1 month with my X5, and a couple of questions and comments..

[MD11F]

First off, I'm overall quite happy with my new X5, for anyone who's reading this forum and looking at getting one.. I strongly recommend.

However..

There are a couple of short comings so far I'm a bit disappointed with:

-The paint work is not up to par with my Mercedes, or other less expensive cars I've seen in that the finish doesn't go into the parts you don't see (underside of the hood, tailgate, etc..) to the level of the MB or a Toyota for that matter. Also, over where the license place sits, around where the camera is mounted the paint doesn't seem to be done right. Where the lip or ridge makes the 90 degree turn, it's as though the paint ran and they didn't catch it.

-The rear brakes lights claim to be LED, but I for the life of me can't see how? I have LED's on my E320 CDI and they look like LED's.. these look like regular bulb lights.. anyone know what the deal is on those?

-The NAV system is a bit hard to navigate compared to the MB (which isn't a model of ergonomics either), but more importantly, it's got a lot of errors, and sends you to supposed restaurants that wind up in the middle of a residential neighborhood at someone's house.

-The lack of a rear net restraint for cargo is wholly unacceptable for US models. I paid the extra $800 for the part and had it ordered from Germany only to find out it doesn't mount into the US model (there is no where to connect the net at the ceiling).

---------

now on the bright side..

-I drove it on a road trip from Phoenix to Albuquerque and back last weekend and it was absolutely exhilirating for an SUV. I had just gotten to 1150 miles before the trip, and took it in for an oil change (break in), then took off on this trip. For the first time, I used the DS "Sports" mode and it was amazing for a 5400lbs (plus about 650 in cargo/pax) vehicle. We took the back roads instead of the I40 most of the way out of AZ, and the two lane roads were a joy to drive! I saw myself doing 110 mph at times while feeling I was doing maybe 80.. the passing was again amazing for an SUV.. the milage was also better than I expected for this much weight and power.

-The fit and finish is as good or better than my German built E320, and an order of magnitude better than the Mercedes SUV's I've looked at. Still to this day, some 2000 miles later, it's rattle free, and tight as a rubber glove on a fat hand! The materials are holding up well, the center console, which looked like it would scratch up easily is like brand new with a quick wipe with a damp micro fiber cloth.

-The BMW Dealer service (BMW North Scottsdale) has been exemplary and exceeded my expectations. With my rear DVD not working for a week, they gave me a loaner X5 (3.0) with a read DVD player and when they couldn't get mine to work, they canablized the one from the 3.0 and put it in mine. They then gave me two free oil changes or a $250 credit with the dealership for other work. I have elected to do a 1200 mile break in, and then I'll be changing it every 7500 instead of the 15000, so this comes in handy.

- The car looks great, get a lot of attention and is for me the king of the heap among the SUV's out there (maybe baring the Porsche turbo). While it's not as huge and lumbering as the Escalades and Lexus LX470's of the world, it's nearly as massive yet far more nimble.

- 2000+ mile later and absolutely no mechanical or electrical problems (DVD player not withstanding).

I give it 4.7 stars.. out of 5.

[~KaiFy GaiwanY~]

about the paint job .. i dont see that a problem in the UAE cuz all of the x5's ive seen were amazing ..

about the LED's ive seen the x5 on the street and they do look like LED to me ..

i ordered a 2008 model which will come at the end of october ..

[jago]

my audi A8 nav better than both both mb and idrive for user-friendliness.
and 2002 vintage acura mdx beat all the germans.
i've had all four..

[MD11F]

Originally Posted by ~KaiFy GaiwanY~

about the paint job .. i dont see that a problem in the UAE cuz all of the x5's ive seen were amazing ..

about the LED's ive seen the x5 on the street and they do look like LED to me ..

i ordered a 2008 model which will come at the end of october ..

maybe my car is a unique case.. I'm going to check the others at the dealer the next time I go in. I'm also wondering if the white shows it more? But I assure you that it's not clear coated in the areas where the rear lift gate is hidden, and such which I think is something that the American makers are known for but the Japanese and Germans are better at not doing.

[marcx5]

aside from maybe the break in period.... you're wasting time, energy, materials, money, etc... by doing oil change every 7500. this car really does not need it until every 15,000 or whenever it tells you. the synthetic oils used today are completely fine for these intervals.

[trueX5er]

The brake lights are not LED, the taillamps are though.
My paint is ok, but I will examine it closer.

[MD11F]

Originally Posted by marcx5

aside from maybe the break in period.... you're wasting time, energy, materials, money, etc... by doing oil change every 7500. this car really does not need it until every 15,000 or whenever it tells you. the synthetic oils used today are completely fine for these intervals.

Not worried about it... I'm the type to keep a car for 10+ years, and I know enough about mechanics to know that fluids are the life's blood of a machine. Aircraft oil is far more capable and expensive and they don't go anywhere near as long (in terns of hours of use) before change. I think while the 15000 mile interval is "fine", a 1/2 interval on ALL fluids (yes, all) is better, and better is what I'm after.

[onesixeight]

MD11F...

The paint job is quite poor. There is so much orange peel in the paint and like you said, the rear trunk lid is the worst area. BMW has never had the best paint jobs.

I'm quite surprised too the E70 does not use LED brake lights. I wasn't sure because I thought it did, but when I was behind another E70 last night, it's clear it's not LED. There is some glowing tubes that look like LED, but the ones that turn on as you brake aren't LED.

BMW seems to wait for a facelift models to implement LEDs. It happened on the E46 and more recently the E60 5 series.

I really love the look of LED taillights...especially the Ford GT which flashes a few times as you come to a stop.

Chris

[MD11F]

It's sad that a $75000 SUV doesn't have LED's.. when a $35,000 Nissan does. More over, the BMW book said they were LED, or at least I recall.. so I feel a bit misled.

[trueX5er]

The tubes in the taillight are indeed LED. The brake lights are standard, but they do have adaptive brake lights.