The most annoying thing about your X5...

[soda_stereo]

i bought my 2008 with only the basic features (no packages), in fact the only add-on option i included was the ipod adaptor. so mine doesn't have alot of the features that have been talked about (i/e complained about) here, but from the sounds of it that may be a good thing.
i've only been driving my x5 for a week now and i'm impressed with it mostly, granted there are some things i still need to get used to (and/or find out how they work). so my small list of annoyances include:
1) the turn blinkers (the quick ones - well they are just too quick for me, they turn off before i can make a complete lane change, thus i have to push all the way)
2) for some reason i still find it hard to physically get out of the vehicle, i guess i'm just used to opening the door and putting my foot down like with every other vehicle i've owned, but can't do that with the x5, not even with the running board. so i guess this one is for the non-functional running board
3) i'm somewhat dissapointed in the sound system, i know its the base package but i expected more out of a bmw. maybe i should have gotten the premium sound package.

but honestly, the above is me just being very nitpicky - i truly love my x5 and i'm happy to finally be a bmw owner.

-emilio

[rh71]

Originally Posted by calix5fan

I hate that the pick up on the 3.0... It's really hard for me to make a quick lane change. This is solved when I'm in manual mode, but then the Miles Per Gallon goes down and that's no fun. That REALLLLY annoys me about the X5 but maybe that isn't so with the 4.8. Other than that, the fact that I have to be so close to my gate to open it with the garage opener annoys me.

Anyone know if driving it in manual-shift mode is the same gas consumption as DS mode (without the manual shifting)?

I've been doing some manual shifting and obviously the acceleration is a ton better with the allowable late-shifting. Is this exactly the same on gas as DS mode? I ask because DS still feels more powerful.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by rh71

Anyone know if driving it in manual-shift mode is the same gas consumption as DS mode (without the manual shifting)?

I've been doing some manual shifting and obviously the acceleration is a ton better with the allowable late-shifting. Is this exactly the same on gas as DS mode? I ask because DS still feels more powerful.

It depends entirely on when you shift it, and where your foot is on the accelerator.

In standard mode, there is a certain shift algorithm programmed in.
In DS mode, the shift points are higher, so you consume more fuel.
In manual mode, it is up to you. If you shift at the same time as the standard mode would have, you will get the same fuel consumption. If you shift at the same time as the DS mode would have, you will get the same fuel consumption as the DS mode. In practice, you will likely not shift at the optimum point so your fuel consumption could be worse than either.

Take it another way: I live at the top of a long hill, and in standard mode it wouldn't quite shift, it hung up just before the shift. DS mode didn't help on that hill. It is a residential area, so I didn't want to go faster. Manual mode allowed me to shift up one gear higher, dropping revs, and it pulled just fine. That improved my fuel consumption over either standard or DS mode, but it isn't the usual use of manual mode based on what I read from other posters. The exception is withidl, and his posts about pulling a large trailer. He used manual mode to optimize the torque converter lock-up point, saving fuel and his transmission.

[markmm]

Glad I'm not alone in hitting the rear window controls instead of the front.

Biggest complaint for me is "boot up" time. If I want to use the back up camera, I start the car and have to wait up to 20 sec for the BWM logo to go away and for the camer and sonar screen to come up. Sometimes it overlaps the legal warning with the back up camera which looks terrible.

Second would be crappy back up camer resolution. I've seen better cameras on $50 cell phones.

[mlewis67]

I agree w/ Rh71 & Dawgbone ~ the climate fan comes on a lot when not needed & I also roll down the rear window a lot by mistake instead of the front window (when I'm not looking & just reach down) ... But, the big picture ~ performance, etc still remains the same .. awesome. Especially when it allows you to smoke an agressive Audi A8 driver on way into NYC like I did early this a.m. ...

[alewifebp]

I've always had an issue with the two MB's I had with opening the rear windows by mistake on multiple occasions. I guess one way to get around it would be to have the front row a different size than the rear row. In fact, I think that my Lexus from 2000 was like that.

Otherwise, the slow responding iDrive is the most annoying thing about my X5. Actually, the iDrive in general. Entering navigation destinations is especially maddening. However, if things worked faster and immediately, I could look past the other shortcomings of the system. Well, besides the lousy rear camera

[Foxx]

Originally Posted by DawgBone

Mine is wierd, and borderline stupid. And I'll get over it.

But the window controls annoy me. Not only are they in the wrong place for a Bimmer(j/k), but I can't for the life of me role down the front windows on the first try...Almost every time, I first reach down towards the gear shifter, then switch hands and role down the rear windows, role them back up, then finally look down to find the front windows...I'm 6'2" and I sit with my knees nearly touching the dash and still, the front window switches seem almost out of reach.

Otherwise, I'm completely floored by this truck...

That's so funny, I have the same problem 70% of the time.

[bren3085]

Originally Posted by Foxx

That's so funny, I have the same problem 70% of the time.

x3! i completely agree... i can never roll down my front windows first try either..seems like its always just out of reach!

[jeffnin]

For me it's squeaks and rattles, although ditching the runflat tires makes ride less jiggly, hence less squeaking. Also break dust is horrendous on all BMW's.

[deutsch100]

Yeah, brake dust is ghastly...but all German cars are like that. Just the price we pay for awesome performing brakes. BMW and Benz turn black after the first short drive.

-The key fob REALLY annoys me. MBZ came out first with these electronic key fobs in 1998/99...but their's made/makes sense. Why does BMW insist upon entering the fob, pressing a separate button to start/stop and then to boot...you have to press in, for it to release?? Either make Comfort Access standard, or use a Smartkey (one step system) like Mercedes does on models not equipped with Keyless Go (Comfort Access)!!

-The front windscreen (glass) is not thermal glass...and in hot weather (90F+) A LOT of heat is generated thru the front glass. It is very uncomfortable. The 7 Series is the same way. Ughhh!

-Interior door handles/pulls feel cheap and thin. For a car in this price range, they should be metal (as in the 7 series, S class and Porsche/Audi).

-Gas mileage is horrific. I know the car is BIG, and the V8 is big...but it still sucks!

-Rear blinkers should be Yellow/Orange as is mandated in Germany, and up until the 2006 3 Series sedan...all BMWs had yellow blinkers. I find the red blinkers to look very American, and in bright sunlight....they're hard to see mixed with brake lights. That's the reason Germany requires different coloured blinkers, compared to brake lights.

I do love my X5 though. The engine sounds great, it is VERY comfortable, looks aggressive, free maintenance and it is very safe & solid.