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-   -   Owning the mighty BMW X5 (E53) 4.8i Sports - “Faster than the fastest SUV in the world” (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-cars-imports-india/178392-owning-mighty-bmw-x5-e53-4-8i-sports-faster-than-fastest-suv-world.html)

I was searching for a Big SUV (used) and my choices were Toyota Land cruiser VX(V6/V8), Lexus LX 470 (V8), Volkswagen Touareg 5.0TDI (V10), Audi Q7 4.2FSI (V8), BMW X5 4.4is (V8), Porsche Cayenne S (V8) and Range Rover Sports (V8).

Range Rover, Toyota & Lexus were really expensive, all above 25 – 30 Lacs.
Porsche Cayenne S, BMW, Audi & Volkswagen were less expensive with price ranging between 18 – 25 Lacs.

One day I received a call from one of my friends, that he has found an “exclusive BMW X5 4.8is” in South Delhi, and shared a few pics and contact details of the owner with me. Without wasting time I approached the owner and enquired about the car and went to have a look at the car.

The first look:
It was a beautiful blue color (later I found it was the much sought after Le-Mans Blue color) I must say whoever had procured this X5 had some taste of cars. I got to know that it was imported as a CBU by one of the renowned businessmen in India and an avid car lover. Believe me if one is serious about finding something, one can find it. I liked the car in the first look, however there was a crack on the left hand side bottom corner on the wind shield, which was disappointing.

The second look:
After inspecting the car from outside, now it was time to look inside and to my surprise, premium leather and alcantara everywhere, navigation screen, lots of buttons, etc. It looked like a cockpit… Huge dashboard, all covered with leather including the steering. All seats were Premium leather & heated and lots of storage space, indeed I liked the car in second look as well.

The third look:
Had a look under the bonnet for any visible leakage or irregularity, it was all fine, then I switched on the ignition, and that searing V8 sound won my heart, I was sold completely. Then we went for a test drive for a few kilometers. The V8 Engine, clutch and gear shift were smooth, it sounded great, no smoke or any other irregularity. I was amazed in the third look.

I asked for the papers, looked at the Registration Certificate (RC) and the car was insured at IDV 42 Lacs. The original price of the car was 1.6 crores, when it was imported. Papers were clean and genuine, no dispute of any nature.

The BMW X5 4.8is (E53) was crowned as “Faster than the fastest SUV in the world” (X5 4.6is was labelled "fastest SUV in the world" back in 2004). It has a naturally aspirated eight cylinder in V longitudinal front engine with a maximum power output of 360ps available at 6200 rpm, and a maximum torque of 500 nm available from 3600 rpm, transmitted to the four wheels by an automatic 6 speed gearbox.

Technical specification:
Powertrain:

• Engine type: Longitudinal Front Engine, double overhead camshaft (DOHC), 4 valves per cylinder, 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, multiple fuel injection
• Displacement: 293 cu in, 4799cc
• Power: 360 ps (355 bhp / 265 kw) @ 6200 rpm
• Torque: 500 Nm (361 lb-ft) @ 3600 rpm
• Power / liter: 75 ps (74 hp)
• Transmission: 6-speed automatic and manual shifting (steptronic)

Performance:

• Top speed: 246 kmph (153 mph)
• Max real speed: 250kmph
• 0 - 100 kph: 5.8 sec
• 0 - 60 mph: 5.4 sec
• 1/4 mile: 13.5 sec
• 0 - 100 mph: 15.0 sec
• Braking, 70-0 mph: 168 ft

Tires, Brakes and suspension:

• Tires size front: 275/40 R20
• Tire size rear: 315/35 R 20 Rear
• wheel size front: 9˝J x 20
• wheel size rear: 10J x 20
• Breaks Front: ventilated Discs (356mm)
• Breaks Rear: Ventilated discs (324 mm)
• Strut: Air Strut
• Front Suspension: Independent. Double Wishbones. coil springs. anti-roll bar
• Rear Suspension: Multilink. Coil springs. anti-roll bar

Fuel consumption:

• Economy: 7kmpl (13L/100km)
• Sports: 3-4kmpl (34L/100km)
• Fuel tank volume: 93 ltrs
• Fuel type: premium petrol (Ron 93 and above)
• CO2 emissions: 324 CO2 g/Km

Others:

• Car type: SAV/SUV/truck, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
• Curb weight: 2275 kg (5016 lbs)
• Dimensions: 4.67 m (184 in) long, 1.92 m (76 in) wide, 1.71 m (67 in) high
• Wheelbase: 2.82 m (111 in)
• Trunk capacity: 465-1550 L
• Safety: 5-Star Safety ratings
• Airbags: 10 Airbags
• Introduced: 2004
• Origin country: Germany

Overall the car is amazing drenched in luxury, almost all options that one can think of.

Driving this car is fun, but it needs empty roads which seldom one can find in India. To really enjoy this car follow the steps:
1. Turn on the engine
2. Bury the brake pedal with your left foot
3. Engage the gear leaver to D (drive-mode) OR manual shifts
4. Put the right foot in gas pedal, rev it up
5. Remove the left foot from brake pedal and it launches like a rocket, enjoy the crazy ride…

You would love to do it over and over again, however be careful BMWs are anyways infamous for hit and run cases due to its crazy speed.
This is my daily use car for office travel, roughly 25 km daily and 120 km on weekends. I spend almost 12000 on petrol every month.

The regular service is at 10000 km OR after one year whichever is earlier. At authorized service center the service cost is around INR 27K + Taxes including the labour cost. One tankful for premium petrol will cost around INR 5800 (approx.) for 90 liters.

The car makes its presence felt on the road, hence the cost is justified. Due to its uniqueness the car catches the attention of people around.
Just to summarize the pros and cons:
The Pros:

• Crazily fast
• Performance
• Drive comfort
• Luxury ride, brand
• Amazing Interiors, seats

The cons:

• Expensive to run
• Really expensive to maintain
• Suspension setup especially air struts
• Rubber and electric parts due to ageing

Few Pictures:

Wow! Amazing find buddy. I can very well imagine the level of excitement when you would have got that call ;)

The SUV looks amazing and damn those figures are impressive too. Only concern is maintenance, isn't it?

As I also saw, your SUV has the ride height adjustment just like my Vogue.
Piece of advice, use that feature often (say about a couple of times a week) so that the system does not stay put for long. You can not be sure about how the previous owner would have taken care of that specific feature, but you really shall be careful with it.

I have changed my air suspension struts for the very same reason. Trust me, you would not want to see that day with your SUV.

Congratulations once again! :)

Luv.

Congrats Neerja!! Looks like a week maintained X5. By any chance is this the ex-Sachin Tendulkar X5?

I don't think so. SRT had/has a X5 M50d, supposed to be one of the rarest variants. Photo below.

Photo Credits: www.carblogindia.com

Congratulations on owning one fast SUV, you have a big heart to plonk money in this thing! clap: Very different choice since the chief competitor to this are 2008/09 vintage Porsche Cayenne V8 or Turbo, both of which can be had in 18-23L. Even a Touareg V10 TDi in the same price bracket, if one gets lucky in finding it.

Enjoy the crazy runs! I hope it does't start giving you troubles anytime sooner since aging German cars can be quite hectic to maintain and their electronics can start giving real-time headaches to people!

OT but I think I have seen this car in and around Gurgaon. Last time just past monday, next to Sikandarpur Metro Station near DLF Phase II entry gate around 2 PM in afternoon, I was in my black beast and this car grabbed my attention due to 4.8i badge on front fenders. :D

Congrats on the lovely V8 Bimmer. The engine is truly a beast. The X5 too looks very well maintained.

OT but its surprising how far things have come in 10-12 years. Today the X3 with its 3.0 diesel using launch control does 0-100 in 5.9 seconds.

Exactly, It's the same one! I was there to drop a friend at metro station. world is too small:D, my office is near DLF Square, let's catch-up sometime.

Thanks Luv! Actually you are right, I had this issue in November 2015, and the stubborn self-level suspension indication would not disappear from the dashboard. The technicians had tried everything they could. BMW was not able to diagnose the issue for good one week. Then they found that one of the front air strut was faulty which needed replacement. The part was ordered, it came after 40 days!! And it cost me INR 90,000. After replacing the Air strut, the car won’t go up, the rubber pipes/connectors were replaced, and then the air pump went down, another INR 65,000:Shockked:. Finally, the car was back on the road.

Congrats on getting such a rare vehicle. Wish you many more happy miles.

Thanks V12, it is not SRT's X5. This one is from Delhi, imported by a renowned businessman and an avid car lover!

Thanks Neeraj, oh yes SRT's was a X5-M. But I thought he did own a X5 4.8 as well earlier.- although I may be wrong.

Any reasons for selling the car?
http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...5/BMW/X5.html/

Sure, lets catch up some time.

:eek: :eek:

Selling so soon? I hope any dreaded issues didn't crop up?

Congratulations on the car Neeraj.

0-100 km/h in under 6 seconds, a top speed of almost 250 km/h - this is one seriously quick SUV. Safe as well with 10 airbags. When you consider that it was 2004 when this car was introduced, you realise how far ahead of its time it was. It would make a really good autobahn express.

I guess higher running and maintenance costs are something you have to live with when you buy something exclusive.

Congratulations for this fantastic machine. Wishing you lots of miles on the road. By the way, as per the picture of the engine bay, the surroundings are painted in dull red. Has the car been repainted or do all bmw's come like this ?

The engine bay picture seems to be a different car altogether.
You can see the fender which is red too.

Looks like the pic was nicked off the web. For representation purposes, perhaps?
Link :: https://en.wheelsage.org/bmw/x5/7844...ctures/389554/


On another note, congratulations Neeraj! Enjoy her well!