[Kripab]

Im about to place my order for Australian Delivery.

40i is not yet available and earliest cars are a couple of months away. Means a factory order. Consequently I cant test drive.

30d (and 50d) is available for immediate delivery.

Can any one share their first hand comments on whether the 40i is a better choice. Ive seen the performance statistics but haven't driven.

Thanks

[MPoweRo]

Originally Posted by Kripab

Im about to place my order for Australian Delivery.

40i is not yet available and earliest cars are a couple of months away. Means a factory order. Consequently I cant test drive.

30d (and 50d) is available for immediate delivery.

Can any one share their first hand comments on whether the 40i is a better choice. Ive seen the performance statistics but haven't driven.

Thanks

I think I'll have mine by April so
I'll let you know then.

[WantedAnM3]

I test drove an X3 M40i and G05 30d back to back. The 40i unit is definitely sweeter from a driving enthusiast perspective, and the 30d perhaps suits the character of the X5 better in certain ways, feeling (and sounding sometimes) more like a lazy V8.

The fuel economy of the 30d will be much greater in the real world, and while fuel costs won’t be a concern for the average X5 driver, having a longer fuel range can be both a convenience and comfort.

I flip-flopped between the two before finally pulling the trigger on the 30d. But a day hasn’t gone by in the month since then that I’ve questioned this decision.

The reviews for both engines are extremely high, there probably isn’t a wrong choice. Personally I wish we had the 50i here in Oz, in which case I definitely would have gone the petrol route.

Dealers tend to think and have reported that the 30d is proving more popular than the 40i. But if you will be doing mostly or wholly short distance inner city driving, petrol really is the better choice.

A couple of videos which show the driving of the 40i and 30d respectively.