Introduction

[kcheves]

Greetings,

I'm a new member of this forum, and a new X5 owner.

After some research, we recently purchased a 2013 X35d with 36,000 miles. It's one of the last E70s to roll of the line in Spartanburg in June 2013, and is spec'd with the following options:

- Premium Package
- Sport Activity Package w/ 20" Style 214 wheels, flares, anthracite headliner, and shadow line trim.
- Technology Package w/ side view cameras, high beam detect, and HUD
- Multi-Contour Seats
- Dynamic HID lights
- Running Boards
- All weather floor mats
- Dark Bamboo trim

It has pretty much every option I would want, except body colored wheel arches.

The car is Alpine White over Nevada black leather. I bought it from a local private party, and it has ~17 months/16,000 miles remaining on the original 4/50 warranty and factory service plan. A few pictures are posted below.

Initial impressions: I love the size of the car, the ride, the cabin electronics, and the grunt of the diesel. It's a small detail, but I also love the anthracite headliner. And I'm amazed when I fill the tank and see 600-700 miles to empty This car will replace an old Honda Pilot as my daily driver, and it's a huge upgrade.

That said, it has a few issues that need to be addressed.

- There are a couple of paint chips on the hood and one on the rear lift gate that I'll treat with Dr. Colorchip.

- Three of the wheels have some rash, and I'm on the fence between refinishing them or switching out to a 19" square setup. Not a fan of run flats, and my experience with other marques and staggered setups is that the extra cost for tires outweighs the performance gains. I really like the 19" style 299 wheels, and I'd buy the compact spare if I switched to 19" wheels and tires.

- There are two problems I've found so far that need to be addressed under warranty. The rear hatch sometimes does not close when the red button on the hatch is pressed (seems to be a common problem), and the buttons under the radio that control the hatch, stability control, side view cameras, etc... are not operating smoothly.

- I don't love the running boards. I'll swap these out for standard sills eventually.

- Clear or painted side reflectors are definitely in my future.

I took delivery last week, and embarked on an 848 mile shake down drive from San Diego to Mammoth Mountain and back. For those not familiar with the Western USA, Mammoth is in the Eastern Sierras, at about 8000 ft. AMSL, and the drive from San Diego is a high speed run on Hwy 395 through the high desert. With a full load (2 adults, 2 teenagers, lots of stuff), I got a combined 24.2 mpg for the trip, which I was very pleased with. We filled up at Costco in Temecula CA coming and going, at an incredible $1.86/gallon. The reviews that I read of the E70 all praised the multi contour seats, and this drive validated how great these seats are. I was 7 hours in the saddle today on the way home, and very comfortable.

I've had friends with mixed experiences with X5's, notably with electronics gremlins, but took the jump anyway. I have some remaining warranty to deal with any problems, and the diesel emissions systems (DEF tank sensor failures, etc..) will be covered by the 7/70 CA emmisions warranty.

I know i'm in the Honeymoon phase, but I like the car very much and am looking forward to learning from all of you and hopefully contributing something to the collective.

Thanks,

Kit
San Diego, Ca

[KayTees]

Beauty! Love the rims and the factory flares! Enjoy the car!

[boneca]

Looks great, congrats and welcome to the family!

[ashawkys]

gorgeous truck!!