[OUGrad05]

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I wasn't sure if I should put this in an X7 or X5 sub or in the general BMW discussion since I'm talking about two separate vehicles.

It'll be time to replace my wife's Acura MDX soon and due to some issues with experienced with Acura, their willingness to stand behind their product and general customer treatment this vehicle is going away as soon as our warranty is up (sometime towards the end of this year or beginning of next year).

My wife is unsure if she wants another 3 row or a bigger 2 row which is why the X5 and X7 are both in play.

So let's start with what the BMW gets right. The drivetrains are in another universe compared with anything else on the market, not surprising right? We all know the B58/ZF8 combo are the cream of the crop on anything costing less than 150k. That holds true here. The B58 even in the big X7 is amazing. The interior on the BMW is built better and the road/wind noise is much better on the BMW products. It's clear the Volvo while being a "luxury" product is not a top shelf product when compared directly with BMW in this regard.

There are two problems with BMW, one of which I didn't expect the other I did, which is why I chose to test drive on a very hot day. The HVAC system in the BMW leaves a little to be desired, it's better than our Acura but that's not saying much, it's just slightly more than adequate in the X7 for our hot summers. But, I was happy it wasn't a death knell.

What I did not expect in the BMW was the lack of driver's seat adjustments. All our past BMWs have had excellent adjustability and with me being 6'6 and my wife 5'4 we need that wide range of adjustment. All our past BMWs have been great in this regard and we can both get comfortable positions just like we can in the Acura. However with the X7 this was NOT the case. The seat bottom cushion does not adjust in a way that allows me to have adequate thigh support. The back of the cushion doesn't go down far enough, or the front doesn't come up high enough (yes I used the thigh extension). This means I'll either need an aftermarket supplemental cushion of some sort, which I guess is doable but super annoying and those introduce their own issues...or we don't buy BMW.

Does the X5 have additional flexibility around the seat adjustability when compared with the X7? The X3 still has plenty of seat adjustment so I don't really understand what BMW is doing here.

Final question, how difficult is it to add a tow hitch after the fact?