BMW X5: Preview Cadillac can build one bigger, Audi can sell one cheaper, and Porsche can make one more powerful. But to some buyers who demand all the attributes of a large luxury SUV, none of that matters if it comes without a BMW badge. For them, that leaves the X5, bigger and more versatile brother to models like the Z4 roadster and the M3 coupe. The X5 is available for 2007 with optional third-row seating, a navigation system offering real-time traffic information, enhanced powertrains that push the X5 to 60 mph in as little as 6.4 seconds, all wrapped in a similar yet freshened package.

Due to hit the lots in November, the 2007 BMW X5 will be offered in two variants: the 3.0si, priced at $46,595, and the 4.8i, which starts at $55,195 (prices include destination charges). The 315-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 has not been carried over from 2006.