Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmer_buachaill
It's hard to argue for or against this from personal experience since it's hard for even BMW to know for sure but I've towed for many highway miles at 5,000+lbs with no transmission issues at all. The diesel is likely even better than my 2003 4.4i (torque is higher and transmission is better).
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We towed the same loads (e.g. approx 5,000 lbs.), in the same trailer, with our 2001 4.4i with NO transmission issues until it was totaled at just under 100,000 miles. But we never towed for more than 3 hours (one way) at freeway speeds*. And there have been a number of posts about transmission issues. So I can't recommend, based on my own experience, using an X5 for long distance, heavy duty towing.
OTOH I have always wondered if the reported transmission issues were more related to an aggressive driving style, than towing.
Funf Dreisig
* FWIW this wasn't because we were afraid to use our X5 for towing runs longer than 3 hours; it was because that was the time/distance between our old house and the new house I was building
