[OMGU812]

So...it's time to trade Old Faithful and get some new wheels. You're gonna grit your teeth, pack up the squad and head to a dealership or 2. Well, here's my thoughts and experiences throughout the process.

Test Drives: This car was going to be for my wife, who was tired of driving a 2016 Escalade ESV. We drove both the X5 and the Q8, convinced that the Q8 was the direction we'd go. My daughter drives the Q5, and we love it, so it seemed logical that we'd go with the Q8. In fact, we drove the X5 just so we could tell ourselves that we tried something else before we bought the Q8. In our opinion, the only place the Q8 won was interior space. Everywhere else - power, build quality, interior sound levels, ride - but especially just the quality feel inside - the X5 won hands down in our eyes.

Ordering: We ordered an X5 50i carbon black, coffee interior, Msport, 22's and with every option except glass controls, night vision and the trailer hitch (wanted to make sure we had the "kick to open" feather for the back hatch). We ordered on December 20 and took delivery last Monday (2/18). Production tracker was pretty much right on, although it showed that the X5 arrived at the dealer a few days before it actually did.

Initial Impressions:

Wrinkly Back Seats: Do. Not. Worry. About. This. Seriously. It's fine. Your seats will be fine. Stop checking the "Wrinkly Seat" thread. In the immortal words of Queen Elsa, "Let it go!"

Idrive 7 Issues: So here's the deal. It will take about 2 days for all the Idrive stuff to get to where it's updated and synced up. Exactly the same as my Merc. Be patient. Yes, you might have to reboot the system a time or 2 (hold the power/volume button for 30 seconds or so). Yes, you might have to lob a call into the 800 help line to get the apps updated. Just remember you basically have a PC in your car.

Overall Impression: So far (less than a week in) totally pleased. The ride is superb. I would say probably 95% as good as the 'Slade, which is impressive given the materially shorter wheelbase. It's also about 95% as quiet - again impressive given that the 'Slade has active noise cancelling. The technology is fantastic. Very intuitive, easy and pleasant to use. All the autonomous driving kit is very impressive. I have all the lane keeping and distance pilot gear in my '17 Merc, and the BMW gear operates at another level - especially the traffic jam assist.

22's ride great. Comfort setting is...very comfortable. Sport setting, feels like to me it could be a bit more sporty at this point. Having said that, I haven't had a chance to really stretch her legs. And - it's my wife's car, it's an SUV and it's not an M. I tend to compare it to my AMG C63s, which is completely unfair. To be honest, I was concerned my wife would think it rode to stiffly. Not an issue - truly a great cruiser.

Issues so far: We're getting an intermittent parking sensor warning.

If you have specific questions, fire away and I'll do my best to answer. In short, we love this car so far and highly recommend it.

[thomas_Rp]

trailer hitch (wanted to make sure we had the "kick to open" feather for the back hatch).

We need trailer hitch to get the kick to open feature? Ugh.

[rmorin1249]

Incorrect. Factory hitch deletes kick to open feature.

[OMGU812]

Originally Posted by thomas_Rp

We need trailer hitch to get the kick to open feature? Ugh.

To be clear - we did NOT order the trailer hitch so that we WOULD have the kick-to-open feature. (That, and we never tow anything.)

[AndroidRobot]

post some pictures! I'm glad she made the switch, anything is a step up from GM build quality. The 50i will definitely be quicker too, I'm sure your wife is enjoying her new ride!

[X5_CC]

You'll love that V8 way more than the engine found in the Q8.

I traded a GMC Yukon Denali with the same 420 hp 6.2L V8 as in your Escalade. Mine had a 10 sp automatic that really let the car stay in the power band when accelerating. My X5 is only the 40i, but it is slightly quicker than the Yukon.. so your 50i will probably feel crazy fast compared to your Escalade

[OMGU812]

Originally Posted by AndroidRobot

post some pictures! I'm glad she made the switch, anything is a step up from GM build quality. The 50i will definitely be quicker too, I'm sure your wife is enjoying her new ride!

Will do. It's been nasty rainy here for the last few days, so the car's a mess. It's going to be relatively boring compared with your murdered-out rig!

I will say that the Caddy did us mostly right, aside from a few typical GM issues - mainly the transmission. In my opinion though, there are few better long road trip vehicles than a late model 'Slade ESV. That thing absolutely ate up the miles in no-kidding, stretch out comfort for 6 people and all their bags. And then it came time to park it...

[thomas_Rp]

Originally Posted by OMGU812

To be clear - we did NOT order the trailer hitch so that we WOULD have the kick-to-open feature. (That, and we never tow anything.)

My Bad :-)

Looking forward to the photos!

[AndroidRobot]

Originally Posted by OMGU812

Will do. It's been nasty rainy here for the last few days, so the car's a mess. It's going to be relatively boring compared with your murdered-out rig!

I will say that the Caddy did us mostly right, aside from a few typical GM issues - mainly the transmission. In my opinion though, there are few better long road trip vehicles than a late model 'Slade ESV. That thing absolutely ate up the miles in no-kidding, stretch out comfort for 6 people and all their bags. And then it came time to park it...

Rainy? what part of Texas? We currently have some beautiful 30-40mph sustained winds, nothing unusual... Murdered out, perhaps, it's not done yet. I have a few more things to do (black wheels would complete the look) so once I decide you'll see.

American SUV's do have more interior space, there's no debating on that front. A neighbor has an ESV, so damn big! It doesn't fit in their garage. I'm more envious of my other neighbor with an F85 X5M + F90 X5 in their driveway

[russelldav]

[Captain Gumbo]

I'm making the same trade from a 2016 Escalade ESV to the X5 50i. I'll miss all the room, but I used the third row so rarely, it's just not worth it. I'll miss the towing capacity. I know it's only 1000 lb difference, but I was towing 9500 lbs with the Escalade, and I just don't see that being a good idea with the X5 unless it's an absolute emergency. I just love the tech the BMW has compared to the Escalade, and I couldn't bring myself to move to the last model year before an update on the Caddy, and I was starting to think it was time for a change.

[Yogujuhere]

Hey, didn't see it mentioned. Which suspension package did you order? Can you comment a little more on how you felt about the comfort especially pertaining to the specific suspension thats on your car (pot holes etc.)

[magbarn]

Originally Posted by Yogujuhere

Hey, didn't see it mentioned. Which suspension package did you order? Can you comment a little more on how you felt about the comfort especially pertaining to the specific suspension thats on your car (pot holes etc.)

We have the 22's on regular M sport suspension and initially I thought we would need the air suspension, but the m sport adjustable suspension is plenty comfortable. Rides much smoother than my G30 5'er with msport non adjustable suspension on 20's with horrible good year RF's!
The air suspension would be another level of comfort.
Potholes can still be loud, but the fact that it has go flats instead of RF means it isn't that bad.

[OMGU812]

Originally Posted by Yogujuhere

Hey, didn't see it mentioned. Which suspension package did you order? Can you comment a little more on how you felt about the comfort especially pertaining to the specific suspension thats on your car (pot holes etc.)

We got the Dynamic Handling Package with the 22’s. I was initially concerned about the ride on the 22’s, but as it turns out, its very comfortable. Frankly, it’s more “cushy” than I expected, but that’s perfect for my wife’s car. In “Sport” mode, it gets a bit firmer, but still very comfortable.

What’s really impressive is how flat the X5 remains cornering. Truly, almost no sway at all for such a (relatively) large vehicle. The more I drive this car, the more I love it. Truly a great machine so far.