F10 M5 to X5 M50D......a mistake?

F10 M5 to X5 M50D......a mistake?

Author
Discussion

mjw0321

293 posts

125 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Yes it can be a frustrating experience, on the traction front I remember going for an overtake, 1 van and old dear in a hatchback, only to stare in amazement as they pulled away from me as I sat there sliding around behind them. laugh
Yeah, which is why I am starting to thing something like this might be better day to day http://www.audi.co.uk/used-cars/used-car-locator/a...

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
mjw0321 said:
Wills2 said:
Yes it can be a frustrating experience, on the traction front I remember going for an overtake, 1 van and old dear in a hatchback, only to stare in amazement as they pulled away from me as I sat there sliding around behind them. laugh
Yeah, which is why I am starting to thing something like this might be better day to day http://www.audi.co.uk/used-cars/used-car-locator/a...
Indeed but it made me laugh and Audi drivers always seem so serious...

W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
garym3m5 said:
Ok, I ran an f10M5 from new for just over 2 years, but by October last year and with the weather changing, I was looking to change.
For me it was an easy decision. On a lovely warm day, with plenty temperature in the tyres the M5 was epic. For the 8-9 months of the year in the North-East of England when it was cold and damp it wasn't.
Not much fun sitting in Motorway spray, feathering the throttle on greasy roads. I'm not kidding, I remember one Autumn day when I couldn't keep up with a diesel Astra van due to issues getting grip.
I borrowed an X5M, which left me amused, but cold. Compromised ride, but faster than an M5 in most real world weather. Contrary to some comments, I found the build quality on the various X5's I tried to be much better than my m5.
It is simply a much more chilled, relaxing and enjoyable way to travel, 90% of the time when going about normal failing driving of sitting around. The road are so busy these days, the opportunities to really push the M5 were increasingly limited.
Eventually I factory ordered an X5M50 which I got Christmas Eve. With a £12,500k discount and a high spec, this came in at £59k. Looking at the comparable deals this came in £31k cheaper than an similar spec X5M.
I think the M50d is tremendous value for money and as a daily drive, unsurpassed. Round the doors it is plenty quick enough and is has an almost V8 soundtrack when pushing on. 2K in averaging 30.4MPG compared to 21.8 from the m5.
I am in the very fortunate financial position to be able to drive pretty much whatever I want, but still like that feeling that I am getting value for money from my purchases. I also have to justify them to my wife!
For me, from my experiences, 95% of the time the M50d is a better proposition(and better value) to live with than either the M5 or X5M. Maybe if I was running only one car, I would feel different, just to get that extra smile on the right road?
Hi Gary, was your M5 running the 20' wheels? I'm never one to defend a car unless i'm confident my findings are different & i really suffer with next to no traction issues with my F10 M5, which as many know is a little up on power/torque. I'm even running on Winter tyres at the moment & although not as good as the MPSS unless it's really cold, i can apply warp speed pretty much whenever i want. Yes the tail will have a little wag, but never unexpected & never not a simple scenario to dial out. I do push my car nearer it's limits on track so although my driving ability is unlikely any better than the next persons, perhaps my confidence in what the car can accomplish may be higher than some, however i have yet to have been in a situation where anything got away from me if i didn't want it to.

I genuinely believe that the 20' option wheels transform to the negative the handling & traction of these cars as i've heard similar from others, but never the same from those with 19's.

garym3m5

768 posts

116 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
W8PMC said:
Hi Gary, was your M5 running the 20' wheels? I'm never one to defend a car unless i'm confident my findings are different & i really suffer with next to no traction issues with my F10 M5, which as many know is a little up on power/torque. I'm even running on Winter tyres at the moment & although not as good as the MPSS unless it's really cold, i can apply warp speed pretty much whenever i want. Yes the tail will have a little wag, but never unexpected & never not a simple scenario to dial out. I do push my car nearer it's limits on track so although my driving ability is unlikely any better than the next persons, perhaps my confidence in what the car can accomplish may be higher than some, however i have yet to have been in a situation where anything got away from me if i didn't want it to.

I genuinely believe that the 20' option wheels transform to the negative the handling & traction of these cars as i've heard similar from others, but never the same from those with 19's.
Absolutely fair point and I think you may be right. My car was running 20' wheels with summer tyres (PZero's) all year round. Probably my own worst enemy as having access to 'other' four wheel drive vehicle, could never bring myself to switch to winters, although I do know what a transformation they can make on a bad day. Great in dry summer, ride quality excellent, but quite a bit of road noise. Never really much of an issue in the bends as ready to 'catch anything', but more of an issue on almost straight roads when in 'tootle' mode. i.e. Quite a few times when moving from 30-60 zones half throttle in the cold/wet, full auto mode, the torque would make the car snap slightly sideways expectantly, even with full traction control engaged, hence I ended up driving evermore cautiously. Never had the same issues with E92M3, on the same tyres, so must be down to the torque delivery of the engine...... Absolutely loved having the M5, but honestly not missing it up till now, but then its only been 6 weeks !!(also possibly because I've other toys to play with on a nice summer day?)

W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
garym3m5 said:
Absolutely fair point and I think you may be right. My car was running 20' wheels with summer tyres (PZero's) all year round. Probably my own worst enemy as having access to 'other' four wheel drive vehicle, could never bring myself to switch to winters, although I do know what a transformation they can make on a bad day. Great in dry summer, ride quality excellent, but quite a bit of road noise. Never really much of an issue in the bends as ready to 'catch anything', but more of an issue on almost straight roads when in 'tootle' mode. i.e. Quite a few times when moving from 30-60 zones half throttle in the cold/wet, full auto mode, the torque would make the car snap slightly sideways expectantly, even with full traction control engaged, hence I ended up driving evermore cautiously. Never had the same issues with E92M3, on the same tyres, so must be down to the torque delivery of the engine...... Absolutely loved having the M5, but honestly not missing it up till now, but then its only been 6 weeks !!(also possibly because I've other toys to play with on a nice summer day?)
Although not relevant now, the car is totally different on MPSS & if yours came with the P Zero's then i think that along with having 20's was a significant downfall in the way the car handled.

My 'only' moment oddly enough was in the Summer last year (post upgrades) when i had a full on tank slapper on a certain 'quiet' motorway when entering at speed. I was in the sweet spot power/torque wise & when moving from 3rd to 4th the torque came on with such force that the rear stepped well out of shape. You can draw from the gear change (full chat) what kind of speed i was travelling. That said i was in MDM but the slapper was totally unexpected as was going into 4th. Learnt a valuable lesson & have never had a repeat of this & even in these colder wetter months, although i don't drive at al in anything other than full TC, i really don't suffer with any traction issues even when playing. I'd be lying if i didn't admit to seeing the orange light last ALOT, but i know what the car's doing & it never misbehaves or catches me napping.

The MPSS tyres are i believe a BMW M designated tyre & I'm sure i read in some Michelin blurb that they spent a lot of time working with BMW to get the tyre set up perfectly of the car. I can't comment on the Pirelli's as i've never run a set, but i think that may have been the crux of your traction issues.

chris56

556 posts

178 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
garym3m5 said:
Ok, I ran an f10M5 from new for just over 2 years, but by October last year and with the weather changing, I was looking to change.
For me it was an easy decision. On a lovely warm day, with plenty temperature in the tyres the M5 was epic. For the 8-9 months of the year in the North-East of England when it was cold and damp it wasn't.
Not much fun sitting in Motorway spray, feathering the throttle on greasy roads. I'm not kidding, I remember one Autumn day when I couldn't keep up with a diesel Astra van due to issues getting grip.
I borrowed an X5M, which left me amused, but cold. Compromised ride, but faster than an M5 in most real world weather. Contrary to some comments, I found the build quality on the various X5's I tried to be much better than my m5.
It is simply a much more chilled, relaxing and enjoyable way to travel, 90% of the time when going about normal failing driving of sitting around. The road are so busy these days, the opportunities to really push the M5 were increasingly limited.
Eventually I factory ordered an X5M50 which I got Christmas Eve. With a £12,500k discount and a high spec, this came in at £59k. Looking at the comparable deals this came in £31k cheaper than an similar spec X5M.
I think the M50d is tremendous value for money and as a daily drive, unsurpassed. Round the doors it is plenty quick enough and is has an almost V8 soundtrack when pushing on. 2K in averaging 30.4MPG compared to 21.8 from the m5.
I am in the very fortunate financial position to be able to drive pretty much whatever I want, but still like that feeling that I am getting value for money from my purchases. I also have to justify them to my wife!
For me, from my experiences, 95% of the time the M50d is a better proposition(and better value) to live with than either the M5 or X5M. Maybe if I was running only one car, I would feel different, just to get that extra smile on the right road?
This post sums up the reality perfectly. I found the F10 M5 (on various tyres including MPSS) to have traction issues and compromised when it was cold and damp.

HoHoHo

Original Poster:

14,980 posts

249 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
chris56 said:
garym3m5 said:
Ok, I ran an f10M5 from new for just over 2 years, but by October last year and with the weather changing, I was looking to change.
For me it was an easy decision. On a lovely warm day, with plenty temperature in the tyres the M5 was epic. For the 8-9 months of the year in the North-East of England when it was cold and damp it wasn't.
Not much fun sitting in Motorway spray, feathering the throttle on greasy roads. I'm not kidding, I remember one Autumn day when I couldn't keep up with a diesel Astra van due to issues getting grip.
I borrowed an X5M, which left me amused, but cold. Compromised ride, but faster than an M5 in most real world weather. Contrary to some comments, I found the build quality on the various X5's I tried to be much better than my m5.
It is simply a much more chilled, relaxing and enjoyable way to travel, 90% of the time when going about normal failing driving of sitting around. The road are so busy these days, the opportunities to really push the M5 were increasingly limited.
Eventually I factory ordered an X5M50 which I got Christmas Eve. With a £12,500k discount and a high spec, this came in at £59k. Looking at the comparable deals this came in £31k cheaper than an similar spec X5M.
I think the M50d is tremendous value for money and as a daily drive, unsurpassed. Round the doors it is plenty quick enough and is has an almost V8 soundtrack when pushing on. 2K in averaging 30.4MPG compared to 21.8 from the m5.
I am in the very fortunate financial position to be able to drive pretty much whatever I want, but still like that feeling that I am getting value for money from my purchases. I also have to justify them to my wife!
For me, from my experiences, 95% of the time the M50d is a better proposition(and better value) to live with than either the M5 or X5M. Maybe if I was running only one car, I would feel different, just to get that extra smile on the right road?
This post sums up the reality perfectly. I found the F10 M5 (on various tyres including MPSS) to have traction issues and compromised when it was cold and damp.
I think X5M would be the wrong move and I'm going to try an X5 50D M Sport for a weekend to make an informed decision.

Nothing wrong wit an M5 and if I end up with another I'm not going to chuck my toys out of the pram. I suspect for the driving I do the 50D will be just the job to be honest.

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
I think you're all a bit mad!

If I ever turn up here suggesting that I might swap my M5 for a diesel X5 "because its a bit of a handful in the wet" can somebody please kindly euthanise me?

HoHoHo

Original Poster:

14,980 posts

249 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
theboss said:
I think you're all a bit mad!

If I ever turn up here suggesting that I might swap my M5 for a diesel X5 "because its a bit of a handful in the wet" can somebody please kindly euthanise me?
Just to clarify I don't find my M5 a handful but simply fancy a change and a powerful diesel is food for thought wink

garym3m5

768 posts

116 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
HoHoHo said:
theboss said:
I think you're all a bit mad!

If I ever turn up here suggesting that I might swap my M5 for a diesel X5 "because its a bit of a handful in the wet" can somebody please kindly euthanise me?
Just to clarify I don't find my M5 a handful but simply fancy a change and a powerful diesel is food for thought wink
I know it may sound mad. To be fair I'd never really got the fast truck 4 wheel drive thing and I think subconsciously I may have thought similar to yourself. i.e. They (other drivers) are not man enough to handle a 'proper' car. This only changed last October after an extended test drive under real conditions. i.e. 48 hours using the car as I normally would as a tool for getting from A-B
As 90% of the time behind the wheel for many is spent in a line of traffic, listening to music/picking your nose/taking business calls between meetings, checking out woman in other cars, I have found the benefits out way the compromises. i.e. In my opinion, the X5 does this better than the M5 otherwise I wouldn't have changed. I must also say there is a certain unique amount of fun to be able to employ the full 550lb ft of torque from standstill in any conditions/temperature, even with summer tyres.

W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
theboss said:
I think you're all a bit mad!

If I ever turn up here suggesting that I might swap my M5 for a diesel X5 "because its a bit of a handful in the wet" can somebody please kindly euthanise me?
Exactly that.

I can understand someone fancying a change & the X5 M50D is a very capable soft roader & would make a nice change but comparing one with an M5 around any traction issues that may or may not exist is a bit off the mark. The C7 RS6 is AWD so in certain scenarios may get the jump on an M5 & could therefore be perceived as sometimes quicker & sometimes have better traction, however having spent a reasonable amount of time in one, the compromise is a far from dynamic drive & that car feels somewhat automated with very little driver involvement. Does that make it better/worse, well that all depends on your requirements, but the requirements that would drive me towards any X5 would not be the same as those that keep me in an M5.

Should have added that i had an X5 M50D for 6 weeks in 2014 & have owned an F10 M5 for 2 years.

Edited by W8PMC on Friday 12th February 15:05

JMBMWM5

2,283 posts

197 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
joscal said:
A spanner in the works! I can completely understand what you mean, the traffic where I live is getting so bad that I'm starting to question if there is any point in having a powerful car at all.

I never get the chance to stretch my M5s legs at all anymore. Far too busy and far too many idiots hogging lanes and of course cameras everywhere.

God I sound like an old fart...
This was my main reason for selling the M6 GC CP, just not getting used for anything but pottering.

The Livster

222 posts

115 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Part of the attraction for me, the M5 behaves like a 520d in town , and a "Beast" on the open road biglaughf

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
I was out in the M5 today and fell in love again, beast of car...love it!

cerb4.5lee

30,182 posts

179 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
JMBMWM5 said:
joscal said:
A spanner in the works! I can completely understand what you mean, the traffic where I live is getting so bad that I'm starting to question if there is any point in having a powerful car at all.

I never get the chance to stretch my M5s legs at all anymore. Far too busy and far too many idiots hogging lanes and of course cameras everywhere.

God I sound like an old fart...
This was my main reason for selling the M6 GC CP, just not getting used for anything but pottering.
I used to feel like that too when I had my E92 M3 and in comparison to the M5/M6 the M3 is a milk float so I can completely understand the frustration for sure, having all that power and being held back all the time would just drive me crazy.

I bet if the roads do eventually clear though it's great fun.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
I was out in the M5 today and fell in love again, beast of car...love it!
I desperately want a go in one - it's in the top three to replace the 535d when it's time to change
M5 RS6 XJR

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
cerb4.5lee said:
I used to feel like that too when I had my E92 M3 and in comparison to the M5/M6 the M3 is a milk float
Oh but it isn't though Lee! It's so drivable so full of revs...wonderful thing!

(did I mention I love the e92 M3?) biggrin

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Oh but it isn't though Lee! It's so drivable so full of revs...wonderful thing!

(did I mention I love the e92 M3?) biggrin
Excl the soft top M3 I think all is in agreement

cerb4.5lee

30,182 posts

179 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I used to feel like that too when I had my E92 M3 and in comparison to the M5/M6 the M3 is a milk float
Oh but it isn't though Lee! It's so drivable so full of revs...wonderful thing!

(did I mention I love the e92 M3?) biggrin
I know you do buddy thumbupand from reading many posts of yours it seems you do miss so many things about it. smile

JMBMWM5

2,283 posts

197 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
cerb4.5lee said:
I used to feel like that too when I had my E92 M3 and in comparison to the M5/M6 the M3 is a milk float so I can completely understand the frustration for sure, having all that power and being held back all the time would just drive me crazy.

I bet if the roads do eventually clear though it's great fun.
Yep but how often that happened was often enough TBH.
At 100 MPH it's just ticking over.