the M3's growl with the popping and clicking of the V8 is awesome too. The x5m was a strong contender however repair costs on a used M. I did not want to go blindly into a used ride... if I were going the CPO warranty route from a dealer then I would have. X5M's from a BMW dealer in the North East are generally two years old and still very pricey$$$$$
so with that in mind I feel the reliability of the 6 is better for long term operation