[salvelinus]

hi all, looking to add a new suv - drove back to back the v8 and the hybrid. Overall thought it was quite interesting, especially after reading a lot recently, how much 'better' I thought the hybrid was.

-Almost as quick as the v8 – really didn't feel the V8 offered real world performance improvements.
-V8 sound honestly is muted – why not let it breath and hear it more?
-transmission of hybrid seemed smoother / more refined. Comparing the X5 m60 to the powertrain of the 4 year old audi S8 I drive daily I was surprised with the lack of refinement both in low power and full power shift.
-ride quality biggest difference. the standard air on the xdrive50 was so much smoother, more refined, overall better than the adaptive on the m60. Both were on 20 inch wheels. X5 is a truck after all so the harshness of the stiffer suspension seems not worth it as the body roll is still significant. During the m60 drive I was about to write off the x5 totally but glad I tried the air. (and understood the air can be optioned with the v8 as well)

anyway we are most likely going to proceed with the hybrid but curious if I am missing anything. not what I was expecting!

And a question – any insight if the 2024 problems with the hybrid have been ironed out yet? Cross shopping cayenne S but don't think the porsche tax is worth it at the moment.

[TurtleBoy]

Welcome to the forum. I think your test drives show what many have concluded in that there is very little difference between the two as a daily driver as far as acceleration/power goes.

So far we have definitely not seen the frequency of issues with the MY25 that we saw with the MY24's. There have been a few CEL's but nothing like the previous model year.

Good luck with your decision.

[BlkGS]

They are aimed at two different markets. The 50e is a cruiser, or a regular soft riding X5 with a bit more thrust. The M60i is for someone who wants a sport SUV, something that can be both a luxurious family cruiser, and also flip the personality switch and be a sports car when they want it.

The M60i is more a Cayenne GTS competitor without the price tag.

[eelnoraa]

I don’t get why people refer x5 as a truck. It is nowhere that. It has a monocoque body structure, no lattice frame like in trunk. It is more similar to a sedan than to a truck. Truck base suv is like 4Runner, GX, suburban, expedition ….. those.

[Jcit]

I agree with your assessment. I test drove both 2024 models as you did and ended up going with the 50e because it offered more power than I really needed but was so much smoother than the M60i because of the electric motor and the air suspension. I am very happy with my decision except for several CEL issues with my 2024 model related to the high voltage system. BMW recently put up the $ to get me out of the 2024 and into a new 2025 50e which is currently in production. Keeping my fingers crossed that the 2025 will have better reliability with the high voltage system because I absolutely love this vehicle.

[PunsGalore]

25' model year has less known issues than the 24' model did. Rule of thumb is to not buy a first year model, including the first year of the refreshed model (in BMW speak, LCI)

[Darkmann]

Originally Posted by eelnoraa

I don’t get why people refer x5 as a truck. It is nowhere that. It has a monocoque body structure, no lattice frame like in trunk. It is more similar to a sedan than to a truck. Truck base suv is like 4Runner, GX, suburban, expedition ….. those.

A lot of us older folks grew up with SUVs built from truck chassis. Over time that has changed but I doubt many of us care about the details to update our minds, thus the truck designation. So, if not truck and not car, what is it?

[matowi]

One thing I found surprising in OP’s account of his experiences with M60i and 50e was the comment about transmission of the M60i being not refined

Call me a caveman or some other highly uncultured or uncivilized being, because my view couldn’t be more different

I barely notice the transmission exists — smooth, quick, decisive and barely perceptible. That is until you flick it into sport, and set the whole drivetrain into sport - the transmission becomes hard, snappy, pronounced. But that’s by design. Two completely different personalities you can toggle with a push of a button

Anyway, I won’t be forcing my view on OP or anyone else for that matter. Just wanted to balance the perspectives

As far as I can tell from my own experiences (it’s my third car with this transmission), and if I refer to the plenty opinions by motoring journalists, there’s hardly anything to blame the venerable ZF 8 speed for. Some journalists go as far as saying this is the best mass produced gearbox available on the market (not a match for some exotics, like Ferrari etc), but definitely not worse than VW’s DSGs (not the Porsche’s PDK)

Just to be sure, if the OP is going to be happy with 50e and enjoy its smoother ride, I’m gonna be as much happy as he is

As said above, BMW caters for many markets and preferences. As long as the OP goes with a BMW, we all win

[salvelinus]

thanks all, glad to hear the '25 seems to be a bit of an improvement from the reliability perspective (went through some quite annoying issues on the mild hybrid I have now with the audi)

In respect to a truck, certainly a bit of a exaggeration but compared with my experience with a variety of higher performance sedans and dedicated performance cars the body roll in particular is hard to hide (cayenne was better there but there is only so much you can do with weight and center of gravity). But this is all of course nit picking very impressive engineering. I think at a certain point you just need a couple different cars for different experiences

Transmission wise– might have just been a fluke but in the m60 when going from park to drive, for example, there was a noticeable clunk/vibration that was surprising.

now to decide between the Manhattan green and carbon black ...

[Jcit]

Originally Posted by matowi

One thing I found surprising in OP’s account of his experiences with M60i and 50e was the comment about transmission of the M60i being not refined

Call me a caveman or some other highly uncultured or uncivilized being, because my view couldn’t be more different

I barely notice the transmission exists — smooth, quick, decisive and barely perceptible. That is until you flick it into sport, and set the whole drivetrain into sport - the transmission becomes hard, snappy, pronounced. But that’s by design. Two completely different personalities you can toggle with a push of a button

Anyway, I won’t be forcing my view on OP or anyone else for that matter. Just wanted to balance the perspectives

As far as I can tell from my own experiences (it’s my third car with this transmission), and if I refer to the plenty opinions by motoring journalists, there’s hardly anything to blame the venerable ZF 8 speed for. Some journalists go as far as saying this is the best mass produced gearbox available on the market (not a match for some exotics, like Ferrari etc), but definitely not worse than VW’s DSGs (not the Porsche’s PDK)

Just to be sure, if the OP is going to be happy with 50e and enjoy its smoother ride, I’m gonna be as much happy as he is

As said above, BMW caters for many markets and preferences. As long as the OP goes with a BMW, we all win

I agree the X5 transmission is super smooth in all BMW X5 models. I came from an Audi Q8 which struggled with gear shifting, especially at low speeds. For the X5 models, I think the advantage of the 50e over the M60i is in start/stop and low speed transmission shifts which are essentially non-existent because of the PHEV electric motor taking over (unless there is no charge or in Sport mode). That was the shifting performance area that swayed me to the 50e. Also, at high speed when you need a little power boost the electric motor is available instantly with no turbo lag (turbo lag is minimal in X5 compared to Q8 which was horrible)

[RNorb]

To me, the transmission is smooth but the sound of the engine revving up makes it seem like the engine is working harder than it should during normal acceleration and in comfort mode.

[matowi]

Originally Posted by salvelinus

thanks all, glad to hear the '25 seems to be a bit of an improvement from the reliability perspective (went through some quite annoying issues on the mild hybrid I have now with the audi)

In respect to a truck, certainly a bit of a exaggeration but compared with my experience with a variety of higher performance sedans and dedicated performance cars the body roll in particular is hard to hide (cayenne was better there but there is only so much you can do with weight and center of gravity). But this is all of course nit picking very impressive engineering. I think at a certain point you just need a couple different cars for different experiences

Transmission wise– might have just been a fluke but in the m60 when going from park to drive, for example, there was a noticeable clunk/vibration that was surprising.

now to decide between the Manhattan green and carbon black ...

Manhattan green. There’s uniqueness 100% of time plus amazing depth in direct sunlight. In comparison, Carbon Black is just black with a hint or purple and blue which show 0.5% of time. If you want black, the sapphire would be the choice. It’s deep, clean, no-nonsense black that makes a point.


As for the transmission: must have been a fluke on the example you were driving (and a very surprising one). I don’t experience anything worrying in how the gearbox operates when parking (back and forth between drive/reverse/park, etc)

[matowi]

Originally Posted by Darkmann

A lot of us older folks grew up with SUVs built from truck chassis. Over time that has changed but I doubt many of us care about the details to update our minds, thus the truck designation. So, if not truck and not car, what is it?

Well, if not truck (or pickup), and not car… the rest of the world just says SUV

[Snave01]

Originally Posted by RNorb

To me, the transmission is smooth but the sound of the engine revving up makes it seem like the engine is working harder than it should during normal acceleration and in comfort mode.

That may be the artificial sound piped in the cabin

Originally Posted by matowi

Well, if not truck (or pickup), and not car… the rest of the world just says SUV

And for some models for a time it was SAV Do they even use that anymore?

I wish I could have gotten the air suspension with the 40i along with the M packages

[Daveschally]

Between those two colors Manhattan Green all day. Saw one the other day and wow.
I have the 2025 50e and can’t imagine ever needing more power. Air suspension is the pick for me due to bumpy roads where I live. Money not being an object for gas and msrp i would go full XM and skip the middle X5 probably

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by Daveschally

i would go full XM and skip the middle X5 probably

Wouldn't keep one if it was given to me. Not worth the aggravation of the terrible ride and transmission/drivetrain.

[Galex999]

Having 330e currently, I seriously considered 50e for my next car and in fact I ordered one. But I switched to xDrive40i for two main reasons.

First, many 50e owners are having either check engine light or more serious high voltage drive train issues. When I asked my BMW sales manager, he told me this is very true and there are always several brand new 50e in their shop. In fact, he ADVISED me to get regular I6 engine instead. I know some lucky 50e drivers don't see this issue, but I'm sure I'll have this issue based on my life luck story.

Second, I think the ability to run EV only is both blessing and curse. When I drive my current 330e PHEV, I tend to constantly switch the drive modes to maximize the fuel efficiency. This is great for saving $$ and I don't have to go to gas station often. But I don't get to enjoy the "maximum performance" of 330e as much as I could. I get it, I can always use the maximum performance setting on my car, but sometimes I get tired of always having to think about how much battery is left and which mode I should use.... With the longer EV range on 50e, I'll most likely not even turn on the B58 engine during my daily commute. That will be a shame since 50e offers so much more performance.

[Darkmann]

Originally Posted by salvelinus

...
Transmission wise– might have just been a fluke but in the m60 when going from park to drive, for example, there was a noticeable clunk/vibration that was surprising....

No clunk on mine. It is smooth. I use my parking brake all the time. Do you notice that with use of parking brake?