X5 4.8is in 50" of snow

[paulgt3]

I was going to post this in my other thread but I think its a bit more important given the reviews of the X5 in snow. Plus since the storm was so severe I think the post is abit more important than a review of the X5 on just a snowy road with a couple of inches which is what I thought the first post was going to be about.
The X5 is not known as a LandCruiser or a Jeep Rubicon. But I did not buy it for that, however. I bought it to safely get my family from my house to our mountain place on highways and plowed roads in the winter. No offroading except for mild dirt roads out here in the desert, but the winters in the Sierras can get nasty, even on regular roads and highways. For example two years ago on Jan 2 we had 120 inches in 36 hours. I had a Chevy silverado 4 X 4 diesel for that. I felt much more comfortable today in the X5 then the 2.5 mile long Chevy 3 quarter ton pickup.


Here is a real world report of my X5 4.8is
in a storm that was supposed to accumulate 4-6" of snow but ended up dumping 50"+ of snow. In fact as I type this its still snowing. I got out today but almost didnt.

The first couple pics are of us and the X5 parking in the lot of the main lodge at Mammoth Mountain on Saturday For those of you who go there- checkout the premo parking spot. My buddy loaned me a pass Whoa! usually we park a mile or so down the road.

The next 2 are of our parking lot today and then my family in front of our X5 in front of our truck AFTER we dug it out this morning!! thats about 4 hours of more snow. Then there is the pic of us getting out of town on the road to the hwy, that pic shows almost a white-out as we were leaving at 3PM today

then a couple of the mountians as we come down from 8000 feet to 5000 feet on hwy 395 and the road starts to clear but its still snowing.

This truck on 18" can handle 2-3 feet of powder on roads and I have the Michelin MVX4 Energy Plus. these arent the greatest of snow tires but the Xdrive did great. I felt no slippage at all and I tried a couple time to safely stress the system. Like press the brakes quickly coming up to a stop.

I would guess on Blizzaks or a more aggressive tire this truck would be down right awesome. I have full confidence in this vehicle to do what all my others have done in these situations with more power, comfort and sophistication than any of them(89Monterro, 90 4Runner, 93 LandCruiser, 2003 Ford 150 4X4, 2004.5 Chevy diesel 2500 4X4)

[mrkbbd]

that is one awesome view

[X5-4-Fighting]

Great write-up and photos, Paulgt3! Sounds like you and the family were perfectly in good hands in the X. Now I'm tempted to take the X right back up to Mammoth and enjoy all that powder.

[paulgt3]

BTW the pic of my wife and kids the decks or porches behind them are the second floor condos!! The first floor condos are buried.

[acitydweller]

fantastic write up.. thakns for sharing

[paulgt3]

City your welcome!!!

[motordavid]

PaulGT,
Great pics! I found our old '01 X, with the old fashioned
non-xdrive, with dedicated 17" rims and snows, was
formidable in snow up to 2 feet and on very steep inclines
and descents. Gee, I miss snow...;>)

Very cool pics!
BR,mD

[cbax5]

These are beautiful pictures!! Thanks for sharing!

[jpm4.8is]

Good read and Great pics!

[Wagner]

nice pics.