X5 off-road prowess (?)

[dksavage]

Ahh - didnt realise that you can a attach video files .... here you go.
Two small clips of the toughest section. Doesnt show that it was quite a steep hill, although you can hear the tyres trying to get grip in (1.)
1. First attempt at slow speed (incar)
2. A little more speed and up it went (outside)
All good fun.
DS

[X5downunder]

Hey DS,
Another X5 in Aus here. I have taken my 2004 X5 4.4 off road a few times this year with a tag-along 4WD tour company: Great divine tour and they are very impressed with the X5 off-road capabilities considering its low clearance. The new X-drive system is very capable. We did a tour at Stockton beach in NSW on sand dunes/beach and the X5 has no problem whatsoever as long as the DSC button is pressed. On a steep sand hill challenge, even the tour guide with his turbo diesel Toyota landcruiser could not get up and my X5 had no trouble going up (and it was my first time going off-road too).

I am going on a 2 days 4WD driver training in a few weeks time and looking forward to the most out of this awesome luxury SAV!

Here are a couple of photos on past trips (not sure if it upload correctly, haven't been on the forum for a while). Enjoy.
QT

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2699
http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2700

[dan_fitz]

It looks like they did not load properly, downunder. I would love to see them, tho.

[DinanX5]

Originally Posted by X5downunder

... On a steep sand hill challenge, even the tour guide with his turbo diesel Toyota landcruiser could not get up and my X5 had no trouble going up (and it was my first time going off-road too)...

That's awesome - glad to hear it!!

[Bill K]

Originally Posted by RuppX5

BillK, if we are talking about off-road prowess the X5 doesn't compare to any Jeep or Land Rover. We are talking about two completely different animals. Up until recently all Jeeps and Land Rovers use solid axles front and rear. These trucks are much more geared to off-roading than the X5. To be fair to the X5, it isn't intended to be an off-roader.

And just to clarify, Land Rover discontinued putting in a CDL (Center Diff Lock) in 1999 when they came out with the Series 2 Discovery. The reason that they discontinued it is that in the US, people would leave the diff locked on the street and they would destroy the transfer case. Also, the traction control in the Discovery 2 doesn't do anything to help out with front to rear slippage of the driveshafts, only side to side (wheel to wheel). Land Rover only discontinued the CDL here in the states.

While I love the X5, I know its limitations. It stays on the street. My Land Rover gets to see the dirt and rocks.

First off, READ MY POST. I never said it was better than the LR off raod. As for the Jeep, I never said that either. HOWEVER....Every Jeep that I have seen doing any serious offroading was HEAVILY modified. In all fairness, if one were to modify an X5 (almost impossible since the market for that doesnt exist) in the same manner that a Jeep would be modified, then you would have a real competition.
I firmly believe that an unmodified, standard Jeep Cherokee is NOT a serious offroad contender.
The LR (up to about 2003) is one of the best offroad/onroad vehicles and requires much less modification. Again, please DO NOT put words in my mouth.

[RuppX5]

BillK, I reread your original post. I must have misread it, sorry.

While I agree with you that the Jeep Cherokee is a complete POS, it is a good off-roader bone stock. It has good ground clearance, solid axles which give good axle travel and stability, and has a true 4 wheel drive transfer case. It doesn't have a frame; it is a unibody construction, thus the flex in the body. I had one myself and experienced the groaning, creaking and eventual breaking of things. That's why I bought the Land Rover Discovery.

Now to the subject of modifying a X5 for off-roading, its not really feasible. Having independent suspension makes any kind of lift extremely difficult. With a solid axle truck, its as simple as swapping the springs and shocks and attending to any driveline angle issues because of the lift. On a independent suspension truck, lifting it is much more complex because of the camber effects of the lift. Also, the breakage factor goes way up because of the increased angles on the cvs. There was a company that did a suspension lift on a LR freelander. On the first off-road trip, it blew a cv joint and took the transmission with it. Independent suspension trucks are best left alone. If a off-roader is desired the best solution is to start with a solid axle truck and go from there.

Going back to LR, one of the best bone stock off-roaders is the 2004 Discovery Series 2. It has the 4.6 litre engine and CDL standard. It is a great compromise on-road / off-road truck.

[Bill K]

I have my doubts about the new LR Discovery. First off, the rear ground clearance seems lower. Also, FORD has a tendancy to make good cars into bad cars. I think they are stressing "marketability" which means less offroad, more onroad. Take a look at Volvo. Its a crying shame what they did to them. Excellent cars down the pooper. have you seen recent reliability reports on Volvo's? Enough to make you cry. But I have strayed (very) far from the original topic. My mistake.
By the way: the V8 on the LR is a killer regarding gas consumption. I forsee these things fading away with gas prices being what they are.

[RuppX5]

Bill, just to clarify, the 2004 Discovery is the old solid axle truck. The new LR3 is the vehicle you are referring to, I'm assuming. I've attached a pic of the 2004 Discovery. The 2004 Discovery is the BMW revamp of the old series one Discovery. The LR3 is the Ford inspired Honda Element crossed with an Explorer. I agree with you regarding how they are looking to marketability as opposed to sticking with a certain brand strategy. The LR3 is a compromise vehicle IMHO. It has independent suspension and a long wheelbase. It will never be able to compete with the X5 in terms of street driving and also loses a lot of off-road ability.

I do disagree with you that gas prices will hurt LR sales. Being expensive SUVs ($45-$80K) I doubt that gas prices will influence their target market's buying decisions. It might hurt the lower priced SUVs such as the Explorer, etc.

[Steved]

You forgot about my off-road thread that I originally posted on bimmerf

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77633

[apetrov1x5]

Originally Posted by Krunk Man

Snow tires would make a night and day difference, but its just that when one tire has no traction it moves power to another wheel, and thats not the best when all four tires are on the real slippery stuff.

would turning the DSC off help?