Thinking about X5 - opinions?

I bought my wife an X5 two months ago. She is also the "utility" vehicle in the relationship. She absolutely loves it. We looked at the Acura MDX, Volvo XC90, Mercedes ML320... and the X5 was just the best driving SAV out there. There was no comparison.

It is MUCH larger in the back seat than any wagon, and you do compromise for that with a shallow trunk. It does have plenty of room - even for a shallow trunk. Today, we brought a HUGE dog house home in it (yes, the tailgate window was open - but the tailgate door was great as it kept the load inside).

The X5 is the safest (crash tested) vehicle on the planet.

I freakin' hate SUVs, but after the family's latest foray on the road(trip), I am thinking about biting the bullet and letting my wife have one as her main ride. Then I won't have to use it except on the roadtrip. I guess the alternative would be to rent the beast when making a family roady.

Originally posted by JPinTO
They are not what PEOPLE want... they are what the LADIES who live with us want.

- JP

Thank god the "lady who lives with me" (who happens to also be my wife and the mother of my child) refuses to drive one and generally dislikes them as much as I do.

BTW, even this month's Roundel slammed the X5 for it's overall lack of utility. No cargo space and a puny back seat.

Why bother? Oh yeah, to look "cool".

Originally posted by TD
"...overall lack of utility. No cargo space and a puny back seat."

Compared inch for inch with a 525iT or 540iT, the X5 has a much larger rear seat, and much more useable rear cargo area. The X5 may not be deep (it is identical in depth to my Passat trunk actually), but it is tall.

Five years ago, I hated black leather. All people who had black leather were idiots. It was hot, dark, and showed every little bit of dust. I liked tan or gray leather that was it... until I tried black leather.

Now, two of my cars have black leather, the other black cloth.

Live with an X5 for two months. You will realize how nice it really is.

Originally posted by Emission
Live with an X5 for two months. You will realize how nice it really is.

With a 5 spd and a 4.10 rear end, I have to agree with Sarafil... I'd hate it. And automatics drive me nuts in traffic.

Have they done anything about the wind noise? The 4.4i I drove in '01 was really loud on the highway.

Originally posted by Emission
The X5 may not be deep (it is identical in depth to my Passat trunk actually), but it is tall.

And WIDE! There is a huge amount of shoulder room in it.

Originally posted by Emission
All people who had black leather were idiots.

What took you so long--- I've had black leather since my first car 20 years ago.

There is only 1 thing superior to black leather... black leatherette! One thing that bothers me about the X5 4.4's is that leatherette isn't available. You have to take leather, which sucks. Black Ette RULEZ!

Originally posted by JPinTO

There is only 1 thing superior to black leather... black leatherette! One thing that bothers me about the X5 4.4's is that leatherette isn't available. You have to take leather, which sucks. Black Ette RULEZ!

What sucks even more about X5's leather is that it's Montana leather, AFAIK. Yuk. I'll take leatherette over Montana anyday.

Nappa, on the other hand...

Originally posted by rost12
Think about it. X5 4.5 will be just another run of the mill big engined X5. X5 4.6is, on the other hand, is an M of Xs. It gets M colours, M cluster and aggressive bodykit. And it has 340hp to boot.

I'd get 4.6 over 4.5 just for the exclusivity, since you are not loosing anything tangible but gaining something intangible.

I'm not sure about the pricing, though. I guess 4.5 will be cheaper.

OK... I've thought about it.

I don't care about M Colours, M-Cluster or aggressive bodykit.

I want silver or black, not estoril or imola. The M-Cluster is easily replaceable and the body kit isn't that big of a deal.

I only care about the motor. The X5 4.5 will have 333hp... virtually identical to a 4.6. I also care about the wheels... and I don't really want 20s. A lot of bling going on there. Also, I'm too cheap to pay for replacement rubber.

I don't care about exclusivity enough to pay $20k more for it. The 4.5 should come in base @ $70k CDN, similar to the 4.4i. Throw in a couple grand of options and it's a lot cheaper than the $96k they want for a 4.6is.

Originally posted by rost12
What sucks even more about X5's leather is that it's Montana leather, AFAIK. Yuk. I'll take leatherette over Montana anyday.

Nappa, on the other hand...

No, it doesn't. It has Dakota leather. Whatever that is.

No, it doesn't. It has Dakota leather. Whatever that is.

I have Dakota leather. Best described as single color Montana.

Originally posted by Nick325xiT 5spd
Hopefully the X5 3.6i will be available with three pedals, six speeds, and a 3.73.

3.6i? Has that been confirmed by any reliable source?

Originally posted by TD
BTW, even this month's Roundel slammed the X5 for it's overall lack of utility. No cargo space and a puny back seat.

Puny back seat? That article must have been written by someone as knowledgeable as you are. If you can't fit comfortably in the back of an X5 you must be so grotesquely obese that you shouldn’t be in a car anyways because of all the extra stress you’d be putting on the drivetrain…

Originally posted by Capitalist
Puny back seat? That article must have been written by someone as knowledgeable as you are. If you can't fit comfortably in the back of an X5 you must be so grotesquely obese that you shouldn’t be in a car anyways because of all the extra stress you’d be putting on the drivetrain…

That's for sure! The X5's passenger space is cavernous.... particularly in width. Everyone knows that storage is lacking, but passenger space certainly isn't (for any reasonably sized human + 200lbs)

You know, now that I have one and have been using it for two weeks, I have to say that cargo space isn't really that limited. I've been doing all the stuff I normally did in my 4Runner, and I haven't hit a space limit yet. In all the years I drove my bigger truck, I only brought home sheets of plywood twice, and an armoire once. Mostly I'm bringing home just enough stuff to be too large and unwieldy for a trunk in an average-size car, but still small enough to be handled by one person.

I drove the work-crew to lunch last week, and we easily put three good-size guys in the back, and everyone had leg and shoulder room to spare.

It looks shallower than it really is (weird).

My Passat has a huge trunk, yet the X5 is deeper and wider with the seats up. Tonight, I will take a pic of both trunks with the same cargo in them for comparison.

Originally posted by bten
I have Dakota leather. Best described as single color Montana.

??

Dakota leather on the 2000-2002 was two tone. The 2003 is single color

Originally posted by bten
Dokata leather on the 2000-2002 was two tone. The 2003 is single color

2000-2002 had Montana leather, and it happend to be two-toned. The E46 and E39 used regular Montana Leather.

Sorry,

I got that backwards!

To me there are really 3 categories of sporty utes... In order:

1) X5 4.6 and Porsche Cayenne Turbo
2) X5 4.4, Porsche Cayenne S and Infiniti FX45
3) X4 3.0, Volvo XC90 and Infiniti FX35

This would be my shopping list in order of preference...

By the way, I ended up with an X5 4.4. As a business owner, the Section 179 tax savings have made the thing almost free.

We purchased an X5 3.0 as the main family hauler last year. The competition was Acura MDX (just didn't feel right), 2002 Rangerover (drove like a truck and was too expensive), 525iT (see comments below), 325xiT (slick, but much too small). The Volvo XC90 was not yet out.

It was really my wife's choice here. And she opted for the X5 because it (a) is by all counts, the safest passenger vehicle on the road (we've got two young daughters); (b) has a huge back seat; (c) has handling that leaves other SUVs in the dust.

Her second choice was the 525 wagon. However, my wife says that it has much less rear seat leg room-- and it is rear wheel drive. (We've got a very steep driveway.)

An all-wheel drive 525 or 540 wagon would be very tempting. But my wife says that--in this phase of our family's life--the extra interior space of the X5--i.e, a much larger back seat--would still make it her first choice. (If the car were for me I wouldn't hesitate to take the 5 series wagon over the X5.)

Also, we both prefered the feel of the 3.0 over the 4.4. Be sure to drive them both if your seriously considering an X5. As for the 4.6, if you've got that kind of cash to throw around, take a look at the new BMW-designed Rangerover.

Phil,

We were also looking very seriously at the 525iT. We ended up with the X5 becaue the rear seat was wider, and deeper (two child seats fit much better). I completely agree with your comments!

- Mike