X5 delivery in beautiful SC
 

Great day today. Took delivery of the new X 50 at the performance center. Had to wait two extra weeks to get a delivery slot in SC (vs. my Atlanta dealership), but well worth the wait.

A few cool things to report. First, Xdrive50's are still somewhat scarce. They didn't have one to drive during on the course, so had to ummm settle for an X5 M. Once we got the M sport mode set, the autocross experience went up a big notch. Tremendous brakes too. Way too much capability for the street, but very nice to have.

Second, the nav/tech programming has come a long way. I was told you could send a google map from your computer directly to the car's nav. Sounds really useful, but curious to know if it works well in practice.

Third, the guys teaching at the performance center are crazy good. Donnie took us for a few hot laps in an M5 with DSC off and it was amazing. Very smooth and fast. Lots of drifting through corners. Might just be time for the M school.

Fourth, the plant technology in Spartanburg is remarkable. I went 5-6 year ago and they have added significant automation. Something like 99% automated in the body shop. Every car coming through is custom ordered and built for the buyer. 600+ cars a day right now.

The X50 drives great but is still in the break in period. Love the engine sound and torque. Sold on the comfort seats. I'll give a shout out to all of you who have been recommending that option. The drive back to Atlanta was a perfect way to finish off the day.

NICE! Congrats...:thumbup:

Congrats!

Pity that you had to settle for X5 M. :rofl:

how does it compare to the M? Do you actually feel yours being less stiff etc.?

The ride quality seems to be comparable between X 50 and M. It would have been nice to track an X 50 to compare ride quality, roll, brakes, etc., but not an option yesterday. So, not enough info at this point to give you a real qualified response.

The run flats do add a bit of harshness in driving and transmit some road noise and vibration that could otherwise be eliminated.

Hoping they will have the 7RR? package available soon...

Did you get to climb the mountain they have set up to demo off roading? It's pretty cool.

The ability to send Google Maps to the X5 is very useful. I've tried in a number of times with excellent results.

We did the X off road course and went up and down the mountain. They used 35d X's which was a nice way to experience the grunt of a diesel. Agree it's pretty cool.

White looks great. Congrats.

Thanks WallyX5. Picked up a silver X this time, though the M on the track was white. Space gray looked great too on the X, but we've got a 335ic in that color.