4.4 Engine??

[Darren P]

Hi all thinking of getting a X5 4.4 v8 petrol but am worried about how good the 4.4 v8 engine is??

The ones i am looking at have about 50 - 60k now that doesn't sound that high but i dont know much about these v8 engines?

Thought about the 3.0 diesel but there not as powerful as the petrol!!

Thanks in advance!!

[somewhereinla]

Which year?

[Darren P]

2001

By the way i live in the UK not that it makes a difference.

[UCrewX5]

The 4.4 engine is a very solid performer. There have been very few if any issues with long term maintenance and durability, and the performance is very very good. The only downside to going with a 2001 versus a 2004 or newer is BMW introduced the valvetronic technology in 2004, which gave the engine both an improvement in horsepower and fuel mileage.

I can't comment much on the 3.0d, as BMW doesn't offer the diesel version here in the U.S.

[Thunder22]

just as an aside, '04's also have a 6 speed transmission that aids in better fuel economy

[Darren P]

Its more the petrol version i was after anyway but am worried about the mileage issue around 50 - 60k, would love a 2004 one but cant afford!!

Really want X5 so will have to see what i can get but want to know more about the reliablity of the 4.4 with this sort of mileage on them.

Thanks

[withidl]

The 4.4i is essentially bullet proof. I have over 62,000 miles on my 2001 4.4i with Dinan throttle body, engine and transmission software (aprox 300 hp and 350+ lb ft of torque), and have pulled a 31 foot 8,300 pound GVWR travel trailer for over 22,000 of those miles getting an average of 10 mpg at an average speed of 64 mph when pulling. Without the trailer I get 18 to 22 mpg highway (wind dependent) and 14 to 17 mpg city (stop light dependent). It's still rock solid and only consumes about 1 pint of Mobil 1 15W-50 engine oil between 6,500 mile oil changes.

Only problems have been the cooling fan recall (twice), a right cam sensor failing, the coolant sensor failing and the coolant reservoir sensor float failing, all of which were nominal items covered under warranty except for the last item which cost me about $75 but was easy to replace (all quick couplings).

I recently drove the 2005 4.4i non sport and didn't notice any appreciable power increase. I max throttled it but didn't "wring it out" rpm wise which may have resulted in more dicernable power. Due to my 2001 torque being equivalent to the 2005 the initial "take off" felt the same, save for a hesitation in throttle response of the 2005 from a dead stop (my Dinan throttle body increases response).

As a result, the 2005 4.4i gave me no reason to consider trading up to it.

[JV]

Originally Posted by Darren P

Its more the petrol version i was after anyway but am worried about the mileage issue around 50 - 60k, would love a 2004 one but cant afford!!

Really want X5 so will have to see what i can get but want to know more about the reliablity of the 4.4 with this sort of mileage on them.

Thanks

I've seen several of the 4.4's with nearly 100K or more miles on them running like a top with no more than the usual maintenance and fluid changes done to them. If I can get 225K out of a Nissan 3 liter, the 4.4 BMW makes should go longer than that!

JV

[bimmerfan]

I've had several friends who have put over 200k miles on their BMWs with no problems... Those were mostly E34 5 series and E36 3 series cars but at least it gives some bench mark that the typical BMW motor should go strong for a long time.

[Chris F.]

I agree, the 4.4L engine is very well designed, you will have no problems reaching 200k if you take care of it. Just watch out for the dreaded radiator issues, although I haven't heard of any radiator issues on X5s yet (they are very common on E39s)