First three weeks with our 35d

[2014_F15]

Here are my thoughts after the first three weeks with our car.

Our build:

14XI X5 xDr35d Model
A90 Dark Graphite Metallic
LCCY Canberra Beige Dakota
ZDA Driver Assistance Package
ZDB Driver Assistance Plus
ZLP Lighting Package
ZPP Premium Package
328 Running Boards
346 Chrome Line exterior
417 Rear shades
456 Multi Contour Seats
4AC Poplar wood trim
4NB 4-zone climate
4NC 3rd row climate
4UB 3rd row seat

The only option I would probably not get if I could do the order again is the running boards. The other comments I have read ended up being pretty much spot on about the running boards getting in the way when you get in and out of the car. Our last car had them and they worked well for the kids, but the F15's design is a little too high and narrow to use getting into the car and they do hit your leg when you get out. Not a big deal, but they are the one item that has not really added anything to the car.

35d, love it. Lots of torque and really nice around town and on the highway. The last diesel I owned was an Audi in the 80's and there is no comparison to a modern diesel engine.

LED lights, they look great and work great. The interior lighting is great at night too. I can't wait to code the no-dazzle, but so far the existing adaptive lighting works great on twisty roads at night.

3rd row seat. Works fine for my kids and that's what we needed from that option.

Multi contour. Definitely a plus, they are great on road trips. I'm still dialing in the perfect settings and they keep getting more comfortable. The leather trim on the driver's thigh bolster came loose, but I was able to reattach it to the clips on the bottom of the seat. That is the only delivery defect I found (too bad I didn't catch it at the dealership).

Canberra beige dakota. Within the first week I could see marks from my wife's jeans. I saw another posting about Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner, so I tried it and it took the marks right off. It didn't even require any scrubbing, just a little Lexol on a microfiber cloth and the denim marks disappeared. Looks like I'll be cleaning the seats monthly, but the interior looks great, so I don't have a problem with that. Lexol works great, I also used it on another car that is 12 years old and it really worked magic on those seats (those seats took some scrubbing).

Surround view camera. Really cool in parking lots and in my garage which is pretty tight. One cool camera item; I got a warning indicator on the dash today and when I checked on the message in iDrive it told me that the rear view camera lens needed cleaning. It didn't really look too dirty, but I wiped the camera lens clean and the message cleared. I wasn't expecting the car to be monitoring the camera clarity, but that's pretty cool.

All of the features in the ZDA and ZDB packages are pretty useful. The one item that I regret not ordering is ACC. Wasn't sure I'd really use the feature when we ordered, but if I had to do it again I'd add that option.

4 zone climate was great today on a road trip with the kids controlling their own temp. I like the extra air vents for the back seat that you only get with the 4 zone option.

Premium package. All good.

So far the overall MPG is running at 26 with mostly in town driving. I've used less than three tanks of fuel in the 900 miles we have covered so far.

Opti-coat. Got that done last week and it really puts a nice finish on the paint. Went for a road trip today and the bugs and road grime just washed away with a quick spray from a hose. No scrubbing or soap required. I think it will keep the car looking good between washes.

External media in iDrive. I found that copying the music folders from iTunes onto a thumb drive and putting the playlist xml files in the root of the drive allows all of the playlists to function as they do on the computer. Really simple and didn't require any adjustments to the playlists or music folders. I found two cool apps that automate the copying process on a Mac; Road Trip.app from the Apple App Store or iTunes Export by Eric Daugherty (multi platform too).

I haven't tried coding anything yet, but that's the next step for what I want to do with the car.

Looking forward to taking the family on a road trip to Canada this summer. Should be a great drive up I-5 through Oregon and Washington!

The car is my wife's daily driver and she keeps telling me how much she likes driving it. That pretty much sums up our initial impressions, no regrets here.

[Socal2025]

Congrats! Pictures are always a treat for us.

[2014_F15]

Thanks. I need to take the time to get some good pictures, but here is what I posted earlier.

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=971282

[iamthestig]

Would you mind elaborating on how you reattached the leather trim on the driver's thigh bolster? I've got the same problem and can't see any clips to attach the leather. If possible, pics would be greatly appreciated. I realize I'm asking a lot!

[2014_F15]

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures and the area under the seat was probably too tight anyway, but here is what I did.

There is a plastic strip that is sewed onto the edge of the leather trim and that piece mates to a row of small metal points that are along the inside of the front part of the thigh bolster. Folding the leather under and guiding the plastic strip up into that area will allow the points to secure the trim by clipping on to a lip on the plastic. There is also a row of metal tabs right behind that area and it appeared that the tabs were there to hold the plastic strip against the points. I bent the tabs gently towards the front of the seat and it appears to be holding. Pushing down on the cushion helped to allow the leather to move far enough to reach up to where the parts interlock when I was moving the plastic strip into position.

The first time I secured the leather, I didn't move the tabs and it came loose again.

The dealer will be fixing it if this latest fix doesn't hold, but so far so good.

[r33_RGSport]

Very nice review.

[Taza]

hey we have a 2010 x5 in Australia and i have too agree with those sidesteps they are annoying when getting out of the car because you have too step over them and it hits your leg but anyway still a beautiful car

[iamthestig]

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. Very nice review as well!

[2014_F15]

Well, this morning the check engine light came on. Don't know what's up yet, but I'll post the info when I find out. Running fine, so I'm not in a hurry to take it out of service with the dealer.

Also, the fix for the leather on the thigh bolster is holding.

[Michiganian]

I have had my 35d a little bit longer and have taken one 500+ mile trip each way. Am getting 31-33 mpg per tank of mostly highway driving using Eco mode. I love adaptive cruise control and the auto high beams. The comfort seats and B&O sound system continue to be excellent.

[2014_F15]

After the check engine light came on Monday, I told my wife to keep driving it and it cleared this afternoon (Tuesday). Don't know what code was set, but we'll keep an eye on it. No symptoms or issues that we could see.

[2014_F15]

Originally Posted by Michiganian

I have had my 35d a little bit longer and have taken one 500+ mile trip each way. Am getting 31-33 mpg per tank of mostly highway driving using Eco mode. I love adaptive cruise control and the auto high beams. The comfort seats and B&O sound system continue to be excellent.

B&O. Nice!

[nelsonzac2]

I see your X5 has a third row seat. When you fold down both the second and third row, do the seats fold completely flat? With the non-third row seat the seats do not fold flat as the second row folds at an angle. In the last generation X5 the seats folded flat if you had the third row seat option. My dealer does not know and they do not have a third row seat x 5 in stock. Thanks!

[2014_F15]

Originally Posted by nelsonzac2

I see your X5 has a third row seat. When you fold down both the second and third row, do the seats fold completely flat? With the non-third row seat the seats do not fold flat as the second row folds at an angle. In the last generation X5 the seats folded flat if you had the third row seat option. My dealer does not know and they do not have a third row seat x 5 in stock. Thanks!

I think it is totally flat, but I'll take a look tomorrow and confirm.

[nelsonzac2]

Thanks

[2014_F15]

Originally Posted by nelsonzac2

I see your X5 has a third row seat. When you fold down both the second and third row, do the seats fold completely flat? With the non-third row seat the seats do not fold flat as the second row folds at an angle. In the last generation X5 the seats folded flat if you had the third row seat option. My dealer does not know and they do not have a third row seat x 5 in stock. Thanks!

The base of the second row is flush with the cargo area, but it does not fold completely flat. The seat-back is probably at a 10 degree angle above horizontal when it is folded. Here are a couple of pictures of the folded seat.

[nelsonzac2]

wow thanks so much for your response and pictures ... so helpful

[42pilot]

I just bought an F15 35d and traded my F10 550i. My friends thought I was out of my mind buying a diesel (typical American attitude towards modern automotive diesel technology - I'm American too, but I travel to EUR a lot and rent lots of different cars). Anyway, they give me crap about going from 400 hp down to 255. That is until I take them for a ride and show them how a wonderfully matched transmission hooks up to a 413 ft lb torque motor. And then, I show them the computer display of +28 mpg economy. It quiets a lot of them. If I really want to screw with them, I don't tell them its a diesel, and take them for a ride (usually to lunch) which includes acceleration and cruising and so on. Then, as we pull in the parking lot, I'll tell them its a diesel. First comment, "wow, its fast for a diesel", then its "wow, and its quiet too".

Unfortunately, the US auto industry promotes and the vast majority of the driving public believe, HP is the measurement of how powerful a motor is. It's all about torque...

Sigh...

I have a 6000 lb diesel pick-up that will smoke most "performance" cars in a straight line too. It has just under 400 rear wheel hp, but +800 ft lbs of torque.

Sorry for the rant.

PS - love my 35d

[midlifecrisis]

I just picked up my 35d at the Performance Center on Thursday and drove home to NJ over two days. I couldn't agree more with your comments!

The engine is fantastic! I'm still in break-in mode so I haven't tested the limits, but even at low RPM it pulls well for merging onto highways. All that torque allows you to pass with ease, as well. At 80 mph, the motor is turning at under 2,000 rpm!

I also can't believe how quiet it is. You really have a hard time telling it's a diesel. The biggest difference is how often you have to fuel it up. On the trip home, the onboard computer indicated over 34 mpg, including some local driving, 80 mph cruising, and a little stop and go.

I couldn't be more pleased with this vehicle. People shopping for a X5 should do themselves a favor and test drive the 35d!

[opasha]

Very interesting thread/good read. Thanks for all your posts about your diesel experiences. If the M50d was here, I might have bought that! Quick question to all of you that have picked up your vehicles from the Performance Center. I know it's a professional driving school, etc, but what are the perks/reasons for pick up there? By going there, are you able to pick up your vehicle faster as opposed to it being transported to a dealer near you? I'm not very familiar with it, so please do share the advantages/reasons for picking up/purchasing your car from there. Thanks!

Edit: Looks like this answered many of the questions for me: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/11/08/ex...ivery-program/

I remember doing something similar to test out the new lexus IS-F when it first came out and drove it on the track at summit point in West Virginia. Very fun/worthwhile experience for free. Did you guys take advantage of everything the Performance Center had to offer? Anything you learned/gained from the experience there?

[midlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by opasha

I remember doing something similar to test out the new lexus IS-F when it first came out and drove it on the track at summit point in West Virginia. Very fun/worthwhile experience for free. Did you guys take advantage of everything the Performance Center had to offer? Anything you learned/gained from the experience there?

This was my second Performance Center delivery, and I really enjoy it. I'm a CCA instructor, so the only unusual part of the track time was that it was in an X5. It's really impressive to know what these vehicles are capable of. The other really fun part is the off-road course, where you'll get the car into some fairly nail-biting positions. You'll also get to ride along with an instructor for a hot lap in a M5 - breathtaking! You don't get the amount of track time that you'd get in a full school, but it's a lot of fun.

The factory is currently closed for tours but we got a rain check. Overall, I'd recommend the experience.

[CatFlap]

Yes the new diesel motor is one fine piece of engineering isn't it? If you want an X5 that performs well, is relatively economical and very quiet the diesel is the only option.

Re. diesel vs petrol I think a good way of looking at it is to look at the engines torque curve, specifically the area UNDER that curve. The larger the area under the curve the better the overall performance and 'drive-ability' - horse power is only part of the story!