Is a 4.4imuch more expensive to run than a 3.0i
 

I am continuing my search for an X5 but at the moment most of those on offer are 4.4i. I would just like to get some opinions on whether or not the 4.4i is significantly more expensive to run then the 3.0i particularly in the areas of fuel consumption and servicing costs. Unfortunately cannot get my hands on the X5 3.0D in this part of the world which would be my first choice !!

If I remember correctly,

The 4.4 gets better gas mileage than the 3.0..

I think the reason is, the bigger engine has to work less to get up to speed. The smaller engine has to work harder to get the weight of the car in motion..

But don't quote me on that.
B

From BMWUSA.com:
X5 3.0
Fuel economy, EPA est. mpg city/highway
http://www.bmwusa.com/bmw2003/images/clear.gif15/21 manual
16/21 automatic

X5 4.4
Fuel economy, EPA est. mpg city/highway http://www.bmwusa.com/bmw2003/images/clear.gif16/22

:iagree:That is correct.

I disagree. What BMW says and what really happens are two different things. I get, with the 3.0, 19mpg in the city, and 25mpg on long highway trips. I average 22mpg overall. I find it very hard to believe the V8 gets better. I call for a poll. If the v8 gets better mileage than the 6, then kudos to BMW for building an extremely efficient V8 like no other in the world. I may even think about selling my 6 if I can get better mileage from a V8. But I have to say, there isnt an engine much smoother than that straight 6 .

I have a 3.0 as well, and get 18 city, 21 highway. I think theat the better numbers for the 4.4 are because of the 6 speed auto, and valvetronic.

Another consideration is insurance. It makes no sense, but my insurance company (Allstate) quoted me about $400 more per year for the cheaper/less powerful 3.0... :confused:

Better mileage could be do to less work generated to pull a heavy SAV. Those numbers are only true for 2004-2005 4.4. My 2003 4.4 is quoted at 14-18 I am getting 15-20 so slighty better than stated on my sticker :thumbup:

Had two 3.0 and tended to get 17-18mpg around town and 22-23mpg on the highway. With the 4.4 I am seeing 17-18mpg around town and 24-25mpg on the highway. This car likes a fast long ride :driver:

4.4i= v8,3.0i=v6 just use common sense! :thumbup:

I6. When we get the new I6, our mpg should go up too, but that's not for at least another year.

Has anyone tested out what the optimal speed is in top gear for the best mileage? Is it around the 55mph mark or the 90mph mark for example? I suppose this could be done by setting the cruise at various speeds on a nice, long, straight highway with little traffic and resetting the MPG calculation at various speeds. Sounds like a fun task. I'll try it some time when I get a chance, but if anyone would like to beat me to it, it would make for an interesting read...

And one more note, when you're stopped and idling, why does the MPG gauge on the dash read max MPG when it should read min MPG? If you're not going anywhere with the engine running, you are getting 0 miles to the gallon. I'm assuming it's because the gauge runs off engine vacuum and it's just not that sophisticated...

Physics tells you that to move X amount of weight to Y velocity requires Z amount of work. The 6 and 8 will use the same amount of energy to propel the vehicle (assume same weight) to the same speeds.
I believe the fuel savings on the v8 might be from the 6th speed gear ratio, it probably runs at a lower RPM at an equivalent speed than that of the 6 while in 5th gear.

For me, I never use the cruise. I feather the peddle lightly going down hill to pick up speed, then ease off the pedal going up hill which brings me back to my original speed. I cruise at about 75mph. Thats the best for my car.

The 4.4 is a newer design than the 3.0 which incorporate new, more efficient technologies, like valvetronic. The 3.0 is a much older design which is being replaced(new 3 and 5 have it) but not on the x5 yet. And by the way, the 3.0 is not a V6 but an inline 6.

I have a 4.4 and you will pay dearly for the gas!

it will be if Rita hits the Texas coast..

I have a 2005 4.4, and I don't care what you drive...if you have a heavy foot around town you will pay!

I usually pull off around 16 MPG in town, but this thing is great on the highway. I am getting 26 MPG by driving steady around 60 mph...and this thing isn't even broken in yet.

I once read that the optimal speed for gas mileage in cars was 47.something... I imagine that it would vary depending on several factors (C of Drag, mass, etc.) but it's probably in that neighborhood for all vehicles. :confused:

Assuming that instantaneous fuel economy gauge on the cluster is relatively accurate, you should be able to figure it out fairly quickly. Start at 40 mph on a flat stretch (cruise control on), and increase in 5 mph increments while checking approximate fuel economy. You'll probably find a sweet spot...I'm going to try next time.

My 2001 4.4i averaged .5 mpg better than my 2001 3.0i. I suspect that my 4.6is will not do better...because it will be way too much fun to drive at full throttle.

Thanks for the replies..very interesting. Just for reference most of the X5s I'm looking at are 2001-2003.

I notice some of you talking about valvetronic technology but am I right in saying that this was not available on the older X5s ?

Also where I live there is not going to be a lot of highway driving mainly city driving so in that case would the 3.0i not be better with a smaller engine capacity ?

Pepatrick I was especially interested in your posting. Presumably you drove both the 3.0I and the 4.4 in the same style ?

Also what about servicing costs are they appreciably more with the 4.4i ?

Finally what is the conversion rate between the US gallon and the imperial gallon ? Presumabley most of you guys being in the US are basing your figures on US gallons.

the 4.4 engine in the 00,01,02,03 is a completely different 4.4 engine than the 04,05,06 and the older was not valetronic.

So does that mean the older model 4.4s are therefore less fuel efficient than the older model 3.0s ?

The window stickers say they are less fuel efficient, but the real experience says they are pretty close to the same. The 2004 and 2005 4.4 models will probably get better mileage than the 3.0 if you drive it the same. If you throttle it like most people with the 4.4, you will probably get less. Even so...there is not much difference in the mileage between the two. If that is the determining factor go with the 4.4i.

I have to assume the what Pep said in his final coment is the real differential. Not a statistical one an emotional go fast difference. The 4.4 has lots of balls and you will paste the petal more often then in a 3.0 causing that little fuel effienciency guage to go to stupid numbers all the time.

If we are getting to green here and buying performance SUV's for fuel conservation I am at the wrong site. I bought my X5 for enginering, quality and go fast atitude. Even in Canada where I paid $116 dollars for a fill last night I am not yet ready to buy a Hybrid Honda. I enjoy burning gas, for the thrill it gives.

The pre-2004 4.4i is less powerful, however supposedly it gives better throttle response. People with the new-gen 2004+ have been reporting a bigger lag with the drive-by-wire setup.

The old engine is inefficient, but stupendously fun! It's rated 13mpg city and 17mpg highway. I think I personally get 9mpg city and 15mpg highway.

If you can afford a 4.4i, then go for it, cuz even if it's a pre-2004, you will only get about 15-20% worse fuel economy (particularly in the city), but the performance difference is like night and day (no offense to 3.0i owners).

Plus the 4.4i models have more standard features (the Canadian models anyway). :dunno: