2 Years with the E70 X5 3.0sd M-Sport

NehalX5 · Post by **NehalX5** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:50 am

Approaching 2 years of owning one of these and just want to take a moment to appreciate what a car it is. Certainly very capable machines, they are all-in-one vehicles which few cars today can match. Below is a picture of it, in its common form, up in the Lakes outside Castlerigg stone circle. It's got a fair amount of roadkill on the front.

It's in the countryside when BMW's come alive, especially Sports Activity Vehicles.

I'll upload a picture after it has been detailed. Hopefully T-Cut will remove the swirls it has currently, thanks to the many car washes in the area.

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 11:31 pm

I've just gone over 3 years of ownership. Its an all in one motor, the best thing for me is the build quality, that tank like feel. Handling is really good, the accurate heavy steering
is what transforms the car. I often take the long route home. Thats how good it is

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:22 pm

double post

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:24 pm

Leslie wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:22 pm H4MP " I often take the long route home. Thats how good it is"

yes great driving cars

2 1/2 years with the x5 sd and car hasn't been mot'ed in a full 2 years now due to covid and mot exemptions here in Northern Ireland so up very soon now as cars over 9 years here will not be exempted anymore (cars under 9 will though ) so a bit nervous how much it might cost

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:20 am

How did the MOT go?

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Sat Jun 04, 2022 3:08 pm

H4MP wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:20 am How did the MOT go?

Needed 2 new bottom arms for the test then soon after I needed a rad at first I though t it was the waterpump leaking and it had some play on the spindle so I changed it but it was the rad which cost £205

Will have it 4 years in Sept some rust has started to appear on the tailgate above the light where I had to heat it to remove the sealer/glue someone had bonded it in with wish id left it alone must have lifted the paint and allowed water in although it looked fine at the time

Biggest issue now is the silly cost of fuel giving serious consideration to buying a cheap economic runaround that does 60 mog which id probably hate

and if it cost money in repairs id hate it even more

I was actually looking at 1.3 diesel Corsa's ,something I thought id never ever consider

as if it gets to 400/month on fuel something has to give ! Put £120 in for 3/4 of a tank last fill which will get me less than 350 miles .

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:19 am

That's not bad apart from the rust you mention because that is usually extremely rare on an E70. Other than that I think that's pretty normal wear and tear. Recently I started a job in Hull which includes a 138 mile daily commute so I was forced to buy a 2nd car. I bought a 2011 Ford focus 1.6 tdci, I knew i would want the extra toys so went for the titanium x. I have been getting anything from 55 to 60mpg. I recall just before the big rise in fuel I put in £70 diesel and the guage had still not reached the half mark. These things are heavy on fuel, I'm sure they weigh more than the quoted 2.2 tonnes

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 6:27 pm

That's good economy and a massive commute , a much longer commute could be on the cards for me too and if fuel was cheap the x5 would be perfect partner but it isn't and 27 ish mpg is getting painful even with fairly modest mileage , a large increase and I just couldn't justify it

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:40 pm

Yea it doesn't make financial sense but I do think that the E70 is the last proper old school BMW X5. The newer ones will be better but less analogue. It must be difficult to part with, because it is a great car.

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 9:37 pm

I’ve managed to get my E71 up to 32mpg commuting and 36mpg on motorway runs, but only by driving at just under 70mph. 66-68 seem to be the sweet spot. Below 60 kicks it down to 7th gear and the mpg worsens. Our now 17yr old E46 returns just over 40mph but again speed has to be reduced. Both are 3.0D and lope along at low revs, but I’m not sure it’s good for the engine. DPF equipped vehicles need some care to keep the revs high enough for a regen.

I have noticed over recent weeks that traffic speeds have definitely dropped - some by a lot (which just holds everyone else up) - compared to how they were in February. Down now to around 70 from 75-77 on the Bedford by-pass. The M25 was definitely slower a month back - even in very light traffic.

We’ll be back to the 1970’s ‘special’ limits if fuel costs get too silly. 60mph on motorways and 50mph on dual carriageways if I remember correctly. It stayed like that for years.

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 9:52 pm

It makes sense, driving above 70mph does significantly increase fuel consumptions every 1mph increment has an impact. Mine is a 6spd 35d so I don't have the luxury of the extra gearing, which I feel it really does need.

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 10:34 pm

I regularly see 32 mpg on my sd on a single 20 mile run and saw 34 today on a 20 mile run but I was stuck behind 2 tractors for miles on a single carriageway so down to 30 mph.

That's book figures and it doesn't get any better.
Re the regen once a week after 5 miles warmup I hold sport above 2k revs for the next 5 miles so if it wants to regen it can then I have another 10 mile to do

I find going above 55 starts to hurt economy but we only have 6 gears.
I wouldn't be surprised if lower motorway limits are reduced though virtually none of my driving is on one so it won't make much difference to me.

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 11:01 pm

How long have you owned your SD, have you had any oil leaks. Mine has had a minor leak that no one seems to want to touch some say its VCG but it looks like its one of the turbo lines. So will be booked with an Indie. It's one of those cars that I really enjoy driving just the lofty driving position and the brilliant handling. It also feels like a tank. How long have you owned yours?

H4MP · Post by **H4MP** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 11:01 pm

Oh and I have 191k miles on it

Leslie · Post by **Leslie** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 2:25 am

I've had my sd since Oct 18 so will be 4 years in a few months. There was oil dripping from the turbo Air inlet pipe that goes in the front of the turbo, I replaced the seal but its a bugger to fit you can't see if its located or not fully. It also looked like it was damp round the rocker cover but that is a big job with injectors out so just keeping an eye on it for now. Mine is on 158k

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