hi all
 

today I parted way with my 550i and bought a loaded 08 X5 V8 with 29k....

any advice for an X5 newb?

Mark

this worthless without pics ;) ... congrats and enjoy! details?

I don't pick up til the AM....

wow okay, i bet you wont be able to sleep tonight lol this trucks are a blast man! you are not going to miss the 550

Black with saddle brown interior/dark bamboo trim. Tech pkg, cold WX pkg, rear climate pkg, premium pkg 29 k on the odo

Mark

very nice combo! love the X5's in black. again congrats!

Advice for a noob:

1. RTFM
2. Search is your friend.

The E70 has been around so long that there is a HUGE amount of valuable information here on the 'Fest. A couple hours spent reading threads will pay huge dividends.

A couple features you will want to discover, that a lot of owners miss:

Residual heat: you likely had this on your 550, but it is activated differently on the X5
Hill Descent Control
Turning off DSC - when you want to do it, and how to do it.
Why you will occasionally see just one fog light illuminated, and why that shouldn't send you into a tizzy.

Good luck with your new ride.

Advice? Get familiar with the locations of all the gas stations in your area. You now own what is maybe BMW's least efficient V8 ever. But they are cheap now so it doesn't matter that much in overall cost of ownership. Congrats and have fun!

The 4.8i is like a Prius compared to the M.

But the m is probably making better power for each mpg. 4.8i gets about 14mpg regardless of how its driven and isn't putting that much power down. M is 10mpg?

14mpg "regardless of how is driven" Hahahahaha i wish!! what 4.8 have you been driving? driving it hard i get about 10.5 11ish maybe? regardless still a pig on gas.

Advice, the X5 is not as tossable as the 550i. I came from a E60 535i and realized right away my limits on handling. However, the X5 handles very well for its size and height.

My M averages 13.2...I could probably improve that if I stayed off M mode haha

Run a bottle of PEA fuel additive as recommended in the manual. Change the oil and filter after that, as it contaminates the oil.

Then do a wheel alignment, as your alignment most likely is way off.

Wow, that is some piggish consumption. 10.5-11 for me only when a 4,000+ pound travel trailer is in tow over high mountain passes.

Yeah is crazy...I seriously have to drive VERY conservative for it to be around 14/5 15 :(

Hahaha like that would be possible! last night I got to ride on a X5m and wow!! I knew it had power, but Man those things PULL! Love the launch control after I did not want to get back into mine... you lucky SOB lol

Hahaha, I'm obsessed with launch control! Thank GOD I have a warranty for that poor transmission! Lol

My wife primarily drives the 4.8i and that's likely why 14ish is possible. My E53 4.8is makes marginally better power and gets 16.5 average on basically the same city/highway driving mix! I actually checked the E70 for a fuel leak as I didn't think it was possible for it so be such a gas hog . . . . lol

Well I took it for a 700 mile spin and I averaged around 20 mpg on the highway running in the mid 70s.. I love the sound and feel MUCH more than I did the 550i.. The biggest problem I am having is wiping the giant grin off my face

Mark