Low range
 

Anyone else here think the X would be more "complete" if it had low range. I'm not thinking about roughing it up to bad but it would be nice to know it's there, especially whent the winter conditions are bad.

Also I think it would boost the sales if they had it, one could guess that some people rather go for the Cayenne or Range Rover because of the off road possibility.

Saxi

i think it should be an option but not standard. I wouldnt get it but i know alot of friends that didnt buy an x5 because of that

Cayenne is a rebadged VW. I believe 68% of the components are identical. My Lemony Touareg weighed more than my X5. Lemony Touareg V6 got way less gas mileage than X5 4.4i. The low range was great off road but who gets to play Paris Dakar every weekend?

I drove the Range Rover Sport...IMHO they should not have borrowed all the knobs and buttons from the LR3...and the rear overhang is bit strong; it has more cargo space than the X5 but does not have the feel of the X.

It is also slower 0-60 and get less mpg than the X5. Low range is great but I hear that you can disable the DSC on the BMW and have a great off-road vehicle:) ...Also, just like the Range Rovers, the X5 has descent-control. And, from I believe 2001 through 2004, when they were owned by BMW, the Range Rover used the BMW motor.

PS...I just noticed you are from Iceland Saxi, so you obviously make better use of low-range than we Florida suburbanites...I assume you just get the diesel model there?

There is no point in the X5, Toureg, or Cayanne having a transfer case. None are designed for serious off roading. For snow use, you don't want to run in low range, as generally you want to reduce the amount of torque to wheels when you start out, not increase it. The only time you run in low range in the snow is when cutting trails in 3+ feet of snow, and usually then you winching yourself half the time.

:iagree: :iagree:

I definately agree that there is no point into having a low range in the X5. and i definately dont need it. But i feel in some parts of the world people do need it like if you live in iceland or south america. They should offer it as an option as part of somekind of offroad package with a better air suspension system and limited slip differentials and underride gaurds. Because i think there are alot of people out there that want an X5 badly but cant for the reason that all though they dont need an outright offroader they need something a little tougher than the current X5. Because for some people its not for fun t is a neccesity for where they live. Just my opinion

Maybe somebody in Spartanburg is listening--but the key is "option". In Australia, Iceland, Costa Rica, Brasil, VZ, South Africa, Morocco etc...a skid-plated low range HD tranny cooled X5 with 2" of lift might do very well but but in the USA we mght be mistaken as posers...everytime I've landed somewhere with an unpaved airstrip it seems like Nissan Patrols and Toyota Landcruisers (and the A/C never works) rule the roost...but, I say, why not build an X5de---as in diesel con cajones?

The X isn't designed to be an off road vehicle (althought the X3 has done very well in off-road racing). It's designed to be a performance on-road vehicle with improved utility over a car. Even with a drive train suited for off-roading, the X5 ground clearance is still too low to be very usable off-road. The X3 has better clearance, but both are still far behind other vehicles that are designed to be driven both on and off-road.

In my opinion, keep it on the road where it belongs. If you have a need for an off-roading vehicle, buy something else.

Here's something else:
http://cgi.ebay.de/Unimog-Wohnkoffer...QQcmdZViewItem

They have also raced X5s in offroad racing a team also raced 2 of them in paris to dakar rally once. There is also a video of it. And if a cayenne can be good offroad and on so can a X5. And all you need to increase ground clearance is reworked air suspension. Like i said i dont need it so i wouldnt get the option. But i think it should be an option for people that have the money for a bmw and want to be able to drive to there house in the middle of nowhere in deep snow or mod and still get it up to 130mph on the highway when they actually find one. Why should they have to buy a jeep or a hummer if they want a bimmer

An X5 built for Dakar has no more in common with a street X5 than a M3 has in common with a M3 GTR.

The X5 (and the Cayanne) was never designed for off roading, and no matter what you do will not ever be a good vehicle of offroading. The problems start with the unibody construction. You cannot put sliders or skidplates on a Unibody if it wasn't designed for them to begin with. There is no strong place to attach them. Continuing on, there are not skid plates. The X5's suspension is also to delicate, the aluminium components would be torn up in no time in any serious off roading. Finally, the 4 wheel IRS as set up on the X5 is way to stiff and lacks enough flex to do any serious off roading.

There is far more to a vehicle that is designed for off roading than just lifting it. Take a look under a landcruiser at the size of the axles, how the vital components are tucked up out of the way, and the overall contruction and you will see there is no comparison.

There is a reason that Landcruisers are used around the world. They are overbuilt and exteremely reliable. There are many items that are specifically designed with that type of use. To give you a few idea, my 80 series has two fan belts to allow the water pump and fan to continue operating if one breaks. Many 80's also came with electric lockers front and rear. They are built with Birfield axles which are extremely strong and can be abused beyond belief before they break.

Every vehicle has its compromises. The X5 is designed as a vehicle that handles well on the highway and can be taken in the snow and on dirt roads. Landcruisers and Parado's are designed to be used an abused. No matter what you do, an X5 will always run circles around the Landcruiser on the road, and conversely, the Landcruiser will always be a superior off road vehicle.

I know exactly what you are talking about. When I lived in Oman(in the middle east), we used to go off-roading with our Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols. Those patrol's are pretty good too. These vehicles are purpose built and can take some SERIOUS abuse. Never had anything fail on our Land Cruiser...ever.

Done some moderate off-roading with our 97 4Runner in the US too. It's not bad at all. The rear-locking diff is quite handy.

Does anyone know how clutch-cancel works in the manual trans. 4Runner? If you're starting on a hill, it lets you start without using the clutch or something like that so that you don't roll back. Pretty cool.

Re, the Clutch interlock.

In the US cars with a manual transmission are required to have a clutch interlock that won't let the car start unless the clutch is pressed in. Most 4x4s have a switch that when pressed will allow you to turn over the starter with the clutch engaged. This is primarly used when you are in 1st gear, 4L and halfway up a rock or other obstical that you don't want to roll back on. If you stall the engine you simply hit the button and crank the motor over. By using this method you don't lose any ground (remember drivetrain slack is increased when you are in 4L) and the starter has enough torque to turn the motor over because when you are in 4l it takes less torque to turn the wheels.

Next generation X5 will also be built strictly on-road and that's fine with me. I would rather have a nimble X5 with excellent on-road ability and not be compromised by the extra weight of the low-range transfer case. I read recently BMW did a survey of current X5 owners and most of them would prefer new X5s to be "on-road" only. And listen they did.

X5 Beach Wagon?
 

I agree I like the four wheel drive but have no reason to go off road. I am tempted to run it along the beach in the Hamptons. Has anyone run on the beach with a X5?

Yes. For kitesurfing. Have never come close to getting stuck. But I don't spin the tires so as to keep the bottom clean. I thought the Georgica Ponders would have shut down beach driving by now...

OK with me too, but if all hell breaks loose in the Persian Gulf, put my name on a diesel.

i got stuck on my X several times. it is humiliating, belive me. and it would not have happened if i would have a low-range button like ML has.
i agree with you guys, one does not need it in the US or EU, but other regions would benefit from it greatly. and i do not want to get a Landcruiser or toureg or ML (course X5 is better), and I can't afford a RR, Cayen or Lexus 470. All i need is just one more button near DSC button which will say low range on it. that's my opinion

I took the X for its first serious off-road experience on a designated track on private property which was a full day trip. The prerequisites were for a 4WD with low range. I also have a 'proper ' 4WD so was interested to see if the X would cut it. Basically with a 6 speed auto diesel, first gear is as good as low range anyway. I made it through without any problems (or damage) although as mentioned above the X doesnt have enough ground clearance for this sort of stuff. It was quite an effort to place it in the right spots to make up for the lack of ground clearance - but I got through without a scratch.
The traction control is pretty soft too - just find a lump on a decent hill somewhere and lift a front wheel off the ground and stop - you will find that getting moving forward again is not so easy as the braking force on the spinning wheel is pretty weak. Just my thoughts.
DS.

and it is diesel. the wheels begin to spin to soon. the low range is IMHO a must.

DS i read your post on your offroad experience, i did try the first gear. it helped indeed. i got up the frozen hill (worse, much worse than the hill on the picture you have posted last year) covered with snow up to middle of the wheels. easy job for X5. BUT, when i had to turn onto the my drive way, i could not leave the deep rut (i was a country road). i would just burn the tyres and the X5 would just move straight up passed my drive way, even though my front wheels were turned to the right. my father were just laughing at me :mad: - his car have low gear and he never got stucked on that spot or anywhere else in moldova. so i had to walked to the hut in that deep snow. i left the X on the road - i was sure noone would climb that hill that day.

Still not sure that low range would help you - suspect tyres are the most important thing in ice/snow. Then again we dont get much of that down here :)

you are right - tyres are most important. but I can and will buy them for the next season. unfortunately I can't buy the low gear. or can I?

Only by trading in on different vehicle :-|

no-no, i love my X