Howdy from southern Germany

Whizzo · #1 10-23-2009, 01:10 PM

Hello from Stuttgart - not too far from BMW World HQ in Munich. I’m an American working for a tech company here. I took delivery of a U.S. spec 2009 Xdrive 35d in September, and have just over 1100 miles on the odometer. It is my first jump into the Bimmer ownership, and while I have owned and driven German cars before, I came upon this unique SAV based on specific requirements rather than BMW lust.

I needed a vehicle that:

-Would be a traditional hauler for people, furniture, groceries, bags of mulch and the like.
-Would carry visiting family and their luggage on trips around Europe
-Would give me decent fuel mileage for a 30 mile daily commute
-Would tow my 4000lb travel trailer/caravan when I get back to the U.S. in a few years
-Would be enjoyable to drive on European and North American roads: good on twisty/narrow and on superhighways
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Impossible to fulfill all these requirements, right? Of course, those of you in this forum know the X fits this unusual niche very well. It is Space Grey/Black, Premium Package as the only option, and was built the last week of July 2009. It took about 5 weeks to arrive from the U.S after ordering. I asked about taking delivery at BMW Welt (World) in Munich, but the local dealer couldn’t offer that for a U.S.-built example. No worries, we drove to Munich on our first road trip anyway.

I cannot believe the combination of torque and economy, having only filled the fuel tank twice in six weeks! I got 24.2 MPG combined on the first tankfull, and 26.4 MPG on the trip to BMW World HQ. I have a great twisty valley road that gets me to work, and I still boggle at how flat and stable the system keeps this admittedly heavy vehicle on winding European roads. I have driven few BMW sedans (3 and 5 series), and only once an E53 2002 X5 4.4, but this bigger series X5 is right there with its European-built brothers in terms of responsive handling. The turbodiesel has a tiny bit of lag, and the throttle seems a little stiff, but I keep having to remind myself that this engine is way far from being broken in. I’ve already had the U.S. towing package shipped over, and will let you know how the German techs do on a “foreign” hitch install.

Thank for this impressive forum – I’ve already found out several great tips.

John W