I took delivery yesterday (Saturday) morning and have since had the opportunity to put a couple hundred miles on the X5, including some highway miles to and from my mother's house today. Following are some initial impressions.
First, my specs on the 4.8i include:
Space Gray Metallic
Black Leather / Light Poplar
Sport Package
20" Y-spoke Alloys
Cold Weather Package
Premium Sound Package
Premium Package
Rear Climate Package
Active Ventilated Seats
Technology Package
Comfort Access
Head-Up Display
Heated Rear Seats
Running Boards
High Definition Radio
Satellite Radio
iPod Kit
Now, observations after a couple hundred miles:
(1) Love the color combo. Space Gray is just a great color. All of my BMWs prior to this, with the exception of my wife's 325xiT, have been Titanium Silver. This was my walk on the wild side in terms of color (obviously, I don't get out much) and I think it looks great. My wife's car is Sparkling Graphite, a few shades darker than Space Gray, but far more "purple" in hue and thus less attractive in my opinion.
(2) Small gas tank. I've enjoyed getting 450-500 miles on a tank of gas in my 750i. That's not going to happen here.
(3) I skipped Active Steering because it has never impressed me on other models. But I have to say, this is the first BMW that I've owned where the steering feels a bit heavy, for lack of a better description. Maybe that's just related to new vehicle break-in and will improve a bit as I log miles, but this might be one situation where Active Steering would have been an improvement. Time will tell.
(4) Love the 20s. Gorgeous, but noisy. I plan to change to 20" A/S tires before winter and am curious about their noise level.
(5) HUD is a fantastic feature. I loved it in my 650i and am thrilled to have it again in the X5. It's definitely something I'd order whenever available. Worth every dime.
(6) The Rear-View Camera is crystal clear in the daytime and a nice feature. However, at night the picture quality is GREATLY diminished. This was not the case with the RVCs in our previously owned RX330 or my mother's Lexus LS. Room for improvement here.
(7) The iPod interface works flawlessly and is very slick. Kind of expensive at $400, but glad I ordered it.
(8) Best seats in the business (Active Ventilated). Love them in my 750i, love them here. As a side note, this was one of my major gripes with the Range Rover SC that we also considered... not the best seats.
(9) Love the pano roof, especially on a day as beautiful as today.
(10) Great power and throaty V8 sound. Can't wait for a high performance version of this generation X5.
(11) Like the new gear selector. It's odd pushing it forward to get it into reverse, but other than that, it's slick.
(12) The side step (I ordered the "running boards") seems like it's going to be more in the way than helpful. Like the stainless steel kick plates, though.
Well, that's all after a couple hundred miles. I'm definitely pleased with my purchase and am looking forward to many trouble-free miles (knock on wood, please) ahead.
First, my specs on the 4.8i include:
Space Gray Metallic
Black Leather / Light Poplar
Sport Package
20" Y-spoke Alloys
Cold Weather Package
Premium Sound Package
Premium Package
Rear Climate Package
Active Ventilated Seats
Technology Package
Comfort Access
Head-Up Display
Heated Rear Seats
Running Boards
High Definition Radio
Satellite Radio
iPod Kit
Now, observations after a couple hundred miles:
(1) Love the color combo. Space Gray is just a great color. All of my BMWs prior to this, with the exception of my wife's 325xiT, have been Titanium Silver. This was my walk on the wild side in terms of color (obviously, I don't get out much) and I think it looks great. My wife's car is Sparkling Graphite, a few shades darker than Space Gray, but far more "purple" in hue and thus less attractive in my opinion.
(2) Small gas tank. I've enjoyed getting 450-500 miles on a tank of gas in my 750i. That's not going to happen here.
(3) I skipped Active Steering because it has never impressed me on other models. But I have to say, this is the first BMW that I've owned where the steering feels a bit heavy, for lack of a better description. Maybe that's just related to new vehicle break-in and will improve a bit as I log miles, but this might be one situation where Active Steering would have been an improvement. Time will tell.
(4) Love the 20s. Gorgeous, but noisy. I plan to change to 20" A/S tires before winter and am curious about their noise level.
(5) HUD is a fantastic feature. I loved it in my 650i and am thrilled to have it again in the X5. It's definitely something I'd order whenever available. Worth every dime.
(6) The Rear-View Camera is crystal clear in the daytime and a nice feature. However, at night the picture quality is GREATLY diminished. This was not the case with the RVCs in our previously owned RX330 or my mother's Lexus LS. Room for improvement here.
(7) The iPod interface works flawlessly and is very slick. Kind of expensive at $400, but glad I ordered it.
(8) Best seats in the business (Active Ventilated). Love them in my 750i, love them here. As a side note, this was one of my major gripes with the Range Rover SC that we also considered... not the best seats.
(9) Love the pano roof, especially on a day as beautiful as today.
(10) Great power and throaty V8 sound. Can't wait for a high performance version of this generation X5.
(11) Like the new gear selector. It's odd pushing it forward to get it into reverse, but other than that, it's slick.
(12) The side step (I ordered the "running boards") seems like it's going to be more in the way than helpful. Like the stainless steel kick plates, though.
Well, that's all after a couple hundred miles. I'm definitely pleased with my purchase and am looking forward to many trouble-free miles (knock on wood, please) ahead.