[jelt110]

This is coming from a former Subaru owner- 2010 FXT with Cobb stage 2- and racetune hacking; Eibach anti-roll.

Quick background: The Forester Turbo (FXT) was good from the get-go. Fast, reliable, utilitarian as hell. It took 3 bundles of 10' conduit inside- cubical diagonal. But very light- 800 # of manure and soil- and it was riding very low. But it delivered. 600 miles in a Minnesota-Wisconsin snowstorm, with cars, trucks and semis off the road (i-90)- no problem. 60mph+ crosswinds in a Wisconsin summer thunderstorm- tornadoes about- got a tad squirrley, but stuck fast on michelin primacy tires. Only other vehicles out were F-250 class pickups and heavier. And one chick in a Cayenne Turbo. 85mph blow out late night, after 600 miles transit- nearly home- hit debris on the interstate- solid as a rock. And blasting into rain at 80-90 mph- solid as a rock. A seriously solid performance light SUV.

But i hit a snag- there was a 2096 error (too lean) on the ECU. Could not get rid of it. Nevermind this was erring on the side of cleaner air, the Illinois EPA said I was in violation. Short of replacing about $3k of stuff, the car would not pass. And Subaru was mute about it. No help. Would not support anything modified, although it had passed twice before just fine.

In the interim- my wife decided that our new large Akita needed a companion... (she was right, I admit it)... so a bigger car is a serious consideration.

This x5 3.5: 2014- seems factory stock. New tires- Dueler run-flats. Hmmph. Duelers were stock on the FXT- not the worst tire.

M-performance upgrades on this 2014. I knew it was a 3rd gen. Lots of miles, but i'm okay with that if the car is maintained... got this from a BMW dealer- not sure if it was BMW certified or whatever, but i'm betting it was better than the average bear.

Quick digression: I worked for TUV Rheinland(US) as a test/safety engineer. Chicago area. BMW contracted us to take cars in to be serviced- self eval.

So after one month: I added a RaceChip RS (best price/performance ratio), and wow- significant and noticeable difference- just like when I added the Cobb Stage 1 to the FXT.

But aside from that: the 2014 x5 x3.5i:

--Reaches max torque at 1300 rpm. Excuse me? Yeah- excuse myself. Seriously hard torque so low? LOVE IT.

--1/3 heavier than the forester- feels like a freaking Bentley or something- when driving sedately- wow- so smooth.

--M-sport and other incidentals: toys that delight an engineer/pilot- more than i would have imagined- well though out. And usable:

--the shifter/paddles: Well, just before I bought this x5, I had an incident at Arlington Height Subaru- where they failed to reset my ECU, but did the 4 recall issues- and returned my car with a crack in the windshield. The first thing i heard when I pointed this out was "that was already there". WTF? WTF? To be fair- they replaced the glass, after 4 days. But seriously, WTF was that accusation? Hey- decide for yourself.

So in the mean time they loaned me a 2018 Outback with paddle shifters on an anemic normally aspirated 2.5 liter, with a CVT. Stick a finger down my throat. Compared to to the turbo forester? Compared to my stage two mods? Compared to my RaceTune hacking? I felt like Subaru was a joke. And I LIKE Subaru. (their engineering (at large), if not their support of my not exactly old vehicle... <$$%^^%$>)

So I played with the 175 torque & CVT shifters. Heh heh- cute. Oh by the way- the list on the car was about 15% more than my 2014 X5. 0-60? I'll buy you lunch if it is less than 9 seconds in the real world. I was so underwhelmed. It felt like vomiting in slow motion. I mean, I was honestly never one of the granola crunching subaru owners (though I am a serious bicycle fanatic, old school).

I am still figuring out the best way to use the x5's paddle shifters- I can tell there is a system, but i have to figure it out. Gosh this is fun, almost like the Subaru. BMW offers many more ways to combine the available controls. Subaru was more bohemian, and simple to operate. Either would be acceptable if one is of at least moderate flexibility.

The stick shifter- with the reverse vector- ("Aack"- Bill the cat reference)- I'm trying my hardest to use it like a motorcycle shifter... (perhaps if i had the 5.0 or the M, it would be more natural), but I'm working on it... (I have a bit of dyslexia as well, which does not help- but i simply need to adapt- no quarter.)

-- with the RaceChip, she ran smartly up to 120, with zero squirreliness.

-- i've had the fxt up to 144 before i backed off- still pulling well. but she felt like she was 'dancing'. This is a singular observation, with almost no reference. I'll run the x5 up to the limit soon. But at 120mph- the x5 felt significantly more stable.

The x5: Same price as a used Toyota Highlander. Granted- the highlander is a solid car, but the interior attention to detail? The flat out performance? The technology? Close, but way off on the details.

I am so in love with this car, and I am to the point (mid-life) of not even caring all that much. I just like that it all fits together so well. Holy god- someone actually did what they said they were going to do?

Mommy, can I just play with these kids?

This is a no lose-situation- and for that I am very relieved. I was balancing the x5 with the Highlander and the Acura MDX- and any one of these cars is a serious no-brainer. But the x5- it just continues to floor me. No way a normally aspirated engine could do that- aside from the lovely Teutonic touches.

I think I have just become a BMW fan/advocate/believer.