Happy X5 Owner WARNING! Long Post

[Lex2BMW]

Less than a month ago I became the owner of a 09 X5 3.0. My previous SUV, a Lexus GX 470, was rock solid but became a bit boring down the stretch. When I first purchased the Lexus I was taken aback by the attention to detail and overall workmanship. Needless to say, I never had any problems and the only reason to visit the service department was for periodic oil changes. There were a few preference issues with the SUV that would occasionally bug me.

1.) The sometimes floaty ride. Luckily the SUV has a suspension control which could be adjusted from Sport to Comfort mode (five click range). When driving on a twisty road or highway I used the Sport mode to eliminate the floaty - I am about to tip over feel and when driving around town, Comfort was my suspension mode of choice. In the beginning it was cool but after awhile it became annoying.

2.) Snoozer! I once read a review of the GX470 and it was stated that everything “just works in a Lexus” and as a result, the Lexus line is very boring! At first I thought the car critic was on drugs but after owning the SUV for awhile I must agree. Although the Lexus line of cars will do everything you ask them to do, they are absolutely boring to own and drive. I remember the car critic said, “One can actually fall asleep while driving a Lexus”. Agreed! Although I never fell asleep while driving, there were many road trips that left me numb and longing for more…but more what?
Three weeks ago I decided to part ways with the Lexus for another SUV. I first looked at the Audi Q7 which has a GORGEOUS exterior but the interior was meeeeh! I also looked at the Acura MDX which had EVERY bell and whistle for under $50K but the cartoonish grill was a big turn off. Also, going from a Lexus to an Acura seemed like a big step down. Lastly, I decided to give the X5 a try and ended up driving home with a 2009, Jet Black, Premium, Tech, Rear Climate, and other goodies.

The FIRST thing I noticed while driving home was a harsher ride at slower speeds but harsher in a good way. At highway speeds though, the bumps melt away to a smooth and supple ride. The ride characteristics are exactly what I was hoping for. The SUV uhh I mean SAV has soul which I now know is exactly what was missing in my Lexus! Prior to purchase my expectations of the 3.0 engine plummeted after reading all the negative press on this site and others. However, I can say without any reservations that this engine exceeded my expectations in every way. The X5 3.0 has 260hp V6 and is approximately 200lbs heavier than my Lexus which has a 263hp V8. The extra weight does make the X5 seem slightly slower off the line than my Lexus but still plenty fast to me. Others have remarked on sluggishness when changing lanes or merging into traffic but this has not been my experience. Because I was so paranoid about all the sluggishness remarks, I performed the ultimate test over the Christmas holiday. I loaded the family in the SAV and all five of us took a short road trip. My concerns were diminished as the SAV performed quite well. Logically I know the 4.8 engine is probably a rocket compared to the 3.0 engine but why all the complaints? Am I missing something? Does the 3.0 engine become slower with use?
The results of my road trip:

Merging into traffic – Good
Changing lanes – Good
Acceleration - Good


So far there have only been a few negatives or concerns:

1.The standard stereo system sounds great at low volumes but horrible as the volume increases. Luckily for me I didn’t get the premium sound package because from what I read, it isn’t much of an improvement. The Mark Levison in the Lexus line should be the benchmark that every other manufacture tries to reach.


2.Is it possible for the Navigation to use the “entire” screen instead of half?


3.While using the navigation if I switch to the audio (or another) screen, is there a way for the unit to automatically change back to the navigation map screen? There is a setting for this in the Lexus.


4.Are there any TSB’s, updates, etc that I should request from the dealership?
Oh yeah pictures will be posted this evening.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to be a part of the X5 clan.

[cmyX6go]

Congrats and welcome!

Your title is misleading, I thought the warning was an issue with your new ride, glad to see it was just warning of the long post.

[brian5]

Lex2BMW,

Welcome! I agree with cmyX6go, your title is misleading. I think you can edit and change it -- and that is not a long post compared to some that we see on this forum

[jaaX3]

First, congrats on your purchase! Sounds like you're happy, so my advice to you is not to read any threads with "X5d," "X5 xDrive35d," or "diesel" in the subject line .

Our previous SUV was a 2006 RX400h with ML audio. I wouldn't say it was as great as you make it sound (IMO). I don't have premium sound, and I wish I got it as well.

Your NAV is the same as my 2008 5er, so no you cannot the map cannot be seen on the full screen (that's the main reason I got the 2010 X5d).

There is no auto go-back as you had on the Lexus. What you can do, though, is instead of going back to the menu, from any screen you can push the iDrive knob in the direction of the screen that you want (as if you were on the main menu screen) and hold for a couple seconds. It will go to that screen. {I'm sorry I know that sounds like a weird description of this function, but I hope you understand it.}

I'm not sure of TSBs for this vehicle. A search on this forum might lead you somewhere, or someone else will chime in.

Again, welcome and congrats!

[rh71]

I test drove the 3.0 and 4.8 back to back just to get a feel for the difference. It was noticeable (obviously), but wasn't a $10k difference in my opinion. If the 35d had been available, I'd jump all over that but that's another story. Give me a $4500 rebate on a 4.8 and - same thing. The 3.0 engine is sufficient for most uses... one of the times you'd need extra hp is passing on the highway and it can already do it quite well. The sluggishness comments come from attempting to move such a heavy vehicle quickly off the line. Couple that with the electronic throttle lag all E70s have, it's worrisome. I've come to live with it and have little regret... well, maybe except that whole new idrive thing... I'd upgrade models for that at some point and try the 35i twin turbo gas.

[Lex2BMW]

Originally Posted by cmyX6go

Congrats and welcome!

Your title is misleading, I thought the warning was an issue with your new ride, glad to see it was just warning of the long post.

Thanks! I changed the title!

[Lex2BMW]

Originally Posted by rh71

I test drove the 3.0 and 4.8 back to back just to get a feel for the difference. It was noticeable (obviously), but wasn't a $10k difference in my opinion. If the 35d had been available, I'd jump all over that but that's another story. The 3.0 engine is sufficient for most uses... one of the times you'd need extra hp is passing on the highway and it can already do it quite well. The sluggishness comments come from attempting to move such a heavy vehicle quickly off the line. Couple that with the electronic throttle lag all E70s have, it's worrisome. I've come to live with it and have little regret... well, maybe except that whole new idrive thing.

Oh yeah how could I forget to mention the idrive. WEIRD AND UNUSUAL COMMENT COMING UP RIGHT ABOUT NOW..............

I don't have a problem with idrive setup. After completely reading the idrive portion of the manual from cover to cover i was good to go. Of course the unit could stand to be more user friendly and intuitive but It didn't have the steep learning curve I was expecting based on comments made by others.

[autoque]

3.0 only gets better with use. Nothing beats the smoothness of the inline 6 gasoline engine. Try revving it up to 7000rpm. It's vibration-free and sounds silky. Powerwise I'm not complaining.

[cmyX6go]

Originally Posted by jaaX3

Our previous SUV was a 2006 RX400h with ML audio. I wouldn't say it was as great as you make it sound (IMO). I don't have premium sound, and I wish I got it as well.

There is a definite improvement in the premium sound in the E70 vs the E53. I thought the premium sound in my E70 was pretty damn good.

[Lex2BMW]

Originally Posted by cmyX6go

There is a definite improvement in the premium sound in the E70 vs the E53. I thought the premium sound in my E70 was pretty damn good.

I will have to hear an E70 with premium sound before becoming convinced that the extra money would have been worth it. The 09 stock stereo has good components and is very close to being adequate. I am not an audiophile but from what I can see (or hear) the system only suffers from a lack of deep bass which can be remedied with a 8" or 10" bass tube...professionally installed of course.