X5 35i vs 50i Regrets?

[Chadmatic]

Prior to my 35i I had a Cayenne Turbo as my daily driver. It was a great car with tons of power and that was the problem, it took a LOT of restraint to drive it like a mature adult who is not on a race track. The 35i is the perfect daily driver, it has more than adequate power for an SUV and the Straight-6 is very reliable compared to the V8. My advice is to take the extra coin that you would have spent on the 50i and put it toward a fun weekend sports car!

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by Chadmatic

Prior to my 35i I had a Cayenne Turbo as my daily driver. It was a great car with tons of power and that was the problem, it took a LOT of restraint to drive it like a mature adult who is not on a race track. The 35i is the perfect daily driver, it has more than adequate power for an SUV and the Straight-6 is very reliable compared to the V8. My advice is to take the extra coin that you would have spent on the 50i and put it toward a fun weekend sports car!

Sounds like a sound advice... I would even go further and add MPPK for that extra Oomph if needed

[Chadmatic]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Sounds like a sound advice... I would even go further and add MPPK for that extra Oomph if needed

Your posts have inspired me to do the MPPK upgrade.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by Chadmatic

Your posts have inspired me to do the MPPK upgrade.

Very Nice Chadmatic ! Can't wait to hear your thoughts after the install I'm pretty certain you will love the additional power and the change in shift points and how faster it shifts.

[tnikolov]

I used to have a brand new F15 50i for 24 months.

In terms of performance it was awesome. The V8 is mighty. It's growl is nice and you can hear it much more than you'd hear an F10 50i. In terms of reliability - it was the biggest piece of s**t I ever bought. 6 major problems in 24 months, latest of which was engine fault. And Engine Faults are not rare for this v8. Just search this forum for drivetrain malfunction 50i and you'll see by yourself.

I've just traded the 50i for a brand new 40d (I think in the US it's known as 35d). Zero problems so far. Performance is nowhere near to the 50i, but in all honesty - it's not bad at all. Mileage though is like twice more than what it used to be with the gasoline one. I'm about to chip it, so that I get a little bit more hp and torque, but overall I'm pretty happy with the swap.

I loved the 50i... and if you have another car you can drive while it stays at the repair shop - then totally get it. But have in mind this is the worse engine BMW makes nowadays, when it comes to reliability.

[spike5150]

FWIW I'm at 34,000 miles on my 2015 50i and still no engine issues.

Another option for 35i is Dinan Stg 1 (yes, the expensive one). Gives a bigger bump than MPPK. We have it on my wife's 35i and it makes a big difference.

[puckybadger]

Originally Posted by tnikolov

I used to have a brand new F15 50i for 24 months.

In terms of performance it was awesome. The V8 is mighty. It's growl is nice and you can hear it much more than you'd hear an F10 50i. In terms of reliability - it was the biggest piece of s**t I ever bought. 6 major problems in 24 months, latest of which was engine fault. And Engine Faults are not rare for this v8. Just search this forum for drivetrain malfunction 50i and you'll see by yourself.

I've just traded the 50i for a brand new 40d (I think in the US it's known as 35d). Zero problems so far. Performance is nowhere near to the 50i, but in all honesty - it's not bad at all. Mileage though is like twice more than what it used to be with the gasoline one. I'm about to chip it, so that I get a little bit more hp and torque, but overall I'm pretty happy with the swap.

I loved the 50i... and if you have another car you can drive while it stays at the repair shop - then totally get it. But have in mind this is the worse engine BMW makes nowadays, when it comes to reliability.

As a performance first guy, here is my experience with BMW 4.4's and X5's. I bought a used 15000 mile refreshed/updated 2004 X5 in December 2015. Drove that baby until 195000 miles and with the exception of normal maintenance had exactly one repair, an oil pump. I loved that X5 and the only reason I replaced it was the fact that the vehicle was totally original, struts, suspension, exhaust, interior, everything, and I figured it was going to cost $6-7000 to put it in shape, and then I would still have a 10 year old car with 200K miles. I did have to add a quart oil every so often after it reached 100K but that did not bother me. So on 02/14/15 I traded it on a used, 6000 mile 2014 F15 50i MSport Pkg. The power of that V8 provides a daily driving experience that I can only describe as exhilarating and as of today, I have 52K miles and except for needing a new I Drive controller, it has been a repair free joy. I feel bad for anybody who has not had the same experience as me.

[Berkenwerke]

First post - Hello all. Just purchased a one owner BMW dealer maintained 2012 X5 50i with 48k. All recalls complete. Previously owned by an elderly gentleman. Immaculate inside and out. Love the power of the V8. I will confess I am somewhat pensive after reading some of the responses related to reliability, but not enough to drop 6k for a 24mo/24k warranty. I have two other BMW products: 328i Xdrive and R1200RT. Love the brand and nothing but exceptional service in our area.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by Berkenwerke

First post - Hello all. Just purchased a one owner BMW dealer maintained 2012 X5 50i with 48k. All recalls complete. Previously owned by an elderly gentleman. Immaculate inside and out. Love the power of the V8. I will confess I am somewhat pensive after reading some of the responses related to reliability, but not enough to drop 6k for a 24mo/24k warranty. I have two other BMW products: 328i Xdrive and R1200RT. Love the brand and nothing but exceptional service in our area.

As I've always said, I researched n63tu reliability across every existing forum, US or Russian, Facebook, you name it: percentage of faulty engines are not more than in any other brand or engine platform. So far I only came across 3 guys who had engine replaced due to manufacturing defect and I've read more than thousands of threads across various forums related to n63tu (not only f15/f16 mind you, but f10 and 7 series too). Moreover even n63 (not tu) has many owners that still drive their E70 x5 with more than 150k miles and have no major issues. It's rare even among E70 n63 owners to have issues, let alone n63tu f15/f16. n63tu is on top of that overhauled and got a huge list of changes and improvements from n63.
There's nothing to worry about - just treat is as a regular high-performance V8 that needs timely oil changes and you'll be good. I'm tuned to about 520-540 hp (crank) and drive like there's no tomorrow, bought it used, drove 10k miles tuned and not a single hiccup.
Remember that it's usually enough for 1 person to have engine issues and thousands will spread the word and millions will cry out loud about engine problems. And yet, 99.99% of owners never had a single issue with engine (besides common oil consumption and maintenance items like spark plugs, etc). I bet it's easier for you to win lottery than to have issues with n63tu. Surprisingly people do win lotteries......and hence people will have issues with n63tu, but as I said - nothing that other engines don't have

P.S. people come and tell their anecdotal experience without taking statistics into consideration. There are no bulletproof engines. I've had Honda Fit that had more issues than any of my BMWs I've owned. Maybe it was a lemon. I've had 328i e90 n52 leak with oil pan and valve cover and had issues with transmission, I've had Nissan Murano with couple major issues with CVT and steering pump leak. I've never had anything with my 50i. Should I say that n63tu is a lot more reliable than all those Japanese engines? Of course not. However, I can say that you shouldn't be worried about it. Just drive it and maintain

[Berkenwerke]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, DuSh. I truly appreciate the context.

[perry8912]

Originally Posted by Berkenwerke

First post - Hello all. Just purchased a one owner BMW dealer maintained 2012 X5 50i with 48k. All recalls complete. Previously owned by an elderly gentleman. Immaculate inside and out. Love the power of the V8. I will confess I am somewhat pensive after reading some of the responses related to reliability, but not enough to drop 6k for a 24mo/24k warranty. I have two other BMW products: 328i Xdrive and R1200RT. Love the brand and nothing but exceptional service in our area.

Do a pre purchase inspection at bmw dealer, and make sure there is no leak on the rear air shocks, oil pan gasket, and turbo coolant feed lines. Those are not cheap to fix...

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by spike5150

FWIW I'm at 34,000 miles on my 2015 50i and still no engine issues.

Another option for 35i is Dinan Stg 1 (yes, the expensive one). Gives a bigger bump than MPPK. We have it on my wife's 35i and it makes a big difference.

I went with the Dinan Stg 1 route and have zero regrets having chosen the 35i. For the few times I get a chance to really hit the gas, this combo is more than enough. I've scared a few passengers that were shocked with how quickly this heavy ass vehicle could take off. I test drove the 50i and 35i back and forth a few times and still decided on the 35i. Also, more mod money

I also like the gas mileage with the 35i as most of my driving is city. My prior vehicle was a JGC with the Hemi and that thing was single digits in the city. That got old fast.

[sj22]

When I bought the 50i, I bought it with 1 year factory warranty still intact so that any major engine issued would be covered and my risk would be hedged. An year later, it has been actually quite good. No issues at all. I am going to skip the factory warranty and see where things go.

[Stev_chu]

Originally Posted by DuSh

As I've always said, I researched n63tu reliability across every existing forum, US or Russian, Facebook, you name it: percentage of faulty engines are not more than in any other brand or engine platform. So far I only came across 3 guys who had engine replaced due to manufacturing defect and I've read more than thousands of threads across various forums related to n63tu (not only f15/f16 mind you, but f10 and 7 series too). Moreover even n63 (not tu) has many owners that still drive their E70 x5 with more than 150k miles and have no major issues. It's rare even among E70 n63 owners to have issues, let alone n63tu f15/f16. n63tu is on top of that overhauled and got a huge list of changes and improvements from n63.
There's nothing to worry about - just treat is as a regular high-performance V8 that needs timely oil changes and you'll be good. I'm tuned to about 520-540 hp (crank) and drive like there's no tomorrow, bought it used, drove 10k miles tuned and not a single hiccup.
Remember that it's usually enough for 1 person to have engine issues and thousands will spread the word and millions will cry out loud about engine problems. And yet, 99.99% of owners never had a single issue with engine (besides common oil consumption and maintenance items like spark plugs, etc). I bet it's easier for you to win lottery than to have issues with n63tu. Surprisingly people do win lotteries......and hence people will have issues with n63tu, but as I said - nothing that other engines don't have

P.S. people come and tell their anecdotal experience without taking statistics into consideration. There are no bulletproof engines. I've had Honda Fit that had more issues than any of my BMWs I've owned. Maybe it was a lemon. I've had 328i e90 n52 leak with oil pan and valve cover and had issues with transmission, I've had Nissan Murano with couple major issues with CVT and steering pump leak. I've never had anything with my 50i. Should I say that n63tu is a lot more reliable than all those Japanese engines? Of course not. However, I can say that you shouldn't be worried about it. Just drive it and maintain

[alphaod]

Going back to this thread, I think the biggest I regret about the 50i is not buying the M instead.

[iconoclast]

Hahaha... Same. That's why second time around instead of going with 50i again I went with the X5M.

[Jlu88]

After having the 35i for 9 months and installing the MPPK tune, I'm now kicking myself in the head that I didn't opt for the 50i. *sighs*

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by Berkenwerke

First post - Hello all. Just purchased a one owner BMW dealer maintained 2012 X5 50i with 48k. All recalls complete. Previously owned by an elderly gentleman. Immaculate inside and out. Love the power of the V8. I will confess I am somewhat pensive after reading some of the responses related to reliability, but not enough to drop 6k for a 24mo/24k warranty. I have two other BMW products: 328i Xdrive and R1200RT. Love the brand and nothing but exceptional service in our area.

I have a 2012 50i and just purchased a good exclusionary warranty, 2 years/24K miles, for $2550 + tax. $6K is outrageous...were you actually quoted that?

You might consider a warranty given your mileage. Between 45-55K miles I had a ton of stuff fail, including valve guide seals and upper oil pan gasket. Those 2 repairs are roughly $12K at the dealer, fortunately I had a CPO warranty to cover those. There were several other repairs in there too, none cheap. Just sharing my story since we have the same year/model/similar miles.

[NOVA99]

50i. I have had two M-Sports, 2013 E70 and 2017 F15 (current). Happy to report not one quality issue with either machine. You will have to add oil once between service intervals but that is only down-side I can report. I do not understand why people buy a 35i and MPPK, MPE, chip it right away (or whatever they have to do) when they could have purchased a V8. Fuel mileage variance is marginal unless you go diesel and then the fuel is 50 cents/gallon more so go with the V8.

[imizamb]

I recently purchased a 2015 50i Msport. 14k miles. Loving it so far. Currently in search of an extended warranty any recommendations other than going directly through BMW?

[pits200]

Originally Posted by imizamb

I recently purchased a 2015 50i Msport. 14k miles. Loving it so far. Currently in search of an extended warranty any recommendations other than going directly through BMW?

Go through BMWs 3rd party warranty called Continental. This way the dealership will still help be the middle man through the policy even if BMW isn't fitting the bill.

[2003M5]

Just took delivery of a 50i M-Sport with DHP. Incredible machine with lots of power on tap. Coming from an E550 4matic Mercedes with the biturbo V8, no issues and lots of power. This engine drives out very similar to the Mercedes and the DHP allows it to handle its weight very well. The power of the 50i and handling capability due to the DHP makes it provide much the same driving experience as the E39 M5 in the garage. I hope the N63 is trouble free for many years to come as I hope to keep this vehicle for many many years after being in it for only a few days.