XSeries-forum

Crikey, that was a search and half, good to see this site has started up after the demise of X5drivers.
I sold my X5 4.4 to Alfamale on here earlier last year and since then have missed it. I sold my RS6 at the end of last year as it just sat on my drive 95% of the time and with another little one on the way my wife has agreed we need to upgrade to a bigger car so the A3 is going! My better half suggested we look at the X5 as we will be carting around a new Baby Thomas (as from October!) my little girl (7, going on 27!) and of course the two of us. My wife will use the car for work into Earlsfield (5 miles) and I on the odd trip out through work or Holidays and visits to friends.

I was/am a huge Audi fan but I did love the X5. Just not sure where to start! 3.0d seems like a sensible option re fuel but I do love the sound and grunt of a V8. Anyone on here have a similar family setup and can shed some light on space etc.. Anyone got any opnions or views?

Cheers

Tom

No kids, No job and a 4.6 oops didnt think that through.. but 16mpg on a 12mile round trip thanks in no small part to Jas and the remap cos before it was 9-12mpg and a heavy right foot

Hi Tom

I have 2 children one of 10 and one of 13 and love my car even if it's not the cheapest. It a 3d 2004 reg and had it for about 14 months. It's smooth ride but not so smooth the kids get sick ( they did in a 7 series). I live in Coulsdon but previously in Streatham and know Earlsfield. I get about 23 mpg and maybe 22 mpg'ish if I was still in Sarf London.

Good luck with whatever you decide and remember those folding mirrors for London


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With my 3.0d (2005) I get way more MPG (30+) and even 35 - 37 on a motorway cruise. I don't live in London though, so no city crawling.

Best thing with the X5 versus estate cars: NO central bulge in the backseat, sooo much easier to get in and out and no bending down to get stuff in the estate.

I got the X5 after we changed the family car from a BMW touring, as the touring was just too small in the boot with luggage and a dog as well.

Good to see you back on here Tombs and congrats on the little one ...also i know where your coming from with the 7 year old as for the car i can only comment on the X5 smoker (as i haven't owned a v8 yet ) as i am on my second and still think it's a great car even with it's faults.
For me it's by far the best looking 4x4 against the butt ugly cayenne and the monstrous glorified vw.Again i haven't owned the other two so don't know enough about spec/sizes etc to advise properly,but i do know a few people that have changed from bmw to audi and have regreted the change due to poor build quality etc all be it not those specific models.
Good luck in the hunt

[quote=""pvr""]With my 3.0d (2005) I get way more MPG (30+) and even 35 - 37 on a motorway cruise. I don't live in London though, so no city crawling.

Best thing with the X5 versus estate cars: NO central bulge in the backseat, sooo much easier to get in and out and no bending down to get stuff in the estate.

I got the X5 after we changed the family car from a BMW touring, as the touring was just too small in the boot with luggage and a dog as well.[/quote]

Sorry PVR, but thats just not the case, not on the e61 anyway.

Tom like you I had an e53 V8 and loved it to bits had it 2 years and it served me very well indeed. I changed it back in May for a late reg e61 520d and the first thing I noticed was how much easyer it is to fit the child seats. My boy is 4 and have a little girl who is 13 months. While the baby seat was not a problem to fit in the 'X' the booster seat was a tight fit to say the least. This seat now fits in much better in the touring and the kids are just as happy. The e61 also has a larger boot than an e53 + storeage space below the boot floor and even more below that if you have RFT's. As for mpg I'm getting 46mpg around town and have seen 49mpg on a long run and will easily see 600+ miles out of a £65-70 fill up. Figures you just will not see in a 3.0d e53.

Before any one bashes me, I am not knocking the 'X' in any shape, way or form. This type of thread has popped up all over the place on other forums and the people who thought they had to have a 4x4 type vehicle just because baby no. 2 was enroute got bashed all over the place.

All I am saying is that there are other vehicles that can do the job just as well and often better. I'm sure Tom, you already know this after your time with the Avant. Its your choice and money clearly just open the blinkers out a bit to see if anything else could do the job you require.

I was referring to the 3 touring which was too small, not a 5.

I got my first X approx a year ago, having owned and driven many 4x4s over 20+ years. I like the higher driving position and drive long distances, and love V8 engines......last 4x4 was a Range Rover 4.6. I found a 3.0i which I loved - the colour and spec were great, and it was a supremely comfortable drive and superb in the winter on winter wheels I managed to buy just in time. Just as good as the Rangie, in fact far more comfortable as the seats are a zillion times better than any of the Rangies. I missed my big V8 though, and found myself searching for a well-specced one, which I collected just a month ago from a main dealer in London.....its a 4.8is which I prefer to the 4.4 or 4.6 as the spec of the 4.8 seemed higher - I found one I absolutely loved and I love every minute of driving it. I get around 22-24mpg (yes seriously) which is just as good and even a bit better than the 3.0i I part-exed. I'd recommend a 4.8 anytime if you REALLY love V8 engines and want the grunt of the biggie - but if the fuel consumption is a bit much, then the diesel wins handsdown....
The bodies are all the same size so it all depends on what engine you are comfortable with - for me, the X5 is much better styled than the ugly cayenne or the lumbering Touareg and the build quality so much better than any Land Rover product; also better lines than the Audis in my opinion.

[quote=""Chompers""][quote=""pvr""]With my 3.0d (2005) I get way more MPG (30+) and even 35 - 37 on a motorway cruise. I don't live in London though, so no city crawling.

Best thing with the X5 versus estate cars: NO central bulge in the backseat, sooo much easier to get in and out and no bending down to get stuff in the estate.

I got the X5 after we changed the family car from a BMW touring, as the touring was just too small in the boot with luggage and a dog as well.[/quote]

Sorry PVR, but thats just not the case, not on the e61 anyway.

Tom like you I had an e53 V8 and loved it to bits had it 2 years and it served me very well indeed. I changed it back in May for a late reg e61 520d and the first thing I noticed was how much easyer it is to fit the child seats. My boy is 4 and have a little girl who is 13 months. While the baby seat was not a problem to fit in the 'X' the booster seat was a tight fit to say the least. This seat now fits in much better in the touring and the kids are just as happy. The e61 also has a larger boot than an e53 + storeage space below the boot floor and even more below that if you have RFT's. As for mpg I'm getting 46mpg around town and have seen 49mpg on a long run and will easily see 600+ miles out of a £65-70 fill up. Figures you just will not see in a 3.0d e53.

Before any one bashes me, I am not knocking the 'X' in any shape, way or form. This type of thread has popped up all over the place on other forums and the people who thought they had to have a 4x4 type vehicle just because baby no. 2 was enroute got bashed all over the place.

All I am saying is that there are other vehicles that can do the job just as well and often better. I'm sure Tom, you already know this after your time with the Avant. Its your choice and money clearly just open the blinkers out a bit to see if anything else could do the job you require. [/quote]

Does the seatbelt click in easy with the booster seat on the 5'er then chompers? because you do have to 'shuffle' the seat a little in the x to get the belt in which can be quite annoying.Though i don't fancy all that bending over to put the kids in and get stuff out of the boot mind thats where the x is way better with the kids for me.

It clicks straight in x555, where as in the 'X' as you say you need to shuffle the seat around. In fact it is so much easier that my boy can put the belt on himself, which he is well chuffed about I would also add that in the 'X' the seat belt buckle was very tight against the seat base, not ideal IMO

I here what you say about the boot in the 'X' a yes being a bit higher can sometimes be helpful but I would say that the bottom section of the tail gate that folds down on the 'X' can be a PITA if you need to get to the back of the boot and as for having to get the spare whell out of the 'X' good luck for all bar the fittest/strongest (clearly not an issue for anybody on this forum )

Again this is not a pop/dig at the 'X' just an honest opinion from some who has had both types of child carrier

The boot folding down can be an issue especially if your working in the boot ....not too bad for me being quite tall but my wife has no chance of reaching the shopping. Suppose the sliding boot floor would have been a much more popular option had people realised when buying new.


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Hi have you thought of having a petrol and converting it to LPG. I've just bought my 4.4i and it was already done but it's quite good. I do mostly short journeys and average 15-16 per gallon which in petrol terms is 30-32per gallon. Pay between 56p & 66p per litre. Obviously get more on longer journeys up to 19-20 per gallon then. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hi Bullethead, lol how do you manage to run that unemployed!? But I'm used to similar fuel figures having previously owned 2 RS6's, but I guess I'm getting sensible and just feel that its time to look at better running costs than I've been used to with my previous fleet of cars

Hi ITBarbie...I'm sorry and I don't mean to embarrase but you look gorgeous! (assuming thats you in your avatar ) So the return mpg wise isn't to bad, in fact better than 2.0 tfsi engine on the A3 by 5 mpg. Your near where some of my family live (Selsdon, Hamey Green etc..), used to have a flat in St Reatham and spent a lot of time in the Jolly Gardeners on Garrett Lane when my mate owned it! Anyway I digress, the folding mirrors are a must!

Interesting you've come from a BMW touring to an X5 pvr. x555 thanks for the congrats...I'm already having sleepless nights because Mrs Tombs cant sleep due to being uncomfortable! I also think in my humble opinion the X5 is a looker compared to the rest and I love the drivers view up there in the heavens, it's a great view. Chompers, your right about the "blinkers" but having had one I didn't realise what a good car it was until I sold it.

If I had my way I'd probably buy a AMG Merc or RS6 plus but Mrs Tombs doesn't like the power delivery or size but she was happy with the X5, again I think its ride height and handling of the X5 which makes it feel easier to handle considering its a big than the harshness of the sports suspension (DRC) on the RS6 ...when it's working! But your right to look at other cars and thats why I also have the 535d on my list, kinda ticks the boxes too apart from the ugly "arse" on the car.

Thats good mpg for V8 CondorX5, are you light with your right foot or would you say you gun it when necessary? Your spot on re riding height etc and when it comes to build quality compared to Range Rover its chalk and cheese, my in-laws in the US Range Rover fell apart literally in front my eyes while we stayed with them a few years ago, shocking build quality.

Mmmm, Lizzie did you have the chance to compare the performance with a similar car with LPG or do you notice any lag in power delivery? Could be an option...I work in the car magazine world and get a real mix of feedback and opinions on LPG, some Journo's hate them and think their the work of the devil and others love the conversions to bits.

Anyway, thanks for all the advise....great forum,

Cheers

Tom

Hi Tom

I must admit I do have to stretch when the boots open to get in the back but it's not really been an issue although would not be able to if pregnant! I have managed to get the spare out on two occasions so it is possible. Can't imagine if I had a Citroën as they are under the car I beleive.

It's great especially if you have the screens in the back to keep the ankle biters occupied.

I know the pub your referring to and yes it is me in the pic notice the head shot so you can't see my fat but! Lol


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Tom the fuel consumption I find in most of the cars I drive is better than anticipated - I love the big V8 and have had a number of V8s in different guises over a long time, so perhaps my size 5 foot is a bit lighter than most of the mucho male V8 owners The secret is to keep steady and not mess about braking heavily then accelerating like a boy racer only to screech to a halt again - currently, I'm getting that consumption with a roof box installed as my contract is ending in 2 weeks and I'm taking stuff back home again, so it will probably be a bit better than that without the bars and box on top. The other thing is, I honestly believe that the fuel you put in makes a BIG difference over time.....I only ever use the highest octane, BP Ultimate if I can get it, and never, ever fill up at supermarket petrol stations unless its unavoidable. I've always felt its crazy to buy a performance engine and then expect it to perform its best on Fiesta petrol - this has sparked many a debate, and Which magazine claimed there was "no difference" (but then see the cars they chose in their comparison!!!). Also some guys around who have worked at refineries (there was someone on the old forum) who felt that the tankers all filled up from the same storage tanks at the refineries - that I am sure is quite accurate, but the additives that the different manufacturers add to their premium products make a real difference - I am absolutely convinced of this, having owned and run several lovely V8s over the past 10 years since arriving back home in blighty from abroad. I even use the high octane stuff in our Smart Car that we use as a toad behind our motorhome - the Smart Car specialist indy garage we use recommends it!! The Rangie was particularly fussy - you could hear and feel the difference if filling up with regular petrol. The premium stuff isn't cheap - BP Ultimate is currently around £1.35 a litre inland, around £1.20 at the coast but I'll always use it.