Towing: 35i vs 35d

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by dnadrifter

So, how much better would the 35d be at towing a 5000 lb boat. Any opinions? Any first hand experience with both?

The truth is,you will not know until you test both.
My '03 4.6is used to tow #6500 car on a trailer on occasions and never struggled even on a steep grades,usually getting around 14 mpg on a flats.But was really struggling with my 21" Sea Ray 210SD,which is around twice as high and wide as the X5.Should be around #5500 with the trailer and some stuff inside.I was getting 9-10 Mpg.The air resistance is the key factor here.
The '12 X5D pulls the boat in a very commanding matter,5th and 6th gear and 15-16 Mpg.That is where the diesel shines really and i hardly have to go over 1500 RPM.
I cant say how the 30i will be,my guess is it will be at least a few Mpg down and it may need more high RPM and more downshifting.Regardless of the 8 speed tranny you cant tow the boat on 8th gear with 1500 RPM with the gas.But if you decide to try i'll be glad to hear your impressions.

Originally Posted by Lambeau

I'll let you know how my 2011 35d trailers a 2100# U-haul trailer with my 2007 M6 on it from Mississippi to Wisconsin (1200 miles) in a few days. The X is rated to tow 6000# and I'll be at about 5800#. The diesel has 400+ Ft # of torque I believe which is much more than your gas X5. It took me less than 2 hours to install the hitch the other day and it's less time consuming than most people think.

Sorry,but there is no way M6 on a heavy U-haul trailer could be under #6000.But that is fine,I did tow up to #6500 at occasions and the X5 feels always in command.