Can the X5 Off-Road on the Beach?

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by EOD Guy

Are you kidding me! The X5 can handle anything that a ford, chevy or any other 4WD vehicle can handle..... just in comfort! If you are trying to pull a 2000 lb trailer on the beach.... yes you'll get stuck (just as any other SUV would) but just driving....it'll be OK. Drive with sense and if you get stuck so what......... dig it out and hit it faster the next time. Have fun with your X5 or park it in the garage.... your choice!

Good thing you didn't include Jeep in that little tangent

Jeep to Offroad as BMW is to Luxury and vice versa.

[cary]

Originally Posted by EOD Guy

Are you kidding me! The X5 can handle anything that a ford, chevy or any other 4WD vehicle can handle..... just in comfort! Have fun with your X5 or park it in the garage.... your choice!

Whoa there cowboy, don't go fooling yourself there. The X5 is made for mild off road use at the most extreme. It has open diffs, low profile tires, poor approach and departure angles, and so on. While it can drive on a beach and go down dirt roads, don't believe for a second it is suited for real off roading.

I drive an 80 Series Toyota Landcruiser, a true off road capable vehicle. My wife's X5 won't even begin to go where the landcruiser does. The other side of the coin is the X5 handles far better on road, and aside from being smaller, is a far better highway vehicle, getting better mileage and being much faster.

Let me know when X5's start doing stuff like this:

[Luke]

Bring a shovel. Don't bring excess weight.

Stay out of fluffy sand.

Don't drive too slow, you will sink in fluffy sand to the belly of the x5.


This is advise from being stuck in a Jeep wrangler about 50 yards from paved road that I just drove off of. (S. Padre island in dry sandy conditions) Luckily I had a shovel to dig out the under belly enough while a veteran 4 wheel vulture watched on (he wanted $20 to pull me out).


Make sure your cv joints are ok. Have fun and take pics!

[Tomaz]

I've driven my X5 on Pismo Beach which is about 4 miles of beach and dunes. There was no problem on the wet or compacted hard sand. I did venture out onto the soft dune sand and as long as I kept moving and stayed on level ground I was OK. I would not trust trying to drive up any grade though. The advice was to air down the tires but I didn't bother.

[vinuneuro]

Driving in sand is never a good idea as it's very hard on components. If you do it, make sure to get a good underbody wash when you're done.

[Zulu95]

I would also check all your CV boots before you go.

[wpl11972]

First time their the road ended and sand started. I took it right on went a little fast because the sand was soft. Drove it for 5 to 10 miles. Hit around 50 mph. Had fun with it. The beach had wild horses on it. My brother in-law could not believe it he drives a Ford explorer.

[EOD Guy]

I ain't no Cowboy! (but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night) No one suggested the X5 was a rocker or bogger but you are full of it if you believe the X5 can't handle sand, mud, water etc.... I have a dodge 4WD with lockers front and rear, that'll go anywhere and the X5 keeps up just fine. Now I don't drive it into 2 feet of water or hang the rear end over a rock but it has only gotten stuck a few times and that was due to me not paying attention to the muddy conditions and sliding into a ditch, 5 min and a tow strap I was out and continued on etc... Have fun or park it.... PS why would any body want to put thier X5 where your truck was?

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by EOD Guy

I ain't no Cowboy! (but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night) No one suggested the X5 was a rocker or bogger but you are full of it if you believe the X5 can't handle sand, mud, water etc.... I have a dodge 4WD with lockers front and rear, that'll go anywhere and the X5 keeps up just fine. Now I don't drive it into 2 feet of water or hang the rear end over a rock but it has only gotten stuck a few times and that was due to me not paying attention to the muddy conditions and sliding into a ditch, 5 min and a tow strap I was out and continued on etc... Have fun or park it.... PS why would any body want to put thier X5 where your truck was?

You plainly said it was as good as any other 4WD and it isn't.

[5Xwen]

Originally Posted by wpl11972

First time their the road ended and sand started. I took it right on went a little fast because the sand was soft. Drove it for 5 to 10 miles. Hit around 50 mph. Had fun with it. The beach had wild horses on it. My brother in-law could not believe it he drives a Ford explorer.

Cool...I was on the same beach just past Duck. My daughter loved the wild horses.