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      05-20-2014, 10:19 AM   #1
Armen383
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Another M50d EU delivery taken - First impressions

Build and order

Ordered on 17/12/2013, production started on 18/03/2014, shipment received in destination country on 11/05/2014, delivery taken on 16/05/2014.

BMW X5 M50d
Black Sapphire Metallic
Pure Experience Package with Mocha Nappa / Hexagon trim and M-sport package mix
20” 468M style wheels
Alarm system
Soft-Close function doors
Climate comfort windscreen
Rear view camera + Surround view
Roller sunblind for the rear side windows
Sun protection glazing
Interior and exterior mirrors with auto anti-dazzle function
Comfort seats front and rear
Storage compartment package
Ceramic surround for controls
Headlight washer system
Adaptive LED headlights with high-beam assistant
Lights package
Head-up display
Convenience telephony/smartphone
TV function

Experience

First of all, a bit of history… I’ve been lucky to drive quite a few BMWs throughout the years ranging from 3 to 7 series along with the X’s (apart from X1); however the only one I owned was the 6er. I always wished for an M6, but with Europe’s idiotic eco-friendly mind and insane CO2 taxes, having one is a bit heavy on your pocket. Plus, when you’re a family man, you have to go ego-style to drive a coupe, and rage mode is going to be deployed on you when your parents come to visit (there’s no way to fit the whole family in the 6er obviously, even GC is a compromise). Therefore the X5 M50d was a no-brainer really… you have loads of space for the family, it’s at least 20k EUR cheaper than a 50i here and you still have the speed to enjoy when you’re driving alone. Oh yes, the speed.

Since I only had the car for a few days (drove it just 5 hours in fact), I’m still going through the run-in period, keeping the beast tamed, but I can feel it wants to be freed. And it will be, as soon as enough km fly by and I proceed with the Hartge tune installation, bringing the power to 438 hp and 840 Nm respectively. Launch control, here I come!

As for the general feeling – the car is a very impressive piece of engineering, inside and outside. It’s plain beautiful and just grows on you the more you look at it. And the best thing which makes my wife lol - to catch 911 and Panamera owners (let alone others) staring as you slowly pass by during day or night )))

If I was to go and review each of the installed options in a few words, these would be:

Pure Experience Package with Mocha Nappa / Hexagon trim – IMO best combination you can have. The leather quality is very nice and the smell… god, it smells good! I wish I could preserve that smell and keep it forever inside the car )))
20” 468M style wheels – One of the best looking wheels to my taste. The M6 GC 433M styled rims look amazing, will see if those will become available to be fitted onto X5 later on. And yes, the ride is still very comfortable on the 20s.
Soft-Close function doors – Simply a must have if you have small kids or a wife that loves to slam doors. The new two-step mechanism is even safer now, but takes some time to get used to how it’s working (i.e. you have to be patient).
Climate comfort windscreen, Roller sunblinds for the rear side windows, Sun protection glazing – Again, all must haves in this hot climate plus when you have small kids in the back
Rear view camera + Surround view – The future is here. Simply epic and very easy to park in the narrowest spaces ever.
Comfort seats front and rear - No regret I ditched the default sport seats and went with comfort. The word amazing comes to mind again, especially the "side" support... and if you go a bit too tight on it, it's like a woman grabbing you, telling: "You're mine now!" )
Storage compartment package – Just go for it, otherwise you won't have a place to put your sunglasses into (really BMW?!)
Ceramic surround for controls + Lights package – Again, looking nice, but as noted in one of the threads – BMW is being cheap and side air vents are not lit at night
Adaptive LED headlights with high-beam assistant – Tried this at night. We have little to none cars with LED lights let alone the BMW tech ones in Cyprus, so I think at some point people were thinking that the lights were malfunctioning ))) Looks amazing on the road, very bright & smart technology.
Head-up display – Now that I finally have it, I won’t be able to live without it. Seeing speedo 24/7 when you have a lot of BHP under the bonnet is always good and sobering

I do miss a few things in the car though.

1) Proper sound. Some might remember a thread of mine – in a nut-shell the dealer forgot to put HK sound on order, which resulted in a long fight, ending with me getting additional discounts on the car, but left me with the standard, cheapest sound ever. Now that I think about it, I wish I picked B&O + Navi from the start just for the sake of it...
2) Ventilated seats – kind of a mixed feeling here, I want them at one point and I don’t want them at the same time (even with the hot climate) – really sensitive to cool A/C air and did screw my back in the past with such technology.
3) Night vision with active spot or w/e it’s called – just for the lols… LEDs do a very good job, but after seeing a forum post here on how good the NV performed, maybe it was worth adding those to the spec as well.

Photos

A review is nothing without photos. However the car is now undergoing the Ceramic Pro 9H coating (6 layers) whilst I’m on a business trip outside the country, so I won't see my beauty for another week (OMG the wait!!!). But I do promise to make the first proper batch of photos once the detailing is complete. Just need to think of a suitable location
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      05-20-2014, 01:53 PM   #2
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Almost a copy of my m50d currently on the way over from the us. Pics please ;-)
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      05-26-2014, 03:19 AM   #3
Armen383
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Almost ready for pick-up. Drying after the ceramic polish completion... Will take the black beauty (as it has been already named by everyone) soon for a proper photo set to show off the bits and pieces The color has got much more depth in it when you put it in the sun after the 9H. Really pleased.





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      05-26-2014, 03:24 AM   #4
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Looks fantastic! Can't wait for my extended demo in a few weeks.

Although I really can't get my head around the array of badges on the back, would be much smarter if it said X5Md (maybe if I decide on this, ill ask the dealer to rejig them to that instead, as its just too long)
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      05-26-2014, 03:47 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MattUK View Post
Although I really can't get my head around the array of badges on the back, would be much smarter if it said X5Md
I had and still have a mixed feeling about the badges, but will keep it the way it was intended by BMW - even if the intention sucked. X5Md could indeed be a better way of putting it - it's not like there's an M40d or 30d in the range. Yes, you can get an M-package for the 30d and 40d, but the engine remains the same, it wasn't played with by the M-performance division. I guess BMW wanted to be consistent throughout the range with stuff like M235i/etc.
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      05-26-2014, 04:37 AM   #6
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Your car looks stunning! Congrats Armen383!

I lol'ed at your woman hugging comment...the side support truly is wonderful .
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2014 X5 50i X-Line // Mineral White

Last edited by opasha; 05-26-2014 at 04:44 AM..
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      05-26-2014, 04:39 AM   #7
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I like the badges and the mirror caps. I'll keep them on mine, too.
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      05-26-2014, 05:39 AM   #8
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Very nice!! Congrats !!

I was thinking of tuning mine too, what's the warranty like with the Hartge tune?
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      05-26-2014, 05:53 AM   #9
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Thanks for the congrats to everyone!

Quote:
Originally Posted by parm View Post
I was thinking of tuning mine too, what's the warranty like with the Hartge tune?
They give a 3 year warranty, to quote: "...a full 3 year warranty on the hardware and software, plus an insurance backed engine and drive line warranty". Basically they tell you to get the car fully checked in BMW dealership for any errors/etc. and only afterwards bring it either to them (if you're lucky enough to live in Germany or close enough - they'll adjust the tune specifically for your car and your preferences), or to some "authorized" (i.e. who have a clue what BMWs are )) workshop to do the installation - the system basically connects to, if I am not mistaken, 7 different points under the hood. If, god forbid, something happens to the engine (doesn't have to be because of their ECU obviously), you just remove it easily and visit the dealership without any traces of their ECU in place. I think it's a win-win. Yes, they must charge a hefty % for the name, but I feel more comfortable paying for that name (I think I told this a million times already in different threads/forums )), similar to Hamann or ACS, rather than saving some bucks and going with a new kid from the block.
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      05-26-2014, 08:07 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armen383 View Post
Thanks for the congrats to everyone!



They give a 3 year warranty, to quote: "...a full 3 year warranty on the hardware and software, plus an insurance backed engine and drive line warranty". Basically they tell you to get the car fully checked in BMW dealership for any errors/etc. and only afterwards bring it either to them (if you're lucky enough to live in Germany or close enough - they'll adjust the tune specifically for your car and your preferences), or to some "authorized" (i.e. who have a clue what BMWs are )) workshop to do the installation - the system basically connects to, if I am not mistaken, 7 different points under the hood. If, god forbid, something happens to the engine (doesn't have to be because of their ECU obviously), you just remove it easily and visit the dealership without any traces of their ECU in place. I think it's a win-win. Yes, they must charge a hefty % for the name, but I feel more comfortable paying for that name (I think I told this a million times already in different threads/forums )), similar to Hamann or ACS, rather than saving some bucks and going with a new kid from the block.
Thanks buddy, that sounds pretty comprehensive to me. I did have a look on the website and they certainly charge a premium but like you said it worth paying for the name in this instance. Enjoy the car man it only gets better and better
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      05-26-2014, 12:07 PM   #11
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I keep my promises... here's the first photo shoot. Forgive my noob DSRL sills - last time I took my D300 for a ride was years ago; I even took the wrong lens with me - 50mm - or at least it seemed so when I was jumping around the car back and forth trying to find the right spot to take the shot - no zoom for you fella! Anyway...

Say hello to the Black Beauty!



Where future meats the past



Oh I wish they had 433M wheels from M6 GC for the X5



Nice and plush



Diesel powah!



The ass could be more sexy :P



But it's a BMW, it grows on you!



Till next we meet!

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      05-26-2014, 12:29 PM   #12
parm
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That looks very very nice
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      05-26-2014, 12:47 PM   #13
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I'm a bit jealous: Cyprus must be the only place in Europe where front plates don't seem to be mandatory.
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      05-26-2014, 12:47 PM   #14
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Wow. Nice
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      05-26-2014, 01:32 PM   #15
Armen383
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phantomac2 View Post
I'm a bit jealous: Cyprus must be the only place in Europe where front plates don't seem to be mandatory.
Don't be, because they are ))) I'm just being a dick here (knowing the local police is very relaxed) - need to drill the front bumper to put the number plates on (due to the nano-ceramic polish, double-sided tape won't stick at all) - so waiting on the number plates I won @ the auction (we are allowed to bid for numbers only here, not letters/etc. like in UK for instance) to go into circulation to put them in place.
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      05-26-2014, 01:58 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armen383 View Post
I keep my promises... here's the first photo shoot. Forgive my noob DSRL sills - last time I took my D300 for a ride was years ago; I even took the wrong lens with me - 50mm - or at least it seemed so when I was jumping around the car back and forth trying to find the right spot to take the shot - no zoom for you fella! Anyway...

Say hello to the Black Beauty!



Where future meats the past



Oh I wish they had 433M wheels from M6 GC for the X5



Nice and plush



Diesel powah!



The ass could be more sexy :P



But it's a BMW, it grows on you!



Till next we meet!

Absolutely beautiful! She is a Black Beauty. But the steering wheel is on the wrong side!
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      05-26-2014, 03:28 PM   #17
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VERY nice machine indeed.
Huge congrats!

And your images just confirms to me that the titanium grille looks so good in contrast to the darker color car.
In fact so nice, that, inspired by images in this forum, I have just ordered a pair myself - even I haven't picked up the car yet :-)

Thank you,
Bent

Last edited by BXdriver; 05-26-2014 at 03:30 PM.. Reason: Typos
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      05-27-2014, 12:26 AM   #18
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Quote:
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But the steering wheel is on the wrong side!
The British would argue I'd honestly prefer the LHD just because the market for this is not limited to UK/CY/AU/JP and some others, but what can you do... one of those ex-dependency heritages
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      05-27-2014, 09:05 AM   #19
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Your X5 looks sharp!! Really like your wheels and the no rails option. Enjoy!
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      06-07-2014, 05:51 AM   #20
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The Black Beauty had her first car wash after the 6-layer Nano ceramic 9H treatment. Pretty impressed by the results... granted the car war relatively clean (just one rainy day and dozens of insects killed on a few long highway runs), but still - no shampoo/soap used in the process.

For those interested - here's the actual video of the car wash, shows the hydrophobic effect quite well.
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      06-07-2014, 06:29 AM   #21
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💪
Quote:
Originally Posted by Armen383 View Post
The Black Beauty had her first car wash after the 6-layer Nano ceramic 9H treatment. Pretty impressed by the results... granted the car war relatively clean (just one rainy day and dozens of insects killed on a few long highway runs), but still - no shampoo/soap used in the process.

For those interested - here's the actual video of the car wash, shows the hydrophobic effect quite well.
The water run off is impressive, nice !
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      06-07-2014, 11:17 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armen383 View Post
The Black Beauty had her first car wash after the 6-layer Nano ceramic 9H treatment. Pretty impressed by the results... granted the car war relatively clean (just one rainy day and dozens of insects killed on a few long highway runs), but still - no shampoo/soap used in the process.

For those interested - here's the actual video of the car wash, shows the hydrophobic effect quite well.
Its clever stuff that nano ceramic...beats elbow grease any day of the week!

My wife so impressed with the job on my car she is having her Evoque done this month! Will save me a lot of work on a Sunday morning!
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