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      06-14-2014, 04:38 PM   #1
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before i begin, i searched this site extensively and read copious amounts of threads/posts surrounding my request but haven't yet found exactly what i seek.

essentially, i am about to place an order for a new x5 & i have settled on every package and option but one: engine. i realize it comes down to personal preference and buying power but i am genuinely undecided. i have test driven both several times recently but have yet to draw a final conclusion. at the core of my indecision is the daily drivability of the x5 based on engine. i currently own an m235i, which i purchased a few months ago & will keep in the stable. consequently, the x5 will be my DD, which consists primarily of work commute & weekend errands with my family.

beyond test drives and probably crippling amounts of online research (including this site), i am greatly interested in feedback from those who have driven their new x5 for a few weeks and/or months. i'd especially like to know how the 35i performs in such a large vehicle and how satisfying it is after the "new car honeymoon" expires.

one last piece of context: i previously drove a 2007 x5 4.8 and loved it. the sure-footedness of the x-drive coupled with a powerful drivetrain made it my favorite car to-date. the main reason i'm even considering the 35i is the experience i've had driving the m235i. i realize it's a totally different application and experience in the m235i but the engine is superb in all capacities, which had caused me to wonder how it would perform longterm in the x5.

sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your feedback. cheers!
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      06-14-2014, 04:58 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vivalaReagan View Post
before i begin, i searched this site extensively and read copious amounts of threads/posts surrounding my request but haven't yet found exactly what i seek.

essentially, i am about to place an order for a new x5 & i have settled on every package and option but one: engine. i realize it comes down to personal preference and buying power but i am genuinely undecided. i have test driven both several times recently but have yet to draw a final conclusion. at the core of my indecision is the daily drivability of the x5 based on engine. i currently own an m235i, which i purchased a few months ago & will keep in the stable. consequently, the x5 will be my DD, which consists primarily of work commute & weekend errands with my family.

beyond test drives and probably crippling amounts of online research (including this site), i am greatly interested in feedback from those who have driven their new x5 for a few weeks and/or months. i'd especially like to know how the 35i performs in such a large vehicle and how satisfying it is after the "new car honeymoon" expires.

one last piece of context: i previously drove a 2007 x5 4.8 and loved it. the sure-footedness of the x-drive coupled with a powerful drivetrain made it my favorite car to-date. the main reason i'm even considering the 35i is the experience i've had driving the m235i. i realize it's a totally different application and experience in the m235i but the engine is superb in all capacities, which had caused me to wonder how it would perform longterm in the x5.

sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your feedback. cheers!
In very few words: go for the diesel. The X5 is more than 2000 pounds heavier when compared to your 2series. On daily use you need a level of low end torque the 35i cannot deliver.

For sure if money is no objection the 50i will get you an extra kick, but you will not be able to use it all the time, especially on you work commute
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      06-14-2014, 06:07 PM   #3
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I would drive them all. For me personally I went looking for an x35i and an x50i started next to us while looking at the interior, when I heard the sound I knew I had to have it. I drove both the x35i and the x50i and there is no comparison. Both are amazing vehicles but I went with the x50i.
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      06-14-2014, 09:57 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by scnick82 View Post
I would drive them all. For me personally I went looking for an x35i and an x50i started next to us while looking at the interior, when I heard the sound I knew I had to have it. I drove both the x35i and the x50i and there is no comparison. Both are amazing vehicles but I went with the x50i.
This is pretty much the exact thing that happened to me .
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      06-14-2014, 10:02 PM   #5
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I have a 35i. I'm in my 6th month 8k+ miles. I have found few things that bother me and things I still love about the car from day 1. One of the things I still love (mostly) is the engine. This is how I broke it down to decide on the engine I chose.

50i: Great power...but great appetite for gas. One guy from this forum told me he's averaging 14 mpg. I know it says higher on the brochure, but I'm sure that's driving at speed limit at Eco Pro mode all the time. I was coming from a car that was getting about 16-17mpg and wanted something a little more fuel efficient. But, if mpg isn't a factor and you don't mind the hassle of putting in gas twice (once if you're lucky) a week (generally speaking), this is the engine you want.

Diesel: Great mpg (esp. for a car of this size). Great low end torque. Like the previous member said, you would notice this torque often in your everyday driving. But, in my area, gas stations that sell diesel are few. And those that do, know they're the few that do so the prices are higher than premium. I understand that you pay more, but get more mpgs...but I hope that you know where diesels are sold and map them out so that you're not stranded when you need fuel while running errands. I say this because this applies to where I live. If there are a lot of places that sell diesel and prices are reasonable, I'd get this engine.

35i: This was a great mix of both performance and fuel efficiency. BMW's inline 6 is well known and long lived engined. Thus, most bugs have been stamped out. It delivered the power and mpgs I was looking for, without having to go diesel. So, that's why I went with this.

Hope this helps. Just my 2 cents.

Z.
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      06-14-2014, 10:13 PM   #6
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Owned and driven the 35i, 50i and diesel albeit in e70 and e71 form...

Each has their own personality, drawbacks and benefits..Only you can determine the right combination for you..

If $ is no object and you love the visceral experience? Go V8 and enjoy the hell out of it..I've owned a E39 540i, X6 50i and mighty E92 M3 - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some V8

For me personally? For and EDD on an F'15? I'd go diesel...I had an E70 35d with the 6 speed and loved the low end torque and grunt..Its the best of both worlds to me..

The 35i? Wife has it in her 2013 E70 X5. It's smooth, sounds nice under acceleration, but for me? A little less of an engine than an SAV the size of the X5 needs

Good luck - let us know what you decide!!
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      06-14-2014, 10:19 PM   #7
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I've owned the diesel for a couple of months and I traded my 2011 550i, so I know both motors.

Here are my observations on the motor. In comfort, the motor is more than adequate for daily driver and when I filled up today, I calculated 27.9 mpg and my cost was 3.55 per gallon, and my average speed was 38 mph (city traffic). So, economy is better and cost per gallon is much better.

When you feel like you want some sport driving, select sport and the tune/tranny shift points change and you can hang with most cars out there. Economy drops by a couple of MPG for me. The torque is awesome - and torque is more important that HP, but the torque curve is shorter (lower RPM) than the gasser. The motor in the morning, sounds like a diesel, but once at temp, I challenge anyone to tell the difference. The diesel cruises with ease at nearly any speed, so there's no difference with the gas motor. You'll need to fill the DEF tank every 10,000 miles, but that costs next to nothing compared to total cost of ownership.

My car has the M-Sport package (without the adaptive suspension) and the steering is light, almost effortless, so the motor is not heavy. The diesel is made in Austria and is European diesel technology, and they are decades ahead of Americans on diesel technology. So, its quiet, smooth, no diesel smell, its quick, economical, maintenance on par with a gas and I can drive nearly 650 miles on one tank.

I've owned the V8 and the diesel, and I'm happy with my choice. I was looking for value and performance. I think I achieved that goal. Good luck with your decision.
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      06-14-2014, 10:23 PM   #8
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Congrats!

Not surprised at the positive feed-back regarding the Diesel..

Use it in good health!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by 42pilot View Post
I've owned the diesel for a couple of months and I traded my 2011 550i, so I know both motors.

Here are my observations on the motor. In comfort, the motor is more than adequate for daily driver and when I filled up today, I calculated 27.9 mpg and my cost was 3.55 per gallon, and my average speed was 38 mph (city traffic). So, economy is better and cost per gallon is much better.

When you feel like you want some sport driving, select sport and the tune/tranny shift points change and you can hang with most cars out there. Economy drops by a couple of MPG for me. The torque is awesome - and torque is more important that HP, but the torque curve is shorter (lower RPM) than the gasser. The motor in the morning, sounds like a diesel, but once at temp, I challenge anyone to tell the difference. The diesel cruises with ease at nearly any speed, so there's no difference with the gas motor. You'll need to fill the DEF tank every 10,000 miles, but that costs next to nothing compared to total cost of ownership.

My car has the M-Sport package (without the adaptive suspension) and the steering is light, almost effortless, so the motor is not heavy. The diesel is made in Austria and is European diesel technology, and they are decades ahead of Americans on diesel technology. So, its quiet, smooth, no diesel smell, its quick, economical, maintenance on par with a gas and I can drive nearly 650 miles on one tank.

I've owned the V8 and the diesel, and I'm happy with my choice. I was looking for value and performance. I think I achieved that goal. Good luck with your decision.
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      06-15-2014, 12:13 AM   #9
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Zipfornia has a very valid point about gas stations with diesel, I had a 535d loaner recently and I had to go to 4 diff gas stations in Orange County before I found diesel. I learned that day to specifically ask for a gas vehicle going forward.
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      06-15-2014, 02:21 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scnick82 View Post
Zipfornia has a very valid point about gas stations with diesel, I had a 535d loaner recently and I had to go to 4 diff gas stations in Orange County before I found diesel. I learned that day to specifically ask for a gas vehicle going forward.
Navigation system has a feature to identify all stations carrying diesel. With an autonomy of more than 500 mi you will not be in trouble, even if in 'errand mode'.

For the daily and common routes you have, a quick adaptation wil keep you out of trouble.
As a diesel onwer during a long period in NY I never had any issues.
Obvioulsy it is your choice, just sharing my example.

Share picture when decision is made, and above everything have fun with the car!
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      06-15-2014, 07:48 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jffeijao View Post
Navigation system has a feature to identify all stations carrying diesel. With an autonomy of more than 500 mi you will not be in trouble, even if in 'errand mode'.

For the daily and common routes you have, a quick adaptation wil keep you out of trouble.
As a diesel onwer during a long period in NY I never had any issues.
Obvioulsy it is your choice, just sharing my example.

Share picture when decision is made, and above everything have fun with the car!

Wish I'd known that lol...thanks for the info.
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      06-15-2014, 08:32 AM   #12
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Not sure if OP was thinking diesel. If so in 5/12 BMW University issued a Technical Training Manual about diesels in the USA, discussing past and current popularity, cold weather starts. But then mainly diesel in Europe including colder climates.

Choice of engines depends on weather, amount of driving and priorities fun or economical. Diesel works best, I believe in warm climate and for long drives. Most F15's sold in NA are 35i.
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      06-15-2014, 08:36 AM   #13
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If you're looking for more efficiency (relative to the 5.0i) but still want the elasticity and performance of a gasoline engine (particularly at speeds >50mph), I'd recommend taking a closer look at the 35i.

Also, don't forget that the MPPK is available for the 35i. See Dinan's dyno of the MPPK on an E90 N55 (and remember, it wasn't in their best interest for the MPPK to dyno as well as it did):

BMW 335i M Performance Power Kit (PPK) Dynos at 336 bhp / 377 lb-ft

If you're looking for a cruiser with off-the-line performance and want to maximize MPG, the 35d might be for you.

Drive all three at high rpm, low rpm and in various gears (i.e. floor it off the line, 50-70mph, in a low/high gear, etc.).

Good luck.

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      06-15-2014, 10:01 AM   #14
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I have owned s35 for 7 weeks and have 4500 miles. I have been pleased with it. I took the Performance Delivery and drove 935miles home with some smoky mtn driving and received 24.6 m.p.g. Just returned from 2100 mile trip to Ouray, Co and received 26.4 MPG. Mostly in comfort mode with some spirited driving in Sport mode. In town driving getting app 21 m.p.g. The 35I engine is adequate. My First BMW, coming from 07 corvette. The 35I is not as powerful as the vette but handles better and much quitter and smooth ride.
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      06-15-2014, 09:01 PM   #15
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I am fortunate to have diesel fuel available in almost all gas stations around me. This has kept the pricing competitive with Regular Gas. But considering we are talking about BMW engines, we should be comparing it to Premium pricing.

I took the diesel plunge in my work commuter (80miles per day) after putting about 20000miles on my M5. I got used to scanning the price at all gas stations since I filled up every other day. I picked up a Passat diesel and now fill up every other week (45mpg). I do miss driving the M5, but at least I use her on the odd occasion. In traffic, you are no faster than the Prius in the next lane.

Cut to March this year, my wife's Q5 had okay fuel economy (20mpg) but i was so impressed with the Passat diesel, I knew her new car was going to be diesel as well. The diesel is very strong on torque, i loved how it feels and sounds when it digs in to move. And on her typical commute (20miles, stop and go urban traffic), she has been clocking 27-28mpg.

I am impressed with the capability and the economy of the Diesels, and I am paying less than the cost of premium (except when I take out the V10). As a commuter for long distances, I think its a very viable alternative to a gas engine requiring premium. For long distance cruising, this will just be better since we currently get 600miles per tank (800 in the Passat...but that's another story).
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      06-15-2014, 09:02 PM   #16
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I have had the 35i for about 4 weeks now and am very happy with it. I drive it mainly inSport mode and it has decent enough torque and handles well. I could not get my head around the additional 14k for the 50i and the added fuel consumption.

Hope that helps
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      06-16-2014, 02:15 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zipforia View Post
>>>>Diesel: Great mpg (esp. for a car of this size). Great low end torque. Like the previous member said, you would notice this torque often in your everyday driving. But, in my area, gas stations that sell diesel are few. And those that do, know they're the few that do so the prices are higher than premium.>>>
Zip, where are you seeing those prices?...down here N County SD diesel is normally about 3-5 cents below standard unleaded, which makes it nearly 40 cents less than premium. We found the same to be true in the desert on the way to Vegas.

Anyway, after three months and 4000 miles on our 35d we are averaging 28 mpg mixed driving and getting about 620 miles per tank, so plenty of time to find diesel. We are happy with acceleration performance and passing power coupled with the excellent mileage on this car. As a point of comparison, we traded in our 2008 535i and don't miss it so far.

Also, with regard to the BMW fuel finder app, be careful because we have found that some of the prices shown are off target because of cash/credit pricing at the stations shown.
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      06-16-2014, 02:45 PM   #18
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Quote:
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Zip, where are you seeing those prices?...down here N County SD diesel is normally about 3-5 cents below standard unleaded, which makes it nearly 40 cents less than premium. We found the same to be true in the desert on the way to Vegas.
Here are the gas and diesel prices around my area. The circled one's are the gas stations that are near where I live and sell diesel.

Z.

Note: I circled the wrong 76 on the Premium section. Should be the Brookwood Lane one.
Attached Images
  

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      06-16-2014, 06:29 PM   #19
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Just filled the first diesel tank on my 2014 X5: 660 mi in autonomy!
Cant take the smile out of my face! 415lbft of torque in the package (34% more than the 35i, 15% less than 50i)

With speed limits in US these engines will hardly see full power demands. Not many people will redline an SUV in 1 and 2 gear!
torque is what makes the difference on hauling, high ascendts, speed recovery, traffic light departure, etc.

50i is the best performance no question, but the 35d is very close on daily driving, with the bonus of 30mpg. A compromise option that must be checked before your purchasing decision.
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      06-16-2014, 11:36 PM   #20
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I'm still in the honeymoon period so you probably don't care for my feedback.

500 miles in with the 35i+MPPK though and couldn't be happier though! If you've driven all 3 engines and still having a hard time deciding, I think you should drive them all again before making the decision. All 3 engines are extremely good, so it really comes down to driving style, performance, and how important fuel efficiency is to you.
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      06-17-2014, 12:06 AM   #21
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This is truly some solid feedback from everyone. Like @sand99 said, you should drive them all again before you make your final decision because you don't want to second guess yourself or regret anything. In all honesty, if you can afford it, go for the 5.0i - it's a monster in Sport mode and Comfort mode, and I, myself, use Eco Pro mode quite a bit - the miles back (the +____miles on the Odometer show you what you're saving in Eco Pro) have been racking up for me. It almost feels like the gas meter doesn't even move much at all when driven in Eco Pro regularly - plus, when you turn off Auto Start Stop in Eco Pro, the driving actually improves and steering is better than Comfort mode.

If you're commuting quite a bit and have no need for the speed, the 3.5 models are fast enough. At the end of the day, it all depends on your practical needs, which you know best.

@vivalaReagan, maybe tell us your final pros/cons list or what you're leaning towards so people can better assist you with more specific comments. Good luck !
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      06-17-2014, 12:05 PM   #22
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I'd jump in here...
I have the 35d F15 for the last 3 weeks. This was in exchange for my 35i E70. My decision was made with the following criterion:
1. FUN
2. practicality
3. economy.
To be honest, I did not consider the 50i because I drive my 1M whenever I don't have my kids with me, and with **cough** similar numbers to your M235 I don't long for edge-of-the-seat driving experiences...
What I did find with the 35d is that I get that sensation of exhilarating driving in my daily commute. (something that my E70 35i lacked).
I took the family up to Toronto this weekend, drove around in city traffic, Out to Stouville/Oxbridge and back to the US (Buffalo) on ONE tank. However on getting back to Buffalo I had problems finding a gas station that sold diesel, ended up filling up w 7 miles before empty! In my neck of the woods there are plenty of gas stations that sell diesel and the only time I had to fuel the car since ownership began, Diesel was the same price as premium gas (which you need in the 35i anyways).
My wife also drives the X3 m-sport w the N55 motor... That thing Hauls ass! To me the fun factor rapidly diminished past the X3's size with that motor.
Let us know what you go with!!
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