I wanted to share a little feedback after having owned our beautiful Alpine White Twin Turbo V8 X5 for 6 months now. My wife (it is officially her car) can not stop raving about this car - I am serious - this might be the 1st car in her life that she loves.
She came from a 2008 MDX and she enjoys everything about the X5 (I would say immensely) more (save the lack of 3rd row seat - which we have missed once in 6 months).
And of course I enjoy it even more!
Why might you ask?
Well, if you own a TwinTurbo V8 X5 Adaptive Drive then you know what I am going to say next! But for those of you who don't, or you just want to hear it again - here goes!
I guess I love everything about the X5 - fit and finish, gorgeous white paint, magnificent beefy lines, luxurious accouterments abound - from the panoramic sunroof to the backup camera to the amazing seats and leather etc., etc., etc. etc.
But, oh yeah, did I mention the Twin Turbo V8? Well, Shazaam! This motor is a masterpiece! It not only goes like a rocket but it goes like a rocket while sounding like a Big Ole Bully Bavarian Muscle Car! And I say this with a total lack of BMW snobberishness (ha - not really)!
Seriously, the motor is gorgeous!
And the Adaptive Drive is simply the
bees knees (corny expression I know) but it is my new favorite "BMW cool thing" because it simply just works, and with big derivatives too - it improves handling in a most unobtrusive way with the Sport NOT engaged and it adds just the right amount of extra sporty handling with it engaged. And since I-er-gee-whiz fellas, have a bit of a hot motor at the tip of my sneakers, the Sport Adaptive Drive setting is selected nearly 100% of the time whilest I am in the cockpit!
Oh yeah, the 8 speed tranny is glassy crisp with the perfect aggressiveness. One of my favorite things to do is to slip in and out of Sport shifting mode (pull the shifter left and then back to the right when finished). Here is one of my favorite behaviors that gets repeated quite often.
Whenever I want to add just a tad of hootzpah to my driving I easily flick the shifter to the left (engaging Sport Transmission shifting mode) and hit the gas to whatever degree of whoopass I want to deliver, and then when I am happy with where the thrust has taken me (with the big turbo I might be several hundred yards down the road in just a couple seconds) I immediately calm things back down by popping the shifter back to the right which resumes normal (more relaxed) shifting mode.
Yup, the X5 is one of my favorite BMWs. As has been by 99 M3, My 97 M3, my 87 325IS and (swoon) my beloved (heart aches to even write it) 2002 M5.
I am in a good mood tonight - can you tell!
But why shouldn't I be - I made a purchase decision 6 months ago that has more than lived up to my hopes for this car!
All the best! Steve
PS - I also love my Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtreme tires - stick like glue on the snow and ice (way better than Blizzaks on the MDX) and handle pretty darn good on the dry too. I think I will change them out to the "tickle me pinkest" summer tire Ican find though - maybe the Vredestein Sessantas!