Towing with my X5

[DaveNW]

Hi everyone. I've been away from the Board for awhile, but wanted to share this picture with you. When I was here before, everyone (including me), was wondering about towing with the X5, how to do it, what equipment to get, and so forth.

I've just returned today from a first-time trip in my X5 towing my 2006 Fleetwood (Coleman) Highlander Niagara folding trailer. This is the largest tent trailer Coleman makes, and is about 20 feet long and about 5.5 feet high when closed. It weighs about 3500 pounds empty. I understand the X5 is rated to tow 6000 pounds, but I was still a bit nervous. I shouldn't have worried - the X5 performed flawlessly. I could not be happier. It didn't get overheated, it didn't flinch having the trailer attached - in fact, I used the air conditinoing the whole time. If it hadn't been for the big white thing in the rear view mirror, and the slowness climbing some hills, I wouldn't even have known a trailer was back there. Even the gas mileage wasn't affected all that much.

The weekend camping trip was over Washington State's North Cascades Highway to the town of Winthrop, Washington. This route required going over the 4000 ft. Washington Pass in both directions. Some steep grades, and lots of turns. It's not the highest Pass we have, but for a first trip, it was fine. I wanted to test how the X5 would do, and I'm very pleased with how things turned out.

My rig is a 2003 4.4i X5, all stock, except for the staggered Toyo Proxes tires and Beyern 5 20" rims (8.5 front, 10 rear) I put on it last year. The X has about 48K miles on it. I bought the BMW OEM trailer hitch, and had it installed by a local "Truck Toys" kind of place, along with a Prodigy electric brake controller. Everything was installed by the book. The extra mirrors you see clamped on the X5's rear views are Cipa Towing Mirrors, (model #11960) purchased at a local Camping World store.

I'm offering this to anyone who is reluctant or curious about towing with an X5. Don't be. If you have the right gear, it's a piece of cake.

Pardon the pun, but I'm a Happy Camper.

Dave