Pics of my new Alpine 35d w/ Nappa (56k Warning)
 

Hi guys,

Just picked up my 2012 X5 35d earlier this week. It was custom order and only took two weeks to build and ship to me. I was quite surprised. The specs are in my signature.

I've had 2 other X5 diesels in the past 2 years and I've traded them due to problems I didn't want to deal with. First was a 2011 with a steering problem the dealership couldn't fix and the second had a terrible creak coming from the doors that the dealership "couldn't reproduce" even though it's not an on-off thing... it was making the noise every time the vehicle moved.

Only mods so far are M-Sport steering wheel, tint, and headlight clear bra.

Anyway, I decided to order this one with as many options as I wanted with things I didn't need like Cold Weather, Third Row, or Adaptive Drive. Here is a list of new things I added that I notice some changes and my opinions on them...

DIESEL ENGINE
Loud as hell inside, even louder on the outside. Power delivery is good but delayed. Feels unrefined. Can't complain though, since I got 3500 ECO credit + excellent gas mileage

ALPINE WHITE
I'm not a fan of the color. In all honestly, I should've ordered it in Black Sapphire because I think that is the best color for the X5. Unfortunately, I'm in Houston and it's too damn hot for that color and the pollen doesn't help. It would've been nice if BMW offered Mineral White Metallic as Metallic is definitely the best way to go.

SAND BEIGE NAPPA
If you are deciding whether to get this, I'd say no. The leather honestly doesn't feel any more special and the extra stitching around the arm rest and seats are annoying more than anything. I will say, though, the Nappa helped stop the creaking in the back seats. The sound that happened on 2 other X5s with Oyster Nevada was caused by the leather rubbing against the plastic. It smells like a new house versus actual leather.

NAPPA LEATHER DASH
Transforms the cabin's look, but I believe it heats up the cabin more too. The top of all 4 doors are leather too, but I'm not sure whether that is part of the Nappa leather seats or the Nappa dash.

SOFT-CLOSE DOORS
I really like this feature. However, I don't like the fact that you can hear the motor running even if you close the door normally. So basically, the feature has to be used every time. I see this as the first thing breaking in this car.

PREMIUM SOUND PACKAGE
I'd say improvement is not that much better than the 2012 stock, except the rear seats don't have a hollow noise coming from the cargo area and there's no terrible screech when the volume is up. The sound is more insulated too, resulting in less road noise and less of people outside hearing.

20" WHEELS
Looks way better but not a real difference in handling. Only difference I've noticed is increased turn radius. Ride quality is similar.

MULTI-CONTOUR SEATS
Definitely the best seats BMW makes. If you can't find a car with this or don't want to pay it, get the stock seats. The Sport Seat is the worst thing BMW makes. I've had a 335i with sport seats and they were perfect. On the X5, it's terrible. In conjunction with the running boards, you will soon have muscle tenderness.




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very nice

very slick
 

Love the leather trim. Nice looking vehicle.

Would be perfect if they offered the colors they do for other regular BMWs, particularly in this combo:

Mineral White Metallic
Ivory Nappa
Piano Black trim

The clear bra is a must-have for sure. I've always had black cars here in TX--for 18 years. Unless my car is parked outside all day, that would be the only reason I wouldn't get black---looks so much better than the others when clean.

I really like my Alpine White/Beige Nappa combination. It always gets compliments too. You get used to the stitching on the center console. Doesn't bother me any more.

I'm new to this board, and have is similar X5 35d on order (in the Paint Shop today).

I wanted Sand Beige Nappa Leather, but did not want the beige carpet. Ended up getting Oyster Nevada.

Although I did not get the Nappa seats, I did order the Nappa Leather Dash. It will be interesting to see exactly which surfaces receive the Nappa treatment.

As a guy who had Oyster Nevada on two X5s before this, I'd say that in combination with the Nappa dash looks way better and should be more durable. Great choice. Nappa is okay, but the stitching is overkill and I actually initially thought the leather was thicker. It's pretty much the same with no grain and slightly rubber-ier. Definitely not worth the extra $$$ BMW is asking for.

It xeems to me that for somethng you custom ordered for yourself that you seem to be complaining about everything.

If I don't complain, who will? Plus, a lot of the options I had wasn't on any X5 on the lot, so I ordered blindly. A lot of those are on the 7, but different cars = different product.