X5 Pulling 5900# Boat . . . Awesome!!
 

Hi All - Took some advice from members and have been out there gettin' 'er done. The X5s have pulled our "at limit" boat and trailer great, and I have to say slightly BETTER than my 5.7L Suburban 1500.

So, most of the '02 - '06 models I've looked at have between 35k and 85k miles. Plan to drive this next bimmer (haven't picked yet) into the ground, . . . 200k+!

I do most of my maintenance myself, ahead of BMW schedules.

I'm leaning toward the 3.0 w/manual transmission. Some posts have lead me to believe that there are more problems with the V8s (more parts, 2 head gaskets, tighter work space, etc.) . . . . but I have no experience with these engines, while I have 10 years with the M54. If some of you have found the V8s more problematic . . . which ones/years, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8??

Didn't notice any difference with the self leveling rear air suspension vs. the standard springs.

Which will cost more to maintain to 200k miles for the next 10 years or so??

Once I get one, I'll post a pic of her launching See Truth here.

Thanks - M54 Lover

schweeeeeet

I have not heard of any problematic V8 as against 3.0. Facelift V8s are more efficient than 3.0.

BTW, a member here has pulled 8000 lbs with his X.

Why not look into the new diesel - looks like the extra torque would be great for towing.

IMO the 3.0 will be cheaper to maintain. And with a sig line like "M54 lover" there probably shouldn't be any debate.

Some pictures for you from other threads:

Krunk Man towing 6500 lbs of boat with his 3.0

X5Hogtown pulling 3200 lbs of M coupe and 2200 lbs of trailer with a 3.0 5 spd

withidl, our favourite tow expert, pulling 8300 lbs with a 2001 4.4 (over tens of thousands of miles)

Worth searching on these and other posters for other substantial tows. Lots of good experiences. As mentioned before, I have towed 5000 lbs with a 3.0 Steptronic, and it did fine.

Hey M54 Lover,

Just to let you know that it is 200k is possible, I am at 239,000 and still kicking. I really like my X, but after driving it this long I wished I had the V8. More power is always better, I just didn't understand that when I bought mine. My next one will be a V8.

I would definately take the M54/6MT for longevity + fun factor ;)

Not something I would recommend. Tow capacity of the X5 is limited by the frame and suspension, not so much the engine. While the engine size does help with towing, its not the limiting factor in the X5. I'm sure the 6,000 lbs limit has some margin room built into it, but I would think an additional 2,300 lbs is probably getting right on the edge of it, if not over.

If towing is important for you the diesel or the V8 will be better than the petrol six. Also, auto is better than manual for heavy towing.

interesting... I have always been in understanding that typically, the first component to "give" in regards to towing capacity is the cooling system. With the ratings of vehicle GCVW, my experiences is that it's typically done in regards to putting a vehicle in a worst case condition with a particular load, and have it survive without "shutdown" due to overheating.

This would be done by putting the vehicle in a steep grade, in high ambient temperature/humidity, towing load at a certain speed while not boiling over. The ratings would be what the vehicle could sustain at these worst case conditions. You could technically get away with more load, but not knowing other vehicle restrictions, you are always taking a risk.

I would assume you would be safe towing locally. However, don't expect to go up Davis Dam with 1K-2K more lbs than the rating.

If you have any further detail regarding frame/suspension limitation, I would like to read more on this. I'm not trying to be a smart-a**, just curious on if there's any literature on this. :thumbup: