[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Your dad would love the iX then. Even easier than the Audi (or any other car) to get in and out of!

He’s not ready for BEV. I’ve tried pushing him to the XM, but it is $35k to get into a brand new SQ7 v $90k for an XM.

[Prunelles]

Originally Posted by 440i6MT

Out of curiosity, how often do you change vehicles?

Most of the time every 3 years at the end of my lease.
I received my i4 M50 in December 2022 and the following week I visited family for Christmas on a 2200km (1300mi) roadtrip. My first EV roadtrip. The GPS wasn’t as good as it is right now (thanks OTA…) but everything went smooth. Drive 24000km per year (15000mi) with it.
I should take delivery of my i5 Touring in September.
The i4 is fantastic with a large hatchback trunk. I am able to put 2 dogs there and if necessary use a towbox for luggages.
But my wife wanted something bigger and I always had a weakness for station wagons.
On that note I didn't expect so much difference in handling between my i4 M50 and the i5 e40 I tested at my dealership.
First thing is comfort. My i4 got 18inch wheels and it’s way less comfortable than the i5 I tested which was on 21inch wheels…
Second thing is the handling. To be honest I’ve never been completely comfortable driving my i4 in sporty conditions. I don't feel any connection between the traction of the front axle and the rear axle.
At turn exit it’s the rear engine (only 340hp) which ensures the motion but I f you ask for more the front engine activates (140 or 200hp depending on the mode you drive) but with a different mindset from the rear.
In a classic xdrive, the front relieves the rear, but it is still possible to rotate the car around an axis. On the i4 M50 when the front activates it's as if a second axis appeared preventing any rotation unless you want to go drifting on 4 wheels... this make the frontend feel really heavy.
In contrast the i5 e40 that I tried was a lot more incisive than my i4. Sure 4 steering wheels probably help but the difference is major to the point of affirming that the e40s are more efficient in the middle of a curve than the M50/60.
In a straight line it’s a different story of course.
Hope BMW will fix this handling behaviour with the next M3 on the Neue Klasse.

[Scrapula]

Originally Posted by Prunelles

Most of the time every 3 years at the end of my lease.
I received my i4 M50 in December 2022 and the following week I visited family for Christmas on a 2200km (1300mi) roadtrip. My first EV roadtrip. The GPS wasn’t as good as it is right now (thanks OTA…) but everything went smooth. Drive 24000km per year (15000mi) with it.
I should take delivery of my i5 Touring in September.
The i4 is fantastic with a large hatchback trunk. I am able to put 2 dogs there and if necessary use a towbox for luggages.
But my wife wanted something bigger and I always had a weakness for station wagons.
On that note I didn't expect so much difference in handling between my i4 M50 and the i5 e40 I tested at my dealership.
First thing is comfort. My i4 got 18inch wheels and it’s way less comfortable than the i5 I tested which was on 21inch wheels…
Second thing is the handling. To be honest I’ve never been completely comfortable driving my i4 in sporty conditions. I don't feel any connection between the traction of the front axle and the rear axle.
At turn exit it’s the rear engine (only 340hp) which ensures the motion but I f you ask for more the front engine activates (140 or 200hp depending on the mode you drive) but with a different mindset from the rear.
In a classic xdrive, the front relieves the rear, but it is still possible to rotate the car around an axis. On the i4 M50 when the front activates it's as if a second axis appeared preventing any rotation unless you want to go drifting on 4 wheels... this make the frontend feel really heavy.
In contrast the i5 e40 that I tried [...]

I actually preferred the i4 edrive40 with RWD. I wasn’t sure of why it handled so much better than the M50 so thanks for the explanation.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

I actually preferred the i4 edrive40 with RWD. I wasn’t sure of why it handled so much better than the M50 so thanks for the explanation.

I saw my first "out in the wild" i4 eDrive40 today at the grocery store parking lot. It looked brand new as it drove by slowly and was a gorgeous coppery color - looked like an individual color because I didn't recognize it as one of the standards. Prior to this one, I'd only seen one dark green i4 eDrive35 on the freeway. Oddly, I felt both sad and excited at the same time when I saw it because it looked so nice, and reminded me that I'm still waiting for my car to arrive.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

He’s not ready for BEV. I’ve tried pushing him to the XM, but it is $35k to get into a brand new SQ7 v $90k for an XM.

We do love our XM too. 90% of the time, the 30-40 miles of electric range allows us to never need the ICE for daily driving and errands. But, when we do....the twin turbo V-8 is awesome

The XM is stupidly priced though, and this is a BIG reason why sales are so low. Also, the XM looks amazing from the front, but the rear view is not so great.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

We do love our XM too. 90% of the time, the 30-40 miles of electric range allows us to never need the ICE for daily driving and errands. But, when we do....the twin turbo V-8 is awesome

The XM is stupidly priced though, and this is a BIG reason why sales are so low. Also, the XM looks amazing from the front, but the rear view is not so great.

Yeah, at the moment I could buy a model Y and an SQ7 for the price of an XM. Or a model Y and an M3.

If we didn’t have 3 young kids to cart around we’d probably do XM and M3 instead of our current setup X7/MY/M3.

I am also not crazy about the rear end and lack of pano glass - but I do like the XM otherwise.

[440i6MT]

Just finished watching.

I doubt I'll ever own this car, nor have an interest in owning it, but I can see the market for it.
BMW strays further away from what them who they are, but they're ensuring a [soulless] [successful] future for themselves.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Yeah, at the moment I could buy a model Y and an SQ7 for the price of an XM. Or a model Y and an M3.

If we didn’t have 3 young kids to cart around we’d probably do XM and M3 instead of our current setup X7/MY/M3.

I am also not crazy about the rear end and lack of pano glass - but I do like the XM otherwise.

The lack of pano glass is one of our FAVS!! Knowing the hell that iX owners have gone through, I will do my best to avoid pano glass in any car I can. Repair is roughly $20k and takes months and a huge chunk of the interior is ripped apart to replace the pano roof.

I also like having a solid roof for really hot days. But, the pano roof is nice in the rain

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

The lack of pano glass is one of our FAVS!! Knowing the hell that iX owners have gone through, I will do my best to avoid pano glass in any car I can. Repair is roughly $20k and takes months and a huge chunk of the interior is ripped apart to replace the pano roof.

I also like having a solid roof for really hot days. But, the pano roof is nice in the rain

But I’ve had pano on several X5’s and X3 and now X7 over the decades and never once had an issue with it.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

But I’ve had pano on several X5’s and X3 and now X7 over the decades and never once had an issue with it.

Likewise have pano on the Model Y currently plus the iX and had a panorama sunroof on a Maxima for three years without an issue. I enjoy the natural light too much to obsess over what "might" happen to it. Plus the electrochromic dimming is very cool.

[Scrapula]

I specifically got the pano roof because it is always rainy and dreary in the Pacific Northwest. Gotta let some light in when I can.

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by COBodom

Then there's performance vs money, X5 with B58 is just a tad bit too sluggish for me, especially when car is fully occupied. The S68 is fantastic but it commands a different price of admission.

0 to 60 in less than 5 sec is sluggish?

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by wknddrivr

Pretty big difference in fuel consumption. X5 40i x-drive rated at 23/27 mpg vs the 540 x drive at 26/33. The x5 40i is also a second slower to 60. To get the same performance out of the x5 as the 540 you’d need to move to the x5 m60i which drops your fuel economy down to 17/22 and its a lot more expensive than a 540i. So if you don’t need the extra cargo capacity, the lower fuel consumption, higher performance, and lower price make sense.

For some, it’s also easier to get into a sedan. My mom has knee issues and is much more comfortable sitting down into a sedan than stepping up to an suv.

Are you folks doing 0 to 60 runs in your executive cars all the time? Also per BMW the X5 is not a second slower to 60.

When I drive the X5 I have zero urges to go fast. Must be that Plush Merino Leather and quiet interior.

[BeEmVee]

Originally Posted by jwong77

The B58 is a legend at this point. I have it in my family hauler X3 and love it.

I have the B58 in my X5, but being new to BMW I don’t understand what’s so special about this series and everyone seem to call it legendary. Is it the smooth acceleration, low vibration idle, dependable power delivery? I like the engine very much, but I dont understand or can’t feel differences in engine characteristics as easily as suspension for example. Thanks for the info! Long live the B58, I guess

[OHV_44]

Which engines should we roughly compare the B58 with?





OK. One comes to mind. The S58.

https://www.bmw-m.com/en/topics/maga...tbrothers.html

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by BeEmVee

I have the B58 in my X5, but being new to BMW I don’t understand what’s so special about this series and everyone seem to call it legendary. Is it the smooth acceleration, low vibration idle, dependable power delivery? I like the engine very much, but I dont understand or can’t feel differences in engine characteristics as easily as suspension for example. Thanks for the info! Long live the B58, I guess

B58: Dependable (so far), fuel efficient, smooth, and powerful. But in the X5 it’s not really that legendary. What made it legendary is mainly Jack from Savagegeese in the Supra and Z4 commentary… some pretty amusing videos on the subject. Having had both the B58 in the X5 and X7 and Z4 and the S58 in the M3 comp and M3 manual (base), the B58 is nice. The S58 is far better. Historically though there are more legendary BMW M engines than the b58 and the verdict is still out.

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

B58: Dependable (so far), fuel efficient, smooth, and powerful. But in the X5 it’s not really that legendary. What made it legendary is mainly Jack from Savagegeese in the Supra and Z4 commentary… some pretty amusing videos on the subject. Having had both the B58 in the X5 and X7 and Z4 and the S58 in the M3 comp and M3 manual (base), the B58 is nice. The S58 is far better. Historically though there are more legendary BMW M engines than the b58 and the verdict is still out.

The B58, for what it is, is pretty legendary amongst the baseline (non-M) BMW I6.

[Nighthawks]

Originally Posted by Blue87

I configured a 540i xDrive with all options and it seems nice, but maybe not at 80k USD. I could see a few more options being available on an ICE/hybrid version of the M560i, but the likely weight penalty would push many away. I would consider purchasing one of these if a dealer just happened to have a one fully loaded (not likely around here) at a discount. Unfortunately, the 3 series doesn't offer the same level of options, so you are stuck with bland or bland pig with Straightline acceleration (new M5). My X5 M50i is a sweet spot of luxury and performance that is also engaged in a fulltime battle with the laws of physics and has a fairly high price tag. If lucky, one (myself included) might be able to find a loaded lightly used M550i that hasn't been abused.

I ordered that 80k USD 540i xDrive back at the end of December after a car crash. I test drove the 530i, but knew I wanted the 540i. I finally got to test drive a 540i xDrive. I noticed immediately that it’s bigger and taller than the 330i rental car (from Sixt Rental Car) that I’ve been driving for the last two months. BTW, the 330i is so fun to drive. The 540i xDrive definitely was more quiet, luxurious, and had a pleasurable engine rev. It finally arrives at the dealership tomorrow.

[Blue87]

Originally Posted by Nighthawks

I ordered that 80k USD 540i xDrive back at the end of December after a car crash. I test drove the 530i, but knew I wanted the 540i. I finally got to test drive a 540i xDrive. I noticed immediately that it’s bigger and taller than the 330i rental car (from Sixt Rental Car) that I’ve been driving for the last two months. BTW, the 330i is so fun to drive. The 540i xDrive definitely was more quiet, luxurious, and had a pleasurable engine rev. It finally arrives at the dealership tomorrow.

I had been working with a dealer on either a 5 series or M4, and in the end I decided not to pull the trigger and ended up sticking with my X5. Unfortunately, we never made it past the configuration stage. Hope you enjoy your 5 Series!

[Nighthawks]

Originally Posted by Blue87

I had been working with a dealer on either a 5 series or M4, and in the end I decided not to pull the trigger and ended up sticking with my X5. Unfortunately, we never made it past the configuration stage. Hope you enjoy your 5 Series!

Thanks! Maybe consider the 550e? I probably will.

I hope I can sleep tonight.

[SpaceSilver.X1]

Originally Posted by Blue87

I had been working with a dealer on either a 5 series or M4, and in the end I decided not to pull the trigger and ended up sticking with my X5. Unfortunately, we never made it past the configuration stage. Hope you enjoy your 5 Series!

if you change your mind again, definitely go with the M4.


I probably shouldn't be saying this because my 5-series is supposed to go into production line tomorrow.

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

The B58, for what it is, is pretty legendary amongst the baseline (non-M) BMW I6.

Indeed. Many compare it favorably to the S55 as well.

The B58 may be one of the best I6ers ever made, IMO. Reliable, crazy tuning potential, sounds good, and even in stock form is underrated and a milestone for a non-M engine.

Heck, Toyota even used it to replace their most iconic engine in one of their most iconic vehicles.