After going around in circles for almost three years with my husband about what he wants(You'd THINK he'd be tired of driving an old, sad Volvo station wagon, but he just won't make up his mind!!), he has almost settled on an X5. I know nothing about them. We'd be leasing a new one, almost definitely the 3.0L, and he doesn't want to commit to buying anything until he's gotten a chance to see the Cayenne hybrid in action (yes, he's a freak. Can't make up his mind on anything). While he won't actually LISTEN to anything I say about the X5, I may be able to subvert him subliminally. Can anyone give me any info about the X5, good, bad, or otherwise?

 

Its a great city SUV, but its not good for off road use, its very comfortable and handles very good for an SUV, the stering is as good as many sports cars, and its body roll its not bad, interior is beutiful like most BMW's.

I have no expirience with the 3.0I but the v8 its great, really fast!

 

If he is concerned with gas mileage and still wants something sporty, the smaller, more fuel-efficient, BMW X3 is also a good choice.

The Mazda CX-7 and CX-9 are great sporty Crossovers also!

 

I have one of the last gen X5 (E53) with the 4.4 V8...what do you really want to know?

I personally would not get the 3.0... it's 260 horsepower is pretty wimpy to move 5000 lbs around (lightly loaded- 6000 lbs with 4 people and luggage), where as the 350 horsepower of the V8 is a much better choice and gets almost the same mileage. (only 2 mpg less). The 3.0 is great in a little car like the 328i, but just is not enough to move around a 5000 lb SUV.

For the most part it has been mechanically very reliable, although much like many cars today, the electronics are the weak points. Since we have owned ours, I have replaced a crank angle sensor ($125), Power window track assembly ($225) and the gauge cluster needs rebuilding (pixel drop out- very common BMW issue), $300 rebuilding or $700 for a new one, and the disc changer doesn't see disc one (for what-ever reason). And then regular things like tires and oil changes ($20 for the filter- $50 for the oil). Mine just rolled past 60K miles. If you take it into BMW to work on it instead of doing it yourself, add $300 to all the above numbers. Of course fir the first 3 years all factory recommended service is paid for, but the draw back to that is, that if you want to change the oil at 10K miles, but the computer says it is not due to 15K miles, you have to pay for the oil change or wait to 15K miles.

Taking it to the snow is great, and it actually does better than my Tacoma 4wd.

I average around 17 MPG in mixed driving (according to the Onboard Computer), but have seen as high as 24mpg on long highway trips.

I find the ride and suspension to be very superior to the Porsche (although I have not driven the re-designed Porsche). It really handles the bumps and rough roads much better, with jaring apart feeling that the Porsche left me with.

 

Well really, how many SUVs out there are actually capable of performing off road.

 

Have one and must say it is very comfortable and nice to drive. have the 3.0 which is a bit sluggish but really its an SUV and I dont need it to have great qtr mile if you know what i mean.

 

not trying to be critical of your purchase, but how can you compare a porche cayenne hybrid to a bmw x5.

First off, having a v8 is not all that bad, believe me i used to sell gmc Envoy's to people who were afraid to buy a "big bad gas guzzler" Yukon because they figured they would paid out the rear for gas compared to the small "eco friendly suv"

For your info the best i ever saw an Envoy owner get was 15-18 where i had customers in yukons getting 15-18 average.. w/ many getting 20ish.


what im getting at is dont let the v8 scare you away. if its money your looking to save, kick the idea of the hybrid car in a lease its completely pointless. youll never save the extra money hybrid technology will cost you in a 36-48 month lease. *figuring you use 15k a year lease*

Just my .5 from someone who has been in the auto business a few years

 

It's not about comparisons at all, really- just what he likes. Not worried about gas mileage, either (I drive an 8, don't forget!) . And he likes the idea of a hybrid Cayenne, for whatever reason. Not really looking to save money, either, in this case- we wouldn't lease the Cayenne, we'd just buy it outright. He wants to lease the BMW because he wants to change up in a couple years, though I do have access to quite a few low mileage 2006's that I get a substantial discount on, so that might be an option too.

Thanks guys

 

i work on them. what do you want to know?

 

Just the usual- reliability, comfort. etc

 

The X5 has been on Consumer reports least reliable list in various years. IIRC it was so bad one year that it was off their charts. I believe it got batter in later models and may not be a concern since it's a new model, but it's something to consider.

 

You are right!

 

A BMW specialist mechanic I know says that like most German cars, they have electrical component issues. Many German cars' electrical circuitry are known to be overloaded, according to him. I've seen my share of BMWs at intersections with turn indicators doing triple time.

 

comfort wise the E70 X5 is very comfortable. it's considered an SAV, Sport Activity Vehicle. so you really can't go hardcore offroading. the xDrive is probably one of the best all-wheel drive systems out there, lots of neat little features (adopted from Landrovers). it handles like a car more than an SUV. the V8 is very powerful but i don't think the inline 6 is weak at all. especially if you're going to use it for commute travel. 3rd row seating is available as an option, but i think it's worthless. it's really meant for children or short *** people.

electronics wise, the system is almost identical to the new E90 3 series. so far i haven't seen too many problems with these cars (they're not enough of them out on the streets yet). if you have any weird electrical issues, it's most likely going to be a programming issue. but you really don't have to worry about anything since the car will be under full warranty (maintenance and bumper-to-bumper). the iDrive system can be a little confusing, but after playing with it for several minutes, you get the hang of it.

i was going to lease one myself, but they didn't offer any employee specials, so i backed out. if i were to get an X5 it would be:

inline 6 or v8 (your choice, i like 'em both)
upgraded leather interior
premium package
heated seats
ipod/usb ports
comfort access (never have to take the keys out of your pocket)
navigation

since you're leasing one, any problem you have, BMW WILL COVER IT. IMHO, BMW has the best warranty hands down. i'm not being biased cause i work on them (if i was, i wouldn't be driving a RX8 ) honestly, just go drive one. you can read and ask about it all you want, but in the end you have to experience the car for yourself.

oh yea, you can't compare the E70 to the older E53 X5. totally different car...

 

Thanks! That's a really big help I like your option choices, too- the only thing we'd add would be the third row seating, as we do have 1 kid and there will be another someday, and we tend to do a lot of stuff with the inlaws and it would be nice to be able to put them all in the same vehicle on occasion.