[dream54ing]

Did anyone get a BMW because its a BMW?

We purchased a BMW because we considered ourselves superior than other people on the road. Plus its a status symbol, it is a must have living in the high end neighborhood. Did I mention the bragging rights! When we drive to the ghetto to visit family and friends, we get all the attention with a BMW!

or just because Hondas and toyotas are unexceptionable.
We are here to impress with our BMW!

Who's with me?

[Tenac]

We bought a 2019, X3 M40i and X5 50i because our neighbor has two Tesla's. Now every time we start them up the neighbor hears and misses the sound....

Real answer, we test drove it against all others that is all one needs to do.

[MystroX5]

Because I own all the other German cars already..... Not really, that is just a byproduct of not being brand centric.
The real reason is the X5 is the best luxury SUV of the new crop.

Edit: I also wanted to add that that the BMW brand shares a similar focus to driving and ownership priorities as all my Porsche 911’s I have had for 3 decades. There is a DNA of driving focus in the cars that other German brands lack. From the 2 series to the 7 series it’s there. The others can make some nice cars but that “x” quality just isn’t there.

[LexxM3]

X5 is my 3rd bimmer. The first two were M3s, all tracked. I bought all of them because they are relative-bargain driver's cars. I think X5 is a pretty good instantiation of this philosophy trade off with utility, with perhaps an excess of useless and complicated-and-therefore-unreliable technologies. I don't care about anything else that's been mentioned, bragging rights, status, or whatever.

[dream54ing]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

X5 is my 3rd bimmer. The first two were M3s, all tracked. I bought all of them because they are relative-bargain driver's cars. I think X5 is a pretty good instantiation of this philosophy trade off with utility, with perhaps an excess of useless and complicated-and-therefore-unreliable technologies. I don't care about anything else that's been mentioned, bragging rights, status, or whatever.

I guess my sarcasm didn't get that far with you

my main reason is because wife wanted it. I dont know much about engine nor had a car with more than 200 HP, I love it because its a quality built cars, great design, just a fun vehicle to drive!

[amphiprion]

The X5 has comfort, tech, performance and style/presence in the right balance.

Out of the three close competitors... I can't, or choose not to identify with the Mercedes brand (though regardless of that, the pre-GLE revamp interior looked and felt way out of date).

Audi and Lexus' engines and power delivery in competing SUV products were not as refined.

Also, out of all the car infotainment systems, iDrive is the slickest. It's like Apple vs Android, where BMW is the former.

But the OP posted the true reason, we're really looking to impress the ghetto neighborhoods we roll through everyday on our way to the BMW dealer to get software update 2019.06.04 version 99, while they repair things out of warranty.

[dream54ing]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Because I own all the other German cars already..... Not really, that is just a byproduct of not being brand centric.
The real reason is the X5 is the best luxury SUV of the new crop.

I love the porsche but wife doesnt and out of our budget

[dream54ing]

Originally Posted by Tenac

We bought a 2019, X3 M40i and X5 50i because our neighbor has two Tesla's. Now every time we start them up the neighbor hears and misses the sound....

Real answer, we test drove it against all others that is all one needs to do.

neighbors cant heard ours, but my sister is visiting from out of town and is sleeping in the room directly under the garage. guess what happens 6am every morning? our 40i still rumbo at startup waking her ass up! cant even imagine the 50i,

[Marty in NY]

Back in 1980, I was coming off a 1976 280Z and had a one year old...right, his car seat was bolted into the rear hatch :-) Well, he didn't complain. It was time for a see-dan.
it was between a new Saab or the BMW, I had already eliminated the other brands. I wanted something that felt solid, which I guess translated into a stiffer suspension than the competition, something with good visibility, adequate power and fun to drive. I didn't have a lot of money to spend and the BMW was more expensive than the Saab but after driving them both, I bought the BMW...a 1980 320i and it stretched the budget at $13,333. Been driving BMW's ever since. Each one still fit the bill, why mess with success.

Met my wife, she was driving a 1976 2002. We both have the same taste in cars. Have no good reason to change. So BMW better belly up to the bar and deal with these issues so I can continue the legacy

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by dream54ing

I guess my sarcasm didn't get that far with you

my main reason is because wife wanted it. I dont know much about engine nor had a car with more than 200 HP, I love it because its a quality built cars, great design, just a fun vehicle to drive!

Apologies for that, just too fast a read on a quick break from work mind-numbing-but-required paperwork. Usually not bad at detecting sarcasm and humour.

More seriously, I don't consider bimmers for quality. I consider bimmers as driver-focused cars, great driving performance, relative bargains as such, but of average quality at best. I will never own a new bimmer out of warranty ever again (a track special is a different story, but I will likely need to go back to E36 or E46 M3s for that).

[dream54ing]

Originally Posted by amphiprion

The X5 has comfort, tech, performance and style/presence in the right balance.

Out of the three close competitors... I can't, or choose not to identify with the Mercedes brand (though regardless of that, the pre-GLE revamp interior looked and felt way out of date).

Audi and Lexus' engines and power delivery in competing SUV products were not as refined.

Also, out of all the car infotainment systems, iDrive is the slickest. It's like Apple vs Android, where BMW is the former.

But the OP posted the true reason, we're really looking to impress the ghetto neighborhoods we roll through everyday on our way to the BMW dealer to get software update 2019.06.04 version 99, while they repair things out of warranty.

you live in Cali, can imagine the ghetto. I'm originally from LA and ghetto is an understatement in most areas

[Dex05]

I bought my X5 because I was looking for comfortable, safe and performance family car full of tech.

Lexus, Mercedes was to out of date and old fashion to me. Porsche was too sporty and not a comfort family car.

Audi was good enough by X5 had most up-to-date tech built.

[Chloros]

My socal neighborhood is filled with Tesla's. I have yet to see a new X5....which makes me wonder if deals are not being offered. I seen 2 used ones recently purchased but not the new model. My street alone has 6 models X's. Model 3's are almost like civics here.....this is Irvine/Newport Beach area.

Im in the market for a new X5 since my 2014 is coming up to 100k but i must say....my wifes Model S is a joy to drive and we have spent next to nothing on maintenance in the 5 years of owning it.

[amphiprion]

Originally Posted by Chloros

My socal neighborhood is filled with Tesla's. I have yet to see a new X5....which makes me wonder if deals are not being offered. I seen 2 used ones recently purchased but not the new model. My street alone has 6 models X's. Model 3's are almost like civics here.....this is Irvine/Newport Beach area.

Im in the market for a new X5 since my 2014 is coming up to 100k but i must say....my wifes Model S is a joy to drive and we have spent next to nothing on maintenance in the 5 years of owning it.

In Laguna, the Model S are the Accords and Camries. That's not a bad thing, by any means. And apparently, just as reliable... glad to hear it has been trouble-free for you. The Model S is a blast. No Model X for you either?

[radelow]

Just ordered my X5. This will be my fourth X5 (and I dunno how many BMW's...hahaha). I lapsed for a bit and replaced my previous 2015 X5 with a 2017 Volvo XC90. While a beautiful car inside and out it just doesn't have the level of refinement that the German's do. That is except for the interior which really is second to NONE. But here are my observations and why I went back to BMW.

1. The Volvo's four cylinder engine, while amazing that a two liter can produce over 315hp with both a turbo and supercharger bolted to it... just isn't refined. It doesn't make great noises when pushed. In addition to that it had the worst throttle mapping of any car I have ever driven. The throttle travel was not linear and it seems like in the first 10% of throttle pedal travel, 30% of the throttle plate opened. Made it hard to feather the throttle. Went to the dealer numerous times to get fixed.

2. Horrible gas mileage. I averaged, over the life of my ownership (28,000 miles) 17 MPG. I expect more. Much more. The point being a four cylinder really isn't suited to a large heavy car.

3. The Sensus system, which is Volvo's infotainment system, is well designed from a human factors standpoint. However Volvo moved almost all controls to the touchscreen. The biggest problem with that was HVAC. There were no physical controls for it so you had to deal with a non-tactile system. It get's old after awhile. On top of that the processor behind the system is not very fast so it took 30-45 seconds to boot up from cold. This means at times the backup camera wouldn't work if I put the car into reverse quickly. Also the radio would be stuck on whatever you were last listening to and you couldn't change it until the system booted up. Yes I am impatient. Not to mention all kinds of little software bugs. Sometimes I couldn't adjust the volume of the stereo...or the phone if I was on a call...or the navigation voice.

4. Not a great service experience. If I am spending almost $80k on a car I expect service to have a loaner for me EVERY TIME. My dealer, the largest in San Diego, only has around 10 loaners. So most of the time I would have to ask for a rental car. Then wait for them to come pick me up. Then wait in line at Enterprise. Then get a mediocre car at best (think Nissan Altima). Not okay. My Service Advisor was great though so I don't fault him.

5. Atrocious brake pad use. I went through an entire set of brakes in 15k miles. Volvo's response was "That's normal".

I know it sounds like an awful car but when everything was working and you were cruising on the freeway it was an OUTSTANDING automobile. But it's about the whole experience.

As far as other manufactures I looked at before ordering the X5:

Porsche - Cayenne is amazing but OVERPRICED. I am a Porsche fan (own at 991) but I couldn't get over the $20k price difference.

Audi - The Q7 is pure and simple ugly on the outside. The interior is great but I want to drive a car that looks good too. Plus they were unwilling to give any kind of reasonable discount off MSRP.

Mercedes - The GLE450 seems like a very nice car. Well thought out and looks much better than the last one. MSRP pricing is higher than the BMW (~$5k similarly equipped). 90-120 days to get one with no promise of any kind of discount until it arrives. I only drove the GLE350 so won't comment on the engine but suspension-wise it is much less "sporty" than the X5.

Japanese - Have never owned a Japanese SUV and never will. I don't like the design aesthetic inside and out.

That about sums it up for me... Sorry for the long drawn out discussion!

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Because I own all the other German cars already..... Not really, that is just a byproduct of not being brand centric.
The real reason is the X5 is the best luxury SUV of the new crop.

The very best SUV EVER according to car and driver ....

I bought it before I ever read a word about it. Drove a Lincoln nautilus, which was a good car, then a MB something-or-other, hated it and got treated like sh*t at the dealer.

So I googled other dealers on Delmarva and saw BMW. Slogged 90 minutes on back roads to get there - That dealer also sells MB, but he said I was too young for a Mercedes. Hook, line and sinker ...

I went for a ride in an x3 and said “too small.” Drove the X5 and just loved it. When the young, sweet and courteous SA told me they will pick up/drop off your car for any service forever, that was it.

I fell at his feet, begging him to sell me a car. It was like seeing the perfect candy bar at checkout - just had to have it.

I spent the next few days negotiating and asking questions via text and put in my order. Then I spent the next five weeks researching my new car—because I knew absolutely nothing about BMW.

Everything I read further convinced me I had made the right decision. Should I have done more legwork before choosing a car? Absolutely. But my gut instinct never leads me astray (thank goodness).

Researching a car to buy is always quite the headache - we have helped both of our daughters choose cars in recent years. So the memory was very fresh. After days of driving them around to test drive various cars, I said “enough. Pick one.”

I don’t care that I never laid eyes on an Audi, Lexus, Tesla, Porsche, Range Rover or Jeep. Perfectly pleased with myself.

Love ❤️ love ❤️ love my new X5!

[edtreo]

After 4 MBs, got tired of the same thing.

[Chloros]

Originally Posted by amphiprion

In Laguna, the Model S are the Accords and Camries. That's not a bad thing, by any means. And apparently, just as reliable... glad to hear it has been trouble-free for you. The Model S is a blast. No Model X for you either?

The model X that i want is over 100k . I'm actually waiting to see the X refresh late this year.....rumor has the long range hitting close to 400 miles.

[rmorin1249]

Originally Posted by BMWModel3

They lease the best and free maintenance

+1

[Aimster82]

Because when you go to a Mercedes or a Porsche dealership they lol at you if you try to get 10% off MSRP.

...
My X3 M40I I picked it because it had a nicer interior and it was faster than the GLC AMG43 and SQ5.

X5 5.0 I didn't even compare it to anything else. I don't like the 100% touch screen interface the rest of the Europeans are doing.

[solstice]

In 1985 I did all my paid learners training in my driving schools brand new BMW 318i. It was a revelation in how balanced, light, taut but smooth and compliant it was. The BMW secret sauce had me hooked after the first 100 yards and the rest is a long history of cars with never more than 4 years without a BMW. No other cars except Porsche feel as right behind the wheel, simple as that. Though the sauce is now unfortunately weak in non M cars which is why my latest BMWs has been exclusively M3s and I’m very cautiously considering a non M G05. It feels 50/50 that it can be another Cayenne, partly due to the puzzling suspension configurations with the tauter options requiring $25k of options...

[magna6882]

I had a toyota tundra as a work truck for hauling tools and an acura nsx for playing around. My wife has a 18 audi q7 and after riding in it a bit i thought if i put the rear seats down i can basically use it as a truck so the only challenge was can it compete in the fun factor of the nsx. Went to dealer and put together a 50i msport dhp ect. Fun car to drive and i can haul three of four bags of cement. No loyalty to the brand. It was between the x5 or the glc 63 but the glc was a
little to small for hauling.
Thats my reason.