I said 'relatively tiny' in anticipation of just that kind of answer! What that means, is that in relation to the amount of time in the year I spend driving on normal roads, the time spent driving on roads that are unsuitable for sports suspension, low profile tyres and extra electronic gadgetry is tiny.

The X5 has even driven back and forth between brisbane and sydney, brisbane and wagga, and brisbane and singleton in the 18 months I've had it (41,000 on the clock), each time on 21" wheels and fully optioned up with gadgets. Not once did it even enter my mind that I wished I had 18" rims or less electronics. I mean seriously, if you're that concerned about stuff going wrong, why do you have a range rover instead of an 80 series or patrol or something? I can't think of too many more '4wds' on the australian market that are more laden with gadgets and things that can go wrong.

Look, so someone trolled you with the lexus comment - fair enough, but don't try and sell the idea that most people who own X5's should be better off buying the most gadget-free version they can and running 18" rubber cos it'll make their vehicle last longer. heh!

One minute you're driving all over Oz in your Patrol, next you're driving everywhere in your X. No matter what way you look at it Oz is not "tiny".

strawman argument :(

No strawman argument. You simply contradict yourself.

nah
the holiday travelling is tiny compared to the rest of the driving. it makes up less than a quarter of the k's I've put on both vehicles.

I agree with Frazer.

I've owned an X5 since the fall of 2000. During that time the things that required the most repair(s) were the computer controlled gadgets and suspension bits. So as a consequence, our new X5 35d WORK TRUCK has (OMG) no comfort access, (shock & horrors) no tech package, (gasp) no sports package, etc. And here's why....
* comfort access is just too expensive/complicated/flaky for the minimal convenience (to owners who rarely need to lock their X5) -- read the threads about unintended locking/unlocking in the presence of water.
* the current BMW NAV system is already quaint and soon will be obsolete -- think iPhone w/ Google Earth/Maps & areal images style NAV.
* we drive over 150mi a year on unpaved roads -- just on our driveway. That doesn't count the trips to the quarry for a couple of tons of gravel, road base, etc., Or the thousands of miles of unpaved or poorly surfaced country roads we will drive over the next 3-5 yrs.

BTW any X5 owner with the Sports Package & 21in wheels is welcome to drop by and let me do an extended test drive of their X5. Say a couple of hundred miles on our 'ranch roads' and 'jeep trails', to see just how well their wheels, tires, and active suspension bits handle a bit of rough :rolleyes:

Funf Dreisig

and conversely, my twin turbo diesel which doesn't get driven past mulga bills banjo porch every day, hasn't had anything go wrong with it other than a power steering pump sensor, a part which is common across the range regardless of your options

penguin already summed it up way back in post #29

Just to throw this out there, why do people buy a BMW if not for the epic handling? Driver's vehicle right? Surely other factors you can get elsewhere at more reasonable pricing.

Lots of people get it for the overall package, but the key pkg is missing which goes back to the why. I'm not one to judge anyone, but if you're going to make points for & against, you can't skip that one as if it's just another option.

People buy cars for all sorts of reasons. If handling was the only reason, BMW would have sold Zero Z4's, and everyone would have bought Boxsters instead.

The plain fact is that there are a lot of factors that comprise a vehicle's profile, and everyone has a different weighting of those factors. Because of this it is just silly for anyone to make generalized statements about what OTHER people should, or should not, choose as options on THEIR BMW.

You said, " Surely other factors you can get elsewhere at more reasonable pricing." Well, perhaps some people like the high quality interiors and ergonomics of BMWs. Which "more reasonable" make do you think has interior quality equal to, or superior to, BMW?

I'll mention my own case once again. When I ordered my Z4, a lot of people said "you MUST get the Sports Package... it's foolish to buy a car like a Z4 and not get the Sports Package... why buy a Z4 if not for SPORTS use?"

Well, I like driving secondary paved highways and roads, getting out in the country and stopping in small towns. These roads often are not in the best shape, and small towns and their businesses and restaurants are not low-clearance vehicle friendly. Getting a Sports package which allows me to go maybe 2-3 MPH faster through the corners, but significantly increases the odds of bent wheels and scraped plastic, just doesn't match MY weighing of the factors. If I wanted to go 3 mph faster through the corners, I suspect I could achieve this more easily by going to a 2-day track course.

My apologies for perhaps being too preachy, but over the years I have gotten weary of people who think everyone else should have the same values as they do, or that their particular set of values are superior to others. I personally do not understand why people want to put these giant wheels on BMWs that, in my opinion, make them look like giant "Hot Wheels" toy cars or cartoon vehicles and reduce the vehicle performance, but obviously the people who do this like them and think they look good. And obviously they have a different set of values than I do, so I would not criticize their choice.

I don't buy a BMW for the handling per se, I buy it for the driving experience, of which handling is one part. To me, a BMW is more engaging that many other vehicles. I want tactile feedback, and that just isn't about cornering but also about the switchgear, the weight of the steering, and so on. I want balanced performance, and value, not just acceleration. I buy it for the total package, not one component. BMW's design brief matches up pretty well to what I want in a vehicle.

My base model X5 (3.0, premium, no sport) handled better than my two Explorers, for similar use. I go over mountain passes, in the snow, and am not interested in wide wheels just for looks on my SUV, with all the compromises those wide wheels bring. On the other hand, my Z4 was a sunny-day vehicle, and the sport package made sense to me. My current 535i (with two sets of wheels, one shod with Dunlop Wintersport M3s) is the best compromise I have found yet for a daily driver, as it is sporty, engaging to drive, and yet goes in the snow better than my X5 did on all seasons.

:iagree: