Used Review: 2003 BMW X5
Posted on February 27, 2015
We have now owned our X5 for over three years. I thought it was about time to do a little review especially as I was thinking about adding up all the various bills that have accrued in an effort to see just how much its cost over that time.
Our vintage 2003 3.0i Sport may be two a penny around the streets of Melbourne but lets not forget this was a car with a retail price of $85k in base form so with the optional extras some poor soul probably paid circa $90k. So whats it like to own and run a premium priced German vehicle 10 years after it rolled off the production line.
Driving
Ever since it first arrived the X5 has always been known for its dynamic abilities. I remember in the late 90’s driving a Land Rover Discovery and it was a pretty scary experience when trying to drive anywhere in a spirited fashion, but the X5 was always thought of being the first 4wd that really did handle half reasonably.
Our three litre sport came with the optional 19 inch (up from 17inch) alloy wheels with some beefy 285/50’s on the back and 225/50’s on the front, plus sports suspension. On the road its quite a revelation. Yes, its a big heavy car and you can feel it. Its never going to be light and swift of foot but when you ask it to move she lifts up her skirt and goes. Grip is impressive and once the weight has settled attacking some bends is actually quite good fun. Steering is the typical BMW fair, weighty with some decent feel given the type of car it is. All X5’s came with standard fit electronic stability control which flickers on occasionally when pressing on, its good to know its there.
On the highway the towering driving position is comfortable, the optional leather clad sport pack seats are good to both look at and sit in. Electric adjustment of seat and steering column (with programable presets) makes finding your perfect driving position easy. Its a nice place to be while cruising along the freeway or even simply sitting in the city traffic. On poor surfaces the sports suspension is quite noticeable through the seats though especially in the back, this really is no limousine to those in the rear.
Unfortunately over here in Australia they do like what i call “stupid” gearboxes. So we have a five speed ‘sports’ automatic which to be honest is rubbish. Okay its not that bad for an auto but seriously a manual is the way to go. The autos can be problematic, are more complicated and expensive to maintain and the manual shift mode is dozy and slow so never really gets used.
As for offroad capabilities, well its full time 4wd with a near 50/50 split but with those 50 profile tyres and no locking differentials I’m not sure I’d go too far away from bitumen. We have hit the dirt occasionally and I’ve almost got stuck in an admittedly very wet field with wheels spinning everywhere. I’m pretty sure that with some 17 inch wheels and offroad tyres set on a low psi it would go surprisingly well as long as the going doesn’t get too muddy or require to much wheel articulation. Standard fit Decent Stability Control (DSC) is nicked off Land Rover while under BMW ownership if the downhills become steep.
Styling/Interior
Inside the sport pack gains black headlining, combining that with black leather and silver inserts ours is a nice place to spend time. Standard fit includes aforementioned electric seats, steering column, windows and mirrors a tilt slide glass sunroof, dual climate control, 60/40 split fold rear seat with three headrests, cruise control and a distinctly average sounds system with steering wheel controls that we have upgraded to allow plugging in a phone/ipod.
The fit and finish is first rate not a squeak or rattle after 10 years. The heavy doors close with a reassuring thunk, the surfaces are all nice to touch and of good quality with the exception of the door pulls that seem to wear badly on gen 1 X5’s and the silver inserts which can scratch easily and are pretty plasticy to the touch. The leather is of good quality although the sports seats can wear on the drivers side, so too can the steering wheel leather.
Practicality
As a big car the interior is not that big. Legroom in the front is fine and unless a front seat passenger is exceeding tall then rear seat passengers won’t complain for legs, shoulder or head space although the rather slab like seat base isn’t exactly luxurious. All X5s have a split tail-gate, which is great so much more practical that a standard hatch. The rear seats split 60/40. The boot is a decent size though to be honest not as big as you may expect. With the rear seats down theres almost 2 meters of semi-flat surface to put stuff.
A bonus of owing an older premium car is that at least you get safety equipment thats you would expect in any new car. Anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and ten, yes ten airbags means everyone should walk away not mater what type of accident you might have.