BYE BYE E53...HELLO E70
 

Well everyone after 6.5 years the most beautiful automobile I have ever owned is no longer part of my life.

My parents were in a major accident on the morning of New Years Eve on their daily commute to NYC. Rt. 4 by Teaneck Rd. in northern NJ (Bergen County) it was just a sheet of ice and an 11 car pile up closed Rt. 4 for hours that day.

They were lucky enough not hit any other cars but my father was able to maneuver the car out of harms way into a nice big fat telephone pole which saved their lives. If they didnt hit the pole they would of jumped over the guard rail and down an overpass.

To make a long story LONGER....The X5 is totaled and am looking to purchase a new one. They dont make the 4.4 anymore so I am thinking about a 3.0si Xdrive.....I "hear" they have about the same power & pick up as the older v8's...TRUE?

I bought this car from the sales manager Marc Monroe from Park Aver BMW in Maywood NJ but he is long gone and the new ppl there I dont know.

The list price in 2003 was $53,495 I walked away paying $51,500 after taxes BACK THEN when the economy was "better"...I was thinking they would have insane deals out there today does anyone know?

I would also make a sale with a local sales rep on this site that could get me a deal....

Any BODY?:dunno:

the e70 doesnt drive like a BMW anymore. drive one before you buy one. get a 2006 x5 4.8is

I had the opportunity to race an e70 3.0 from a red light. There is no way in he'll that 3.0 could keep up. Get an 06 4.8 and that will make u and I happiest

not looking to race lol got a porsche to do that...just want that X5 ride! Solid, not so smooth, in total control ride!

my thoughts, the new one might look good but it is tooo bulky
the E53 is smaller and more nimble in my opinion and has the best a** when wearing 20's

Just saying the acceleration is not there. Go with 06 4.8 for total pleasure. Check with screenname biggar for a nice 06 4.8 with 100 miles for 40k

Sorry to hear about the accident, i hope your parents are ok.
Like what jst2878 said, there's just no acceleration power with the e70 3.0 but the ride is nice and stable, very car like; added trunk space a big plus if you carry lots of stuff.
I'm actually beginning to like the ride quality of the e70 since i've been driving a '09 loaner for 3 weeks now ( e53 4.4 at dealer for water leaks).

That's what I thought until I went from the E53 to the E70. The E70 is much more agile and nimble than the E53. Once you drive it, you forget that it is bigger. Go drive one. No question on the power difference on the 4.8is E53 though.

Glad the parents are OK. A car can be replaced.

Sorry about the loss of your e53, glad to hear your parents made it out safe however. The e70 3.0 diesel may be the best option for you if you want comprable performance to your 4.4, but don't want to pay for the 4.8. :dunno:

I would also really look at a used e70 still under factory warranty, but with the extended CPO warranty.

The e70:
3.0 260 HP and 225 ft-lbs of torque
3.0d 265 HP and 425 ft-lbs of torque :drool: (at 1700 RPM no less)
4.8 350 HP and 350 ft-lbs of torque

The e53:
3.0 225 HP and 214 ft-lbs torque
4.4 315 HP and 324 ft-lbs torque
4.8 355 HP and 369 ft-lbs torque

I'd go for the '06 4.8 as well. To me the e70 looks nice but drives like all the other suv's. Doesn't feel like the BMW's most have come to love. Just my .02

I would get a '06 4.4. While E70's are great with technology, an E53 is much more simple and more "car" than an E70. This is just my opinion after sitting in both our E53 and E70.

What exactly do you guys mean by "doesn't drive/feel like a BMW?"

I would echo what others have said about the e70 vs e53. I test drove an 09 e70 but it just didn't have that BMW feel. If feels cheaper inside but that may not be the case and it has more technology which can be good or bad. After I got back in my 05 4.4 it felt like a BMW. Small world since I bought my 3 series years ago from Marc at Park Ave. He was a great guy to deal with.

I have always loved the 4.8is E53, i wanted one when i bought my 4.4i but none where on the market and i needed i ride. When I see E70s its a hit
& miss affair for me, some times i think they look great other times not, it doesn;t look great from certain angles like the rear end for example. I have seen some with factory aero kits of some sort and i think they look AWESOME! but.... the lady doesn't agree prefers the black trim....so thats that for now.

To get to the the point, in Australia the best pick E70 is the 35d which is a twin turbo diesel Im not sure if you guys from the states have that one? Diesels are very popular here. It is comparable to the 4.4 but better in my opinion with heaps more low down torque at 2000rpms which, unless you are a rev head, is where most people drive. 0-100kmhs is 7.2 secs & better fuel econ. Or just get the 4.8 if you dont' care about fuel bills but it is a little slower than e53 4.8.

Anyway the E70 is new and if i had the dough Id go with that...my 4.4 has around 100,000 kms and by that time you have to spend significant dollars to keep it going for another 100,000 kms. Besides you would think the E70 is more reliable and has better handling but I wouldn't know I'll have to find out for myself.


35d specs
Fuel Urban (l/100km)11.1 Fuel Extra Urban (l/100km)7.5 Fuel Combined (l/100km)8.8
Power200kW @ 4400rpm Torque565Nm @ 2000rpm Acceleration 0-100Km/h (secs)7.2

Couldn't agree more. I love the way they look from the back and side, but the front doesn't look as "aggresive" to me as the e53 does.

Thanks for all the posts but I am not a fan of buying a used car.

I am going to test drice the 3.0 4.8 and 3.5d tomorrow.....

Hopefully I will have a new X5 by next week.

Insurance claimed it a total loss @ $15,350....with 103K miles.....yet in PRISTINE condition!

I am going to sell my Hartge Classic wheels and tires now that they are just in the garage sitting there w/o a car to put them on lol...

4.8 FTW

i think the e70 looks better. the e53 is starting to look old.

what kind of winter tires did they have on it? I just want to know so I can compare those to others when i buy new ones.

wow! I can't believe how many people think the e70 doesn't feel like a BMW. I would still choose the e53 over the e70 for my own reasons, but that e70 is definitely an advancement in many ways.

Granted it will always feel larger, as it is, but the handling is definitely impressive. drive a 4.8i with sport package and tell me it doesn't stay flatter than a stock 4.8is through the twisties..it's incredible.

I test drove two used E70s last week, one 3.0i and one 4.8i. I think going from 4.4 to 3.0 you will miss the power. The new 3.0 definitely feels (and is) faster than the E53 3.0 that I have, but not by much... I can not justify going from my 3.0 to an E70 3.0 as an 'upgrade'.

I really think that the diesel would be the best way to go though... torque is all that most of us need, and it has plenty of. :thumbup: I did not test drive it since they didn't have any, but from what the salesman was saying, it definitely has more acceleration than the 4.8i.

I've had my diesel for a month now, and I'm definitely glad I went that route. You do feel the lack of HP at higher speeds - say accelerating from 50 to 70 - but the torque from a dead stop is neck-snapping.

I "launched" mine for grins last week by holding the brakes while building RPMS enough to spool the turbos - and took off like a scalded cat.

As far as the E70 not feeling like a BMW - this is my first BMW, so I have no basis for comparison. However, the amount of technology packed into that car (and mine was "only" about $60K, so I don't have a lot of the additional bells&whistles) is impressive. It's also a VERY solid car - for something that weighs in at 2.5 tons, the complete lack of rattles and squeaks and the stiffness of the chassis is also impressive.

As far as interior materials go, I got the pleather - er, leatherette - interior for maximum durability, but the interior is still nice. No major complaints.

Oh, and on my 180 mile round-trip last night, I averaged 27MPG.

BTW, peak torque is developed at 2K RPM - any higher than that and your torque drops off drastiacally. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the VERY different torque and HP curves.

Torque curve? ha ha, try torque line. The 3.0sd has a flat torque curve.

we upgraded our e53 2k4 4.4 to a e70 2k8 4.8. handling AND ride is better on the e70 (in sport mode and out of IMHO)

the 4.4 still feels like it has more acceleration...hows that possible with a 75hp difference?

like the OP said, he don't like to race with the X, he wants handling and safety. he has porsche if he wants to race..Get E70, its alot newer and improved.

I get to drive my e53 at least once a week, other days of course is with my e70. The e53 is still fun to drive but looks very old inside compared to my 2010 e70. Get a 35d ftw!!!

I just don't understand...unless you are towing a 6000# trailer (never) who needs a V8, the 6's are the best engines BMW EVER made!
Living in any metro area what's the friggin' rush what's the hurry? Where are you going ?
SUV's (sorry SAV'sincluded) are NOT race cars.

....yeah, but they don't need to be slugs either. :nanana:

Both E53 4.4i and E70 4.8i are entry level V8's in the X5 lineup...with E70 4.8i being heavier and de-tuned, the 4.4i may feel the same or slightly quicker, acceleration-wise...particularly the 2004+ E53 4.4i.

AMEN brutha!! :thumbup:

I love the feeling when I dip into the huge TQ reserves of my 4.6is :D

You know, I totally agree with you, and every time I have tried to justify the extra money/insurance/registration/etc. spent on a V8 for my everyday purposes, I can't.

But there is still that part of me that wishes there were a bit more acceleration available when I need it (perhaps a couple of times a week.) With power, more is always better. :D

Can you tell me which one looks/feels bigger inside?? For some reason, E70 'feels' smaller inside than my E53 does. I have not had a chance to sit in them back to back to compare the two in one session, but I can swear my E53 feels bigger inside than E70 does (at least from drivers seat looking forward or towards the passenger.)

May be it is all in my head, or perhaps a difference between dash layout? I know numbers wise E70 is bigger. :dunno: