X5 is gone

[TowX]

Here's my rationale:
X5 tow rating is 6,000 lbs. BMW doesn't differentiate between 3.0 and 4.4.
Wheelbase is just 112", and a pretty narrow track width.

My 4.4 pulled my aluminum open deck trailer with race car pretty well, but it was a combined towed weight of just 4500 lbs. However whenever I put 8 wheels and tires up on the tire rack, the wind resistance could be felt in a big way. But I felt the X5 performed great for a unibody vehicle, and I could pull hills and run at 75 on the interstate as well as if not better than my friends with Tahoes.

When I bought my 18' enclosed trailer, my towed weight was close to the max tow rating of the X4. And even thought it was a v-nosed trailer to cut some of the wind, the 4.4 struggled to pull even the mildest grade. I never used 6th gear, left it in 5th whch was 3000 rpm at 68 mph. Fuel economy dropped to 10 at that speed on flat Illinois and Indiana highways. When I'd hit any inclines, I'd have to drop down to 4th just to maintain 60+ because of the weight combined with the wind resistance. Many hills got pulled at 50-55 in 3rd , and fuel economy on those trips dropped to 8.5-9 mpg. There is absolutely no way the 6 cylinder could pull anything more that 4000 lbs max.

One other note- my trans failed at 74000 miles. Thank heavens for CPO warranty. Service manager knew I towed, he also tows a trailer with his X5. Even thought I'd had the trans fluid changed at 35000 miles, the trans fluid was absolute crap when it came out. And the truck was starting to have problems on the 3-4 and 4-3 shifts. Keep in mind up that point the most I'd pulled was the 4500 lb open trailer. I'm not certain the trans would live to the abuse of pulling 6000lbs. And it shows that trans fluid needs to be changed often.

The other factor was the X5 chassis- the open trailer weighed less than the X5, and was extremely stable at all towing speeds. The enclosed trailer was a far different story. Even though I run a dual-cam sway control weight distributing hitch system, on windy days on downhill stretches, it was the tail wagging the dog. 112" wheelbase just isn't enough, and the track width of the X5 doesn't help either. Thank heavens my E53 was a Sport with the staggered 19" wheels which helped.

I really wanted a turbodiesel, but the Jeeps were unibody too, and their tow ratings are lower than even the X5. Excursion diesels are all at least 8+ years old now, and all have megamiles on them. And those things are huge. In the ideal world I'd have gotten a 3 or 4 year old GMC 2500 with the Duramax turbodiesel and Allison transmission. Supurb tow vehicle, but I have kids and need the utility of an SUV. So a truck wasn't an option. So the Denali became the compromise.

Bottom line- the X5 with V8 was a competent tow vehicle at less than 4500 lbs. Beyond that and I just didn't feel safe towing 1000 miles from Chicago to VA through the mountains.