2011 M3 owner..potential X5 35d buyer

[zhp2m3]

Hi everyone. New to this area of the forum...I'm usually on the E46 or E90 sections. I just got my E90 a few months ago, but am now contemplating on getting the wife a used 2011 X5 35d from a neighbor. Only because from what little research I have done, it seems to be at a pretty good price and I know for a fact there are no issues with it. However, I have little firsthand knowledge about the X5 other than it being a nice looking SUV..I also have never owned a diesel but am aware about the great gas mileage.

Can you enthusiasts share any bit of info regarding this model..pro or con?

It's fully loaded with 13k miles and he's asking $52k

Some options:

NAV
Park Assist/camera
Running boards
Cold weather pkg
Premuim pkg
Technology pkg
Oversize wheels '20


Appreciate any feedback from fellow BMW 'ers

[zhp2m3]

Forgot to add it's prewired for V1 and also has a chip..I think ESS? Not sure yet what added torque/HP it has gained from this.

[cmk227]

Originally Posted by zhp2m3

Hi everyone. New to this area of the forum...I'm usually on the E46 or E90 sections. I just got my E90 a few months ago, but am now contemplating on getting the wife a used 2011 X5 35d from a neighbor. Only because from what little research I have done, it seems to be at a pretty good price and I know for a fact there are no issues with it. However, I have little firsthand knowledge about the X5 other than it being a nice looking SUV..I also have never owned a diesel but am aware about the great gas mileage.

Can you enthusiasts share any bit of info regarding this model..pro or con?

It's fully loaded with 13k miles and he's asking $52k

Some options:

NAV
Park Assist/camera
Running boards
Cold weather pkg
Premuim pkg
Technology pkg
Oversize wheels '20


Appreciate any feedback from fellow BMW 'ers

Is it the white one. I got a 2008 and if it the white one I think it a great deal. Have you got any response from the seller.

[zhp2m3]

Originally Posted by cmk227

Is it the white one. I got a 2008 and if it the white one I think it a great deal. Have you got any response from the seller.

Nope, not the white one in the classifieds. This one is Deep sea blue(nice color) and has 13k miles and selling for 52k. It also has different 20' rims.


Does this seem like a reasonable price to everyone. From reviewing the forums the 2011 X5 35d seems to be a comfortable, great torque, good all around SUV and a bonus with the good fuel economy.

[m3the01]

I think the price is high, $48k would be fair. Price out a new one on bmwconfig with those same options. Every so often there are lots of incentives like nav $1730, eco $2500, loyalty $1000, and more. Im not sure where ur buying, but if ur saving tons of tax that $51k may be a great reason not to buy new.

Good luck,

PS i think brand new 2012 with those options is approx. $62k + tax. minus incentives.

[cmk227]

The X5 is definitely a comfortable ride. The diesel should be great on mileage an the price is ok. I agree price should be around $47k-$49k.

[14bmws]

I traded my '08 M3 sedan 6 speed for my current '12 X5 35i sport. After putting 50 thousand miles on my M, I thought I wanted something bigger as my daily driver.

Let me tell you that I miss my M car terribly. The perfect balance, perfect steering, he incredible rush of acceleration. That car was just in perfect harmony with itself.

I am luke warm on the X5. For the price it should be much more sorted out. It has a jumpy throttle, and is impossible to start off or come out of a corner smoothly unless you barely touch the gas. It is anything but nimble as they would like you to believe. Handling is clumsy at best and the car absolutely wanders as it drives down a smooth highway at 75 mph.

I am so disappointed that I have gone to test drive a Porsche Cayenne. Honestly, I came away less happy with my X5 than ever. The Porsche felt lighter, faster, far more nimble and much more tightly put together than my BMW. It was about 8K more expensive, but honestly I will probably try to have someone assume my lease and make a move to the Cayenne.

my point? make sure you know what you are getting before you go spend 50K on a used X5 with diesel costing over 4 bucks a gallon.

I really have had 14 new BMW's over the last 30 years. I've loved 13 of them.... and then there is my X5.

[GmoneyLI]

Originally Posted by 14bmws

I traded my '08 M3 sedan 6 speed for my current '12 X5 35i sport. After putting 50 thousand miles on my M, I thought I wanted something bigger as my daily driver.

Let me tell you that I miss my M car terribly. The perfect balance, perfect steering, he incredible rush of acceleration. That car was just in perfect harmony with itself.

I am luke warm on the X5. For the price it should be much more sorted out. It has a jumpy throttle, and is impossible to start off or come out of a corner smoothly unless you barely touch the gas. It is anything but nimble as they would like you to believe. Handling is clumsy at best and the car absolutely wanders as it drives down a smooth highway at 75 mph.

I am so disappointed that I have gone to test drive a Porsche Cayenne. Honestly, I came away less happy with my X5 than ever. The Porsche felt lighter, faster, far more nimble and much more tightly put together than my BMW. It was about 8K more expensive, but honestly I will probably try to have someone assume my lease and make a move to the Cayenne.

my point? make sure you know what you are getting before you go spend 50K on a used X5 with diesel costing over 4 bucks a gallon.

I really have had 14 new BMW's over the last 30 years. I've loved 13 of them.... and then there is my X5.

You should try an x5m.. I think U would feel differently lol the car is a monster. Handles better then a cayenne turbo

[YolkyPalky]

Originally Posted by 14bmws

I traded my '08 M3 sedan 6 speed for my current '12 X5 35i sport. After putting 50 thousand miles on my M, I thought I wanted something bigger as my daily driver.

Let me tell you that I miss my M car terribly. The perfect balance, perfect steering, he incredible rush of acceleration. That car was just in perfect harmony with itself.

I am luke warm on the X5. For the price it should be much more sorted out. It has a jumpy throttle, and is impossible to start off or come out of a corner smoothly unless you barely touch the gas. It is anything but nimble as they would like you to believe. Handling is clumsy at best and the car absolutely wanders as it drives down a smooth highway at 75 mph.

I am so disappointed that I have gone to test drive a Porsche Cayenne. Honestly, I came away less happy with my X5 than ever. The Porsche felt lighter, faster, far more nimble and much more tightly put together than my BMW. It was about 8K more expensive, but honestly I will probably try to have someone assume my lease and make a move to the Cayenne.

my point? make sure you know what you are getting before you go spend 50K on a used X5 with diesel costing over 4 bucks a gallon.

I really have had 14 new BMW's over the last 30 years. I've loved 13 of them.... and then there is my X5.

You traded your M3 for essentially a base model X5 and are upset it doesn't drive and handle like an M3? LOL! What did you expect, really? As said above, if you wanted to retain the "M" feeling of your car, you should've tried the X5M (or at least the X5 50i), it's a monster of an SUV and leaves all Cayennes and GL63 AMG in the dust!

[U235]

I just traded my 08 M3 for an 09 X35d. It's bittersweet of course, but due to my house move, I wasn't utilizing the M3 appropriately, read more here: http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642588

The X5 is without a doubt the best SUV to go to if you desire sportiness. I got the Sport package on mine with Dynamic Drive, I'd highly recommend that. I find with it, the X5 roles less than my M3 did (my M3 did NOT have EDC).

My wife is much happier, and for my commute and work, it's a lot more comfortable to drive the X5. However, there will be times I will miss the M3

I would recommend to you to get the Sport Package with Dynamic/Adaptive Drive, I think it's a must.

[Cdnrockies]

Originally Posted by U235

I just traded my 08 M3 for an 09 X35d. It's bittersweet of course, but due to my house move, I wasn't utilizing the M3 appropriately, read more here: http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642588

The X5 is without a doubt the best SUV to go to if you desire sportiness. I got the Sport package on mine with Dynamic Drive, I'd highly recommend that. I find with it, the X5 roles less than my M3 did (my M3 did NOT have EDC).

My wife is much happier, and for my commute and work, it's a lot more comfortable to drive the X5. However, there will be times I will miss the M3

I would recommend to you to get the Sport Package with Dynamic/Adaptive Drive, I think it's a must.

Disagree. The Cayenne comortably outperforms the X5. Deciding whether or not it's worth the additional $20K is the only real question.

[U235]

Originally Posted by Cdnrockies

Disagree. The Cayenne comortably outperforms the X5. Deciding whether or not it's worth the additional $20K is the only real question.

Yes I meant diesels anyways. X5m is also in another league.

[GaryRudolph]

Be careful on the X5 35d (coming from an M5 and we already had an 2002 X5). I bought a used one and thought I'd be ok with the handling (did not have AS/AD). After 3 weeks I was fed up with the handling.

Fortunately, the dealer was awesome and took it back (minus tax...) and I ordered a 5.0i. Totally better handling car. Not quite as good as the 2002 X5 and certainly no M5, but it's "tolerable" I happen to like the 5.0 hydraulic steering quite a bit. Just wish it was servotronic. Didn't get a chance to try one with AS/AD, but I had it on a 645 and thought it was too disconnected.

Would have gotten the X5M, but no 3rd row seat... But, no X5, X5M, X6, X6M, Cayenne, Cayenne S/GTS, etc. is going to handle like an M3... Regardless, the X5M/5.0i is a decent compromise.

[14bmws]

Originally Posted by YolkyPalky

You traded your M3 for essentially a base model X5 and are upset it doesn't drive and handle like an M3? LOL! What did you expect, really? As said above, if you wanted to retain the "M" feeling of your car, you should've tried the X5M (or at least the X5 50i), it's a monster of an SUV and leaves all Cayennes and GL63 AMG in the dust!

Not necessarily:

I decided to go with the 35i because ALL the press (along with my own driving impressions) seemed to feel the 35 handled BETTER than the 50.

I then upgraded the vehicle to a 35i SPORT and paid an additional $3,500 for the adaptive drive just to be sure I gave this thing every opportunity to have good road manners.

I have a pretty nice interior too, with the nappa leather seats and dash, multi-contoured seats, all the premium packs, nav, real climate and premium sound.

At a sticker in excess of $72,000.... I hardly think I cheaped out.

I was not expecting the handling of my M3, but I did expect better than mediocre at best.

[richard in NC]

The X5 won't have the sublime handling of an M3. Just drove the M3 all weekend at M School! However the X5 does quite well on the twistiest of roads and can keep up the pace of the best of cars. I do have Adaptive Drive and Active Steering. Both improve the drive IMO.

[YolkyPalky]

Originally Posted by 14bmws

Not necessarily:

I decided to go with the 35i because ALL the press (along with my own driving impressions) seemed to feel the 35 handled BETTER than the 50.

I then upgraded the vehicle to a 35i SPORT and paid an additional $3,500 for the adaptive drive just to be sure I gave this thing every opportunity to have good road manners.

I have a pretty nice interior too, with the nappa leather seats and dash, multi-contoured seats, all the premium packs, nav, real climate and premium sound.

At a sticker in excess of $72,000.... I hardly think I cheaped out.

I was not expecting the handling of my M3, but I did expect better than mediocre at best.

Perhaps compared to an M3, one of the best handling cars in the world, any other vehicle and especially any SUV will seem "mediocre" in comparison.

[zhp2m3]

thanks for the feedback all. I do love my E90 and have decided to get this X5 35d as well. I think at the minimum I'm getting a fair deal. I'm actually surprised to hear I can do better than 52k considering it's just a year old with 13k miles and fully loaded. Can't seem to find another one for sale out there that's comparable to this for the price.

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by 14bmws

Not necessarily:

I decided to go with the 35i because ALL the press (along with my own driving impressions) seemed to feel the 35 handled BETTER than the 50.

I then upgraded the vehicle to a 35i SPORT and paid an additional $3,500 for the adaptive drive just to be sure I gave this thing every opportunity to have good road manners.

I have a pretty nice interior too, with the nappa leather seats and dash, multi-contoured seats, all the premium packs, nav, real climate and premium sound.

At a sticker in excess of $72,000.... I hardly think I cheaped out.

I was not expecting the handling of my M3, but I did expect better than mediocre at best.

You my friend are a car guy, not an SUV guy. I found out the hard way as well with my X6 (came from a M5). The 8 speed transmission, the drag on the car when decelerating (efficient dynamics? Or is this car a hybrid?), the handling that while GREAT for a SUV, just does not compare to our old cars. Still, we are getting 1-3" of snow tonight here in Chicago and the drive tomorrow should be uneventful.

The fix is to pick up a second vehicle - a car. I did that today and can't wait for spring.

[mryakanisachoad]

http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325408

Comparing a 5300 pound truck to a 3400 pound car with more ponies and torque is, well, sort of odd.

I've heard of comparing apples to oranges but you seem to want to compare apples to a stepladder?

Funny thing is the X5 M
just held it's own against the M3 at that car testing track they use on the Virginia - North Carolina border. Lol

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by mryakanisachoad

Funny thing is the X5 M
just held it's own against the M3 at that car testing track they use on the Virginia - North Carolina border. Lol

The X5M did very well at VIR - but was no where close to the M3 in times (it did spank the 335is however). Still as pointed out, they are very very different vehicles. I think the OP is just missing having a car.

[Vastyle]

Lol, I dumped my stage 1 A4 to get an X5 35D. I'm now wishing I kept my A4, went to stage 3, still bought the X5. I have a 93 LX 5.0 vert (mustang) that puts down high 12's in the 1/4, but I'm missing my little turbo ride. It was super fun to drive. The stang is a nice throwback, but it's still a V8.

I really wish there was more performance options available for the 35D. Downpipe, exhaust, something besides the juice box. I do love the mpg of the 35D though. First road trip didn't use cruise much and I got 522 miles out of a tank.

[RichB]

I have a 2010 M3 manual (25K miles) euro delivery. Bought wife a 2012 X5 35d (1800 miles) on Jan 3. Our X5 is similarly equipped as the one you are considering...MSRP at $66K. Paid $56K with just 7 miles on odometer. Also got BMWCCA rebate of $1000 for a price of $55K. Bought another set of BMW OEM wheels with Michelin all-seasons that were already installed on wheels for winter. I will get dedicated snows once the OEMs need replacing. I get to drive my M3 in the snow as I purchased another set of M3 19" wheels with snow tires…..an absolute blast…another (fun) story.

She drives the X5 60 miles a day, 3x a week on highway. We are also going on some longer drives a year...ski trip (800 miles, etc) and other drives of 200-500 miles, so wanted the economy of diesel.

My wife went out of town this past weekend and took the Honda to the airport, which gave me 4 days to drive the X5. Very positive impressions of the X5. The X5 35d has nice power delivery (slight turbo lag...maybe spoiled by M3). The driving dynamics is typical BMW....everything is in the right place, comfortable, excellent power delivery, brakes, and handling is very good. We have the BMW Apps option, which I became addicted to when driving this past weekend. Having full access to MOG (and Pandora) and album art access from iDrive is a cool feature. Don't really use the Facebook, Twitter, or calendar features. I may use the calendar feature if it was my daily driver. Acceleration is good, but not head snapping (spoiled by M3).

Good fuel economy so far. On highway, we get 27 MPG fuel economy around 80 MPH. With 70/30 hwy/city, we are getting around 25 MPG. With 50% hwy (or less), fuel economy is around 22-23 MPG. The X5 shines on the highway. Smooth at 100.

I drove a 2010 X5 35d (40K miles) before buying the 2012. The 2010 X5 was broken in. I felt it had more power. I imagine the 2012 will only get better with miles. The end of year Mission-to-Drive sales event drove me to a new one as the discount was too good to pass up.

My wife came from a Honda mom-van, which we kept as our dog, bike, and airport car. When she arrived at the airport (Honda), she sent me a text that said…"Love my BMW. Can't stand the Honda anymore." Kinda sums up her feelings.

Overall, the X5 is a perfect car for us. It gives us the space we need for around town and trips, the excellent AWD system for ski trips (and snow days we get in the midwest), BMW driving experience, and good fuel economy (500+ mile range). Plus, I am a tech lover, so the BMW apps feature is the icing on the cake.

Coming from an M3, I think I would want the X5M if it was my daily driver. Love what the M Division does to their cars. It would still not be an M3. Same can be said of an M5….much heavier than M3, which is not the same experience. The X5 35d is the perfect car for my wife.