2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d Review – Advanced diesel technology meets the luxury SUV

Three words: SHUT UP MITCHELL!

Mitchell -

This is an X5.

Get a Japanese car?...boring !!

"Ask an American what they think about diesel engines and you’re likely to get one of the following looks: a blank stare"

lol not in my experience, diesel has always been around in North America. Maybe not in small cars with no balls, but any self respecting person knows about America's long standing history of diesel trucks.

also, meant to add. LOL Mitchel +1

ooop his post is gone, was he banned?

StarSearch -

I was driving on Jamboree Blvd. and MacArthur Blvd. in Newport Beach and in the left turn lane across the street were 3 late model Porsche 911's. A Nissan GT'R would have looked like a garbage truck next to them.

Please, don't bother me with those Datsons.

BMW is #1.

mitchell: you're confused. it's lexus that spends 5x more money on advertising. it costs a pretty penny (for advertising, fancy dealerships with cappucinno bars, etc) to make buyers feel good about their tarted up toyota.

I love the diesel X5. Why buy the V8 you only get to 60 MPH a half second faster (6.4 vs 6.9) and the fuel economy is much better (14/19 vs 19/26), more torques, and oh yeah it's thousands cheaper.

Haha true. The acceleration difference is so small majority of the people who buy this wont notice. I had to go for the 4.8i, the sound! Thats just me though. Otherwise, the xdrive35 is the logical way to go.

Nice.

So does everyone who buys a vehicle because it's more powerful then it's competition limp between the legs? If so I think I finally understand your hard on for the prius.

I live in the Hollywood Hills of Southern California and I can say my X5 4.6is handle better than most sedans and "sporty cars" on corner carving these hills. I sometimes drives faster than my husband does with his Ferrari 360.

I'll do the full conversion in a decade thanks :) I like to keep my cars simple, pure electric has so much less to go wrong/fix/wear out. Until then, welding on an extra 4 cylinders sounds fun :)

in california, the prius is the choice of self-righteous, pompous asses who are looking to make a political statement.

@huu76: What are you talking about??? "What's excessive torque going to do on a chassis that can't handle it?"

Do you really think, that a X5 can´t handle this torque? Ever driven such a car? Ever pulled a trailer with a Prius or other hybrids? Compare the gas mileage between a hybrid-SUV and a Diesel-SUV at higher speeds and then you will understand why all people in Germany and other european countries prefer the Diesel.

If you can't figure out how to use the new iDrive interface for Nav (or anything else) you're seriously challenged and probably shouldn't be driving a motor vehicle.

Just got back from Norway Yesterday were my vehicle rental was a Prius with 22,000km on the clock.

My opinion on the Prius is that if you are the kind of person who lives in the city, works in the city and hardly ever drives out of the city and do not care one bit about spirited driving then you will be happy with the prius.

If you do any driving out of big cities or have to go on Motorways then the prius is absolutely not for you.

I hated the stupid thing, engine was on 90% of the time to charge up the battery, which never showed full charge and was quickly emptied when you get moving. During a 90 min period when parked with the AC on LOW the engine switched on 18 times to charge the battery a little (to 2/8 bars) Would have made more sense to fully charge the battery before switching off for longer.

When driving the engine is actually louder and harsher than any small diesel i have driven in the last 5 years, Performance can best be described as asmatic and there is no handling to speak of.

Golf TDI, Megane TDI, C5 TDI, A3 TDI. All these are much better vehicles than the prius and i think the Congestion Charge Exempt status of these Hybrid Vehicles gives TOYOTA an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

No Nurburgring for me. I tear up Mulholland Drive everyday. That's good enough for me. If you're ever in town and happens to take a drive up Mulholland, you might just catch me or rather I might pass you on your slow moving Prius. And yes, my husband do own a Ferrari F360 Modena. It's silver btw and he baby it.