1st - BMW X5 3.0sd
Scads of torque and razor-sharp chassis (for an SUV) make the X5 the driver’s pick, but you’d think the $100K-plus price tag would disadvantage it against, say, Territory, at almost half the price. It doesn’t. The X5’s insurance premium is within $150 of the Territory’s, and it’s marginally cheaper than insuring the ML.

There’s a slight edge in fuel cost over the Merc, but when you’ve got around $2K per month to spend on finance, who’s going to argue over it? Maybe the owner of the BMW can play the environment card just that little bit harder. Both big Germans are line-ball on warranty and service, but the BMW is marginally the sharper driving experience, though slightly behind when it comes to resale time.



2nd - Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDi
The ML represents a lot of car – and almost the same value – for $10,000 less than the X5. This is the car that won our SUV WASP active safety test in ‘06, and which offers significant torque from its turbo-diesel V6. But it’s thirstier than the BMW...




3rd - Ford Territory Ghia AWD
The Territory can’t match the Benz or X5 on fuel cost (it’ll sting you $300 and $500 more each year respectively). Nor can it step up on resale value, (almost 10 percent behind), warranty or service interval. Overall it’s almost eight percent behind the X5.