2013 vs 2014 X5

going to be same diesel motor?

Not to get too far off topic... I recently drove a 2013 X3 and was surprised at how over-boosted the electric steering felt compared to the hydraulic in my X5. I suspect some of this could be corrected by increasing the castor a bit (assuming there's room for adjustment). Is there not a way to adjust the steering effort with the electric steering? Crank the boost down a bit?

Originally Posted by zepjet

Not to get too far off topic... I recently drove a 2013 X3 and was surprised at how over-boosted the electric steering felt compared to the hydraulic in my X5. I suspect some of this could be corrected by increasing the castor a bit (assuming there's room for adjustment). Is there not a way to adjust the steering effort with the electric steering? Crank the boost down a bit?

No. If you buy the diesel you won't get that problem.

Originally Posted by sofa6A

I've seen spy shots and renderings of the 2014 and I prefer the look of the 2013.

There will likely be incentives on the 2013s when the 14s start being built.

?

Originally Posted by alphaod

I'd rather have a new model I can keep for years compared to an old model that's already outdated. If there are bugs... That's what warranty is for.

A simplistic statement that requires more comment...

IN GENERAL, the last year or two of any BMW model is bug-free. They have the manufacturing, software and hardware down to an art. But yes, many of the latest features that have been rolled out to newer models won't make their way into the last year of an existing model (example: see the thread about "Speed Limit Display" in this forum). And obviously one won't get the new engines, trannies and whatnot of a new model.

But the first year of any new BMW model is universally acknowledged to have more issues. It takes about a year for BMW to fine-tune a new model. There will be combinations of engine, transmissions, features, suspensions and more. Plus driving styles, weather, roads, etc. And then there are tire issues. There is NO WAY they can foresee all the problems that a year of real world experiences show them.

Sometimes they can fix these issues with software or minor service updates. But what happens when they need to do a real tweak to a model to improve it? The odds are the warranty is NOT going to cover it. Especially if it's to "improve" our new cars, not really "fix" them. After all, who's to say the difference between the two?

My point is not to say never buy a first year model. Just that it's not as simple as "warranty" will handle it.

Originally Posted by astrohip

A simplistic statement that requires more comment...

IN GENERAL, the last year or two of any BMW model is bug-free. They have the manufacturing, software and hardware down to an art. But yes, many of the latest features that have been rolled out to newer models won't make their way into the last year of an existing model (example: see the thread about "Speed Limit Display" in this forum). And obviously one won't get the new engines, trannies and whatnot of a new model.

But the first year of any new BMW model is universally acknowledged to have more issues. It takes about a year for BMW to fine-tune a new model. There will be combinations of engine, transmissions, features, suspensions and more. Plus driving styles, weather, roads, etc. And then there are tire issues. There is NO WAY they can foresee all the problems that a year of real world experiences show them.

Sometimes they can fix these issues with software or minor service updates. But what happens when they need to do a real tweak to a model to improve it? The odds are the warranty is NOT going to cover it. Especially if it's to "improve" our new cars, not really "fix" them. After all, who's to say the difference between the two?

My point is not to say never buy a first year model. Just that it's not as simple as "warranty" will handle it.

How has the new F30 (3 Series) been the first year, in terms of reliability?

- Mike