Looking to upgrade. What are some E70 cons?
 

Hi All,

I have an E53 X5 and the wife's been bugging me for about a year to get the new E70. We want it particularly for the extra seating row that sometimes would come in handy with the E53.

So, for the pros, it's fairly easy - new, the extra seating - but I heard/seen a couple of things that bug me and I wanted them confirmed:

1. the self closing doors/rear hatch do not have sensors so kids fingers may be squished - that is a huge NO NO
I have heard of this one from a friend who just bought one.

2. stepping in and out is harder than on the E53 as the side sill/kick plates are quite wide. As it is, in the E53, my kids are OK at getting in and out but they still get their clothes dirty often enough if I don't help them.

I went to the car show and getting in and out of the driver seat I am sure I'd get my pants dirty, which is irritating. Doors feel way flimsy as well compared to the E53.

Can anyone give me their point of view if anyone else has moved from an E53 to the E70? How about the extra seating for casual use? Does anyone have those?

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only if you have running boards. should you decide to get them you can always step on the running board first then get in or out. takes an extra 0.5 seconds though.

Love the 3rd row seats. It's very convenient when I need to haul extra kids for games and practices. Again, the 3rd row seats are for kids, not for full size adults.

Running boards are great also when you have kids. Helps them getting in and out of the car. Just like what M6X mentioned, you can step on them getting in and out of the car if you're concerned on getting your pants dirty. Never an issue for me.

Auto rear hatch was not available on MY07. I wish I have them. My daughter has a tendency to slam that rear door shut after I drop her off at school and it irritates me. That rear hatch is also pretty hard to reach for younger kids so I sometimes have to get off the car to close the hatch after I drop off my daughter to school.

I'm not sure how the auto rear hatch would be a concern for kids squishing their fingers. You would have to look on your rear view mirror to see if there's a person behind you anyway before closing it shut. Or you can turn on the PDC/back up camera to look behind or use the sensors. If you have kids sitting in the 3rd row, you will have to make sure that they are wearing their seat belts anyway before closing the rear hatch to make sure they don't reach back there.

closing of auto rear hatch can ONLY be activated via a button on the bottom of rear hatch. So, someone has to stand by the rear hatch and push the button. So, if you are smart enough to push the button, I assume that person is smart enough to stay out of the way while the door is closing slowly....

Thanks for the feedback received so far.

Hmm.. true all the X5s I have seen so far have had the running boards, which I think they look great but I have small kids.

Getting in/out won't be easy for them for another 3-4 years and stepping on the running boards is out of the question for them. If they could step on them, I wouldn't have to worry about them cleaning the running boards with their jackets to begin with :)

So, the rear hatch cannot be closed form inside the car?

How about the normal side doors - they seem to have the same soft closing system....

I can see how for anyone without kids it's hard to understand why I should not let Darwin take care of the smart ones, but believe me even smart 2-3-4 year olds will get their hands in the wrong spot at times... ;)

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1. Running boards. I decided against them. I am ambivalent on the look but they stick out too far. There have been some staining and other issues too.
2. In US-spec, the only way for the tailgate to be closed is for someone to press the button on the tailgate. If you have the tailgate open all the way, a 10-year old has to jump to close it. I assume the Canadian spec is the same.
3. In US-spec, there are not soft closing doors.

Thanks brian5.

Ok, this is making me feel better :thumbup: - so without the running boards I'm not looking at the ridiculous half a meter distance to step into the vehicle?

Not at all. You leg might still touch but I haven't found it an issue. I don't have an E53 to compare to though.

Yes, in the E53 the reality is that my leg still touches but it's what I consider "normal" from my experience with other vehicles.


Does any one know, can you get the third row seating ordered on any car? ie, if I don't buy it brand new from the dealer, and I buy a 1-2 year old X5 without the third row seating, can I still order it and have it installed?

I have the running boards but they tend to stay fairly clean (they are sloped down) and my pants really don't get dirty usually.

Definitely not.

Same experience here - I've even resorted to using the black plastic trim as a step - why I am ordering runnings boards on our next car - like people say it will add a step (no pun intended) to getting out, but my pantlegs atleast should stay clean.

Ouch. Really? Don't take this the wrong way, but you sure?

How about Active Steering? Anyone got it?

Testdrove an X6 that had it - I did not like it at all. Started a thread about it in the X6 section.

I suspect it comes down to what you want though. I guess it could be considered a more luxurious drive (IE less effort to steer), but going without it will leave a more sporty sensation. Waiting for my dealer to find an X without it to test so I can decide on it :)

I read in astonishment that the button for the tailgate is actually at the tailgate. I imagine it's there for some saftey reason, however in my opinion that defeats the purpose of having that feature.

As 'golfer' said he wishes he had that option for school drop off but you'd still have to get out of the car in order to use it, so you might as well just grab it and close / open it while you're there, what the ?? Also as mentioned their's the back up camera, side mirrors and PDC's to assist with going about closing / opening safely so it makes no sense to me to have the button at the t/gate.

Would it not be far more convenient and usefull being located in the cabin ?? It's akin to having an auto side door opener button (on the outside), it would be useless because you are already at that location.

When I was car hunting I looked at the Lexus RX350 and one feature that I was impressed with was the auto close / open t/gate button (in the cab). I also remember the back up camera screen was of a high quality. Suffice to say I went with an E53 and couldn't be happier.

Running boards are a good option to include. Apart from aiding little ones they finish off the bottom of the X's between front and rear wheels. No issue with dirtying trousers here.

Good luck to the OP on whatever your decision.

Foomph

I've had a 2009 35d for about 1 month with around 2500 miles on it. The only thing I notice is a vibration in the passenger door at idle when temperature is below 32F. This only happens when the vehicle is cold. When I bring the rpm up to about 1500 the vibration stops. When the engine warms up, no vibration. Otherwise everything else is great.

Brian is right. You cannot order the 3rd-row seat as an after market item. You must either buy the car with the 3rd-row seats or... not. Cannot add it afterward. Also, 3rd-row seat-equipped X5s do not have full-size spare tires, which probably explains why you can't order the seat afterward.

Good luck,

Juan

To clarify the auto lift gate function: you can open the tailgate from a button in the cab; that button, however, does not close it. You have to press the button ON the tailgate itself to close it.

third row option negates the spare tire.

it is an almost full-size spare. but still better than none whatsoever.

Kaefer,
Thanks for clarification, still reckon it's only half an option as it should close from the cab as well. My .02c

You can open the tailgate (1) from a button on the dash (2) by using the button on the key fob and (3) by opening it by its "handle" in the tailgate. Options (1) and (2) are very useful.

As far as closing it goes, in the U.S., the only way to close is the button on the bottom of the tailgate. It seemed like such a pity that that was the only way to close but I've got used to it and like it. The kids like it too. Really easy way to close the tailgate (compared to my wife's Mercedes ML where one has to PULL the tailgate down with force).

I'm pretty sure that the 2nd row seats are completely different too. I read that they don't slide back and forth in the non 3rd row configuration.
Also, in the 3rd row configuration, part of the 2nd row seat flips forward so that kids can get to the 3rd row seats.

Yep, one of my favorite features. So easy to maneuver this heavy beast when parking and at slow speeds. So easy to drive at high speeds -- tracks great.

Here's a reviewer's comments when comparing two 2009 5-series models:

Active Steering is perhaps the most significant new technical achievement. This system, part of the optional Sport package, electromechanically adds a positive or negative steering angle to the setting chosen by the driver, via a planetary gearset integrated into the steering column. This reduces steering motion at low speeds (say, while parking) and when negotiating tight turns on curvy roads, requiring only two turns lock-to-lock rather than three. It also makes the steering much more direct at high speeds. Driving two 5-series-one equipped with Active Steering and one without-back-to-back on an autocross course, we found the car equipped with Active Steering allowed us to hustle through much more quickly and with far less understeer than the car with BMW's conventional, but still excellent, rack-and-pinion setup. On twisty seaside roads, it takes a little getting used to, because you're expecting to have to cross your arms a lot more than is actually necessary, but the results are noteworthy. Philip Khn, Active Steering project manager, maintains that the system "is such a huge leap in technology, it's comparable to the introduction of ABS."