I Have A Problem...
I do not want to sound like a whiner and am blessed to own a 2017 GS F outright and in pristine condition. Rather, I am getting that itch that "something better" is there that must be scratched. It is an addiction clearly and I have been pouring over Porsche certified Cayenne or Macan Turbo options (used clearly) as a possibility of swapping the GS F for same. The addict is whispering about how I recently ruptured my L4/L5 disc and that CLEARLY the Porsche option would be far easier ingress and egress for my 53 year old body! Somehow, in the span of 14 months, I have gone from "I'm keeping the GS F forever!" to spending nights sleepless watching youtube reviews and pouring over Porsche forums? My better half is even questioning my sanity at this point (as understanding as she was about the GS F, I am not getting the high signs from her to pull the trigger on ANY new vehicle presently).
So, I guess this cry for help is: Any suggestions for how others handle this affliction? I know I should just buck up and move on. I did the same to my back in 1993. It flared again in 2015 and I was unable to walk without fear for a month. The Porsche was on the top of the list before we bought the GS F, but it wasn't my back driving the decision, it was my wife saying she didn't want to spend the money on the Porsche. So - to fix the real problem - your back at L4-L5. Plasma Rich Platelet injections into the area around the disc and into the facet joints. I have more problems than L4 - L5, I also did C4 through C7 as I have severe cervical stenosis. I did this through Regenexx's Atlanta office. 4k of my own money. It was worth 5x that easily. I am not on pain meds and I have not had any discs removed or shims installed or range of motion limiting titanium cages.
I also do Egoscue. After 20 years of chiropractic, 5 years of physical therapy including cervical traction and dry needling, I still woke up in misery every morning. Dr. Williams at the Atlanta Regenexx office advised me to try Egoscue to help the PRP injections actually deliver long term success. It works. Like magic. 4k out of pocket annually for my visits, but this yoga-based therapy does what chiropractic and PT never did - allows me to fix myself DAILY so I can go about life as if nothing ever happened. Those of you who do not have these kinds of injuries really have very little relevant basis to form an opinion - and I include MDs who service people in my condition - NO basis to form an opinion. You can have no appreciation for how debilitating sciatica is until it happens to you. Sorry for the rant, but this subject is very near and dear to me. And I know the Cayenne won't even come close to fixing it. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more. I get nothing for referring anyone, but I feel great happiness knowing someone - even just one person - feels better and gets off pain meds because I put them on the right path to good health. Oh, yeah, I just turned 59. Been living with this for a minute or two.
Like the Cayenne, there is a bit of a delay before the power really comes on while the turbochargers build boost. But once up to pressure, the big SUV lurches down the road with surprising urgency. The X5 M has a higher-pitched V8 sound than the other two, partially due to it having the smallest engine here as well as a more European exhaust note, complete with barks during high-rpm upshifts. And unlike the SVR and Turbo S, there is no exhaust button in the X5 M. Only high amounts of throttle will open up the sound of the turbo V8. Otherwise, it鈥檚 the quietest engine here. Among the three eight-speed automatic transmissions, BMW鈥檚 is the best of the group. In sport plus mode, it acts deceivingly close to a dual clutch setup. It may not be as refined in normal driving as the Cayenne鈥檚 transmission, but when it comes time to put your foot down, this eight-speed is fantastic.
The X5 M allows drivers to customize the mechanical settings more than the other two. Transmission aggression, throttle response, steering effort, suspension firmness and stability control intervention can all be tailored to your liking. And your favorite settings can be saved with the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. And, speaking of which, the X5 M has the best steering wheel of the group, with a nice, meaty feel. In sport plus settings, the X5 has the stiffest steering, but the Cayenne provides a bit more feedback and feel. In general, the X5 M doesn鈥檛 quite have the handling responses of the Cayenne, but I鈥檓 talking negligible differences that are more than made up for with the price difference. Ride comfort in the X5 M is not as good as the Turbo S, which might be due to the massively wide rear wheels. The Bimmer drives more like a crossover than a SUV, slotting in somewhere between the SUV-riding Range Rover and the car-like Cayenne. It also carries a deceiving amount of speed, which can exceed legal limits without much effort. Inside, some of us found the X5 M鈥檚 mix of colors, textures and materials a bit too busy, while others consider them works of art. The front seats are the most comfortable in the test and we liked the wide infotainment display screen as well as the color head-up display. The rear cargo area is the largest here, but the not everyone is a fan of BMW鈥檚 split tailgate design. The BMW X5 M is nearly as much of a performance SUV as the Cayenne Turbo S, but for a whole lot less money. 179,215 hot rod Porsche, that鈥檚 a huge savings. So, if money is a top consideration, even in the world of six-figure sport SUVs, it鈥檚 hard to beat the X5 M鈥檚 performance per dollar.