THE X5 to have...

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by Bayerische E53

In any event, I highly doubt the owner ordered it that way for weight's/performance's sake. I find it hard to believe that an enthusiast would be quite that daft. I'm sure he did it for simplicity. In a modern street car - any modern street car - I value simplicity over weight any day of the week. Forget fuel economy. If you're buying an SUV, you have no standing to complain about fuel economy.

There is all this talk about "drivers' cars." People think it's all about weight - rubbish; it's not - not in the 21st Century. In the 21st Century it's, at least, equally about simplicity and cleanliness. I say this because there's no such thing as "light weight" cars (i.e. "driver's cars" in the traditional sense) in the 21st Century that are actually usable (I don't want to hear any Lotus Elise talk; cars like that are far from usable). In the 21st century, "drivers' cars" have more to do with simplicity than with low weight. The new M3 weighs 4,000lbs. My brother just bought an E90 M3 stripper (cloth interior, no options, no sunroof); it weighs 3,700lbs. People might argue that that's a driver's car. In my opinion, it's as close as you can get to a usable "driver's car" in the 21st century. However, no matter how you cut the pie, a 3,700lbs "street sports car," no matter how well it handles, is just not a "driver's car" in the traditional sense.

I agree the owner probably ordered it that way for simplicity and the fact he wouldn't have to worry about it leaking.

I don't agree that if you buy an SUV you can't complain about fuel economy. My wife wanted another SUV, but I was tired of paying for premium fuel in our gas hungy 4.4i, so this time we went with a diesel that can get up to 29 miles per gallon. Fuel economy was a huge consideration when we we looking for her car. I refused to buy a 4.8i because of it.

The e90 weighs 3,700 pounds. However, the e92 strippers with carbon fiber roofs weigh in closer to 3,600 from those who have actually scaled the car. The upcomming M3 is said to be lighter than the current generation. Many car makers are lowering weight these days. Porsche, Audi and so on. Pretty sure the current f30 sedans are on par or lighter than the e90 sedan, so less weight seems to be important.

In addition, there are great, low weight drivers cars available these days. Look at the Subaru BRZ. Fantastic car, great reviews, decent modern amenities like nav, etc, and it only weighs in around 2,800 pounds!