[monkray]

For a few months I have been reading this forum and I wanted to start by saying a big THANK YOU to all of you who have been sharing their thoughts on their X5 orders and choice of options.

Having finally placed an order last week (awaiting ETA), I was reading the recent posts from NPickles and saggo I thought it might be helpful explain how I arrived at the following build:

ZD15D F15 X5 xDrive 30d
M Sport Package (including ZVF Adaptive Suspension)
475 Black Sapphire
LCSW Black Dakota Leather
4DD Fineline Pure wood trim
2PV 19" 467M Wheels
ZAS Active Security Package
430 External Folding Mirrors
5AG Lane Change Warning
5AL Dynamic Safety
5AT Driving Assistant Plus
ZNA Connected Drive Services Package
3AC Electric Towbar
3AG Reverse Assist Camera
402 Panoramic Sunroof
420 Sun Protection Glass
456 Comfort Seats Front
4UB Third Row Seating
524 Adaptive Xenon Headlights
5DL Surround View
610 Head-Up Display
8TH Speed Limit Display
688 Harman/Kardon Speakers
6NS Enhanced USB

First of all I was considering the RRS but I think that rossi72 hits the nail on the head. Having test drove the 30d, I was really impressed by the torque - with a 0-100km figure of less than 7 seconds (within about ½ second of the old E70 X5 40d) it was hard to justify anymore more.

Ordering in the UK it is either the SE or M Sport trim. I preferred the looks of the M Sport (especially the rear end) and found that if you want power seats, the third row and wooden trim the price difference with the SE becomes quite small. This is not that obvious until the start playing around with the configurator.

The suspension is a minefield but there seems to be a consensus that the ZVF adaptive M suspension is good but quite hard. So despite the better looks of the 20" 469M wheels I have stuck with the 19" 467M (to also benefit from better performance in snow and lower running costs).

Colours are a matter of taste but I find the black sapphire is classic and this is important since I intend to keep the car for 10 years. The black leather is also the only choice for young kids but I was keen to add the fineline wood trim to soften the look.

Given the black leather interior the Panoramic sunroof was a must for getting more light. I was flipping between the sun protection glass and roller blinds, or both, but I was worried that manual blinds can collect a lot of dust and become damaged after a few years of abuse by kids…..

Surround view and the reversing cameras were a must have but the parking assistant seems to get mixed reviews and I left it out. The third row seating and tow bar/hitch are a case of making the car as future proof as possible for the family.

Now to the gadgets – thanks to the forum I figured out some options that I don’t really want and (unfortunately for my bank manager) a longer list other options of that I didn't initially think I wanted!

Based on what I have seen and read, the full LED headlights seem to be not much better than the adaptive Xenons for the price premium. I was not that convinced by Comfort Access either. So at least that saved a few pennies together with sticking with the 467M wheels….

Almost everyone seems to think the HUD is worth it and that you also are sure to get the extended LCD on the instrument panel. I understand that it is important to order the Speed Limit Display option together with the HUD to get the full set of features.

In late 2013 I had read about the ACC and Traffic Jam Assistant, when I think they were separate options and seemed too expensive. After April they were bundled into the Driving Assistant Plus and seem like better value and great for long journeys.

Comfort seats – this was an option I had not considered before the forum but they get rave reviews and again the upgrade from the M Sport Sport Seats seemed like good value.

I was hesitating with the enhanced Bluetooth and Connective Drive Services. However, the audio steaming feature is really good and I didn’t want to miss out on having the smartphone phone access which I imagine might keep improving.

Finally, I was not considering the Active Security Package but eventually went for it since the folding mirrors were already on my options list for the surround view. Still not 100% sure that this package is worthwhile....

Anyway, sorry for the long post, hope it might be helpful for those who are still trying to navigate their way through the X5’s options list!