Your honest opinion on Diesel X5

[THEX5BEAST]

We love both of diesels we currently own as well as the two previous ones. The X5 D x35 gets a pretty reliable 30 on the road with mid 20's in town. I pulled a 5,000 lb boat a few times with ease. The 540D is a dream to drive also. Big decision each day is which key fob to grab on the way into the garage. Knowing BMW was discontinuing diesel we loaded these two up and plan to keep for a very long time.

[Fatty Duckets]

Love the x5D! Tons of torque and really great MPG if you care about that. For what it's worth, I just took a round trip 500+ mile trip this week and I was at 35.6 mpg. Not too shabby!

[swainbmw]

I have had a lot of bmws over the last 30 years and have always had interest in diesels in fact have had a lot of Vw tdi for some reason I decided to buy a x5 diesel last week from California through Carvana to Pittsburgh pa i have never had drove a x5 or a bmw diesel all i can say is I’m in love with this bmw

[scootr]

New owner of a 2018 X5d here with 8k miles. Love the ride and diesel power. We have had diesel cars and trucks for decades. This is my first DPF equipped motor.
I'm reading this to familiarize myself with what driving needs to be done to allow regeneration and how often. We mostly drive 10-15 mile trips.

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by hyde

My commute is about 25-30 minutes each way but distance is about 10 miles. I've read about short trips being hard on diesel, but these trip can sometimes take upwards of 45 minutes sitting in stop & go traffic. In 3 years of owning my X5 I put 23k on it, my last X5 was roughly 25k after 3 years.

I'll try to test drive it tomorrow but I am looking to hear from owners who had it for a while and can give me some feedback from owning one instead of citing clichés or stats from other websites. I've read bunch of threads both here and other BMW forums, but it seems like after few posts it turns into a fight between gassers and diesel owners. I don't care about technical stuff, 0-60 (it's a BMW, so it will feel good no matter gas or diesel) or how there is a sweet spot on rpm for power, etc.. But generally how it feels driving it compared to gas engine one. While I'll test it tomorrow, I am not sure how much I can tell from a short testdrive. Any suggestions on what to look for would be greatly appreciated! Or what should I test for? I won't be checking how it handles corners or how well it stops, etc. (been driving X5s for 6yrs, no need to waste time checking if it can take that turn at 50mph, i know it can) so I can focus on the different stuff compared to 35i.

ive had the f15 30d x5 since nov 13. Have had it serviced as required by the dealer. only incident ive had is a year ago the egr cooler cracked(out of warranty). This coincided with the time my mrs workplace changed and she had to do city driving stop start etc After I prodded dealer and bmw they kindly replaced it at 0 cost out of warranty.
Gives me 28-30mpg (UK,) normal driving. Im sorry Ive never owned a petrol one so cannot comment further.

[ComasF15]

Diesels like clean fuel. If you change fuel filters regularly then you will prevent many problems. Buy from places that have good fuel stock turn over. Don't buy from a place that has just had fuel delivered, it churns the gunk off the bottom. Do run the occasional algecide. Do run a lubricity improver, Opti-Lube is my favorite.

[scootr]

Originally Posted by ComasF15

Diesels like clean fuel. If you change fuel filters regularly then you will prevent many problems. Buy from places that have good fuel stock turn over. Don't buy from a place that has just had fuel delivered, it churns the gunk off the bottom. Do run the occasional algecide. Do run a lubricity improver, Opti-Lube is my favorite.

What algecide do you recommend? How often

[The Libertine]

Great choice if you do a lot (of Highway) driving. Not ideal for short trips here & there.

[ComasF15]

Originally Posted by scootr

What algecide do you recommend? How often

I've used Biobor JF with success. The dose is on the bottle. Usually, you shock it once a year then go on a maintenance dose. If you have a very contaminated system you will have to change filters more frequently. Cummins and CAT make their own branded stuff, too.

Look at your fuel filter when you change it, if it has brown spots it's time to treat your fuel.

[Machinebuilder]

In general diesels are great for high mileage use. They excel at long trips where they can get up to temperature and stay there and run efficiently. If you do alot of short trips they are prone to clogging up and have more service problems. This applies to all diesels really. I sold my diesel for this reason as I had pollution control issues caused by too many short trips. I think a hybrid X5e would have been a better choice for me in retrospec.

[midlifecrisis]

The lease on my 2017 X5 35d ends in about 2 months, and I've decided to buy it out. I've been driving F15 35d's for almost 6 years, and they're no less satisfying to drive than they were in 2014. I've had discussions with numerous CCA friends and people who work for BMW, and nobody has been able to give me a reason why I shouldn't buy it. I've been concerned about having service nightmares down the road, but by almost all accounts these are reliable powertrains when properly serviced. It serves as my long distance cruiser, a job it performs magnificently and with impressive economy. It's also very handy for home center and airport pick-up runs, and getting to work on snowy days (with Blizzaks in winter).

As much as I'd like a new X5, I just can't part with the 35d powertrain. The usable torque and efficiency are unmatched in this category. I still curse Volkswagen for killing the market for diesel passenger vehicles. I'll bet Europe's urban air quality would be much better if they hadn't cheated.

[ems328i]

Originally Posted by midlifecrisis

The lease on my 2017 X5 35d ends in about 2 months, and I've decided to buy it out. I've been driving F15 35d's for almost 6 years, and they're no less satisfying to drive than they were in 2014. I've had discussions with numerous CCA friends and people who work for BMW, and nobody has been able to give me a reason why I shouldn't buy it. I've been concerned about having service nightmares down the road, but by almost all accounts these are reliable powertrains when properly serviced. It serves as my long distance cruiser, a job it performs magnificently and with impressive economy. It's also very handy for home center and airport pick-up runs, and getting to work on snowy days (with Blizzaks in winter).

As much as I'd like a new X5, I just can't part with the 35d powertrain. The usable torque and efficiency are unmatched in this category. I still curse Volkswagen for killing the market for diesel passenger vehicles. I'll bet Europe's urban air quality would be much better if they hadn't cheated.

Slightly (a lot!) off topic, but I saw the 328i in your sig - I also used to have a 2000 328i with full UUC suspension (shocks, springs, adjustable sway bars) and the oversize pulleys and UUC CAI. To this day the most fun handling car I've ever had, man I miss that car!

[midlifecrisis]

"Slightly (a lot!) off topic, but I saw the 328i in your sig - I also used to have a 2000 328i with full UUC suspension (shocks, springs, adjustable sway bars) and the oversize pulleys and UUC CAI. To this day the most fun handling car I've ever had, man I miss that car!"

I bought mine new so it has huge sentimental value. It was my first BMW. Now it serves as my track car, and a couple of years ago I acquired an E46 M3 to match! E46s rule! To bring it back to the original post, the X5 is great, too - but in a much different way.

[F15GorDe]

Originally Posted by midlifecrisis

The lease on my 2017 X5 35d ends in about 2 months, and I've decided to buy it out. I've been driving F15 35d's for almost 6 years, and they're no less satisfying to drive than they were in 2014. I've had discussions with numerous CCA friends and people who work for BMW, and nobody has been able to give me a reason why I shouldn't buy it. I've been concerned about having service nightmares down the road, but by almost all accounts these are reliable powertrains when properly serviced. It serves as my long distance cruiser, a job it performs magnificently and with impressive economy. It's also very handy for home center and airport pick-up runs, and getting to work on snowy days (with Blizzaks in winter).

As much as I'd like a new X5, I just can't part with the 35d powertrain. The usable torque and efficiency are unmatched in this category. I still curse Volkswagen for killing the market for diesel passenger vehicles. I'll bet Europe's urban air quality would be much better if they hadn't cheated.

Budget $600 a year going forward and you should have enough to cover projected repair expenses for a 250k+ life expectancy. That’s the formula we are using. Like you it’s a very enjoyable vehicle for traveling in and we expect to do quite a bit of that.

[BDO]

I enjoy my 40d, but if I was buying again I'd go for a M50d. There are (rare) occasions where I do wish for a few more horses.

[F15GorDe]

Originally Posted by BDO

I enjoy my 40d, but if I was buying again I'd go for a M50d. There are (rare) occasions where I do wish for a few more horses.

+1^^^

[KRS_SN]

mrs drives the 30d(35d usa if im not wrong). she is blonde and drives it like a bmw should be driven and always in sport! we have had it now since november 2013!! 7 seats and what a workhorse of a car (drives like a car). She is still smitten and won't let me change it. Unless the engine or gearbox blows etc im holding on to it.

[NorCalxdriveX5Diesel]

Sorry to hear others having issues with BMW diesel, I’ve owned a few BMW diesels with no issues. Here’s my experience with current BMW I drive daily for 3 years - 2015 X5 xdrive35d Diesel that I drove for 66k (from 24k to 90k) with 0 issues, mostly highway miles for work and this has been my most reliable BMW and better than any car I’ve owned (including Dinan tuned 335i convertible, two 540i’s sport, 330ci; supercharged Infiniti G35, Cadillac STS, Jaguar XJ8, etc.) - I sold 2014 328d at 74k, which was pretty reliable too.

I fill up with Propel HPR diesel exclusively (available in CA only), changed ZF transmission oil/filter at 50k & now again, replace engine oil with Pennzoil Euro L Synthetic (meets BMW diesel specs and only $23 for 5 quarts at Walmart), in my years of using Pennzoil, I’m confident its as good if not better than premium synthetics I used on my other cars such as Amsoil, Mobil 1 & Royal Purple.

What I learned over the years is that BMW diesels love regular long drives (allows DPF to regenerate and reduces other issues). I resolved 1 problematic injector at 77k by adding ‘Hot Shot's Secret Stiction Eliminator Diesel Oil Additive’ to engine oil - I had a check engine light for injector #5 for 5k miles and after adding ‘Hot Shots Stiction Eliminator’ at oil change - my check engine light went away, had to drive ~3k miles. My X5 drove the same with check engine light for 5k - no loss of power or fuel economy (~30 mpg combined) - but I’m sure the injector would have have failed; glad I learned what ‘stiction’ is and how Hot Shots eliminates it.

I added few diesel fuel additives over the years - FCP Euro has great diesel additives/cleaners, I bought many good products from them that are DIY friendly. Hope these few tips help other BMW diesel owners.

[FThirtyWon]

I own a 328d wagon and it's the best car I've ever owned.
About to buy a 2018 35d Msport. Wish me luck! lol

[simonc1]

I'm considering a F10 535d or F15 x35d and wanted to know what everyone considers a long drive?

[lht5059]

Originally Posted by simonc1

I'm considering a F10 535d or F15 x35d and wanted to know what everyone considers a long drive?

Hm, NYC to Orlando in one go? A shorter one for me would be DC to Niagara Falls in one go, then DC to NYC would be shorter and a lot more manageable.

[KRS_SN]

30-45 minutes minimum non stop every week to keep them healthy.