[scotgc]

Hello everyone,

As the title suggests I'm thinking about changing my 330d for an X5! Anyone else went down this route ? What's your opinions on the current X5?

The wife has been saying that she fancies a change aswell because of the crap condition of the roads in Scotland potholes everywhare ! been thinking about an X5 or RRS.

Cheers

Graeme

[E92MP]

Originally Posted by scotgc

Hello everyone,

As the title suggests I'm thinking about changing my 330d for an X5! Anyone else went down this route ? What's your opinions on the current X5?

The wife has been saying that she fancies a change aswell because of the crap condition of the roads in Scotland potholes everywhare ! been thinking about an X5 or RRS.

Cheers

Graeme

Hi Graeme, I have not been down this route but I will be for my next change.

If it's not bloo*y holes I have to dodge, it's bloo*y lumps [sorry speed humps] I have to tackle. Are are that bad I was also thinking of a monster truck to be extra safe.

Good luck with your choice. For my 2 pennys worth, MX6 50d, lush.

[scotgc]

Thanks man, yeah It's getting beyond a joke the roads are in a right mess just now !

The dealership has an m50d x5 but its a little out of my budget unfortunately :-)

Looking at a black / grey 30d m sport with a few toys.

[E92MP]

Originally Posted by scotgc

Thanks man, yeah It's getting beyond a joke the roads are in a right mess just now !

The dealership has an m50d x5 but its a little out of my budget unfortunately :-)

Looking at a black / grey 30d m sport with a few toys.

Yeah must admit the MX6 50d is £70k.

My boss in work has an X3, he loves it.

Specially today when I was stuck in snow with an E93 and he had no problems.

Wonder with the X3 if you would get more bang for your buck so to speak!

[scotgc]

True the X3 is nice aswell my dad has a 20d msport with a lot of toys. The dealer has a white 35d msport but its a year old and don't want another white motor. Fancy black / grey / blue for a change. The X3 35d is the similar money to an X5 30d they have which I quite like.

[Reggie-g75]

Go for the 40d!

[Bomber]

I'm about to change my E92 335d for a X5 4.0d, when I drove it I was so impressed with the feel, the engine moves the car a long well and it drives like a car not a 4x4.

[TikoV]

I also suggest you go for the 40d if possible. It really is worth the extra ££'s for the horses.

Funnily enough I bought mine a year ago and am about to sell it as the missus prefers a car now!!!

[davyk31]

I have a 35d X5 as well as my 335d and its a fantastic family car. Get loads of toys and they are brilliant. The 8 speed box in the newer models is well worth holding out for, the older 6 speed box can hang onto gears a little too long for my liking but for a big 2 tonne motor the twin turbo engine soes make them shift nicely.

What are they asking for the 35d X3, that would be a pretty swift car for sure and a little smaller than the X5 which is a pretty big motor.

[scotgc]

Well I went to my local dealer yesterday for another look, got a test drive booked for Saturday.

Thing is I have always itched for an M3 and seriously wondering if I'm
going to make a mistake going for an X5. There are only the two of us after all!

I can't help but want one! Will see how I get on this weekend.

[scotgc]

They are asking £39900 for the 35d X3 it's alpine white is approx 1 year old with 13k miles on the clock.

[davyk31]

At that sort of money I would stick to an X5, you should be able to get a very decent one for that money but don't ignore deals on the new ones. They are keen to shift before the new model appear soon, I have been told easily 10k off before even starting to negotiate.

[xPETEZx]

If its just the 2 of you, go for the M3 :P

X3/X5 is more family car I would have thought?

[scotgc]

Yeah I agree, not so sure we really need a large 4x4, they do look very nice though!

I have always had an itch for an M3, our dealer said they have huge discounts going aswell. Need to have a test drive at the weekend, not sure I know what I want yet!

[G_M_S]

Just in the process of changing my 330d E91 for an X3 E83 xDrive35d. The X3 has more boot and rear passenger space than the 3 series. I did contemplate an X5, but the X3 is faster and being a later LCI version is lower emissions group than a similar age X5 - also a wee bit quicker and economical.

[creepy coupe]

I drove and X5 3.0d a good few months ago and though the engine sounded harsh.Enough to put me off.

[UltimateManga]

Hey mate, if you can try and go for the 40d as it has that little bit more poke but if not the 30d is fine! I currently have an X5 40d and also a 335d coupe too but find my preferance is more for driving the X5. There both great cars to own but like you said the roads are terrible and with the 335 you feel like its torture for the car lol but the X5 is so nice and smooth and barely feel the potholes! Im thinking of another change myself soon tempted to go for an X6 M50d as the torque and power look monsterous and fun to play with. I also had an M3 E92 before my 335d and to be fair its a brilliant toy to have but the comfort and driveablity of the X5 make you not worry about perfomance you get from an M3. Goodluck mate with whatever you decide and choose to buy as there both great cars!!!

[rogerxp]

I remember you getting your 330d 'scotgc', lovely motor, don't suppose it has a manual gearbox does it?? Remember the dealer making the handover quite special.

edit - just found your original threads Greame, it's an auto, beautiful car though.

[scotgc]

Originally Posted by rogerxp

I remember you getting your 330d 'scotgc', lovely motor, don't suppose it has a manual gearbox does it?? Remember the dealer making the handover quite special.

edit - just found your original threads Greame, it's an auto, beautiful car though.

Thanks roger, yeah it's a brilliant car I suppose I am just getting itchy feet now! I love the e9x range this is my second one !

[davyk31]

Some very good deals on M3 at the moment, 0% on PCP with big discounts, example on website is 6k deposit and 499/month.

X5 is a totally different vehicle by miles therefore its all about what you think you would prefer. 3.0d X5 especially in the E70 model is a little underpowered so better to aim for the 35d or 40d , they are both the same engine with a marginal increase in horsepower when they went 35d to 40d. Fuel economy not good, bit better than an M3 but not massively.

[SteveC]

Moved from X5 E53 to LCi 330d and back to E70 35d Xdrive

Few observations:

First the obvious:
Access was a lot easier in the X5 both front and back
Relatively speaking the back seats in an E90 are cramped and access is tight
Boot space and folding seats in the X5 are far superior

4x4 and winter driving.....the super-wide tyres summer performance tyres fitted as standard to X5 makes for plenty of grip wet and dry on summer roads but not on winter roads. You absolutely need a set of winter wheels

The quartz halogen candles on the E53 were utterly useless....a real liability in night driving. The standard stereo on the E53 sounded like voices were coming from a tin can...horrible. Xenons on the E70 are great, Business Hi-Fi upgrade acceptable but still needs major improvements IMO

Performance was OK with the E53, very good with the E70 in sport mode. Very little can beat an E70 over the first 50-100 meters away from the lights....great if you find yourself in the wrong lane.

Neither E53 or E70 6 speed AT was great....the auto hill downshift on the E53 was downright annoying. In both cases shifts are slow and slurred. As stated, pull away on the E70 in Sport is quite dramatic as you hook up all that torque in 1st gear instantly. E90 had MT and was MUCH preferred. If you're buying an E70, then the new 8spd. AT is way better than the 6spd

Fuel consumption on the E70 is around 25mpg avg......high 20s on a long trip. Only see 30 if you stay below the speed limit and use cruise comtrol. The E90 was fantastic in this regard...low 40s around town, mid to high 40s on a long trip...even using lots of performance didn't impact hugely, unlike BMW's petrol engines.

Performance on the E70 is good, with plenty of good roll on acceleration, although often hampered by the AT, which won't downshift unless you give the last 1/4" of gas for kick-down. Instant roll on acceleration on the E90 330d made for very easy overtaking of even 2 or 3 cars in suprisingly little space.

Handling.....the E90 makes you feel like pushing on...the E70 can, but doesn't make you feel like you want to. Its a happier feeling cruising and while it can corner surprisingly fast for such a large vehicle and has good turn-in characteristics, it does feel large and heavy vs. a 330d.

Don't assume that an E70 can just ignore potholes. Broken springs are quite a common repair at MOT time

Ride in the E53/70 with M-Sport is quite firm and 'jiggly' on typical B road surfaces. The 330d is only a little better in this regard, but feels a little more planted

A set of tyres for an E70 is around £1200 vs. about £800 for the E90. Extended warranty for the E70 runs £900+....quite a lot less for the E90. Well looked after tyres will run 18-20k miles on a E70, up to 22k on an E90

Going on holiday.....it was more fun driving the E90 on Scotland's wonderful roads, but much more practical to pack and transport all the holiday kit in the E70. Access to beaches was way easier with the E70s extra ground clearance.

Parking was easier with the E90....at least if you're neurotic like me and hate narrow parking spaces

In an E70 you dominate the road, sitting up high with a view over hedgerows. You pay for this in the handling, which has more body roll, but driving an E70 is a good feeling...

All in all, if I had to chose between the 2 cars, I'd say both offer specific qualities that make either enjoyable. In the end its down to family needs and the type of driving you do, because 1 compromises on space and access, the other on handling, consumption and some performance. Neither does what an M3 does, which is to thrill, but again at the cost of comfort, consumption and all-day cruisability.