X5 35i or 50i? Can anybody sell me on the 50?

[kanvas]

I have a 2014 50i with DHP. It puts a smile on my face everyday. 26,000 miles so far with no issues. Pull da trigger!

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by chong0

the sell for me was the m-sport.(can you get a 3.5 in msport?).. without the side bolsters I don't know how anyone in an x5 goes around a corner without flying out of the seat.

the power also is very nice. if the price is right I would opt for the 50, but I tend to have a heavy right foot

This has to be the least knowledgeable BMW post of all time.

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by Kzang

I'd pick it up. It's rare that you find a used X5 with DHP let alone on a 50i.

Agree, 50i with DHP is A+

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

I owned an X5M and it was nothing but issues from day one while others did not have any issues except the recalls... second time around didn't opt for the X5M because passengers were not too keen on the snappiness of the X5M and got car sick rather quickly in it.

i am too.

the options and the discount alone on that build should sway you to the 50i. if you miss out on that particular one i'll sell you mine.

You owned an F85 or E70?

I have an F85 with 25k/miles and it's only been in service to fix a windshield wiper. I see a lot of folks with a F15 35i or E70 50i speculating about F15 50i reliability and few with F15 50is chiming in.

A low mile 50i with DHP is a unicorn. No brainer.

[iconoclast]

E70 X5M. As I said earlier in the thread I have not had any issues with the F15 50i (N63B44O1/N63TU).

[alphaod]

My car is working just fine after a year and half of ownership just approaching 32,000mi. No mechanical issues and I floor it all the time. Slight oil burning during a brief period of 1L/1000mi, but that has tapered off to 1L/5000mi, and I change the oil by then so no biggie.

The only things breaking were a seat belt clip for the third row seats and seems the washer fluid sensor which I'm taking to the dealer to get fixed.

[Alan l.]

Like others have said if you can swing the 50i get it.

MPG difference is not as great as some might think. I had the 35i and i barely got 14mpg combined with mostly local driving. On my X5M i'm getting about 11mpg with the same commute.

Typically the V8 has more issues but i think BMW has improved it compared to the E70 X5 days. Some guys have non stop issue while some dont. My 35i needed a full engine replacement at 7K miles on the odometer and the dealer had no idea why. Engine was broken in properly and I even changed the oil on my own dime at 3K. Its just the luck of the draw. Personally I wouldn't want to own any german luxury car outside of warranty.

All of my BMW's burned some degree of oil. N54, N55, N63TU, S63...

The power difference between the two engine is drastic. The 35i is perfectly adequate for an suv while the 50i feels more like a muscle car. On the highway is where you notice the difference the most. It takes time for a 35i to go from 60-100 where as the 50i just rockets off in a blink of an eye.

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by alphaod

My car is working just fine after a year and half of ownership just approaching 32,000mi. No mechanical issues and I floor it all the time. Slight oil burning during a brief period of 1L/1000mi, but that has tapered off to 1L/5000mi, and I change the oil by then so no biggie.

The only things breaking were a seat belt clip for the third row seats and seems the washer fluid sensor which I'm taking to the dealer to get fixed.

You burned a liter of oil in 1000 miles???

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by lowlevelhell

You burned a liter of oil in 1000 miles???

a quote from bmw:

“Oil consumption is normal on all engines,” BMW representative Hector Arellano-Belloc said in an e-mail statement to CR. “BMW vehicles have long intervals between oil changes (10,000 miles). BMW engines (excluding the BMW M) may consume up to one quart of engine oil per 750 miles under certain driving conditions.” He added that BMW’s M performance models may consume even more oil than that.

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by turboawd

a quote from bmw:

“Oil consumption is normal on all engines,” BMW representative Hector Arellano-Belloc said in an e-mail statement to CR. “BMW vehicles have long intervals between oil changes (10,000 miles). BMW engines (excluding the BMW M) may consume up to one quart of engine oil per 750 miles under certain driving conditions.” He added that BMW’s M performance models may consume even more oil than that.

Oh they've been excusing the poor oil management on the V8s for years. That's the old aviation trick of writing every engineering deficiency into the manual as a "feature." Blowing through more than a quart in a thousand miles should be enough to raise eyebrows.

[cit1991]

'15 50i here. No oil burning, no engine issues in 22,000 mi.

My commute to work is about 9 miles, 6 of which are highway, so it spends a lot of it's time in warmup. I get about 18 MPG average, 24-ish for highway driving.

As for the 50i...if you're thinking about it, do it. The only people who would be truly satisfied with the 35i are the ones who would never even consider the 50.

Reasons to not get the 50:
You think Q-ships were immoral in WWII and still are today.
You feel guilty every time you embarrass a twentysomething in his Camaro, in front of his date.
You have poor muscle control in your right leg.
You're concerned about getting a ticket for doing 100 at the end of every onramp.
You like to know when the AC compressor is running by feeling the car slow down a bit.
You don't like the rumble of a V8.
At 1000 mi/month, the extra $20 for fuel means your kids might go hungry.

[spike5150]

I went from an E70 35i to an F15 50i. I freaking love it. A month after I got mine we got my wife a 35i with a DINAN tune. The DINAN definitely helps the 35i, but it still can't compare to the 50i. It will throw you back in your seat when you nail it, and the 35i just can't do it.

I'm at 37,000 miles in 1.5 years with zero engine issues and never had to add a drop of oil. I hit 130 mph at least once a week on a private road near my field office.

Wheeeee!!!!

P.S. - I wish I had gotten DHP on my X-Line

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by cit1991

'15 50i here. No oil burning, no engine issues in 22,000 mi.

Curious if you do early oil changes as well. I completed the first one without having to top-off. Second oil change was completed at 7000 miles without top-off and now third one when I reached 10k and no additional oil. I am using the OEM BMW TT/LL 0w30.

Originally Posted by cit1991

My commute to work is about 9 miles, 6 of which are highway, so it spends a lot of it's time in warmup. I get about 18 MPG average, 24-ish for highway driving.

In the 50i/M you don't measure Miles Per Gallon but rather in terms of Smiles Per Gallon.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by lowlevelhell

You burned a liter of oil in 1000 miles???

Yeah for about 5000 miles period, I was adding 1L every 1000 miles and I got a bit worried. Before that period I did not need to add any oil in those 5000 mile periods, and now it seems I'm back to the no-need-add-oil period again.

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by alphaod

Yeah for about 5000 miles period, I was adding 1L every 1000 miles and I got a bit worried. Before that period I did not need to add any oil in those 5000 mile periods, and now it seems I'm back to the no-need-add-oil period again.

So you burned over a gallon of oil in 5000 miles? And now it burns none?

[NikonMan]

Originally Posted by cit1991

'15 50i here. No oil burning, no engine issues in 22,000 mi.

My commute to work is about 9 miles, 6 of which are highway, so it spends a lot of it's time in warmup. I get about 18 MPG average, 24-ish for highway driving.

As for the 50i...if you're thinking about it, do it. The only people who would be truly satisfied with the 35i are the ones who would never even consider the 50.

Reasons to not get the 50:
You think Q-ships were immoral in WWII and still are today.
You feel guilty every time you embarrass a twentysomething in his Camaro, in front of his date.
You have poor muscle control in your right leg.
You're concerned about getting a ticket for doing 100 at the end of every onramp.
You like to know when the AC compressor is running by feeling the car slow down a bit.
You don't like the rumble of a V8.
At 1000 mi/month, the extra $20 for fuel means your kids might go hungry.

I spit my coffee out reading this lol ...

[Winn]

I picked up a used '15 50i M-Sport with DHP last May with only 8k miles. They are hard to find...I was looking for about 9 months for what I wanted near me. Depreciation on the V8s is something to take advantage of if you like the power. I've put over an additional 10k miles on with no oil burn...and mine came with the Dinan stage one tune so it's running a little harder. If you're concerned about reliability, get an extended warranty. As for gas mileage, I've average 17mpg since I got it...with mostly city driving. I've seen as high as 22mpg on the highway and as low as 11mpg in the city (after my wife drove it!). Those are the extremes though.

I love my X5. In comfort mode, it's a luxury cruiser. In sport plus, it's a muscle car.

[iconoclast]

No need for high priced extended warranties. If you have GEICO you can get MBI for $7-11/mo providing the vehicle is new or at least within one year old and has less than 15k miles on it. It's similar to the CPO warranty but has a $200-$250 deductible for each visit but not on a repeat visit.

[mermar]

Originally Posted by Winn

I picked up a used '15 50i M-Sport with DHP last May with only 8k miles. They are hard to find...I was looking for about 9 months for what I wanted near me. Depreciation on the V8s is something to take advantage of if you like the power. I've put over an additional 10k miles on with no oil burn...and mine came with the Dinan stage one tune so it's running a little harder. If you're concerned about reliability, get an extended warranty. As for gas mileage, I've average 17mpg since I got it...with mostly city driving. I've seen as high as 22mpg on the highway and as low as 11mpg in the city (after my wife drove it!). Those are the extremes though.

I love my X5. In comfort mode, it's a luxury cruiser. In sport plus, it's a muscle car.

Thanks for the feedback. If I understand DHP correctly - it makes comfort more comfortable (softer) and Sport+ more performance oriented. would you agree? Only odd thing with the 50i I am picking up (with DHP) it has 19" Pirelli all seasons. So all the great suspension - but if the rubber on the road is just average...not sure how that will work out.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by lowlevelhell

So you burned over a gallon of oil in 5000 miles? And now it burns none?

Well technically now it still consumes a bit of oil, but it's down to one liter per 5000 miles, but since I change the oil at 5000 miles I'm not topping it off.

[Dilmorecg]

I was in the same boat as you when I first started looking but decided to go with the 50i because this is my only car and being a car guy wanted something quick. I came from a 135i and it was quick but didn't think the 35i engine in a car twice as big would be enough fun for me.

I just pulled the trigger on a 2014 CPO 50i. Fingers crossed I have no issues but I usually only keep my cars 2-3 years and the engine should be covered by the CPO warranty.

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by Kzang

V8 reliability issue hasn't been resolved since the E chassis days. However, chances of having problems is probably low. Some V8 owners have good luck while others are getting rid of them asap.

With that said, if I had to do it again I'd still get the 35i. The price of the 50i with the options that I want is very close to an X5M, so why stop there?? I'd might as well get the M.
Now if I was getting a used F15, then it wouldn't really matter to much since a used BMW is cheap compared relative to the original price.

Exactly why I passed on the 5.0. I had an x5m before my x6 3.5 and my next car will be an x6m. The 5.0 is a waste because it costs almost as much as the M without any of the performance upgrades that come with the M.