AMH,
are you replacing the 335 or adding to it?
I think that if you get an X5 speced as mine , you will not miss the 335 and you will have plenty fun factor.
I also had a 04 x5 4.8is and the e70 is way way different(better).

so for your short answer if you get rid of the 335 and get the x5 4.8 you will not regret it..

as someone else noted, you may also look into the 5 series, however I would go the 550 route if I were you.
if you go 5 eries or x5.........you MUST get comfort seats.......they make all the difference in the world.

Wife has a 328ix, so we don't really have (for me) a comfortable car for long distance travel or for hauling 4 people. I can add the X5 or S550 but not both or try to find one replacement for the 335 and avoid having 3 cars for two people. Also would be good to save some bucks and maybe not consume so much. (Again, I realize the X and S are different animals)

The seating issue is more of a leg/thigh/arm/wheel relationship. It's a proportion thing. 70.5 inches tall with a 30" inseam. Legs are muscular and require the thigh support-one reason I have been buying BMW's sport packages since 1992. The new comfort seats also have the adjustable thigh support now.

Thanks for all the responses- it is good to work through the process.

Decisions after many more test drives today:

Going with the X5 4.8 on a 24-36 month lease. Keeping the coupe. This will allow me to see how much I drive each and enjoy the X and be ready for the larger diesel engine or hybrid X in a few years. Don't want to be married to 16 mpg long term.

Going to do the comfort seats. Prefer white and saddle, please advise if you know of any pics of this combo.

Thanks for all of your input; it was very valuable and I appreciate the effort.

Great choice! :thumbup:

You really won't be disappointed. Here is a link to a review I wrote after a road trip last July/August: http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e70-forum/...ad+trip+review

Note: We do not have comfort seats which may solve the knee tenderness issue. It actually wasn't too bad at all, I would just shift in my seat a little every few hours and I'd be good to go. It may also have to do with the fact that I sit semi-crooked in the seat when I drive anyway! I've driven the X5 on iother road trips (although not as long as the one above) and not had any knee problems at all so it's not a consistent problem.

Ours is a 4.8i Sapphire Black/Tobacco/Bamboo combo and it's really striking. I LOVE the Alpine White but we were going from a white Suburban and have a white E36 M3 so we wanted something different. Saddle wasn't available when we ordered ours last January or it would have been a contender!

Congrats! You can only hope for 16 mpg. I get that in my 3.0si.
I think there are a few white/saddle, search around! I have no problem with long trips with standard seats. Much better than the X3 seats, which are flat.

"only hope for 16"- You trying to ruin my illusions with facts?

I have searched and found the saddle but not with white yet. Trying to see how the saddle looks with the black seat backs.

+1. The fuel consumption isn't gonna be great especially for the first few thou miles. Do a search for Saddle Brown, as a handful of folks have gotten their orders thru and it looks great.

The X3 seats are fine for most. The Comfort Seats are good, but the sport seats are the best. (statement does not apply to X5) Realistically, I just wish I had sport package, but the lateral support is sufficient.

"OBX" thanks for the info-this was a great review especially since we will be driving those WVA mountains back to Ohio 5-8x per year. How is your mileage these days?

i am getting 16/17 mpg. 19/20 road trip w/ 4.8i. get the sport package as the interior blends better with the gray head liner & pillars. besides, i beleive the back of your seats will be black with the saddle.

+1 on sapphire black/tobacco/dark bamboo. i thought i wanted white untill i saw tobacco seats. they work well with black.

what'ch you think cuz, Crumpler or Muhammad? i say take Crumpler. :thumbup:

amh- That 20mpg was just for that trip. Pretty good considering the car was full of people and stuff! I think we're at about 16mpg these days and most of our miles are quick trips with lots of red lights, stop signs, etc. as opposed to highway miles. You'll get over the mediocre gas mileage when you hit the gas pedal and fly through those WV mountains, though! :nanana: