2015 X5 xDrive35d BMW Insights

[Zoomzorch]

This forum & others were very helpful when I was making my decisions on which options to included. I’ve driven my X5 over 3,000 miles in the past two months and It’s time to give back. Although these options/attributes have been reviewed and discussed someplace on the net, I hope my experience will supplement with helpful insights.

TDI Engine: I’ve never owned a diesel vehicle before and I really like this one. Performance, gas mileage, and the subtle diesel growl are all attributes I enjoy.

Retractable headlight washers: Discovered they are useful for cleaning the forward looking camera lenses when driving in messy conditions.

Active Blind Spot Detection: Have come to rely on it.

Stop & Go & Active Driving Assistance: I’m surprised how much I use this. Makes highway driving at speed more enjoyable … and makes stop & go commuting … almost … enjoyable. I use this feature often when traffic is crawling on both side roads and highway. Simply set the Active Driving Assistance to blaze a trail or follow along - be it 5 mph or 85 mph.

Surround View: Use this often when parking to see where the curb is and where I am within the perimeter of the parking space. There is also a wide angle view forward looking camera that is actually helpful when the front of the car can “see” the traffic but you can’t (example pulling out of an alley).

Dynamic Handling Package / Dynamic Performance Control + Active Roll Stabilization: Love it. It’s hard to explain … when taking a quick curve you expect your head to go up against the side window. Doesn’t happen. The X5 just seems to keep/push you into a comfortable upright position. A good example – I was driving with my 17 year old daughter (who knew nothing about this option) with dry conditions I took a curve (safely but fast). She said “Wow – I expected my head to go up against the door window on that curve”.

Lighting Package / Adaptive Full LED Lights /Automatic High Beams: Good to have. Always use it. Caveat I learned – Automatic High Beams can’t be activated until the X5 senses enough darkness … OR … the fog lamps are activated. I was sold after seeing this demonstration video:

Active Steering : It’s one of those things that you don’t constantly appreciate … until you drive another car. I had a X3 loaner without the active steering while my X5 was in the shop. I was surprised how much I missed the active steering – it felt as though turning required too much effort & excessive turning of the wheel.

Dynamic Damper Control & Rear Axel Air Suspension: Good to have and can feel the benefits with changes in driving mode or vehicle load.

Space saver Spare: Get this option: There is plenty of room in the compartment to store miscellaneous items (towels, jumper cables, etc). Also, getting the spare gives you the option to move away from the run flat tires if you choose to do so. I have read that the ride improves with other tires.

Comfort Rear Seats W/Backrest Angle: Nice to have but doesn’t get used when I have passengers in the back. Perhaps this option would be more useful on longer trips.

Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection: I drive a wooded hilly road to work in the dark with an active deer population. I got this to help me avoid a deer collision. Found it to be helpful on those dark rainy nights where it is difficult to see. This is a plus with my aging vision that isn’t as good as it once was after dark. I found this helpful making purchase decision: http://jalopnik.com/why-nightvision-...ess-1676666688

Does a bike fit? With the seats folded down my Cyclecross bike fits perfectly without removing tires. To protect the interior, I keep a sheet & a bath towel (color to match interior) in the spare tire compartment. The sheet goes under the bike and the towel on the bottom tail gate to prevent dings.

Which luggage rack? I have and like the BMW branded racks. $300 BMW vs $500 for the Thule system. The BMW racks are well engineered, and a good value compared to Thule. My rack will be used to mount the storage pod when traveling.

My BMW Dealer & Contact: I purchased my X5 from Dreyer & Reinbold in Indianapolis and worked with Willie McCloud. Because they are the only BMW dealer in Indianapolis, I was concerned that they would behave accordingly with pompous attitudes and high prices. Quite the contrary – Willie was very professional and accommodating as he worked with me to attain a competitive price and order my X5. I look forward to purchasing my next BMW from Mr. McCloud.

[MotoWPK]

Originally Posted by Zoomzorch

Lighting Package / Adaptive Full LED Lights /Automatic High Beams: Good to have. Always use it. Caveat I learned – Automatic High Beams can’t be activated until the X5 senses enough darkness … OR … the fog lamps are activated. I was sold after seeing this demonstration video:

Does your 2015 X5 actually have the version of adaptive lighting shown in the video? I'd understood this version was not available in the US, with adaptive lighting here being limited to headlights varying left to right in response to the steering wheel plus cornering lights at low speeds and sufficient steering lock.

[Zoomzorch]

I didn't realize there was a non US version (darn). I haven't driven in the fog at night so can't confirm how the lights behave other than to swivel & automatically change high/low beam. I'm afraid you are correct. Either way, i will pay close attention and get out in the fog for more detail on what they are doing. I will post my observations.

[MotoWPK]

Specs vary by market. The video is not clear about this, but I've seen elsewhere that it only applies to Euro spec X5's, and perhaps some other markets, but not to US spec X5's, at least not as of 2015, IIRC.

[MattBianco]

With the US Spec lights and coding anti dazzle a huge amount of the functionality is restored. The shadow box is not as well defined as the shown in the video, but i have never been flashed in any setting (rural roads, highways, city driving), and can see the shadow, but as mentioned, it is less defined.