I leave the AC on Auto - normally runs on a low & quiet speed.
OK - for the Monday afternoon update - 1 hour run through the Sierra foothills - high temp of 109 F - dropped a little in some areas to a chilly 107 F.
AC temp set on 74 and Auto mode - as above, fan speed was low & quiet for 95% of the time - it crept up to a middle speed for a few minutes but was barely noticeable.
It maintained the set temp without any apparent effort and the X5's temp gauge stayed right at 230 F even through some more spirited driving - most impressive cooling system.
The max AC button was tried once for about 10 seconds but it was a blizzard hurricane - high volume air and cold.
This will conclude my "testing" as I am 115% satisfied with the performance of the AC as well as the cooling system. If the temps get much above 110 F we tend to re-think our plans in favor of our home AC.
The more I think about it the more variables I see at play. I guess all I can really say is my 2017 X5 35i's AC & cooling system rocks!!
Other's MMV and I hope they get their issues resolved - there is too much to love about these vehicles to lose them over AC.