Aluminium Body X 5

[damian777]

As  a long term BMW X 5  fan, on my  4th version now  a  2011  X 5 4D  M sport in white with ivory interior  piped black  , which i love im at that stage where im looking for a replacement  end of this year, and for the first time in ten years  im unsure about the new X 5, as the consumption  is still way below  claims on the twin turbo diesel version  like  mine, and i presume the  2014  model is not much better than mine or is it ??
I obtain  25 mpg  round town  and 32 on a gentle 65 -75 mph run . 
The New Range Rover  Sport  is for the first time  a real contender with its  Aluminium body shell  some 700 lbs lighter, good mpg  for the first time  with RR  gorgeous looks  so im really baffled as to why BMW didnt make the new  X 5  models  an all Aluminium  shell,  then they would be ahead of the competition again but as it stands  i honestly feel  the "new " model is no more than a face lift.  and looks wise  its not a " take your breath away change",  what do you other  2014  F 15 owners think , i really do need  convincing as  the  Range Rover sport in white with the  345 bhp engine is  five stars  for the first time in  twenty years !
The new  Range Rover  is now better looking  than the X 5 , as  economical and i might just be proud to buy a reliable British 4 x 4 !!! for the first time .. Come on BMW  , its 2014  forget  steel  and take a leaf out of Audi and Jaguar surely its the only option to Hybrid electrical option to get consumption into 35-40 mpg range  .
RSVP guys !

[X5Sport]

But it's STILL heavier than the F15!  LandRover had to go Aluminium because they could not achieve EU6 or even the upcoming EU7 emissions type approvals without getting that weight off.  Remember that a Disco weighs in at more than 3T and the Sport was built on that chassis.

BMW chose to use special plastics (front wings and bumper assembly as an example) over a special steel frame with bits of Aly (bonnet) and Magnesium (dash/engine) where extra strength is needed.  Just under 2.2T for the X5 is pretty good really.  I also suspect that if too much weight comes off then handling might be affected in the same way that some cheaper 4x4s are.

Richard

[bobgolden]

I came to the X5 from the Discovery 4 and had a look at the new RRS last year. I was disappointed by the lack of boot room and the rear legroom (and I'm only 5'6"). The infotainment is the same laggy touchscreen system that all JLR customers complain about and the mechanicals are iffy to say the least - my D4 had to have the transfer box replaced at 12k miles but not before the dealer swapped out the turbos, gearbox and torque converter.

I haven't been immune from problems in the X5 but the tech is more up to date and fuel economy is way better at 30+ mpg around town vs 25-28 mpg with the V6 Disco. Throw in the fixed price servicing for 5 years and cheaper RFL and see how the numbers stack up. The only downside I can see is that the D4 retained 64% of its purchase price after 3 1/2 years which the X5 may struggle to match.

[kjb1]

[quote="X5Sport"]
But it's STILL heavier than the F15!  LandRover had to go Aluminium because they could not achieve EU6 or even the upcoming EU7 emissions type approvals without getting that weight off.  Remember that a Disco weighs in at more than 3T and the Sport was built on that chassis.

BMW chose to use special plastics (front wings and bumper assembly as an example) over a special steel frame with bits of Aly (bonnet) and Magnesium (dash/engine) where extra strength is needed.  Just under 2.2T for the X5 is pretty good really.  I also suspect that if too much weight comes off then handling might be affected in the same way that some cheaper 4x4s are.

Richard
[/quote]

Richard are you talking about the latest Range Rover Sport? as in the current new shape? as I am aware the old shape RRS was based on same platform on the Discovery, which shared that awful 2.7tdi twin turbo engine which was gutless in such a weighty monster!! 

Is the current RRS lighter than the f15 or heavier??


Sent from my iPhone

[allforus]

I also changed out of a D4 into the x5 f15 and as others say the x5 is far more advanced than even the Range Rover sport

My brother has run the new Range Rover sport for the last year and he likes it a lot but mpg is well below claimed and I had it for a couple of days the other week it drives nice but I felt a bit penned in the build quality on the interior is very good

But the tech is slow and dated soon to be upgraded but not sure what too 


If you're going to change make sure you get one fora few days

[X5Sport]

[quote="kjb1"]
Is the current RRS lighter than the f15 or heavier??
[/quote]

According to the brochure for the 2015 model it's about 150kgs heavier.

Richard

[kjb1]

Wowzas!! thats a hell of a feat by BMW then!!! [emoji106][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone

[kenniff]

I looked at / drove the RRS before buying the f15.
I like the look of the RRS and the fact that for me it would have been a change from BMW.

The X5 is quicker than the RRS.
For me, the X5 was cheaper (as I was trading in an E70 and the BMW offer was v good). May not be an issue for you if you aren't trading in?

I didnt research the mpg, but I can say that the f15 mpg is way better than that of the E70.

Ultimately I made my choice on the fact of availability - I'dve had to wait a further 6 months to get the RRS as UK build slots were rationed. I couldnt wait that long as I needed to get rid of my old car. If you're serious about the RRS check out timescales now.

[bobgolden]

The Discovery 4 and old shape RRS started using the revised twin turbo 3 litre V6 from 2010 onwards which knocked spots off the old 2.7 version. Well at least it did until JLR introduced the gearbox lag when they upgraded to the 8 speed ZF transmission. The new RRS retains the same 3.0 V6 engine. 

[damian777]

Hello Richard,
Interesting reading some of the replies, but some owners are still talking about Old model  Discos , and they dont compare  to the new  RR Sport  with the  upgraded  turbo engine and lighter  chassisand looks.!

On the  looks  side i went to Geneva  Motor Show this  year, and all i can say from a point of impartial comment was that on Press day  alone there was  a crowd of 50 photographers  taking pics of the new  RR sport, all in white  with three Model Variants on show  on the stand  , everyone  including a few  German customers  said it was  a winner on looks,  the BMW stand was to be honest a  bit wind swept, with a few people looking at the  8  series  Hybrid ( now that got my vote apart from 120 mile range !) ) and the  4 series  thats about it.
Without meaning to sound  arrogant  but If im spending  £50 - 65 grand of my hard earned wonga,  i like a car to be a head turner , with of coarse  a build quality to be proud off, hence i have avoided  the Range Rover route the last ten years, but i have to say i am genuinely dissapointed  in the face lift  X 5 F 15 looks  despite  the all new Model  hype by the Bavarians  and im still undecided what  to start looking for in December.  Not had  enough feed back from owners of the new RR sport yet,, in the Press or on Forums by JLR, so still enjoying the 4 D  M Sport  while im sitting on the fence !
PS Its only done 19 000 miles but before i advertise  it on Autotrader i will have to do what i did on my last 3 X5 s  , have the rear arches stone chipping resprayed and all my  alloys refurbished  due to flaking at the hub centres and the odd kerb scrap by my girlfriend !!

[bobgolden]

Damian,

Both Graeme and I came from very recent D4s so know the "new"engine and gearbox layouts very well. The only change from the 3 litre SDV6 on the 6 speed to the same engine with 8 speed auto was a slight increase in power from 245 bhp to 255 bhp with a reduction in CO2. The old engine you refer to was the single turbo 2.7 TDV6 fitted in the D3. The RRS has the 255 SDV6 with 8 speed.

[allforus]

The new Range Rover sport also gets a slightly more powerfull engine if yu don't get the base model think it goes up to 298 ish but you will have to check the spec

[damian777]

Hi  F15 guys  ,well im still sitting on the fence re changing my 2011  X5 4D for a new  F 15  4D  or the RR sport with the more powerfull engine, its just the X 5  looks that  don't get me excited  ,its  the rear end than looks that i feel are  a bit people carrier ish,  like a Lexus, which i think is equally stayed.    The  RR sport  in white with the 285 hp engine is  looking like  a  more exciting option,  performance and looks  and for once  may be reliability .
Do i make it my fourth X 5 ? , not much feed  back on the new  2014  RR owners forum or from F 15 owners yet , any comments  appreciated as  time is moving on and  i want a replacement in Jan 2015
My options are RR  sport SD V6  288 hp  ( 37  mpg average)  or X5 4D  F 15  312 hp  with similar  37 mpg average ???  Feedback  please    ........anyone driven both ???

[m13lky]

Damian in my opinion there are positives & negatives to both, my white f15 does look great next to a white e70 & looks totally different & a lot bigger, I know because I parked right next to a very clean 13 plate e70 a few months ago both are fully loaded m sports, as I sometimes had to do a double take when an e70 passed by with a private plate on, anyway when I came out of the shop the guy who owned the e70 was cursing me as he was just getting to his, couldn't exactly hear him but could pick up a few oaths, RR sports are renowned for poor reliability & a friend of mine has the new model, he wanted the all singing one & paid nearly full price at 6 months old for an ex demo that's been in with electrical faults already so the jury's still out on even the new models, I got my m sport in white, big wheels, sunroof, 7 seater, Rev camera, electric mirrors the list goes on at 2 weeks old with the service pack for around £8k below new price again an ex demo, also as others have said the RR is old fashioned inside & no where near as economical, yes it maybe worth a bit more in years to come but not that much, plus if you put yours into a bmw dealer you should get good money for it, RR dealers will offer you market money & then sell it on their forecourt, I am maybe biased but I reckon I would be around £20k worse off if I had bought one, which I'm afraid was to much for me even to consider, my next door neighbour is in the contract hire game & very few RR dealers will discount which again just goes against the grain with me as we are still all being hammered in our businesses or I certainly am being, anyway only you can decide, I would be interested to find out what deals the RR dealers are offering you?

[damian777]

Milky
is your new X5 a  three  litre  or  four litre engine version ? What mpg are you getting just out of interest ?
D