X5 is gone

[TowX]

I ordered a new 22' v-nose enclosed race trailer, and considering how poorly the X5 towed my small 18' enclosed trailer I knew I was going to have to part with the X5 for a proper tow vehicle. The old trailer with 911 and spares in it weighed 5900 lbs on an official scale and the 4.4L struggled to pull even slight grades at 70. Considering the new trailer, loaded, will be close to 6800lbs, 800 lbs above the tow rating for the X5, I knew I was going to have to change. So the X5 departed yesterday, replaced with a GMC Yukon Denali. 415hp from the 6.2L, 8900 lb tow rating.

I'll miss the fun-to-drive nature of the E53. With the H&R suspension, the modified exhaust, and the staggered 19's with the Bridgestones that replaced the worthless Michelins, the X5 was always a pleasure to drive whether on the highway on a long trip pulling my old open trailer 1,000 miles or just running to the store. But the Denali is definitely faster right out of the box, and it'll be nice to run regular gas again too. And what a difference in Nav, though part of that may be due to the fact the the E53 was really old technology compared to a new SUV.

Anyway, it's been a pleasure to know everyone here. Thanks for the posts on how to wire in the trailer controller with trigger for the electric brakes, for the posts on replacing front suspension bushings (frequently) and all the electronics posts- installing the bluetooth, Sirius, and the Allstars sub enclosure. At least I'm still in the BMW family with my 528i and my R100RS bike.

Stay tuned- I pulled some of the things off the X5 before I traded it and will post the Allstars sub enclosure with 8" JL sub, Sirius module, and the 18x9 TSW winter wheels with brand new Michelin Latitude Alpin 255/55-18 snows that I bought in December. Gotta get some pics and post them all up. Just didn't have time to pull the factory hitch off sorry.