x5 3.0 petrol vs diesel

[tjg123]

im looking for an x5 around 2002-2002ish in age and either the 3.0 petrol sport or the 3.0d. auto transmission is preferable as is a price of around 8-9k. for that kind of money you can get a well specced car with mileage of around 80-90k. the question is which engine is the best package. the petrol is faster and it'll be quieter and no doubt more refined but will have worse mpg at 21.9. the diesel cars seem a tad more pricey it seems but they have a mpg quoted at 28mpg. then i looked at getting the diesel remapped which gives it very similar figures to the petrol for not a huge out lay. has anyone got/ driven either of these cars and has experience of their mpgs/ running costs and general performance and help would be great.

Tom

[Fox-]

Get the petrol - quicker, smoother and less likely to drop a massive bill on you. Also cheaper to buy new.

If the MPG difference is a big deal think about whether an X5 is a good idea anyway, as a 9 year old X5 isnt cheap to run...

[Nat_H]

My 4.4i does 15-16mpg around town, but you have to do a fair few miles for the diesel to break even.

Don't expect the 3.0i to be much better as it needs more stick to move it.

Expensive cars to run, and things will go wrong;

Auto boxes and turbos seem to be weaker points on these.

Also consider what options the car has, Satnav, heated seats, xenons and the Sport pack are good to have.

Edited by Nat_H on Thursday 11th February 16:21

[Stefluc]

As far as the X5 3.0 Diesel goes i can tell you they are a great piece of kit on road,we have these at work and we have at present a 56 plate old shape with 142000+ on clock a 57 plate new shape with 144000 miles on clock and a 59 plate with 19000 + miles.

We run these vehicles 24hrs a day and they perform and handle well,they are run at normal road speed and run hard at speeds of upto 120mph and they never miss a beat and in all the time we have run them they have only ever been off the road for routine servicing.

In fact I have never known anything major to go wrong with them,they are comfortable and have a full boot of equipment in them constantly along with the usual emergency equipment on them and when i use the trip to see what the average MPG and it doesnt seem to do more than 18 - 21 to the gallon.

Bearing in mind that this is getting thrashed about everywhere on a 24 hr 365 days a year and they never seem to give up, then they do get serviced every month.

I would imagine that the petrol version would need a petrol tanker following it around and you wont be able to drive it as progressivly as a diesel as it will cost a fortune in fuel,in manual mode they are brilliant cars to drive,I would sooner drive the X5 rather than the 330 tourings that we have.

No doubt there will be others who have a different view on them in relation to cost effective running but I can only view my opinion on my experiences with them and I would certainly buy one if I had the money and I would only ever buy the diesel.
Stefluc

[msh]

I have had the X5 3.0 diesel 218 BHP , I used to get about 30 mpg easily, and this was more round town driving than motorway.

This is a great car with a great engine but the weak piont is definately the auto gearbox. Mine was OK but it keeps on changing down as soon as you start to go down any steep incline. You can select manual but would have been better if it worked right in first place.

Not cheap to run but still a good car.

In fact i am thinking of changing my A4 Quattro for an X5 4.8 is. Just for the V8 roar of coarse!!!!!!!!!!!!

[agill007]

tjg123 said:

im looking for an x5 around 2002-2002ish in age and either the 3.0 petrol sport or the 3.0d. auto transmission is preferable as is a price of around 8-9k. for that kind of money you can get a well specced car with mileage of around 80-90k. the question is which engine is the best package. the petrol is faster and it'll be quieter and no doubt more refined but will have worse mpg at 21.9. the diesel cars seem a tad more pricey it seems but they have a mpg quoted at 28mpg. then i looked at getting the diesel remapped which gives it very similar figures to the petrol for not a huge out lay. has anyone got/ driven either of these cars and has experience of their mpgs/ running costs and general performance and help would be great.

Tom

Did you get your X5? My Mrs has wanted one ever since they came out but forking out £30k+ was not feasible back then. However, 8 years later prices are a lot more sensible. I bought her one last week for £9k. 3.0d sport, 2003 plate, 100k on clock, black with black leathers, sat nav, Bluetooth, comms pack etc. What attracted me to this was the chap that owned it had various bits prone to failure fixed. The auto box had been reconditioned, the turbo and manifold been replaced, the CV joints changed. It’s not to say these things won’t go again but at least I’m hedging my bets in getting one with the work done.

This is not the facelift unfortunately – they start at 04 plate and to get a decent similar spec one costs around £12.5k. They do however, look and drive much better - I believe they have the new 3.0d engine as per the E60 5 series. More power, less emissions and better mpg. Oh well you can’t have everything.

I don’t believe we are getting 30mpg to be honest, more like 25mpg but this was to be expected in an automatic car that weighs 2 tons plus.

Upsides

Looks fantastic on the drive – you’re neighbours will envy you!
Nice driving position
Lots of power
Loads of space in the front and back.
Lots of toys to play with

Downsides

Fearing the first garage bill..
Rough ride on uneven roads. (to be expected in a sport 4x4)
Thirsty – sub 30mpg
Expensive to ensure. I’ve got 6 points and was getting quotes for £1.6k..
A few annoying things have come up that I should have spotted and haggled down the price. – folding mirrors don’t work, one of the rear doors doesn’t always unlock with remote key. A few rattles in the boot area when driving.


All in all the pro’s outweigh the cons SO FAR. This could easily change with a few trips to the mechanic!!