Quick Review of X5 35d

[azwcat]

New 35d owner here. Thought I'd share my experience thus far. Currently at around 750 miles.

Old car: 03 Infiniti FX35 fully loaded with Tech/Tour/Sport packages. H&R springs, 285/35/22 tires all around, various other mods. New car: '10 X5 35d Alpine White, Saddle, Bamboo - Premium/Tech/Comfort Access/Heated Front seats/Ipod Integration/Smartphone Integration. Mods coming.

So far, I like the X5. It's quite different from my FX so I am still in the adjustment period.

Pros:
-Diesel torque. I want to tow my enclosed trailer with the X5 and the torque will come in handy. Love the sound of the diesel, effortless power, and mpg! It's a win-win. Can't wait to get out from the break-in period!
-Ipod Integration. Seamless integration. It's awesome.
-BMW Assist/Bluetooth. I use the bluetooth every day and love it. Phone book downloads from my phone automatically and I select names and go. The quality of sound is quite good. BMW assist is actually pretty cool too. The google maps feature seems pretty cool, although I haven't had a chance to try it yet. The concierge service would be pretty cool too. For 200 a year, you get your own personal b*tch to answer stupid questions or make reservations or do whatever you want. Unlimited access. I'm not going to buy it, but that's a reasonable price for a mobile secretary.
-Panoramic sunroof. Feels so spacious and open. Love it.
-Backup Camera. Better than the FX's. The obstacle detection and trajectory lines are really cool.
-HD Radio. Nice!
-Luxury/style. More luxurious than my FX, the color combo is fantastic.

Neutral:
-Handling is a mixed bag. It's not bad, but it's not as good as my FX. Maybe I should have gotten the adaptive suspension, but with the almost doubling of price, I couldn't justify getting it.
-Navigation. It's nice looking, but hard to read street names.
-Electronics. The electronics are both a pro and a con. I don't like the high pitched buzz near the engine after I turn the car off. I also can't figure out why sometimes it takes the Nav a long time to boot up, and other times it's ready with the disclaimer right away. There are a lot of electronic features and that means a lot to go wrong. From reading this forum, it seems a lot does go wrong. Especially worried about the battery and comfort access system.

Cons:
-Turn signal stalk. Takes too much effort to click it all the way down. Also would like to be able to adjust the three blink feature.
-Running boards. They look fantastic. They don't work at all. Very awkward to use.
-Transmission. Accelerating from a stop or slow speed is a crap shoot. Sometimes it lags, sometimes its okay. I don't dare pull out in front of traffic like I used to. After break-in, I will experiment with sport mode. Maybe that will be my answer.

That's about it. Just need to install the tow hitch and pick out some new wheels. Maybe get the aero kit too, still undecided.