Brought home a brand new BMW X5 30D: Initial impressions

The X5 is an amazing driver's car, it has all the right features for a driver; as a passenger it misses out on a few but no car is perfect.

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Introduction

The hunt for a new car began when our previous car the F10 520d turned 11 years old. We had been on the lookout for a new car since it was time for an upgrade. The F10 5 series is an amazing car with a timeless design and has received a lot of praise on the forum. My selection criteria and decision-making process is documented here (Upgrading from a BMW 5-Series | BMW X5 30d M-Sport vs Mercedes GLE 400d)

I was sure-footed that I wanted a BMW but the additional power on the GLE with the 400d engine made me contemplate my decision. After test-driving the X5 there was no looking back, for a driver the car ticked all the right boxes, as a rear-seat passenger, GLE is a much better car.

The car comes in pretty much as a standard spec with all the options ticked. One option I would have loved is the Bowers and Wilkins sound system.

The Buying Experience

I contacted both dealers in the city Navnit and Infinity. Navnit Motors had a very positive approach towards making a sale. Initially, both dealers did not have a diesel car for a test drive but in a couple of weeks, I got a call from Navnit that they had a diesel car available for a test drive and the SA came over with the car the same day. I was also offered a discount which Infinity did not offer and Navnit also stuck to the delivery commitment. I booked the car in the first week of November and PDI was done in the last week of November. I took delivery of the car in the first week of December.

A picture from the PDI

The car was dropped off for a PPF the day we took delivery. I had shortlisted a few detailers in the city namely Ceramic Pro Vasai, The Detailing Studio, and Optimum Detailerz. After speaking to Mr. Amol Chitre from Optimum Detailerz, I was quite impressed with his knowledge and passion for the work he does. He was the only one to invite me to his workshop and check out the installation process being done on a car. He addressed all of my questions and concerns and I was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of work and finish he offered for a PPF installation.

Delivery Day

I went with the STEK Dynoshield which comes with a 10-year warranty. The overall process including paint decontamination, detailing, installation, and curing took 10 days. I was kept updated throughout the process.

The Driving Experience

I got the car home on the 18th of December after the PPF installation and did not get much time to drive it. 70% of my driving is in the city and 30% on highways. The car does a good job at sedate driving in the city and does a good job at highway driving as well. The car had covered about 1000 km in one month. But this weekend I got a chance to drive it to Nashik and this is truly where I got to experience the car and play around with it as well. The car is quite comfortable, 18-way adjustable seats make sure you find that sweet seating position. In terms of fit and finish the car seems well put together.

On my way back from Nashik, the car had completed 1500 km on the odometer, and I decided to test out the sport mode. The engine gets more responsive and the shifts are quicker. It just doesn’t feel like a 2-ton SUV, the car gets to triple-digit speeds in no time. I read somewhere that with the MSport package, there is an exhaust note that comes in through the speakers in sport mode (correct me if I’m wrong here). I couldn’t find a better explanation for how a diesel engine can sound so good at higher revs.

The car is fairly easy to maneuver around the city but one needs to be careful at narrow toll booths. Overall a good performer, I've been getting a fuel economy of 10 in the city and 12 on the highway with sedate driving. My spirited drive on the way back from Nashik returned around 10 on the highway.

Pros

• The infotainment system is angled towards the driver, a cool layout by BMW.
• Plenty of space in the rear
• Space saver lid comes with a strut
• Boot space is quite good as well, can take in a lot of luggage
• Touch-sensitive door handles makes unlocking and locking the car easy, no need to look for a button
• Wireless CarPlay, no need to look for cables
• The 30d engine + the ZF 8 speed, a match made in heaven
• The body roll is well controlled, making it fun around corners
• NVH is surprisingly low for a Diesel
• Soft close doors

Things that could have been better

• Rear reclining seats
• Digital Key (offered overseas)
• Remote engine start and app connectivity
• Height-adjustable seat belts
• RFT: the ride could have been much better with regular tubeless tyres, RFT’s make the ride a little harsh and I need to be on the lookout for deep potholes which could damage the rims
• Ventilated seats
• Crafted Clarity panel is a fingerprint magnet
• 80/120 chimes are irritating, especially the 80 one on a highway when driving through a busy one

Exterior

I like that the car gets a good mix of chrome and black accents. The grille and name badges are chrome whereas the shadow line around the windows and the bumper get piano black accents. I waited a long time for BMW to launch a diesel MSport trim. The plastic trim around the wheel arches of the Xline variant was an eye sore to look at. The car looks quite good for an SUV and in my personal opinion a lot better than the X7. The 20-inch 740M wheels are beautiful to look at.

Went with the Jahre emblems to complement the MSport pack

Interior

At first, I was not a fan of the Cognac interiors but later they grew on me. The open-pore wood trim also looks great contrasting the cognac seat colours. The Msport steering size is smaller in diameter compared to the F10 5 series. In terms of equipment, I like that Apple CarPlay fills up the entire screen compared to the Mercedes where only a rectangular portion is filled and there are blank gaps on either side. The Harmon Kardon sound system is brilliant in terms of sound quality. I also love the heads-up display and the fact that you can scroll through and select songs through that; really helps when navigation is on and you need to change songs.

Issues/niggles

• I feel a minor vibration at low speeds while parking the vehicle in D or R until 5 kmph, need to get that checked at the preliminary service
• Around the silver plastic trims on the steering wheel I feel there is a minor play on the right side below the voice activation button. The left side feels normal

The pictures that the dealer sent had fog lights on the car. My car came without fog lights. The online configurator mentions it as an option but the spec sheet does not.

I can see a panel gap between the lower end of the split tailgate and the rear bumper. I feel that the white colour is making it more prominent.

I have experienced some color transfer from dark-coloured denim onto the seats.

Conclusion

The X5 is an amazing driver's car, it has all the right features for a driver, as a passenger it misses out on a few but no car is perfect. You get a laidback driving experience in Eco Pro, sedated yet peppy in Comfort and the car gets into maniac mode in Sport. I am unsure of the value quotient of the car in 2023 where BMW has increased the pricing of the car closer to 1cr ex-showroom.

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