[X6DividedByTwo]

I’ve been looking around the x5 forums for a little while now, but got sucked back into BMW through a friend’s x3mc and recently traded in out ‘17 4runner for a ‘23 30i Carbon Blk/Mocha (Colorway I copied from an m50i that was on the lot for $90k plus).

Guess my question is, will I regret getting the x3 in a few months??? 😂🤣

Once the fiance wrapped her head around an x3 payment, I can’t convince her that we need the x5 now. Kind of wish we had a better sales advisor that would have walked us through more options, but, guess he couldn’t because there is no such thing as inventory anymore. There were maybe 12 cars on the entire lot which was comprised of three floors LOL 🤯

Did anyone else start with x3 or smaller vehicle and work their way up? Any regrets?

[nZtiZia]

we’re a family of 4 with kids in middle school now. I’ve always driven the SAV in our household since 2010, but they were all Audi Q7. the Q5 was too small for our needs considering what we packed back then. as they’ve grown, infant/toddler things gave way to other things like sports equipment, etc, so the SAV size requirements remained the same.

while my wife has always had a bimmer [sedan], the X5 45e was my first bimmer. an X3 wouldn’t accommodate our needs. from others’ input around this forum, the fit and finish on the X5 supersedes the X3, and the X3MC is pretty harsh on the ‘backside.’

TLDR; X5 is more luxurious than X3MC. X3MC provides a more spirited drive than X5. my above bullet points may not even apply to your use case, so you need to ask yourself where your needs and wants lay and what takes priority.

[X6DividedByTwo]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

we’re a family of 4 with kids in middle school now. I’ve always driven the SAV in our household since 2010, but they were all Audi Q7. the Q5 was too small for our needs considering what we packed back then. as they’ve grown, infant/toddler things gave way to other things like sports equipment, etc, so the SAV size requirements remained the same.

while my wife has always had a bimmer [sedan], the X5 45e was my first bimmer. an X3 wouldn’t accommodate our needs. from others’ input around this forum, the fit and finish on the X5 supersedes the X3, and the X3MC is pretty harsh on the ‘backside.’

TLDR; X5 is more luxurious than X3MC. X3MC provides a more spirited drive than X5. my above bullet points may not even apply to your use case, so you need to ask yourself where your needs and wants lay and what takes priority.

Thanks for sharing nZtiZia! We are definitely not into the spirited driving as much as we are just used to a larger platform. We instantly fell in love with a ton of the x3 features and pretty quickly were signing a lease and trading in our car. I SWEAR it all happened so fast lol. Now that my vehicle is in prod we have some downtime and I have just been taking in all the info about all the SAV’s. Thank you again, I’m sure this x3 xDrive30i that we ordered will remain in the family w/ her driving it

[boneca]

I'm on my 3rd X5, e70, e70 m, g05, I drove X3 and X7 and always feel X5 is just the right size for me and I'm not even talking about other brands (I drove them all and also keep coming back to BMW for one reason or another)

my kids were small when I had my first X5 and now they are in College and High School, they all have they own cars but if needed we can all fit in the X5 comfortably

hope this helps

[Keyser Soze]

Yes, I've stubbornly held off for many years and was running a newer full size crew cab 4x4 pickup/535 combo for a few years - but sold the truck off during the 2021 used truck pricing insanity. The last month or so seemed like a good time to finally get an X5 before they go all touch screen and/or eventually get too ugly to look at. I will get a wee trailer and a roof rack for the X5 to use for the continual projects around the house and helping my senior ma out at her house.

[sparrky]

My regret is the other way...

I got an X5 in November. I had been looking around trying to find a new X3 M40i, but was told you can order one, it may take a number of months to get one in.

Being impatient, I reluctantly bought an X5 m-sport, while I like it a lot and had an X5 back in 2013. I find that the X5's girth really doesn't translate to more space, especially in the back seat. My kids have VW's (Tiguan and Taos) and they both are far more roomy in the backseat than the X5. So at this point, I kind of wished I hadn't been impatient and ordered an X3 m40i.

I had also looked at an X3m, apparently the dealer was having trouble getting rid of it. I found the X3m was not necessary for my driving needs and a bit harsh, even on minimally bumpy roads, even in comfort mode.

[arciga18]

Little Things That I learned the hard way.

We had x3 m40 in 2018. Best sounding B58 ever. We hated the transmission hump in the middle of the rear seat. We also hated the tailgate. It is a single piece and we are a messy family. Soccer gear in there all of the time. Any time we opened the tailgate it was a question of will something fall out.

We moved to an X4 with no spare tire. It gives you a tiny 2-3 inch lip in the rear. The way the hatch opens nothing falls out. I just had a terrible experience with trade on that "niche" model and promised I would never buy that model again. Also, terrible blind spots much like the X6.

The X5 gives you the split tailgate and no bump in the middle. The room is reasonable. Yes not the best in the market.

Something to consider.

[X6DividedByTwo]

Originally Posted by arciga18

Little Things That I learned the hard way.

We had x3 m40 in 2018. Best sounding B58 ever. We hated the transmission hump in the middle of the rear seat. We also hated the tailgate. It is a single piece and we are a messy family. Soccer gear in there all of the time. Any time we opened the tailgate it was a question of will something fall out.

We moved to an X4 with no spare tire. It gives you a tiny 2-3 inch lip in the rear. The way the hatch opens nothing falls out. I just had a terrible experience with trade on that "niche" model and promised I would never buy that model again. Also, terrible blind spots much like the X6.

The X5 gives you the split tailgate and no bump in the middle. The room is reasonable. Yes not the best in the market.

Something to consider.

Great info on x4/x6 because our sales advisor tried to talk us into these models as there were a few on hand & we would’nt have to wait to order…

[mlurker]

X2 was the first one - surprisingly roomy fitting 4 adults with a small (but enough for a city life) trunk space.

We tested X3 (non M) and X5 and found X5 to be more comfortable and bigger inside with a decent size of a trunk and better options available (DAP was one of them). An EV tax credit made a price difference between X3 and X5 insignificant considering the amount of options we got with X5 on top of that.

[Flying Ace]

My first was a LCI E70 X5 35d. Love it and hate it relationship, but it wasn't my first BMW vehicle (see signature). F15 was not big of enough upgrade and timing didn't work out for me to consider purchasing.

I'm glad I purchased the G05. Absolutely awesome SUV for what it is made for

[X6DividedByTwo]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

My first was a LCI E70 X5 35d. Love it and hate it relationship, but it wasn't my first BMW vehicle (see signature). F15 was not big of enough upgrade and timing didn't work out for me to consider purchasing.

I'm glad I purchased the G05. Absolutely awesome SUV for what it is made for

I think this G01 will cement us as a BMW only family, sat in a Toyota and Subaru since being sold on the Bimmer and just started pointing out all the flaws in my mind hahahaha

[tooloud10]

Started with an E70 M-sport, eventually sold it and got an F25 X3, which I regretted almost immediately. I thought the X3 would feel like a 7/8-scale X5, but it felt more like a Ford Escape.

Had major problems with both and moved on to other things. Started looking for a new SUV and was surprised to see that the 45e was priced remarkably competitively, so ordered a new one.

[JMD]

Yes! I started with E53,...and have owned every series up to G05.

My X5 list:
- E53 3.0 ! 2002
- E53 4.6is ! 2003
- E53 4.8is ~ 2005
- E70 X5 M ~ 2010
- E70 4.8i Sport ~ 2010
- E70 X5 M ~ 2012
- F15 50i M Sport ~ 2018
- G05 50i M Sport ~ 2019
- G05 45e M Sport ~ 2021

[X6DividedByTwo]

I am seriously considering an older, used, low milage, example as my first x5… Maybe with my lack of garage/driveway (*to do my own repairs and maintenance) I should stick to CPO for now though?

I’ve been lurking on BringATrailer and almost bid on the 07’ x5 from FL with 27k original one owner miles on it… then the listing went over 20k and I lost interest haha

My BMW addiction is starting to take off lol

[JMD]

Originally Posted by X6DividedByTwo

I am seriously considering an older, used, low milage, example as my first x5… Maybe with my lack of garage/driveway (*to do my own repairs and maintenance) I should stick to CPO for now though?

I’ve been lurking on BringATrailer and almost bid on the 07’ x5 from FL with 27k original one owner miles on it… then the listing went over 20k and I lost interest haha

My BMW addiction is starting to take off lol

If you're considering an older model X5, I'd recommend you go with the F15 chassis over the E70. It's not that the E70 is bad,...it's just that the F15 is actually better. Also, even though the designs are quite different, the interior space between the two is nearly identical. In fact, the dimensions of the Front/Rear doors are the same,...being that a set of carried over Weather-Tech Rain guards from my 2012 E70 also was a perfect fit for my 2018 F15 50i. However, the same rain guards would not fit the G05 X5,...as the G05 X5 has larger doors than the E70 and F15.

Also, the F15 35i gets better gas mileage than the same model of the E70 chassis. All the same, good luck with your decision.