XSeries-forum

Depends what you are used to - the diesel will be a totally different drive and will feel laclustre if you do not throttle the turbo in properly!

The big V8 is an easy no brainer - floor it and it goes

I have only owned one diesel - a 200bhp Alfa Romeo Brera. Unless you got throttle correct at take off the power delivery was very poor and could really catch you out causing an accident at roundabouts or junctions! Once you got used to keeping the revs up to get turbo spinning it was a flyer, shame about the short rev band though

I have to say I was rather surprised by the description of the diesel as gutless. It's definitely never going to be as fast as a v8, no getting away from that fact, but i suppose it's relative, say for e.g. if you were to drive a Nissan GTR, then I suppose some may then find a Mitsubishi Evo "a bit flat"
I say this as when I drove the diesel X5 for the first I was very impressed with the way it hustled it's two and a half tonne fat arse down the road.
This may be because i was switching from a 2.0 Tdi 140bhp Sport VW Jetta (the Golfs ugly sister!) which went pretty well and didn't expect the X5 to accelerate so quickly compared to it.
I have never driven the v8, but if it makes mine seem gutless, then i am now certainly curious and fancy a go of one!

Ive driven plenty of diesels, including remapped cars that are producing 300 lbft of torque.  Yeah they're alright for about 1000 rpm of the rev range, after that you might as well change up the next gear, this is the power delivery of diesel engines, low - mid range torque and nothing at high revs, hence they make lower BHP.

I drove a 2003 3.0D, not sure what power output that is.  It was gutless, theres no other way of describing it, yes it had the diesel torque kick as the turbo kicked in, and it felt like a healthy car, but for me it just didn't have enough oomph.  That engine pulling  a 2 tonne X5 was never going to be a memorable experience, but i was left very much decided on what model to buy.

I guess you don't buy a diesel model expecting high performance.

The early '03 would have been the 186bhp version, upped to 218bhp for the facelift, and on a 5-speed box.  That version wasn't the fastest off the line which is no doubt why the facelift improved on it.  I came up from a 130bhp Skoda Octavia L&K to my X5 so noticed the difference immediately.  I agree about the short rev range, but that really only limits the top speed (to almost twice the speed limit so irrelevant) and some of the acceleration.  Under 9 secs against other 4x4's (Petrol & Diesel) is still very good though.

If you get the chance, go test a 40d version which has the differentially sized dual-turbo set-up so has no lag at all.  No doubt the M50d with yet another hair dryer bolted on!  Set the auto into 'Sport' and you may well be impressed.

When I was looking for an X5 I drove 5 Dervs and 3 V8s

They were all face lift E53 and the V8s were all 4.8is.

I found in normal driving the Dervs was totally fine, but some did seem to go better than others (poss remapped) the only time the derv felt wanting was say from 50 to 90 when overtaking. The V8 is quicker for sure but around town there would be no difference, I though the biggest difference in speed was above 70mph so in the real world not that big a deal.

The best thing about the V8 is the sound and refinement, the derv E53,s are not even close to the V8 for vibration and quietness IMHO. When youstart the V8 it makes you especially when a few peope turn around when in a car park. I guess no one would even notice a derv.

My next car might well be a derv though just because it is the sensible choice, having said that I drove a 2007 derv and found it very boring, so it would have to be a 3.5 or 4.0 derv but then I could get a V8 with a turbo

Richard...

[quote="Cannondale"]
My next car might well be a derv though just because it is the sensible choice, having said that I drove a 2007 derv and found it very boring, so it would have to be a 3.5 or 4.0 derv but then I could get a V8 with a turbo

Richard...
[/quote]
Sounds like you need a 50i then!  4.4 V8 with twin blowers..... >:D

[quote="X5Sport"]
[quote="Cannondale"]
My next car might well be a derv though just because it is the sensible choice, having said that I drove a 2007 derv and found it very boring, so it would have to be a 3.5 or 4.0 derv but then I could get a V8 with a turbo

Richard...
[/quote]
Sounds like you need a 50i then!  4.4 V8 with twin blowers..... >:D
[/quote]

Once they have droped in price enough to make them a bargain....

Rich...

Yeah I'm pretty sure the 3.0D i drove was a pre-fac lift, so 186 bhp hence why i felt it was gutless. 

I wasn't interested in a diesel, i just drove it for a comparison and the fuel economy would obviously have been better. 

But after researching their faults, swirl flaps, turbo failures, breather valves, EGR valves, i though oh sod it, get the V8 and be happy.  Plus i can't stand diesel engines sound, and the smell.  Even the newest diesels let of some funky scents sitting next to them in traffic, not nice.

I put my foot down in my V8 and it genuinely pins me and my passenger back in the seat, something the diesel i drove wasn't capable of.  My misses complains that it leaves her stomach behind. 

Well there's no swirl flaps (on the E53 at least), the V8 also has breather, valley pan gasket and a few other issues so no engine is perfect.  Turbo failures are rare too - and more myth than truth - and of course all have transmission problems, electrics and suspension issues - so no one wins there either.....more's the pity.

I know what you mean about the smell of diesel, I'm not too keen on it myself.  You get some pretty nasty pongs off cold petrol cats too......for some reason the French ones being the worst ???

Each to our own though as we have to live with them, and if fuel was cheaper then I would probably have gone down the V8 route.  My job doesn't allow for any guessing as to low mileage or high so I had to go 'worst case' which is high so meaning petrol a non-starter for me.  For now we have travel restrictions in place, but that won't last, and with more re-organisations in the offing then I could be back where I was a few of years back doing 18k a year.