BMW X5 - Anyone got one ?
06 May 2003, 09:55 AM
#2
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prepare to be called every name under the sun 
Personally i quite like them, a friend has the 4.4 sport and its comfy, fast and luxurious, handles better than any 4x4 ive driven and has great residuals
Only problem is the negative image associated with owning one, as im sure 15 people are about to tell you
Personally i quite like them, a friend has the 4.4 sport and its comfy, fast and luxurious, handles better than any 4x4 ive driven and has great residuals
Only problem is the negative image associated with owning one, as im sure 15 people are about to tell you
06 May 2003, 10:31 AM
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hehe - cheers mate. I'm not bothered about the image thing. I need something bigger for the family now as I've got an 8 month old daughter. I want comfy, safe and roomy, and if i can I'd like a pleasant drive.
I like the xc90 (volvo) but you cant get them for ages and they are demanding outrageous prices for the demonstrators that are just surfacing. Plus I can get a 4.4 on an x plate for the same price.
cheers
Paul
I like the xc90 (volvo) but you cant get them for ages and they are demanding outrageous prices for the demonstrators that are just surfacing. Plus I can get a 4.4 on an x plate for the same price.
cheers
Paul
06 May 2003, 12:15 PM
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There is more room in the back of an X5 than any other car I have ever been in... 
You can tell from a few small things that it isnt made in Germany, but it's good very quality and roadholding is good for such a big thing. First gear is actually quite surprising, pretty good.
You can tell from a few small things that it isnt made in Germany, but it's good very quality and roadholding is good for such a big thing. First gear is actually quite surprising, pretty good.
06 May 2003, 12:29 PM
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My old man has a 4.4i sport which I have driven many times..including when a van smashed into the front of it while I was stationary!!
I own a M5 and after driving them back to back the X5 doesn't seem as well built, the X5 is reasonably quick and handles OK for a 4x4....but IMHO a well driven hot hatch would see it off!!
The other problem is that the X5 was in the dealers for over 3 months getting repaired because parts are hard to source!!! Not ideal to say the least!!
Now a 4.6i sport might be slightly better!
Dom.
I own a M5 and after driving them back to back the X5 doesn't seem as well built, the X5 is reasonably quick and handles OK for a 4x4....but IMHO a well driven hot hatch would see it off!!
The other problem is that the X5 was in the dealers for over 3 months getting repaired because parts are hard to source!!! Not ideal to say the least!!
Now a 4.6i sport might be slightly better!
Dom.
06 May 2003, 12:32 PM
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Mum has one, a 3.0D sport. Very impressive. Stuff the image thing, some people buy them because they are actually rather good machines. Its light years ahead of her old Range Rover DSE.
Can't really fault the way it drives, (bit like a jacked up 5 series) and the diesel engine is an absolute corker: impossible to tell thats its a derv from inside the car. A few build quality niggles though, and its still only a few hundered miles old.
In short, buy one.
Can't really fault the way it drives, (bit like a jacked up 5 series) and the diesel engine is an absolute corker: impossible to tell thats its a derv from inside the car. A few build quality niggles though, and its still only a few hundered miles old.
In short, buy one.
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06 May 2003, 12:49 PM
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silver-sub - I did drive an M class, but it didn't feel quite right for me. The one I drove was really tacky inside and didn't have that "luxury car" feel to it. Drove ok. I preferred the Volvo xc90 to the Merc.
paul
paul
05 June 2003, 06:45 PM
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Test drove the X5, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the ML, bought an ML430 sold it 31/2 weeks later. Although I could accept lower limits regarding the grip of the ML and liked the high up view of the road I couldn't stand the roll and lack of comfort in corners on the ML, to maintain comfort on a winding road you really have to drive slowly (the X5 should be a bit better).
The X5 has the best handling, but its still inferior to a decent normal saloon, to get this handling though the suspension is a lot stiffer than the ML or jeep and it rides on fairly low profile high performance road tyres this gives it quite a hard ride, it also has not too much room in the back and a fairly small boot, 500 litres compared to 1000 litre in the merc and jeep. Although better than the other two, the X5 still dives under hard braking more than a saloon as well. I bought the ML because it had more room in the back (plenty for 2 adults), more comfy in a straight line and the bigger boot.
In n emergancy lane change with or with out emergancy braking the ML430 was far more dangerous than your average family car (this is proably more or less true of all 4 by 4s) , I had a near miss, which wouldn't have been any drama at all in our other cars, that and a couple of trips over the woodhead pass to sheffield were enough .I sold it for a 2nd hand S430, no comparison, it has excellent ride, good handling, faster, much quieter, more economical, it even can raise the airsuspension to give 82 mm extra ground clearence in the unlikely event I have to go off road.
X5's do look great and have very good resale, but unless you need the off road ability (which isn't that great) I would consider a nice saloon or estate, perhaps a 5 series touring, they have more room, equivalent models are more economical, faster, better to drive and safer with better handling braking etc. The x5s are quite thirsty compared with thier aloon counterparts.
Good luck choosing (the 4.6is is pretty quick).
[Edited by Mmmmm - 5/6/2003 6:52:21 PM]
The X5 has the best handling, but its still inferior to a decent normal saloon, to get this handling though the suspension is a lot stiffer than the ML or jeep and it rides on fairly low profile high performance road tyres this gives it quite a hard ride, it also has not too much room in the back and a fairly small boot, 500 litres compared to 1000 litre in the merc and jeep. Although better than the other two, the X5 still dives under hard braking more than a saloon as well. I bought the ML because it had more room in the back (plenty for 2 adults), more comfy in a straight line and the bigger boot.
In n emergancy lane change with or with out emergancy braking the ML430 was far more dangerous than your average family car (this is proably more or less true of all 4 by 4s) , I had a near miss, which wouldn't have been any drama at all in our other cars, that and a couple of trips over the woodhead pass to sheffield were enough .I sold it for a 2nd hand S430, no comparison, it has excellent ride, good handling, faster, much quieter, more economical, it even can raise the airsuspension to give 82 mm extra ground clearence in the unlikely event I have to go off road.
X5's do look great and have very good resale, but unless you need the off road ability (which isn't that great) I would consider a nice saloon or estate, perhaps a 5 series touring, they have more room, equivalent models are more economical, faster, better to drive and safer with better handling braking etc. The x5s are quite thirsty compared with thier aloon counterparts.
Good luck choosing (the 4.6is is pretty quick
).[Edited by Mmmmm - 5/6/2003 6:52:21 PM]
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