This might be biased

I would get the Audi because it has more standard features and it is more luxurious than the BMW X5.

Bmw X5 4.8

Wow, your last 2 answers don't leave much choice but to slam them. NO, the BMW is not a 5 series wagon! Duh, they aren't even made in the same country. And NO, not all SUV's are AWD....even the American stuff. Ever see a 2WD blazer? or 2WD Honda CR-V? AWD and 4WD are really 2 different systems, but I digress. Audi has a very good AWD system and BMW is almost as good. I've never been able to sit at a stand still on ice and romp on the gas and actually feel the car accelerate. That is until I drove the X-5. That X drive system is great. The Audi will just sit there for a while trying to figure out which wheel to send power to.... The X5 also has a better crash rating. With Audi's reputation of using more parts made in China (window regs. & switches) I'd go for the X5. And it is actually made in America! Oh, and as for being a company that's known for performance trying to build a AWD car.....Didn't Porsche come out with the Cayenne/ Tourreg? And aren't Porsche, VW & Audi pretty much the same company? Do some research dude! Duh..

The BMW X5 isn't an SUV, it's a tall version of the 5 wagon with AWD (all SUVs are 4WD, never AWD or 2WD) thus making it a minivan.

The Audi is no better, but at least they never had a reputation of making exclusively sports cars to tarnish with an abomination like the X series.

So to answer your oxymoron question, the Audi Q7.

I don't know what Audi the previous guy drove but I've never sat in an Audi on ice at a dead stop tromped on it and just sat there and trust me i've done this allot with more than one Audi (but not a Q7). But beyond the fact that i think the quattro system is better than X drive in snow and ice they are both good cars. The BMW looks more like an SUV on the outside while the Audi has the nicer interior by far. so as far as design goes, it depends on if you care more about exterior or interior appearance. as for reliability the 4.2 Audi is decent and so is the X5 (avoid the 3.6 Q7) the Audi is rated slightly better by consumer reports but the BMW has slightly better owner satisfaction. ( this could have something to do with some of the bugs in the first model year 07 ) honestly this would be a hard choice for me too i would have to drive both a few times and see which one i liked better. I would probably end up with the Audi because of the interior and the fact that i have more experience with Audi than BMW but i can say that this is one of the comparisons that i would not immediately opt for the Audi like i would if i was looking at the A4 and 3series.