[Mark's M]

Hello all, new to this forum but been around on another for a few years. Thought I'd share my quick impression of the new N55 tune for the X5 35i which I've been waiting patiently for since buying a 35i M Sport a couple months back - which I love. Power and handling are great for what this vehicle is and I drive it like snot quite a bit, still achieving excellent gas mileage overall. But more power isn't a bad thing so I'm thinking this tune will be a no-brainer. My dealer called me on Monday after receiving the new tune from Dinan. They'd already installed it in a demo and were awaiting my test drive. I dropped out today as it started to snow unfortunately but...nothing ventured, nothing gained and the roads were only wet by this point.

Initial impressions - seat of the pants with no instruments - is that the new tune with its stated 55 hp/100 ft/lbs torque gains is absolutely noticeable, particularly in DS (Sport) mode. In regular D mode and under moderate to hard acceleration the truck feels much lighter and sprints to speed with much less effort. Otherwise the tune is seamless and you wouldn't know it's there. I'm a Dinan fan and would expect nothing less.

DS mode under hard acceleration is where you'll really appreciate the difference. There's no lag, the increased power/torque is immediately noticeable, the shifts are crisp and the power/pull remains on tap much longer. This was really evident at speed (80-100 km/h) where a forced downshift gives you a much better and prolonged "push" into your backrest. I can equate this new found power to driving an X3 35i which by nature and weight, is about a second quicker to 60 mph than a stock X5 35i. The tuned X5 "feels" as quick and nible as a stock X3 and I'll be curious to see some official 0-60 times to prove the point.

So I got back into my own X5 for the drive home and it was just not the same anymore. On the wet roads my Traction Control remained inactive under hard acceleration (with big, fat Scorpion Ice/Snows). The TC on the tuned X5 (also on a winter tire package) was continually interfering on the same roads. Again, not the best environment to test the new tune but it'll only get better when the roads are dry here. Amazing what a couple thousand dollars can do!! Worth it - yup. And with a great BMW/Dinan dealer combo like mine, absolutely no worries!!

So I'm going to pop for this and a proper suspension makeover (H&R 1.2" + Bilsteins all around) in the spring 'cause right now, the weather here sucks and I really couldn't enjoy these neat new things.

Best to all - Mark