2011 test drives (long)

[bimmer_buachaill]

Along with driving my own 2003 (e53) X5 4.4i today (Sunday), I also had a chance to drive the 2011 35i and 50i. For diesel, I drove a 2010 35d (same engine/transmission as 2011) and tried out a 2008 4.8i for the sports suspension (it is the same as 2011, right?). So 5 X5s in one day!

Engines

Worth mentioning that all cars were very low mileage (50i had 3 miles when I started!) so I'm sure broken in engines will be better than my experience.

Engines were really what today's test drives were about. Drove the 50i first - gobs of power, torque, sound and everything you'd want from a BMW engine. Did I feel a slight lag in major oomph - couldn't tell if it was a little turbo lag, the electronic throttle or my over-active imagination. But my e53 4.4i seems to have better throttle response. Should have done more testing of this from 0 vs. speed in hindsight. Ignoring this possible non-issue, the 50i is serious twin turbo V8 powahhhhh. Hard to keep at low speeds and clearly a step up from the 4.8i. Even with that, I can see why some people will need the x5m as there's still room for some sports car craziness if you want that in an SUV (SAV). The 50i is certainly fast but not scary fast. I was impressed but not as blown away as I had hoped.

2010 35d next. I really wanted it to suck compared to the 50i so I could have me some twin turbo V8 torque but I gotta say, this diesel is one nice engine. Of course the low diesel redline takes some getting used to but man is there serious torque in this engine. Hanging out at speed in M4 or M5 was a pleasure with no need to shift but of course 6th gear is needed for better mileage. But even passing in M6 was reasonable. I hate you BMW for making me like a diesel! (Makes me wonder what the non-US 40d/8 speed is like!) Sound was clearly diesel at idle outside but from the inside was very good at idle and at speed. Sounded good under acceleration actually.

2011 35i now, mainly to try out the 19" wheels for comfort (below) but a little interested in the engine too. This engine also feels great, easily powers like a V8 to those not in the know. Great off the line, on the highway and the 8 speed transmission is great too. Maybe less lag than with the 50i but again could have been my imagination. Sound was good but not particularly memorable. If you don't want a diesel and don't need a TT V8 (not many of us do apparently), the 35i will make you very happy. Worry not, the X5 is fast with the 35i.

Transmission

My e53 X5 is a 5 speed, 2008 4.8i and 2010 (2011) 35d were 6 speed and 2011 50i and 35i were 8 speed. I didn't feel as strongly about the transmissions as I thought I might. Driving with the 35i 8 speed, it went straight from 8th to 3rd in regular drive when I floored it on the highway. Good luck doing that in manual mode! Sports Drive mode keeps in in 7th gear (!) and seems to kick down a little more aggressively.

The transmission in the 35d is the 6 speed (apparently the same one from the 4.8i V8) and I had no issues with it at all. Being only 6 gears, it also felt more reasonable to use the manual mode but I doubt I'd bother in practice. No longer disappointed with no 8 speed diesel other than the slight mileage impact.

Wheels/suspension/handling/feel

Tried two 20", one 19" and one 18" to compare ride. For comfort, no surprises. Noticeably more comfortable over bumps in the 18s. My wife thought the 18s were better than the 19s but I thought both were pretty comfortable. My e53 has sports package with 19" and the ride is simply jarring, particularly in the rear. In fact the ride is worse than any of the e70s, 20" with sports package included. BMW seems to have figured out the balance with the e70s.

I didn't notice a lot of difference in the 2008 20" with sports suspension on/off to be honest - this was going over a bumpy road at 20-30mph. Not sure if that's the same suspension as the 2011 MY. Even in some higher speed sweepers, there wasn't much difference to me. Some of the credit needs to go to the 20" with large tires no doubt.

I also didn't see a huge difference in cornering between the 2011 50i no sport and 2008 48i with sport. Both had 20s for wheels. It was clear that the 50i accelerated out of the corner with less oversteer, perhaps due to the new tuning of the xDrive. Whatever it was, it felt way more neutral vs. the 48i.

Steering was BMW standard (great). Brake feel was good entering corners, didn't do any crazy stops but expect no issues.

Sound package

Was very surprised by the lack of clear difference between the professional and premium sound systems. My current X5 does not have premium sound (does not sound great) and my 5er has premium sound (sounds great).

I'm not an audiophile and unfortunately forgot to bring a favorite CD so this was only a radio based comparison while driving with road noise. Then again, who's going to bring along CDs and stop at the side of the road to listen. Much to my surprise, my wife and I found it hard to see the difference. I doubt there's a big measureable difference with standard bitrate MP3s at highways speeds but feel free to persuade me if you've done more analysis.

Exterior looks

Clearly all personal preference.

New car looks great but definitely a facelift vs. a major reworking. We've all seen the photos and Xoutpost forum readers will appreciate the differences but Joe Public may not see the difference on the street. The major X5 rework will be more exciting down the road.

The 18s look good but a little small to me given my current 19s on the e53. The 19s look good, 20s look great. Aspect ratios of tires were 18=55, 19=50 and 20=35/40. You will likely need snow wheels/tires for snowy areas if you don't get the 18/19 all season tires so keep that in mind when choosing. The 20s will be heavy and expensive tires so the look has a performance and cost. I think I'm going to pick 18s or 19s with all seasons but I could live with the 20s if it was just my choice!

Checked out deep sea blue and platinum gray on non X5s. I like the former, my wife liked the latter. Also checked out Oyster on a 7 series. Pretty light, probably not good for a car that ever sees children. Now thinking about Tobacco (never seen in person) or Black (old reliable).

Other stuff

Top view cameras were cool and useful for curb or garage parkers to check out side distances. Loved the new iDrive, all around much faster with higher resolution navigation (not sure if that's 2011 or earlier). Extra buttons are nice and speed up moving around quite a bit. Overall a much better user experience.

Passengers will love the panoramic moonroof but my eyes are usually facing forward, not up.

3rd row seats are a bit of a joke even for kids. Then again, the spare tire is a bit of a joke too! Is the 3rd row seats option the only way to get the self leveling rear suspension? Doesn't make sense to me. The SLRS would be useful for towing.

Summary

All 3 2011 US engines are impressive works of BMW engineering. Turbos rock. Goodbye natural aspiration, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

We are spoiled for choice in the US and I don't think there is a wrong decision, whatever way you go. I personally have a need for torque (towing 5000 lbs) and with the price/discounts on the diesel, I will likely go that route. I've work out it'll save me $15k over the TT V8 between purchase and fuel costs which is tough to justify (maybe how some 50i -> x5m folks feel). However, if you're going to splurge, that TT V8 may be worth it.

Good luck out there folks and thanks everyone for the info so far. Looking forward to ordering my 2011 X5 very soon.