2012/13 X5 Diesel... what options to get/look for?
 

I'm shopping for a 2012/13 X5 Diesel and wanted to know what options were worth getting when looking for one.

I use to have a 2001 X5 3.0 a loooooong time ago, when to Mini and a Mini Countryman JCW....... but sorely miss the X5. So it's time for the Mini to go. I want back into an X5 and would like the diesel.

I do a lot of DIY, my vehicles usually get modified to various degrees. I'm fairly handy. I just redid the Mini suspension back to stock in around 2 hours. So not afraid of wrenching. I forsee wheels, exhaust, roof rack, and a chip at least with this. I do a lot of driving and comfort is becoming more and more important. Any specific seats in this gen of X5 worth noting ?!?!

Main options I love in my E70 diesel!
1) soft close
2) seat ventilation
3) active seat)
4) steering wheel heating
5) fla mirror
6) comfort seats
7) homelink in mirror
8)HUD
9) rear climate control
10) adaptive drive
11) panorama roof
12) bluetooth
13) dynamic headlights
14) TOP HIFI
15) Autohold handbrake
16) auto mirror dimming


Do not have electric tailgate. Someday will retrofit it!

If diesel..then at least 40D or 50D! Amazing acceleration!
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comfort seats


adaptive drive ....drive one with and without.... easy choice, IMO

I would not buy a BMW without comfort access and/or Heads Up display.
These are the two most convenient features ever.
Everything else comes pretty much standard on all models.

Comfort access is present for car thiefes!


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How so?

They can copy key even in house from outside or just stream the signal from your pocket to your car.
https://youtu.be/IVFSeJK9M8c

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Ну ок. Для этого и есть страховки.

Как говорится, зубов бояться - в рот не давать. :)

I guess we disagree. CA sucks, HU is annoying. IMO I recall when I ordered the '12 it became standard on a package my wife demanded, I was unable to order the car without it.


But hey, it is an opinion drive question! :thumbup:



FYI everything else is NOT 'standard'.


There are a ton of options that are wrapped into some of the common packages- and yes, many cars have these-but not all, so you need to check


OP- you know about the BMW VIN decoders, right? Punch in the vin, options listed

The only option I would definitely get on an X5 would be comfort seats. They are light years better than standard. My previous 09 had standard and my new 13 has comfort and while the standard was okay, comfort is so much better. Also if you don't need a 3rd row seat don't get one. It adds a lot of complexity to the rear of the vehicle; I'm glad my 13 doesn't have them as my 09 did and getting to things to fix was a bit troublesome at times.

Options I wish mine didn't have: soft close doors, rear DVD and HUD. It's just more things to fail that I never use anyway.

"Must have" options are definitely opinion from person to person. For me and my wife, must have HUD, complete cold weather package, comfort access, extended leather option, and rear sun shades. We would like to have active seats and cooled seating but could not find one with those other options. The extended leather option was the hardest to find and makes a HUGE difference in the luxury feel/look of the interior.

Forgot about sunshades. Definitely a must for us. Had them on my previous 2012 and was able to find one with them again.

Ok, I'm in Canada. I don't know if things are different here versus the USA. I speculate they are.

What are comfort seats and is there a way to visually know them when you see them? I think I may have seen a set but I'm not sure. The darn vehicle got sold before I could get there and it looked good.

Extended leather...... once again, visually what does this look like ?


Yeah, I need to see if the VIN decoder works for me. That could come in handy and I totally forgot about it.

Anyone have a trailer hitch?? I had one on my 2001 (e53) and used it all the time for bike racks, towing cars on uhaul trailers, etc.

This is what the extended leather looks like. Might only be available with the nappa interior (ours is) and extends onto the doors as well. REALLY nice looking. I am pulling my E53 dash in the future to have it leather covered just because it makes my X5's interior look so cheap compared to the wife's e70.

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...icture-001.jpg

This is exactly the interior in my wife's.

https://cdn.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...1&d=1318474653

Extended leather looks really impressive. Thank you for the pictures. I have that on my 1999 750il. Haven't seen it yet on ANY of the e70 X5's I've seen....... Hmmmmmm.

Comfort seats are with braking back and more buttons on a seat. Ventilation and massage is on central console.

Here is only driver seat active! I have both, but I have no side view or top view option! Maximum are 7 buttons...but never seen! May be if car has one view option there is no passenger active seat!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a0b88ec448.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e53189c208.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d425b3bff8.jpg

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It's one of the harder options to find as I imagine it wasn't cheap and I'm sure most skipped spending the money there and went for other "functional" options. Really makes the interior a nice place to be though. We looked for 6 months before settling on the one we bought.

My "must-have" options (BMW in general, not X5 specific):

1. Cold weather Package (I'm in Canada = Heated Seat (F+R) + Heated Steering Wheel) - this is a complete deal breaker
2. Comfort Seats [Got tired of the -hard- sport seats)
3. Hi-fi (or HK) Audio - it does make a lot of difference
4. Comfort Access

"Nice To Have"

5. HUD
6. Adaptive Steering

1. A trailer hitch can be installed on any x5. I wouldnt be concrened with the lack of that option within your search


2. The comfort seats will come heated. (Dont think you can get comfrot seats that dont have at a minimum front seats heated.) You can add cold weather, which adds rear seats heated, steering wheel heated and (i think) headlight washers. Nice, but not a deal breaker IMO. Oh, comfort seats add adjustable heat distribution between seat and back. Standard seats dont have this adjustment

In talking to a few current owners who have been through a bit with the X5 diesel, they brought up a few things that I noted below. These are from others.... I can't take any credit for these things.......

• Watch out for mileage. Local low mileage city driven X5 diesels not the best to buy second hand. Better to get one that's been driven. Low mileage but with very worn buttons and seats, walk away as likely was driven only short distances which is brutal on these vehicles.
• Check the tail pipes. If loaded with soot, emmission gear is cooked, and negotiate that into the sale. But if you're planning on doing the emmission delete anyways, possible to score well here price wise as many owners dump them when they get the cost to fix this.
• Diesel is very reliable once sorted out. Delete all the emmissions stuff and likely have to due a suspension refresh. Otherwise these things are bulletproof once sorted.
• I was told that the E70 is a better diesel to get into than the next generation after. Next generation may be more user friendly but was not as well built...... and not worth the close to $10k+ premium in Canadian dollars to buy over an E70 (interesting)

Thsoe look like two different seats above. Which is what !??!:dunno::dunno: I haven't ever seen the top one.

The bottom ones are comfort seats you get in Canadian cars.

https://www.mdecoder.com/
bimmer.work : VIN Decoder for BMW

I personally did not want:

Comfort Access as it is a system that has components that fail and cause battery discharge.

Leveling suspension as it adds additional components like air shocks, air lines and compressor that can fail. I was not towing so I was not interested.

I did not need 3rd row seating.


I looked for a Model Year 2011 or newer X5 with:

S609A Navigation system Professional
S620A Voice control
S6FLA USB Audio interface
S6UHA Traffic Information
S6VCA Control for Combox
S3AHA Backup camera and Top View
S760A High gloss shadow line outside window trim
S775A Headlining anthracite
S430A Interior/outside mirror with auto dip
S431A Interior mirror with automatic dip
S494A Seat heating driver/passenger
S248A Steering wheel heater


I wish my X5 had:
Heads Up Display even though it requires additional electronics and a special windshield.
Ventilated seats even though it complicates the vehicle further.
Comfort seats look, and I presume feel, awesome.
Adaptive Cruise Control even though I hate nannies, this one is pretty neat.
High-Beam Assist (FLA) but it can be relatively easily added.

I will tell you, if the government ever wants to have drivers keep both hands on the wheel during the winter, mandatory heated steering wheels!! I love mine in the E53 I had. It was just awesome.

Going to see an E70 tonight that has a lot of toys on it. The only thing I don't see on it is extended leather. But I think it's over-priced. Thing is it looks like it has all the "Stuff" I want and more. And I think the colors are, if they are as nice as the pictures, something I'm really going to like. IF.... if I snag this one somehow, pretty sure I will be over-paying. Ugggggh. Vehicles are such a love-hate. ONe thing I do know is vehicles are like shoes. You gotta like'm or you ain't gonna wear them. I had the Mini Countryman JCW for almost 7 years. I figure this one I will likely keep even longer. So it better be the right one....... even if a little more money..... within reason though..... ah-hemmmm :)

Truth. Love a heated wheel. And heated seats. I live in south Texas. :rofl:

But yes, for the "right" vehicle, you typically pay more than a typical example. Price you pay for all the toys. It's still A LOT less than the original owner paid for them. :D If that makes you feel any better. ;)

Baaaah. E70 I looked at had all the right boxes ticked BUT, tires all shot, shuddered under braking, sort of felt like the ABS was messed up randomly coming on or something while driving. Like a vary intermittent feeling of when you run over those small grooves in the road that the DOT puts on the side of highways so you don't wander off the road. Was strange. Driver's side seat was cracked, rear light bulb out........ and he wanted pretty good money for something I deemed didn't seem ready and presentable for sale. And he offered wholesale on my trade-in which is a total no go. I understand being in business and all, but come on. Be reasonable both ways here. :dunno: Safety/certification was extra and on top of it all and what really turned it for me as well, a good sized dent to the metal on the passenger side door right where that outward crease is. Oh, and a $1200 accident claim registered again the title.

Was too bad as had the Oyster interior, every option except extended leather...... exhaust tips were clean......even that annoying screen at the back of the center console. Anyways, the search continues. Gone through a lot of them recently and the pickings are slim right now given what I'm looking for. :( I could compromise but I'm just not there yet.......:confused:

Good call. Don't be in a hurry. Find the one you want that doesn't need anything, or one that needs some maintenance but is priced accordingly.

BTW, I agree with the high mileage not being bad on these. We bought ours with 136,000 on it and currently have 165,000 on it. Spent ~$2500 in maintenance (front suspension, WP & thermostat, glow plugs & module, and a set of tires) and repairs over 2.5 years. We paid $14,000 OTD on it and felt like it was a fair price given the mileage and overall good condition. Was the owner's vehicle and he let me call the shop that serviced it to ask a few questions. Figured if he was open about that, couldn't be any MAJOR issues.

Just stumbled across a pre-face lift 2010 with all the options it looks like...... including extended leather dash. Going to go check it out tomorrow morning I hope. Wasn't expecting to be looking at 2010's as I was concentrating on '11 to '13 due to the changes. Mind you, my quick look into the diesels seem to note that there's no changes to the diesel motor for the e70. Is this correct ?? :dunno: Just seems to be exterior cosmetics, the infotainment system and the gas motors. Anything else change worth noting ?? She's on a used car lot somewhere so it could be interesting. Some of these places are sketchy:confused:

Pre LCI has M57 LCI has N57 engine... pre lci engine is better! LCI has better transfer 8gear.
If you are in usa only one diesel 35D from 2009-2013 engine M57Y.

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Not true here in the States. We got the M57 w/ 6spd through the entirety of the E70 production line. I think that applies to whole North American market (Canada).

Let us know how it goes OP. If you are okay with the earlier styling, nothing wrong with a pre-LCI.

That is exactly I wrote up! USA M57Y engine 6gears!

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My searches have been a bit dismal. I got really excited about that pre-facelift with the extended leather. The dash and doors are gorgeous. Too bad the vehicle was beaten. What a waste.

And I'm going to have to be straight up honest. I've wandered a bit and cast an eye at Touaregs TDI's now....... and even the odd Cayenne diesel. Cayenne is just much better appointed and built Touareg that's not a whole lot more money. But it's interesting to note that the Touaregs seem to be more pricey compared to equal BMW x5's of the same vintage.

Anyways the search continues. Oh..... and I crossed the line one other time. 2014 Audi A8 diesel. Talk about gorgeous inside. And in the same price range as the Touaregs. Crazy. Too bad insurance on it is well over $2000 more a year. Crappy......


Still trying to find at elusive X5 that's equipped the way I'd like it. The planets just are not aligning right now.

As I mentioned... Took us 6 months. And then another 3 weeks before the dealer decided to actually sell it. He liked it so much as his travel vehicle. Keep your eyes peeled. You'll find the right one.

My brother just got a 2014 Q5 TDI. I really like it a lot. The 8 speed (same trans as the 35i and 50i) makes it much faster than our E70s with the 6 speed. I don't know if the VW got that transmission. I have more torque for towing but his is much better when driving around town.

It took me over a year to find my 09 x5d 4 years ago. I wanted adaptive drive sport package and all the other options. Now I would be happy to sell it for $12k w/ 95k miles.

Update time.

So, I'm back in an X5 again!! 2012 diesel with everything but the sport package and extended leather. Completely happy that I waiting to find comfort seats. My gawd that's good stuff. Has HUD, upgraded sound.... yeah.... it's nice. Dark grey on black.

Within a matter of hours, found a set of OEM wider flares. Also a black interior head liner...... oh it's starting already. And talking to someone about the a/B/C delete and a JR Tune (wow, expensive). Yeah, my vehicle NEVER stay the same way I buy them. Always changes afoot to personalize them. :cool:

I wouldn't get a JR tune. I switched from jr to brr because of driveability issues

What sort of driveability issues ? What problems did you have with the JR and which JR tune did you get? What mods were done to your X5 or still stock.

JR 2.8
See my build log thread in Sig

Post 96 & 109
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...1619882&page=5

Does BRR have any longer term history with their tunes being reliable and not junking motors down the road??

did you read the thread? he's been developing the tune for years. he was 335dsleeper on e90 before they banned him

Yes, I did actually read the thread. And I do get your passion behind the product as it's done amazing things for you. I'm not questioning his knowledge however. What I'm wondering about is the durability of what he's designed and how long it's been running, what sort of issues relating to lifespan there may be. I've been in the game a while and every time you tighten the nuts harder and harder, there is always a corresponding impact on the hardware. So while his tune and work may yield great results in the present, I'm not looking for such if it's leading to failures two years down the road. That's what I want to know.

Everything I've ever worked on performance wise is a complete system. Although BMW may have over designed some things, really smart builders (not only doing it to make a buck) will built this glorified air pump as a whole unit bringing everything up to par with necessary tolerance to ensure a good life span and reliability (within some economic reason of course).