[gofast182]

I've been meaning to post this thread for many months. Over the past year and a half several people have asked about towing with the G05 but I haven't seen any detailed answers. We ordered our G05 for my wife but with the intent of towing my S2000 to track weekends where I am a driving instructor with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Northeast Region. Coming from a 2011 Acura MDX with over 100k on the odometer the G05 is a marked improvement.

I tow ~4,000lbs. The S2000 is about 2,800lbs, the trailer (a Trailex CT-7541) is about 900lbs, and I take 10 gallons of extra fuel with me plus some tools in the trunk of the S2000. The trailer has electric brakes and I'm controlling them with a Tekonsha Prodigy RF wireless brake controller (highly recommended).

Acceleration is surprisingly good. While I've never 'floored it' with the trailer attached it is still capable of brisk acceleration if needed, more so than the MDX. When moving the transmission kicks down quickly if needed. At highway speeds (70-75mph) it splits most of its time between 7th and 8th gears. The slightest incline or a strong headwind will put it in 7th. If it's flat and/or there's a tailwind it will run in 8th. If the incline gets steep it might grab 6th. I've never seen the temperature rise above the center "notch" on the gauge (which is where it is when not towing). Stability seems very good as it was with the MDX.

Average MPG while towing is 14-15. Towing up to Watkins Glen maybe about 13, towing down to New Jersey Motorsports Park on a cool day about 16. But usually it's in that 14-15 range. With the MDX I was getting 12-13.

I also rented a core aerator for my lawn which came on a simple light trailer that used a 4 way harness. The guy at the rental place was surprised to see a BMW SUV had both 7 and 4 way hookups (he also liked my Andersen Rapid Hitch) and said, "You know this thing is set up better than a lot of F-150s I get in here." At first I was surprised to hear him say that but then thought a lot of people have trucks who never tow anything with them.

So while my frame of reference is limited, to me the G05 does a good job of towing my trailer, car, and apparently BMW did a good job overall with the towing package. I'm very comfortable towing ~4,000lbs on the 7,200lb rating but I probably wouldn't want to tow too much more than 6,000lbs unless it was a local.

Here are a few shots to complete the story.

[LexxM3]

Nice. Is this a x40i or x50i?

[Tenac]

Great share!

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

Nice. Is this a x40i or x50i?

It's a 40i. I don't find myself wishing we had gotten a 50i.

[Kotkot]

Lol. It’s nothing! I tow 6000lbs 24 foot boat with no issues. And sometime I have to take it over some steep mountain passes.

[martinf79]

Thanks for posting this. I'm new to the towing game, and know absolutely nothing. I have the M50i w the tow package and am looking to get a ~19ft fishing boat (estimate the total weight w trailer to be ~4500 lbs). Given that I have the tow package, if I get a boat that has a trailer with surge brakes, I won't need a brake controller, is that right?

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by martinf79

Thanks for posting this. I'm new to the towing game, and know absolutely nothing. I have the M50i w the tow package and am looking to get a ~19ft fishing boat (estimate the total weight w trailer to be ~4500 lbs). Given that I have the tow package, if I get a boat that has a trailer with surge brakes, I won't need a brake controller, is that right?

Correct you wouldn't need a brake controller. Just make sure the system is in good working order.

[CrashFL]

Late to the game on this thread, but do you have air suspension?

[James_G0540i]

The X5 is a brilliant towing vehicle, and with the 30d / Diesel and the M-sport brakes make it a breeze. The amount of low down torque means you can barely notice you're towing anything - the occasional clunk sound from the mechanical brakes on the towing rig is the only reminder.

I've got the adaptive M-Suspension (with the M-sport package including brakes), and I'm fine - and the question as to whether you need air suspension I think comes back to what you are towing and how much down-weight on the tow-ball.

I tow a 16-foot fibre-gass boat, and total weight (boat+trailer) is around ~3500lbs (~1600kgs). The weight is nicely spreadout and distributed; as the total trailer rig is around 21-feet, so the down-weight at ball is only around ~350lbs (~160kgs) which is 10% - what its supposed to be. This is barely noticeble on the rear suspension - so the standard M-Suspension handles it well.

Now if I was going to tow something shorter, where the weight is more concentrated at the front of the trailer, and therefore more weight on the ball - then I'd go for the air-suspension, which has a self leveling function that would raise the rear suspension if it notices the car is not level. This illuminates the back-end sag that you see on a lot of cars towing - which can put too much stress on the rear suspension, de-stabilize driving and be dangerous in emergency braking situations. Just my 2c worth ....

[Multimodal]

@Kotkot @gofast182 A few questions: Do you know what your tongue weight is? How much does your rear suspension sag? Do you have the OEM tow hitch or an aftermarket one?