A US driver's first impression of the X5 3.0sd
 

Okay. This is actually my first experience driving a diesel period.

I went to a BMW Ultimate Drive Event yesterday to help the charity out and drive some BMWs. To my surprise, they had a 3.0sd diesel there. I believe it should be similar enough to the 35d coming out for the US with slightly more power in the 3.0sd.

I had to wait for the diesel to come back in. So I went out in the 4.8 first.

Loud Idle
The first thing I noticed when the diesel finally arrived back was that at idle it was much louder than normal gasoline cars. I could hear a recurring clunking sound from about a car lengths distance away! Didn't they say that modern diesel engines are much quieter than the old ones (that people relate to as being "loud and smelly")? I don't remember what the old diesel were like anymore, so for all I know the statement could be absolutely true. They didn't say that the new diesels were equally quiet as gasoline engines. In diesels defense, it wasn't super loud. Just loud enough to be noticeable.

Response Drive
As I started to pull out of the parking lot, my first thought was "Uhm. This thing is smooth and RESPONSIVE! Much more responsive then the 4.8!"

The 4.8 definitely has less lag than its sibling the gasoline 3.0i (which I previously test drove prior to this event. I conclude that it just feels under powered). The 4.8 is absolutely strong once it realizes you want to go (perhaps a second or fractions of a second later). But the diesel felt like it was ready for you at any time. Press the gas alittle and it directly translates into moving the car. Perhaps this was the direct result/benefit of the enormous torque of the diesel twin turbo engine everyone is raving about. I'm not sure.


Once I got onto the main road, I was able to open her up some more. The gears shifted flawlessly in an extremely smooth authoritative manner. The engine was much quieter than the roar of the 4.8. The power felt nearly identical to the 4.8. I felt like I was pushed back into my seat about the same amount as the 4.8. And it felt like I was going as fast as the 4.8 (though the numbers obviously show that the 4.8 is faster). Only the diesel felt like it did it right away. Although I hate to concede, the diesel was much more satisfying to drive. Especially when I looked at the consumption gage which varied from 15-18 mpg on my initial local route (the 4.8 got about 10-12 mpg). The diesel’s engines acceleration, responsiveness and mannerism were a lot like the new X6 xDrive35i.

Handling
Note that everything that I have talked about above is NOT about handling. I didn’t test that aspect of the cars. It is just observations of daily driving on smooth roads with a light foot, semi-heavy and heavy foot. I did notice that the diesel felt less stable at higher speeds above 60 mph though. I find this to be very abnormal and could have been due to different weather conditions (the wind might have been blowing harder when I was driving the diesel vs the 4.8) or it could have been due to different wheel setup. The 4.8 had 19’s, but I forgot to look at what the 3.0’s had. Most likely 19’s, but it could have been 18’s. At any rate, I believe 20” wheels will negate any possible stability issues.

The only time I was unhappy with the diesel was (1) when I passed by the gas station and diesel was at $5.15 while premium gas was at $4.23 and (2) when I stopped at a light and heard the clunking sound of the diesel engine. I’m not one to complain about loud cars. I’m not expecting a Lexus like cabin. I like hearing the engine. But I’m just not use to hearing that much when the car is idle.

My overall opinion is:
With the current unpopularity of diesel in the US and the annoying clunking sound during idle, the more responsive engine isn’t enough for me to pick a diesel just yet. I’d opt for a X5 with a xDrive35i engine over a 4.8 though :thumbup:

great impressions - thanks for sharing.

given the price of diesel (at least in my area) - I'm not sure why anyone would pick this car.

I wonder if that's the US version of the sd or just one that was meant for overseas? If it's for here, the hp is only 5hp more than the 3.0si, but of course the torque is much better. Did it accelerate quickly even while already at high speeds? It's probably tough to gauge unless you really floor it while already going a decent speed though. I mean, I have no problems while on the highway, as much of the underpoweredness of the 3.0si is because of the weight from a stop.

I believe that it was one meant for overseas. The badging on the side door was a "3.0sd" not the xDrive35d (which is suppose to be the US model by Edmund's Insideline). Also the speedometer was not in mph and that voice activation spoke a different language (couldn't tell what language); though I think we can change the language in iDrive so that might not be good evidence.

I didn't get a chance to really push it at high speeds. For the local routes we were instructed to drive. I was quickly at 85 mph in a 50 zone. Already blowing by the rest of the light road traffic. Didn't think of flooring it (and testing out the top range of the rpm), but rather looking out for cops that frequent the streets. It felt fast enough.

I'm scheduled for another event in a few days. If the vehicle is there again, I'll definitely report on that aspect next time.

I haven't really experimented much with mine in terms of trying ds mode to get faster 0-100 time but in normal mode they're slower off the mark than the V8 but about the same or maybe quicker to move up speed once already on the go. Mine's only done 4000km's so I haven't been game to give it a proper workout yet.

And yes, quite a noisy idle :) but much less rattly than past diesel engines, and sounds quite sporty once it's revving a bit instead of idling. And from inside it sounds like a petrol/gasoline engine in my opinion.

I'm sure the V8 is faster, but I like the feel of the diesel off the line better. It just starts immediately upon pressing on the gas pedal.

Yeah. Once the diesel gets going. It does sound great. No idea if it was gas/diesel at that point. Only at idle.

its a shame that they only bring the more performant diesel engines into the states...regarding what model...

Besides the X I also have a Jetta 1.9 TDI and let me tell ya with dieslel being about 40 to 50 cents more expensive...doing 647 (my best so far) on 13.5 gallons makes a big difference. not to mention diesels can last way more than regular gas cars if maintined well.

I do agree. The few extra MPG's achieved by diesels (and hybrids) does make a difference the more expensive fuel prices get. Even with a $1.00 difference between petro and diesel, diesel still comes out slightly ahead.

exactly :D

diesels last longer
they hold their value longer
better mileage

no wonder they don't allow the smaller diesel engines that can get more than 50mph here...it would change the way people buy cars....

imagine a car that you can never get tired of lasting about 400k to 500k on ya...:) now thats what im talking about :thumbup:

:confused: Why would the fact that other people don't like/know about diesels stop you from buying the superior product?

Anyway, nice writeup overall. Thanks for posting.

Good point! The way I was thinking of it was that if it's unpopular, you'll find less stations to fill up with, higher gas prices due to weaker demand (diesel use to be less expensive than gasoline in the past) and less 3rd party mechanics that know what their doing to work on the car (after the free maintenance period).

It was like Apple computers years and years ago in the US when more people flocked to PC's. Owning an Apple computer at that time meant less places to shop at, less software, less support and paying higher prices. (Things have definitely changed for the Apple these days. Still cost more than a PC, but the overall cost has definitely come down).

I guess that is true, but as diesels become more and more popular here the prices will (eventually) deflate.

One note: a couple years ago, when, if anything, diesel cars were only less popular than they are now, the fuel was less expensive than gasoline. :rolleyes: Wish that was still true.

Oh. Yeah. If diesel was less expensive, with the better fuel consumption. I'd definitely got for the diesel even with the loud idle sound.

Very interesting to read a review from someone who hasn't encountered one of the modern genertaion of diesels before.

My last car was a 535d which has the same engine as the SD and was my first diesel car. I was initially quite disappointed by the rattle (particularly as I had previously had an M3) but soon got used to it. it really isn't very intrusive at all inside the car.

As far as driving is concenred I think your review is very fair. The 4.8i is surprisingly faster as a 0-60 time but the SD is much more competive for in gear acceleration....I know it's counter intuitive but those are the facts. The 4.8i is I think 1/2 sec quicker to 60 mph but I think acceleration from say 30-60 mph is very similar. The key thing is that the SD is much more relaxed about how it does it and doesn't need thrashing as hard so.

The torque is the diesel engines killer weapon and to my mind makes diesel the only choice for all BMW cars bar M's. 10 years ago in the UK diesels particualrly in premium brands were virtually unheard of and only had a small % of sales....now 90% of X5 sales are diesels in the UK.

Petrol engines definitely sound better and are smoother at idle but all that torque make diesels the drivers choice.

I'm a bit confused. Which diesel engine will we get in North America? Is it the sd that was road tested by the first poster or an updated one?

I'll be surprised if the diesel we get here is noisy at idle. I just test drove a Mercedes GL320 and could barely hear the diesel clatter at idle. When underway, again, I could barely hear the clatter. I would be surprised if BMW misses this Mercedes benchmark when bringing a diesel to NA.

The current SD engine available throughout the world (but not in North America) doesn't meet NA emissions standards. NA will get a new version of this engine, based very much on the current SD. NOX emissions are down, hp is down slightly, urea consumption is up, and it should drive very much like the current SD. No word yet on whether the rest of the world will get this new version of the SD, or keep their current version.

ml/gl 320's idling are just as loud *from outside*
from inside you basically don't hear it unless you wind down your window

So, given the choice of a petrol engine with a manual transmission, or a diesel with an automatic (the only way the 35 engine comes, due to that killer torque), you would still choose a diesel?

Jim,

I guess "loud" is a relative term. As far as diesel products we have been exposed to in North American, I would say the GL/ML's engine is the quietest I've heard.

My last diesel was a 2004 Dodge 2500 Ram with a 5.9L Cummins. That diesel was considered quiet by the diesel standards of the day and it is quite loud compared to the GL's engine.

I no longer consider a diesel engine to be "loud" when I am able to stand beside the nose of a diesel powered vehicle and have a conversation with someone without feeling I have to move away from the car to not be bothered by the sound.

The GLML is such a vehicle. Clearly you can hear the engine, but I wouldn't say it is more than 15% louder than it's gas counterpart.

If the BMW X5d has the same noise level as the GL/ML320, it will definitely be in the running as my next vehicle and I predict BMW will do very well with it in NA.

grover

I agree I would be fine with a diesel too if I can't hear it from the inside the cabin. I've never been in a GL/ML yet to compare. But in the X5 that I was in, at a traffic light the engine sound was quite noticeable.

Fredo. I hear you though. The engine was very smooth to drive. Torque rules!

Mtech8,

I can't say that I really heard the GL's diesel in the cabin, although you do hear a faint clatter just as you are coming on the pedal lghtly, but only momentarily. During steady cruising, it is quite quiet. If you hold the pedal down until the transmission shifts, as the engine appraoches max rpm, you do feel a bit of vibration through the pedal/floor but it is gone right after the shift.

For someone who needs a larger SUV but doesn't want to pay the high fueling costs, I think diesel is a great option. Performance on the GL/ML series is not great, what with the initial lag, but I'm betting BMW's twin turbo setup gets rid of this problem.

From my perspective, if you need a true 7 passenger vehcile and you don't want to drive a van, the GL is the way to go. If 5 passenger capacity is all you need and you can get by with less storage space, the X5 wins in diesel format.

Just my opinion though. :)

I got another opportunity to attend another Ultimate Drive event yesterday. On this route, there was a nice 270 degree on ramp to the freeway.

Here is my new take:

HighSpeed Acceleration
Freeway driving was a great opportunity to test acceleration. The 4.8 is definitely faster than the diesel (no real surprise). I found it much easier to hit 80 mph+ in the 4.8 (both from clearing the on-ramp, about 40 mph to 80 mph+ and from slowing to 60 mph and re-accelerating to 80 mph+).

At approximate 80 mph the 4.8 engine felt like it still wanted to go faster. The diesel on the other hand felt like it was happy cruising speed about 110kmh (~70mph). It had no problem going on beyond that point, but it just felt like more work was required of the engine.

Corning and Stability
I confirmed that both the 4.8 and the diesel were running on 19's. And that the "sports" button was activated on both vehicles. They both took the 270 degree ramp with ease at about 40+ mph. Very secure with little to no body roll. I'm sure I could have gone faster, but I wanted to be 100% certain everything was safe. Furthermore, the shaking that I previously reported was non-existent. It must have been the weather as both vehicles were very solid at high speeds. Thus as expected, the 4.8 and the diesel were the same in this category.

Engine Sound
This time the sound of the diesel engine was not as noticeable! Perhaps in my first experience, I was expecting quiet and thus found the noise loud. This time, I was expecting quiet and found it to be "not so loud". I'm not sure if there were other factors that influenced this. Maybe the warmer temperature from the second event? At any rate, in the cabin at idle the sound was definitely less audible. I even questioned myself as to what I heard at the first event. When I turned on the A/C, the A/C's blower was louder than the engine. But that was my experience. :dunno:

Fuel Economy
I started off all runs with a light foot. The 4.8 would only give me 8 mpg while the diesel gave about 12. After the first mile or so (after a few traffic lights. This course really had it all for a great test drive), I drove more aggressively, the 4.8 would still yield around 8 while the diesel gave about 11. As more cruising was permitted, the mpg's would go up to about 11 mpg for the 4.8 and 15 mpg for the diesel.

Overall Take
Granted that the 4.8 is faster than the diesel. I believe most daily commuters will be more than happy with the performance of the diesel. At regular traffic speeds, it provides the feeling of strong acceleration, quieter overall drive experience (though slightly louder idle) and most importantly much better fuel economy (thus less guilt).

I would take the diesel over the 4.8 if both were available right now. But I can't wait a few months for the introduction of the diesel. My wife is sick of my car shopping and just wants me to get something NOW! (I initally ordered a X6 but backed out of it due to a few reasons) My ordered 4.8 should be here VERY soon. I ordered mine before PUZZ and he's already driving his :thumbup: For those that can wait, give the diesel a test drive. You'll be very happy with that car.

mtech8,

Thanks for your review. I'm between a GL320 diesel and an X5 diesel. If I don't need the extra space of the GL, the X5d is the way to go for me (provided it is no louder than the GL320).

My wife is sick of the car shopping as well. She could care less if I just keep my old car as long as just stop talking about it already! :)

Every time. A big heavy car like the X5 needs torque and that is what the diesel engine delivers. People to my mind get focused on the fact that diesel engines are more economical and lose sight of the fact that diesel engines have better power characteristics for 95% of drivers...what most people want and need due to how they drive their car is power at low revs. It just seems weird to me having had to great cars with this disel engine to have to rev the engine to say 5000 rpm plus to get the performance out of a car...it almost seems outdated to me.

I honestly think the only non M car in BMW's range that is standout better than the diesel engined cars available is the 135i. The new V8 in the X6 may be another.

Diesel Tech has no doubt come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, I test drove a Merc GL 420 (4.0 turbo diesel V8) .. its longer than a Q7 but I tell you it doesnt half shift :thumbup: must be around 7.5 seconds 0-60

Couldn't have said it better myself. Think your "95% of drivers" refers to my reference to "daily commuters". Yeah. Immediate power right away at low reevs to easily change lanes and drive with.

I've driven the Mercedes ML 320 diesel and didn't think it had much passing power on the highway. I would think with the twin turbo diesel on the X5, it will be much better. I'm waiting for the X5 and passed on the Mercedes...

The Mercedes is a single turbo diesel...

Craig

The 4.8 is more capable in highway passing. But the X5 diesel also has no trouble at all. In the diesel, I easily passed the surrounding traffic trying to catch up to the BMW 550 that was tearing up the road.

I also test drove the Diesel X5 at Newport BMW @ Drive for the Cure and found it very nice.

I thought the interior noise level was on par with the V8 petrol.

Compared to the earlier petrol X5 model that has a snappy sensitive accelerator start, this diesel has a smoother, lighter pull feel. Once above 40MPH, the car really performs - pulls ahead quickly and powerful feel to above 70 MPH.

I couldn't really tell by the European display and driver's side mirror that I was driving a non US model but the diesel wins my approval even with the fuel prices so high. I can always drive down to Mexico for half price diesel, but then will I be risking a contaminated fuel ???

Yeah. With the constant rise in fuel prices. Diesel seems more and more appealing everytime I drive by a gas station.

Yesterday gas petro was 4.69 vs diesel at 5.19
Based on the driving 15,000 miles per year and the epa estimates

City
4.8i (14mpg)= $5,025.00/year
x35d (19mpg) = $4097.37/ year
Savings of $927.63/year

Highway
4.8i (19mpg) = $3702.63/year
x35d (25mpg) = $3114.00/year
Savings of $758.13/year

The interesting thing is that a lot of people are posting that they don't get what the epa estimates for the 4.8i. And that often it's lower.

Really makes me want a diesel instead.

^ you will save some $ with the diesel for sure but with the 4.8i you win at everything else. You're getting it soon and once you do, you won't think twice about the diesel as you'll be on top of the world from the word GO. I test drove that 4.8i to feel the differences... it was a true beast. Good luck with it. ;)

Thanxs RH71. I'm just very indecisive up to the point of signing the paperwork and giving them the check. I mean, I still have options. But once the car is mine. I'll just be happy with it. I mean what's the point of looking at what could have been at that point. Focus on the present and the future. :) This wait is really killer.

I don't really understand people who won't buy the X5SD if it isn't as quiet as Brand X Diesel Y. Realistically, there will be a very small--if not unnoticeable--difference in the noise level of two competing diesel luxury vehicles. It's not a reason to pass up a car as good as the X5 is.

As for the other posts today... I love the 4.8i but am starting to regret not waiting for the diesel because of the mileage. It's truly horrendous.

Am I missing something here?

$3702.63 - $3,114.00 = $588.63

Where's the $758.13 come from?

I have to say the diesel does sound appealing but my 4.8i engine has exceeded all of my expectations it is a true animal when you want it to get moving quick. Above 4k rpm the engine just keeps going and by the time you know it your at 80mph with a loud grunt saying push me harder. The handling is second to none it feels like my 330ci when I take corners and really put the X5 through its paces. Yeah it sucks to pay more for premium gas and get less mpg's compared to diesel but overall I would be hard pressed to give up my X5 although the jerky transmission is unacceptable and should be fixed by BMWNA without excuses. I just dont see how BMW couldnt get more hp and torque out of this engine when the Cayenne S and GTS can with a similar V8 thats NA. I would love to see the 4.8i engine making 400hp and around 400 lbs/torque or even the same current specs of the 4.8i engine with better gas mileage especially in the city.

Thanks! Good catch! Sorry about that. Copied my numbers over too fast from Excel (didn't use copy and paste due to formatting issues). The $758.13 was the average of the highway and city assuming 50/50 driving of each.

City
4.8i (14mpg)= $5,025.00/year
x35d (19mpg) = $4097.37/ year
Savings of $927.63/year

Highway
4.8i (19mpg) = $3702.63/year
x35d (25mpg) = $3114.00/year
Savings of $588.13/year

Combined (50/50) = (588.13 + 927.63)/2 = $758.13