Hey, let me tell you, I spent a whole summer in a 4.4 X5. There is a method to BMW's madness, trust me! But like they say in Europe "a 540i is much faster, handling worlds apart, better braking, better gas mileage, enough interior space...make you wonder about redefining over-the-top, doesn't it?"
Well hey, other say "you get 2 BMWs for the price of one in an X5. A damn capable SUV-thing, plus a sports car in terms of performance to boot (relative to other SUVs)".
I'm sorry, but an X5 with sports package is by far the best looking car out there with > 6 inches of ground clearance. Plus the quality is much higher than in ML. Brakes? Outstanding, no, really, they are. Spell-binding engine sounds. Awful gas mileage if you drive it like I did! ;-)
But alas, $55k doesn't even get you all the nice stuff.
Anyway, I most certainly plan for a 2003 MDX. My extended warranty on my current car runs out in October. Perfect!
Sucks. A long wait though from now! *SIGH* all is relative eh?