35d vs 50i

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by anzer

from memory it sounds like you had fun in the X6 but consumption was pretty horrible ?

putting that aside - how did you find the X6 in general compared to X5? e.g. drive dynamics (I think the X6 is a bit more tricked up in diff etc) ? how about vision out the back and boot space?

and how did the 50i sounds from inside and out compared to 35d?

you may be the only person who has done back to back so any feedback welcomed ..thanks

Fuel consumption aside it's hard to fault the 50i and remember the 2011 X5 50i will come with the eight-speed gearbox, not the six-speeder in the current X6. Compared to the Aussie-spec 35d (which is up in power and torque from the US-spec 35d) it's stronger everywhere especially so at high revs. It also has the quiet and refined feel of a petrol engine that even the best diesels have trouble matching. At the same time it makes great music when you boot it along. For its part the 35d is semi-competitive against the 50i in the 2000-3000rpm range and doesn't feel under powered in comparison for general give and take driving, it's just doesn't have the same urgency and ultimate performance of the 50i.

For fuel, I found constant-speed highway (110km/h) it was using 13 litres/100km, while my overall average (city and country, measured not OBC) was 18 litres/100km. All that's not too bad. The problem is stop-start urban driving, or giving it a boot ... that's when it started to knock on the door of 30s. The other negative is that it likes 98RON or 95RON. It's not really designed to run on 91RON. And, as I'm sure you know, we really get stung here for premium.

Under the same conditions, the 35d did 9s for easy highway, averaged 11 (measured, not OBC) and had an absolute worst of 16-17 for hard use.

In answer to you more general question of E70 X5 vs X6, they are really quite different packages. The X6 is a like a monster 2+2 coupe whereas the X5 is more a conventional 5 or 7 seat wagon with more space. I wouldn't see the X6 as a family vehicle, more a well-heeled couples car. Not that you couldn't use it as a family car but a E70 would be more practical

Sum up: If fuel cost is not a problem, a X5 50i would be like heaven on wheels but the $150K sticker price isn't too welcoming. If you wait for a year or so, you might be able to pick up a low km second-hand one. Have at look at how much the X6 50i has dropped in a year. A new 2010 on the road is over $170K whereas '09s with low kms can be had for $140K. If the X5 50i follows that trend that's a big saving.