An update on my X5:

My X5 seems to have become lost in repair hell. The shop told me that they had several of their mechanics come down with the flu and were running over a week behind. Ugh. Hope to have it back next week, which will be 3 weeks in the shop.

All is not lost, though:

I had a very gracious friend loan me her 2016 C450 AMG Mercedes while she is out of town on business. It's a pretty sweet ride. It would really be a tough call between the C450 (or C43) and a 340i. The Merc definitely steers and handles better than my recent experience with a 435i, and the interior on the Merc is also a step up in my opinion.