in the elusive “fun to drive” quotient. Additionally, whereas the Acura feels smaller than it is from behind the wheel, the Audi pretty much always feels like the size it is. And that’s no fun.

Who wins?

If you need actual space for seven definitely buy the MDX. It is the more “completely engineered” package in that regard. However, if you can ditch a couple of kids from carpool there is absolutely nothing wrong with an X5 especially with the diesel engine and 425 mind blowing pound feet of torque! Oh yeah, and all that “good fuel economy” stuff thrown in.