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      06-07-2010, 09:13 PM   #114
eisaakia
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Drives: X5 2011 50i
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NJ

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Thumbs up 2011 X5 50i Adaptive Drive & Active Steering

Hi All, when I was trying to decide whether to get Adaptive Drive and Active Steering I found that there were not that many reviews out there, and various conflicting information. As such I just recieved our 2011 x5 50i, platinum grey with the 20" 336 series rims, sport package, and both adaptive drive & active steering, and I wanted to share my opinion of these three options - (we also ordered it with premium stereo, heated seats, comfort seats, tech package, cinimon brown leather interior, nappa leather dashboard, privacy glass, roof rails, premium package, etc).

Note, prior to this I owned a 2000 x5 4.4i, a 2004 x3, and a 2007 M6, and we test drove multiple 2010 X5's with various configurations (3 litre diesel, v8, with and without sport packages and with and without 20" rims), but we could not find a local x5 with Adaptive Drive & Active Steering so we made the choice based on reviews & BMW literature.

Compared to all other X5 configurations, the Adaptive Drive, in my opinion, offers by far the best supension setup with the 20" rims and sport package. Since its an active supension setup (e.g. like EDC in the M6) under normal driving on our crappy NJ roads, it is quite supple and handles the bumps & potholes very well - not too jarring at all for the wife & kids. Compared to the sport setup with 20" rims and regular supension, it is a night and day difference. Without Adaptive drive the 20" sport setup is jarringly rough on these roads (you'll cringe at the sound/feeling the SAV makes when you hit the bumps). With Adaptive drive it is almost as smooth as the non-sport setup with 19" rims (very close).

The best part is that since it's active supension, you can press the sport button by the shifter, and it significantly tightens up the supension setup for sporty driving when you hit roads without the potholes and ruts (e.g you left NJ...). In sport mode, body roll & dampening are significantly taughter than under normal settings giving you the confidence to really enjoy the 400HP the V8 has to offer. Note, it's not as tight as say the M6 EDC on the hardest setting by any means, more like the medium setting.

Lastly the 2010/2011 X5 without Active steering has, in my opinion, a very heavy steering wheel feel, that does not seem fit for such a large vehicle. It is great on the highway, but during low speed parking lot maneouvers it is heavy and requires too many turns lock to lock. It is fine for guys, but my wife definately did not like how hard it was to steer. However with the active steering, the wheel turn is dynamic, and at low speeds it only requires a small turn to easily maneouver the X5 in and out of parking lots, and it is very easy to turn (wife loves it). As you speed up on the highway or side roads, it progressively increases how much input is required and nicely stiffens up the wheel and still maintains good road feel/feedback for such a heavy vehicle.

Overall, compared to all other X5 supsension setup/wheel combinations, I highly recommend the Adaptive drive & Active steering with the 20" rims & sport package. It simply provides the best of both worlds (confort and ride quality, and sporty when desired). Well worth the extra $$$.

Regards,
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