3.0L vs 4.4 need help

Is the 3.0 too small of a motor for the X5? I have yet to drive one, but was looking at picking up a used 06 model year 3.0L as the prices and availability is much better than the v8. Also are dealers pretty not budging off the used prices of CPO'd X5s? I'm looking to pick one up with around 30K miles and not wanting to really pay over 27-28K. I see a lot offered for 29-31..just wanted to know if BMW dealers are willing to deal.

thanks

if you want your engine to go through 2 quarts of oil every 1-2 weeks, then get the 3.0l

You really need to drive them both. Personally I think the '06 3.0 is just fine, it is the same engine that I have in my X3 with 45K miles on it and burns maybe a qt of oil between the BMW recommended change intervals of 15k miles. OTOH my neighbor's 4.4 X5 is a gas hog that burns oil. So you never know what any particular car will do until you actually live with it. Dealers need to move cars to make money. This is a very slow time now throughout the industry and BMW is no exception. They will deal

I like my 3.0 just fine. This might be a great time to buy a diesel.

4.4

Just test drive them and see what you like. Think about gas as well. 3.0 should be enough

You need to drive them both, and concider how you drive, and what the truck will be used for.

Regardless or the V8 or straight 6, most BMW's burn oil. It's just a trait of the BMW's. However if you are going through a quart or more in a few weeks, or 2,500-3,500 miles, you may have an issue.

Most folks are fine with the 3.0i. If you live in mountainous regions, the V8 may be worth considering since the motor won't have to work as hard and achieve comparable fuel consumption, but the 3.0i isn't underpowered.

I just bought an '06 X5 3.0 a couple weeks ago and am very pleased with it. Paid about $28000 for it. I live in Orange County and do mostly city/highway driving and occasional drive to Mammoth or even Glamis at times. It seems as though the staright six works just fine. Plus the mpg are much better than the 4.4. Hope this helps.

pls get the 3.0 drives like a dream. and i personally think the 3.0 guzzles gas so imagine what the v8 would do lol.

i personally say dnt even drive the v8. when i went car shopping i had in my mind that i wouldnt even consider it. gas it too much for it. your already dealing with a 24 gallon tank, you dnt need anything burning it too fast.....just my opinion

as far as the dealer coming down....hell everyone is going through a recession. if they want tht money they better play deal or no deal lol....good luck!

I have the 3.0 X5. It is plenty of engine and has definately gotten peppier feeling over time. Still, it cannot pass a Honda V6 and that irks me a little.

Regarding oil consumption: I have 43k miles now on my X5. I use less than half a quart/12k miles but only after I did some "break-in" type driving of my car. After the 1st oil change at 12k miles, I was shocked one morning when the low oil level warning lit up about half way to it's 2nd oil change- about 18k miles. The car was a quart low. My opinion and experience is using full synthetic oil in a new engine makes it difficult to break-in. That means geting the piston rings to wear in and seal on the cylinder walls. How BMW passes emissions with light oil buring is a question I have, but it must be light enough to pass. Anyway, you need to get the rings to seat to eliminate your oil consumption. What I did for about two weeks, was to drive it hard while the engine was still cold. Not so bad that you blow it, but just floor it and accelerate to the normal shift points while the engine is still cold- a minute or so after starting. Since then, my car uses very little oil.

One other note: I would check the oil and if it gets too dark and smelly, don't wait for the next service interval to change it.

We recently bought a 4.4 after test driving a 3.0 for a day. I do not think the 3.0 is underpowered, but instead feels very "peppy" (I hate that word, but it's late and it seems to fit here). You notice the difference more on the interstate, although the 3.0 still didn't feel weak/underpowered. That said, we bought the 4.4 primarily because I fell in love with the additoinal power and the engine sound/exhaust note, and the available 4.4s generally had more options than the available 3.0s. Regarding gas mileage, I've been told that the 4.4 is close to the 3.0, but I don't yet have enough miles under my belt to comment from personal experience. I'd say you can't go wrong either way.

I just drove 700 miles round trip- all interstate and averaged 23 mpg with my 3.0i. I still have the original OEM tires. My normal consumption in daily driving runs 21.5 mpg, but I live in a small town so it's not really city driving.

I just bought a certified '06 4.4 and love the V8 - I love the rumble and power. I read the review on the 3.0 and the reviewer all agree that it's a bit underpowered.

The dealer had it for $31,998. I got it for $30K with 39K miles - super clean! I also bought an extra 2 year maintenance plan for $1,850! I'm really impressed with the X5.

I'd go for the 4.4 for sure! GL.

I purchased a 2003 4.4 almost 2.5 years ago, was pre-owned with 19k miles on it from my local bmw dealer. It was pretty much loaded, everything except premium sound, has navigation, heated seats, etc. I have several friends who have owned 3.0's and everytime they drive it, they tell me that it's a different car. The biggest difference is power. I have never owned the 3.0 liter and am not sure if it's as fast as a 4.4, but in my opinion the power is just so awesome, I never get tired of driving it, it really is a treat to drive every single time. Love the BMW v8 engine roar and acceleration is simply effortless, you will drive up hills with 4 to 5 passangers in the car like there's no hill. Of course 4.4s are more expensive, not sure about wear and tear and cost of maintenance of 3.0 vs a 4.4. Unless you end up with a beat up 4.4 (as people are more prone to push and drive hard a powerful car than it's sibling), I think you'll defintely enjoy the power. It's not just added power my friends say, it's a lot of added power. Hope you find what you're looking for.

3.0 is not underpowered. It's a truck, if you want "0-60 in...." you should be looking at 335s. For a truck it's well equiped with plenty of pickup. It feels like a Bimmer and drives like a joy...

Also, if you are getting it used, go 3.0, the 4.4 supposedly has lots of tranny problems.

I purchased an 05 X5 3.0l 2 months ago and have towed a 14 feet enclosed trailer with 2 ATVs in it (about 3000 pounds). I drove from seattle, WA to Winchesterbay, OR (about 360 miles each way) and got about 10 mpg. As far as power goes, I have not had any issue. But again, I never driven the 4.4 so I would't know how it would compare.

Also, this is my 1st BMW and just a week ago my low oil warning light went off and when I check the dip stick, there was no oil at all in the dipstick. I added 2 quarts and the level came back to the "max" part of the dipstick. I thought I had a problem with the engine. But after reading this thread, I have a feeling that is normal. But is it really normal though? My car just turned 60K a few days ago.

On August 14, I will have a road trip from Seattle to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Grand Canyon and back to Seattle. I will update this thread with my mpg after my trip Hopfully I get over 20 mpg like tonywintn !

Facts:
3.0i Burns alot of oil
4.4i gets better Gas Milage
Reliabilty wise, they both have problems.

I drove about 1K miles since I bought my '06 4.4 and the MPG is 14.8 (city) and 20.8 (hwy).

It all really depends how much power you want/need

Originally Posted by killcrap

Facts:
3.0i Burns alot of oil
4.4i gets better Gas Milage
Reliabilty wise, they both have problems.

really? what kind of quality issues?

i'm leaning toward the D engine.

Originally Posted by lp2009

really? what kind of quality issues?

i'm leaning toward the D engine.

I was driving my 4.4 the other day. I love the extra power of the V8. Mine has about 60k on it and it still runs strong. The only problem it developed is white smoke on start up that goes away. I'm thinking the crank case vent tube. Other than that, no issues at all with the mechanics of the car.