[1CA]

I'm considering buying a new '21 X5 xDrive 40i . What is the consensus on reliability?

[Paladin1]

Mechanically, ours have been as reliable as any cars we've owned (maybe with the exception of Lexus), and have every option. OTA updates, not so much.

[jettie1767]

I've not had problems with reliability on BMWs for the past 11 years. I've owned most of their model lineup except for the 2, 8, X1 and X7.

[Lance Alot]

Originally Posted by jettie1767

I've not had problems with reliability on BMWs for the past 11 years. I've owned most of their model lineup except for the 2, 8, X1 and X7.

I have been driving them for over 20 years, and I generally sell my cars after 5 or 6 years. My current X5M is the first time I have leased, so it will be shorter than that. The only one that ever gave me problems was the X5 diesel, and that was covered under warranty repair with ~30K miles on it. It was related to the complex fuel/emissions system, and I never had an issue with it after.

[-Vanguard-]

Mechanically sound be fine.

Tech and electronics, not so much.

Also, these things have a habit for failing steering column motors and power litigate motors.

[sailj22]

German cars are great but sometimes they have some quirks. I purchased not only the 100k mile warranty from BMW but also the maintenance for 100k miles as well. In theory, I should only have to pay for tires until 100k. My wife's X3 is 4 years old and zero issues thus far.

[Beemertj]

My opinion on the flat 6 is fairly consistent. Here you go!

Yes reliable, but the leaks these motors get, can be damn expensive! So, expect $2000-$6000 at 100,000 miles.

Valve covers, leaks at the oil-fill, are not uncommon. The dealer will charge a TON to fix!

[cellarrat]

Unfortunately, the reliability data you get here will all be anecdotal, impacted by confirmation bias, and of little utility in making the decision you have in front of you. There are lots of satisfied Fiat owners too; doesn't mean they are reliable.

The data you (and I!) could really use are hard to come by. You have the Consumer Reports and JD Powers reliability information, which is useful, in a way, but hardly rigorously scientific. I suppose you can be comforted by the fact that the CR data are presumably defective in the same way for all brands so comparisons among them can be educational.

For the X5 those data are a mixed bag, reporting generally high quality but high defect rates for the electronics (due to their complexity, no doubt). I suspect (but cannot prove) that a lot of the customer complaints about the tech on the car come from people who are afraid of it, don't really know how to use it, or are having set-up issues and are lost in its complexity and just go to the dealer to "fix" things that aren't really broken.

I'd love to find another source of rigorous reliability data but have found none

[Frenetic]

Here's my very anecdotal view of German cars: each model tends to have at least one catastrophic weak link that is very expensive or sometimes outright cost prohibitive to repair. Furthermore, parts and labor for any type of non-standard repair is very expensive.

For example, the Audi S7 I had is known for blowing turbos due to oil starvation. New turbos, assuming the metallic shards aren't sucked into the combustion chamber, costs upwards of $11k to replace.

Most of these issues aren't apparent at first and only crop up after a few years of ownership. And, since modern cars (especially German) share very little from generation to generation--with new engine iterations, parts, software, etc., often all new for a model change--lessons learned can't always be applied and new yet-to-be-discovered catastrophic problems always seem to crop up after a while.

German engineering is like whack-a-mole. Solve one problem and another arises to take its place...

[akin67]

Originally Posted by sailj22

German cars are great but sometimes they have some quirks. I purchased not only the 100k mile warranty from BMW but also the maintenance for 100k miles as well. In theory, I should only have to pay for tires until 100k. My wife's X3 is 4 years old and zero issues thus far.

If you can share, how many years did those 100K warranties & maintenance contracts cover, and what did each cost?

Thanks,

[JayInVa]

Just my two cents - Can't share anything reliability-wise specifically and personally, as this is my first BMW. But from everything I've read on these forums and elsewhere, if you are getting the 40 with the B58 engine it is one of the more "reliable" power plants, relatively speaking. While I could have gotten and would have loved to get the 50 or M50 with the V8 and unmistakable power, it just wasn't worth the potential headaches and added expense I've heard about; eating oil like a can of Pringles and the fuel economy. Having been in Hondas years back and an Infiniti in the past 10 years, I resigned myself very quickly to the fact that the concept of reliability here will be very different. I accepted before I bought the X5 (along with a warranty) that I WILL be paying for maintenance and significantly more than I've been used to. I just accepted that as the total price of ownership and driving this amazing machine. As they say, you get what you pay for.