OcUK Motors : Tell me about the BMW X5

Draeger

Draeger

Draeger

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This year coming I'm going to be in the position to change cars, so the Vectra 3.0 CDTi will be going.

I'm also seriously considering hanging up my biking boots so my Aprilia RSV 1000 will be going too. So I'm looking for something quick and fun to drive that will give me a wee bit of a buzz performance wise.

I was considering an E55 but laterly I'm leaning towards something completely different - An X5 4.6iS V8. I've been doing a bit of digging around for info on X5's and have found a few good sources online, forum wise but wondered if anyone here had any insight into them?.

I know the 4.6iS has low mpg figures, but its not much lower than the 4.4 as far as I can tell?. To be honest, mpg isn't a consideration of mine, neither is VED/Tax band. I want something that is fun to drive and has a bit of poke about it. I just like the look and road presence of the X5 despite it getting labelled with the "Chelsea Tractor" thing. :p

So - Anyone got any advice or pointers on the X5 in general?. Info on the 4.6iS would be great too. :)
 
The fuel economy on the X5 V8 is bordering on ridiculous. If you care enough about fuel economy to ask what the MPG is then don't bother with a V8 X5. The only time it'll ever be out of the teens is when you are on the Motorway and even then it'll be low 20's.

The X Series BMW's are not exactly fun, so I'm not sure this car is going to offer you exactly what you want. A 4.6iS will be fast, but its a large 4x4 (It is effectively a 4wd E39 Touring on stilts) and although it is easily the most car like and best handling SUV out there this is still a bit like being top of the class at special school.

Other than that though they are decent cars - well built, well specified, look ok but they do cost a bit to run.

One consideration, though, is value. Or rather lack of it. As I said previously, the X5 is fundamentally an E39 on stilts. This means you've got E39 electrical system, E39 entertainment and information systems and in the interior, although slightly more modern than the E39 by virtue of the fact it ws designed a couple of years later, the cars heritage is nothing if not obvious.

Externally of course the prefacelift model has old style 96-00 E39 front lights which gives it a dated look from the front. IIRC all the 4.6iS are pre facelift models - the 4.8iS replaced the 4.6iS for the facelift. The facelift adds a better front end (Basically more rounded E39 angel eyes, see the trend here...) and does look quite a bit more modern but you'll need at least £15k for a facelift.

You'll need at least £10k for any half decent X5. For me, the fact I'd spent £10-20k on a car which is fundamentally just an SUV version of a £5k E39 would annoy me.

If I wanted to spend £15k on an SUV I'd be looking at Range Rovers or the Porsche Cayenne I think.
 
Well I can say that I hope you have a healthy savings account to pay for the tyres :p ...otherwise it's like running any other V8 BMW, not cheap but not mega expensive, although the fuel bills are very steep on the V8 X5 from what I have been told. Other than the extremely expensive tyres, they are cheaper than M cars to run.

I like them, had two of them in the family now, the old E53 3.0 D and the new E70 3.0 twin turbo diesel now. They are solid, strong, powerful and reliable enough. Their off-road ability is poor though tbh. They can get stuck in a muddy field, so forget climbling Snowdon or anything like that.

They drive more like cars than any other 4wd I have driven, which isn't many to be fair, I can't really think of anything bad to say about them, provided you can afford to run one, and realise how expensive the tyres are for them, they are very nice.
 
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Thanks guys.

Fox - I'm not fussed or concerned about mpg, I'm only really asking out of curiosity about the mpg figures. I've not looked into the Cayenne, I will have a gander but it doesn't really float my boat looks wise which granted, is a personal thing as not many 4x4 SUV's can be considered to look "good" I spose. :)

As far as running costs go, I'm pretty confident the running costs I have just now for the RSV once it's gone will offset those of an X5 V8. Mpg on a superbike is good but tyres ( I get about 2500 miles out of a rear Michelin 2CT and thats taking it easy ) , servicing and insurance are certainly not good.
 
I've never driven one, but I just don't like them at all I'm afraid :o However they are quite monsterous but from having a ride in one, I don't think I'd ever call them "fun"?
 
I'm not sure what sort of 'fun' the OP is looking for here. It would stand to reason that an X5 or any SUV really will only be fun in the sense of having a V8 roar and some decent acceleration. Other than that, it's going to be limited somewhat.

The fuel consumpton of the 4.4 V8 is only literally 1 or 2 lower than the 3.0 I6 which itself is not that bad. Saying that you will only see mpg in the teens unless you are on the motorway is an exaggeration, for the 4.4 V8 at least. I know nothing about the 4.6Si I'm afraid.

The Cayenne, while being a lovely car, is a) very ugly and b)a lot more expensive to run and c) a lot more rare, which is great other than the choice at £15k won't be a vast one.

The Range Rover is the one to have. The Sport is better to drive quickly, but the proper one is in a different league of luxury. The only downsides are the reliability and the styling, as with any car i suppose, is personal choice.

Of the three, I'd be looking very carefully at something like this. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...rs/4l_to_4-9l/page/3/sort/pricedesc&logcode=p
 
monkey_boy said:
The fuel consumpton of the 4.4 V8 is only literally 1 or 2 lower than the 3.0 I6 which itself is not that bad. Saying that you will only see mpg in the teens unless you are on the motorway is an exaggeration, for the 4.4 V8 at least.
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It really isn't. It's not even much of an exageration for the E39 540i and thats got considerably better quoted combined fuel consumption figures. The small difference on paper between V8 and I6 is confusing - the weight difference betweem them is the same as the weight difference between 530i and 540i and on 'paper' 530i and 540i have a 7mpg difference which when you are talking 30 and 23mpg is quite huge.

I'd be suprised if you better 20mpg unless you are on a long run.
 
[TW]Fox;15669067 said:
Yup - a tidy 03 plate 4.5S!
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Indeed - they depreciate extremely heavily!

My friends dad bought one to leave at his house in spain. It was jsut udner 3 years old, 20k miles, and he paid £20k for it. Ok it was only a cayenne and it's slow but it's comfy :)

Wouldn't have one personally as they are rather hideous from the outside!
 
[TW]Fox;15669257 said:
It really isn't. It's not even much of an exageration for the E39 540i and thats got considerably better quoted combined fuel consumption figures. The small difference on paper between V8 and I6 is confusing - the weight difference betweem them is the same as the weight difference between 530i and 540i and on 'paper' 530i and 540i have a 7mpg difference which when you are talking 30 and 23mpg is quite huge.

I'd be suprised if you better 20mpg unless you are on a long run.
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I must admit to not having first hand experience on the mpg, but someone I know has one (an X5 4.4 V8) and the figures he quotes are only 1 or 2 mpg lower than the 29mpg average that I know my Dad gets from his 530i Auto. While he doesn't seem to be the type to make things up, I don't know for sure whether what he says is true or not though.
 
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monkey_boy said:
I must admit to not having first hand experience on the mpg, but someone I know has one and the figures he quotes are only 1 or 2 mpg lower than the 29mpg average that I know my Dad gets from his 530i Auto. While he doesn't seem to be the type to make things up, I don't know for sure whether what he says is true or not though.
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I'm sure he does manage similar sort of figures in his 3.0i.

He wouldnt be anywhere near this in a 4.4i though!
 
Cant say I have any experience of the car but the person driving them is normally a complete ****, stuck right to your rear bumper regardless of the road, conditions or speed limit. /stereotype.
 
I have changed my view on Cayennes. You can pick up a V8 S now for an absolute song, the engine is great, and in the right colour they don't have to look so anti-social. Go for a seal grey one or arctic silver on sensible wheels and I think they make a great buy. All these cars have an image problem and while the X5s was once high I think they are now nightclub-doorman grade transport with the image to match.

e.g. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1324941.htm
 
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