Hello-Potential New Owner/My Take on the X5d with a few questions

[F150 Duke]

Hello All,

I have been reading through the forums the past few weeks and really leveraging the search tool. I wanted to start by thanking each of you for posting such helpful information about the X5. I am looking to replace my 2005 F150 Lariat 4x4 supercrew (300HP/365lb)…at least the X5 designation will end up being a bit shorter. J Right now I’m stuck between a few X5 options:

Used ’08, ‘09, ‘10 X5 4.8i (350HP/350lb)
Pros:
§ Even regular seats are more comfortable
§ Styling/fit and finish of a BMW
§ Assumption: More instantaneous power when hitting pedal
§ ’10 has new iDrive
§ Used allows for lower price but still including feature set I want
Cons:
§ Potential to buy someone else’s problem
§ Fully loaded is more expensive and harder to find. Giving up auto cruise, blind spot warning, cooled seats, remote start and in most instances larger rims vs Jeep
§ Gas mileage avg when not towing will be poor (ex. 15 mpg)
§ ’08 and ’09 iDrive is a bit frustrating

Used ’09, ‘10 X5d (265HP/425lb)
Pros:
§ Even regular seats are more comfortable
§ Styling
Cons :
§ Potential to buy someone else’s problem
§ Fully loaded is more expensive and harder to find. Giving up auto cruise, blind spot warning, cooled seats, remote start and in most instances larger rims vs Jeep
§ Gas mileage avg when not towing will be poor (ex. 15 mpg)
§ Vibration at a stand still
§ Bit noisy at stand still

New ’11 X5 v6 (300HP/300lb)
Pros:
§ Even regular seats are more comfortable
§ Styling
§ Full New vehicle warranty
§ Better gas mileage when not towing
Cons:
§ Not as powerful as other options for towing the boat
§ Gets pricy when adding features (Prem, Convenience Access, Cold Weather, Nav, Rear Heated Seats)
§ Fully loaded is more expensive and harder to find. Giving up auto cruise, blind spot warning, cooled seats, remote start and in most instances larger rims vs Jeep

New ’11 Jeep GC Overland V8 (365HP/390lb)
Pros:
§ New vehicle with warranty
§ Significant number of standard features (ex. Auto cruise control, blind spot warning, backup camera, auto wipers, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, pano roof, 20 inch rims, auto tailgate, keyless entry with push button start, remote start, nav)
Cons:
§ Gas mileage avg when not towing will be poor (ex. 15 mpg)
§ Stylish and quality seems well improved, but something about sitting in it doesn’t feel as “special” as a BMW
§ Seat comfort was adequate but nowhere near as good as a basic BMW seat


This new vehicle will serve two functions, the first being my daily commuter during the winter months (summer months I drive my ’11 GT500) and then as a tow vehicle for my 23 foot boat. The boat and trailer weight in at 4,500 lbs and then I figure another 500 lbs for gas and gear for a total of 5,000 lbs. I tow the boat about 1-2 times a week in the summer months on a 20 minute drive to the lake. I recapped my take (see below) on the 2009 X5d I test drove this weekend.

In my search there has been some information that I’m unable to find. Has anyone tried to tow with the new ’11 X5 v6 that is more powerful now. I really like the looks of the new ’11 body but the fact they are newer puts them out of my price range with the exception of the v6. The diesel and v8 when equipped with what I’m looking for (prem, cold weather, convenience entry) get a bit too pricey ($55k+). Also, what is everyone’s take on the iDrive between ’09 and ’10? Did you really find the screen resolution, revision of menu structure, and extra buttons to be a big benefit? I’m pretty tech savy and I’ll have to say that I wasn’t able to quickly pick-up the ’09 test drive vehicle’s iDrive system in the 5 minutes I played with it. More so just got frustrated and moved on.


My Take - 2009 X5d Test Drive
I recently test drove a 2009 X5d and was impressed by the ride quality (18 inch rims probably the factor) and the acceleration once going. It was the “lag” or “delay” in starting from a stop that was a bit different. I attribute this to it being a diesel and my being used to instantly having a gas engine which jumps forward at the first touch of the accelerator. The RPMs seemed to soar up quickly in comparison to the size of the tach, but once again this is because it was a diesel and 2,000 RPMs is higher for a diesel that per say on my V8 truck.

While I was surprised by how quiet the diesel was, I was disappointed that I could feel vibration going through the X5 doors when at a stop at a light. There was a faint diesel sound that made the engine louder than my gas V8 but the sound wasn’t too bad. Once driving through it was very quiet and the vibration went away completely. I was very impressed with the potential for gas mileage too. Even though diesel is 40 cents more per gallon then 87 octane here in MN, I’d still be saving money on fuel to the tune of $10 per fill-up. (ex. 20 gallon tank in Jeep [avg. 15mpg] and BMW [avg. 20mpg]. BMW fill-up is $8 more for tank but can get me 100 more miles, which would be another $18 in the Jeep.) This particular model had everything I was looking for (Prem, cold weather, rear seat temp, Nav) with the exception of the convenience access feature. I cannot believe a BMW can be made without this feature. Regardless of features, I found the old iDrive system very hard to quickly get through. I’m sure it may get easier with time but I can see how the new system (’10 onwards) is at least a little easier with a few buttons by the knob.