E70 Diesel to F15 - Which to Get Now?

[sgtpeper]

Hi All,

Long story short, I LOVE my completely loaded E70 Diesel. Unfortunately, with just under 50k miles the car has been in the shop constantly for all sorts of diesel emissions related issues. By the 10th time I decided I just want to be done with this car. BMW has offered me some extra money toward a trade as has the dealership.

SO now for the fun part. Which X5 should I replace my beloved one with?

1. I'm a Realtor so I drive a lot but usually in short trips - which is why I'm not sure I've been getting the most out of my diesel engine.
2. I drove the 40e with M-sport the other day and I did find the acceleration really fun but I've read that most people are definitely not getting anywhere near the advertised MPG.
3. Economy does matter to me, but I don't want it to be dog slow either.

I'm leaning toward the X5 35 M-Sport but not sure if others have found the new diesel with the 8 speed transmission to be that much better.

What kind of real world mileage are you all getting with the X5 35?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Regards,

[lowlevelhell]

What have your issues been? The F15 diesel has had very few complaints on here. I wouldn't consider the 35i after owning the 35d in this vehicle.

[sgtpeper]

The problems I've had -

NOX sensors have gone 3 times in 20k miles
Cat blew at 40k miles
Air Flow sensor blew at 45k
DEF nozzle clogged and died at 47k

And the list just goes on and on.

I notice the diesel isn't that much of an upgrade in price now which is nice.

I've only been averaging ~18mpg in 70/30 city/highway driving...

[lowlevelhell]

Something seems drastically off with your entire vehicle. Generally in situations like yours income to suspect that the problem has gone untreated and the mechanics are treating the symptoms instead. My driving is about 25/75 city to highway. I'm averaging 30 mpg.

[Chef NOLA]

@ 1500mi on the odometer, am getting low to mid 20's highway mpg for xDrive 35 petrol.

[stewy604]

Lots of improvements on the N57. I agree with the above, that seems to be a bad run. I'd give an X5d a run and if you encounter issues, at least you've got warranty. If you're gun shy on the diesel, the 35i is an excellent choice as well.

[turboawd]

i'd go gas. diesel costs more than gas. plus the extra almost 2k cost of getting the diesel, and financially it doesnt make sense. plus the gas engine is a bit quicker. with that said, the diesel is a nice engine though, especially if you like that low end torque.

[rbilramz]

I'm no mechanic, but it sounds like you got a bad car. I picked up my 35d last weekend and averaged 29.80 MPG on ~40/60 city/highway driving over the first week. Obviously I am biased, but I'd get a new diesel

[gpitts]

I am *really* happy with my F15 3.5d!

[HansRobert]

I'm seriously considering the 40e. The MPG may not be as high as hoped but the $4,668 tax credit buys a lot of gas. It has plenty of power and is great for relatively short trips.

I had the 35d and loved it! I don't think you could go wrong with it but am thinking the 40e will work better because of the many short trips we make!

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by gpitts

I am *really* happy with my F15 3.5d!

35d. Not 3.5d. Your engine is 3.0 liters. The model is a 35d.

[5fix]

I had two e70 X5d's before getting my 2015 X5d. With the exception of the steering (which has too light of a feel in my view) every aspect is better. The engine is quieter, smoother, and more powerful in real world driving. The 8 speed is much better than the 6 speed in the e70. If you do a lot of city driving, the torque of the diesel is great. I have about 5000 miles at 50/50 city highway and have averaged 28 mpg.

[gpitts]

You are correct - my error. And yes, it's a 3L engine. Nice low-end torque for a small diesel.

Originally Posted by lowlevelhell

35d. Not 3.5d. Your engine is 3.0 liters. The model is a 35d.

[drjoe66]

Originally Posted by 5fix

I had two e70 X5d's before getting my 2015 X5d. With the exception of the steering (which has too light of a feel in my view) every aspect is better. The engine is quieter, smoother, and more powerful in real world driving. The 8 speed is much better than the 6 speed in the e70. If you do a lot of city driving, the torque of the diesel is great. I have about 5000 miles at 50/50 city highway and have averaged 28 mpg.

We recently switched from a 2012 X5 Diesel to a 2015 X5 Diesel. The car is an improvement in 95% of all categories, but I hate the light and artificial feeling of the steering and the new comfort seats. We get ~ 33 mpg on the freeway and in pure city driving around 24 - 26 mpg. The last tank filling lasted 510 miles in mostly city driving. The torque and the really quiet engine are phenomenal.

[drjoe66]

Originally Posted by sgtpeper

The problems I've had -

NOX sensors have gone 3 times in 20k miles
Cat blew at 40k miles
Air Flow sensor blew at 45k
DEF nozzle clogged and died at 47k

And the list just goes on and on.

I notice the diesel isn't that much of an upgrade in price now which is nice.

I've only been averaging ~18mpg in 70/30 city/highway driving...

I am curious what you mean with "Cat blew". I am working on the development of de-NOx catalysts for Diesel and lean burn engines and I was wondering what really happened.

[MattBianco]

sgtpeper It was 20 years ago today, diesel finally learned to play, It'd been going in and out of style, but DEF brought it back with a smile. So, may I introduce to you, the new N57 with eight gears, sgtpeper drive one before you sign.

Sorry, I could not resist.

I have driven the e70d and it is a very different feeling vehicle. I think you will be surprised by the increased power, acceleration, MPG and bewildered by its softer (yet more precise) steering in the F15. If MPG is the key factor, e40. If not, 35d or 50i in my opinion. Certainly test drive the variants. 35i is conventional, and therefore an easy choice as well.

[sgtpeper]

Ha that's a great response!

Yes, I think I'll try to drive a new diesel before I make my decision. As much fun as the 40 felt, when I read what the real world MPG were it put me off.

I do love my diesel, and if the F15 is that much better, it might be a good fit still.

I'd love to hear from people who own one and do mostly city driving though.

Thanks,

[sgtpeper]

As for the Cat - it was so packed with junk that they considered it a complete failure and replaced it.

They said every component on my car they have taken apart is always filthy. Nothing seems to be working properly.

[HansRobert]

Originally Posted by sgtpeper

Ha that's a great response!

Yes, I think I'll try to drive a new diesel before I make my decision. As much fun as the 40 felt, when I read what the real world MPG were it put me off.

I do love my diesel, and if the F15 is that much better, it might be a good fit still.

I'd love to hear from people who own one and do mostly city driving though.

Thanks,

That was me. My 35d had 6000 miles on it when it was totaled and I would say about 70% was city/stop and go driving, less than 15 miles. I had no problems with it at all and averaged 29.67 mpg for all those miles. The highest tank I had was 33.8 mpg and the lowest was 27.6. These are actual mpg not with the computer averages.

I would highly recommend the 35d. I loved it but like I said I think the 40e would be better suited to our driving needs and the $4668 tax advantage is hard to ignore.

IMHO you can't go wrong with the diesel!

[drjoe66]

Originally Posted by sgtpeper

As for the Cat - it was so packed with junk that they considered it a complete failure and replaced it.

They said every component on my car they have taken apart is always filthy. Nothing seems to be working properly.

Thanks. Would have been interesting to do a chemical analysis on what exactly the junk was. Did you by any chance maybe get non-highway Diesel into the tank even once? That would sulfur poison your catalyst.

[sgtpeper]

I definitely have never put the wrong type of diesel in it. Just a bad car I think...