To diesel or not to diesel?

[Letsgo]

Originally Posted by BDO

So get a N55 then?

This is the direction I am leaning towards, but don't want to make the decision prematurely as I'd prefer a diesel for the practicality of the powerband and the gas mileage. I am trying to understand if this is worth the potential reliability smell issue which I can't get a consensus on.

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by Letsgo

This is the direction I am leaning towards, but don't want to make the decision prematurely as I'd prefer a diesel for the practicality of the powerband and the gas mileage. I am trying to understand if this is worth the potential reliability smell issue which I can't get a consensus on.

95% of all X5's sold in Australia are diesels need I say more!
I have owned 2 320d's first one an 2006 E90 was a lemon the second was a 2012 F30 absolutely brilliant no issues then a 2016 F25 X3 2d also good economy but had an EGR failure that was replaced under warranty at 63000kms
I currently own a 2016 F15 2.5d sDrive also brilliant fuel economy (6.5l per 100km) for a 2 tonne SUV but like the X3 the EGR failed at 45000kms and was also replaced under warranty. Late last year I replaced the X3 with a 2020 G05 X5 2.5d X Drive model,it currently has 6000kms on the clock with no issues so far. Fuel economy not as good as the F15 probably due to the F15 being RWD and the G05 AWD (7.5l per 100km)

My only concern would be the cold weather climate you experience where diesel has anti freeze additives that may be causing these smell issues? I have never experienced this "smell" issue with any of my diesel BMW's here in Australia maybe due to our hot climate and no antifreeze additives in the fuel sold here.

The EGR cooler appears to be a reoccurring issue from my own experience on the 4 cyl Diesel engines and from what I have read on the forums and feed back from my dealer it is a worldwide issue but maybe less so with the 6 cyl engine that you would be looking at.

At this stage Australia is only using EU emissions standard 5 so we do not have the extra inconvenience of AdBlue that I think is mandatory in NA & Europe. Another thing to go wrong? May other diesel owners from the US/Canada can comment on

Price of Petrol & diesel is much the same here but the economy and similar torque I get out of a 4 cyl 2 litre diesel far outweighs the extra power I would get out of the 6 cyl petrol engined X5 which costs about AU$120k vs 100k for the diesel. The 6 cyl 3 litre diesel costs much the same as the equivalent petrol model (AU$120k) This model has been the most popular in the E70,F15 and now the G05 generations due it's overall economy performance and towing capability of large boats & caravans. (3.5 tonne). All X5's sold in Australia come virtually full house as standard which is a way to force the customer to pay a premium price for even the least powered model

[adubkov]

My answers is - NO.

Because cost of whole fuel system replacement (incase of failed HPFP) overwhelm all possible savings and benefits of diesel engine. And this seems to be a common problem with recent diesels. I got it first week of use my 2018 BMW X5 on 33k miles. In a service now. Thinking to exchange it for 35i or other brand.

[hockey21]

Originally Posted by Letsgo

Do you have a link for this? First I've heard of it.

how about issue affected from the diesel components- mine needed a new 11,000 usd fuel system

[11_335D]

I currently have 182k miles on my MY14 35d. I've had zero issues with it so far. My wife's MY14 35i had a leaking oil filter housing gasket and two transfer case replacements with only 80k miles. Power delivery and mpg on the diesel is way better in my opinion. There isnt any smells unless you delete your emissions or spill diesel while pumping. I think both engine options can be fairly reliable with proper maintenance.

[mig25]

Diesel for sure! Why do you think all 18 wheelers and trucks out there are diesel?
Reliability.
Longevity
Fuel economy.
I own 3 diesels, I will never go back to gas again. Ever!

[///d]

Diesels can be great and very reliable WITH proper preventative maintenance. They are not like a gasser where you can just drive the shit out of them and deal with issues as they arise, you NEED to keep up with preventative maintenance to keep them running healthy.

When deleting, smell and smoke comes down to the exhaust components and tune. If you want to cut down on them, run a DOC and make sure you use a tune thats known to be cleaner. Some tunes go for power only and will be "dirty", some are more about efficiency and will be "cleaner".

The N57 in the F15 is already a cleaner and more efficient engine over the M57 that came in the E70.