[Jay_P2324]

Hi Folks,
I have been an avid reader of Team-BHP for the past couple of years. Now I am in a dilemma myself about buying a car hence decided to join Team BHP and get some expert advice.

To give a background, my family has had the 2011 F10 520d for more than 11 years now and the time has come to replace it. It is a fabulous car and I still love driving it. It has been rock solid in terms of reliability and the design has aged well, the car is still a handsome one in the Imperial Blue Metallic shade.

The next car we are looking for is an SUV especially due to the road conditions and tall speed breakers at certain places (the current 520d scrapes on its bottom sometimes at full occupancy).

I have shortlisted the BMW X5 30d Msport and the GLE 400d (the only diesel competitors left in that segment). Given my ownership experience with a BMW, I am leaning toward the X5, but there seems to be no diesel test drive vehicle available with both dealers in Mumbai. Mercedes, on the other hand, does not have a GLE400d available for a test drive pan India but is offering a GLE 300d for a test drive. I believe the 400d misses out on the Burmester sound system, it is only the Hip-Hop edition that got it (correct me if I'm wrong here).

We have owned the 2013 ML350 in the past and have used it for 1,75,000 km, and replaced it with a pre worshipped 2016 GLE350d. This is making me less inclined toward the GLE 400d as we already have a Mercedes in the garage.

Another big dilemma that I am facing is the staggered setup of the BMW X5. The front comes with 275 section tyres and the rear comes with 305 section. From what I have read on international forums (https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1667560), the 740M wheels are 9.5J at the front and 10.5J at the rear for the staggered setup models. Does it essentially mean that I cannot move to a square setup once I wear out my stock set of tyres?

Are there any other cars I should consider? I am not considering the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 for being petrol only.

Also, if someone would know of a diesel test drive X5 in Mumbai I would appreciate that.

Thank you in advance.

[GTO]

Go for the X5.

- Your running is very high and as you've seen with your 5-Series, BMW's reliability is damn good.

- You already have a GLE in the garage.

- Take a morning-to-evening flight to whichever city the X5 30d is available for a test-drive in. But I can tell you this is one engine & gearbox you can buy even without a test-drive. My car is 9-years old and the powertrain still amazes me whenever I drive it. Top class refinement, power & gearbox behaviour. It's one of the best diesel engine + gearbox combinations in the world.

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

Another big dilemma that I am facing is the staggered setup of the BMW X5. The front comes with 275 section tyres and the rear comes with 305 section. From what I have read on international forums (https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1667560), the 740M wheels are 9.5J at the front and 10.5J at the rear for the staggered setup models. Does it essentially mean that I cannot move to a square setup once I wear out my stock set of tyres?

Even with 285 mm tyres, the 530d's rear slides way too much, especially once the tyres have 7000 - 10000 km on them. With the X5's additional weight, I would prefer to stick with the 305 mm tyres. Why would you want to move to a square setup? I am sure you can, but you will have to go for thinner tyres at the rear. Will look & drive poorer than the 305s.

[HighRevving]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

To give a background, my family has had the 2011 F10 520d for more than 11 years now and the time has come to replace it. It is a fabulous car and I still love driving it. It has been rock solid in terms of reliability and the design has aged well, the car is still a handsome one in the Imperial Blue Metallic shade.

If you are going to be driving the car, X5 it is.

The 30d is a far superior engine - very refined and extremely torquey. So you’ll feel the upgrade in your very first drive. BMW folks really know how to mate this engine to the ZF8 and it’s a match you can’t go wrong with.

Staggered setups have a few disadvantages - you cannot rotate the wheels between front & rear and you end up having uneven wear in front and rear tyres as typically the rears wear out sooner than the fronts, this of course is the problem even when you get new tyres. However, I sincerely believe you should stick to manufacturer’s recommendation as the advantages of better grip and handling far outweigh the disadvantages.

[Jay_P2324]

Thanks, your input helps

Originally Posted by GTO

Why would you want to move to a square setup?

For 2 reasons,
- 275's would be cheaper to replace (comparatively)
- I could rotate a square setup and get more life out of the tyres,

I would also plan on moving away from RFTs once I wear out the first set.

Originally Posted by GTO

Will look & drive poorer than the 305s.

True.

Originally Posted by HighRevving

If you are going to be driving the car, X5 it is.

I would be driving the car 90% of the time. X5 is what the heart wants!

Originally Posted by HighRevving

However, I sincerely believe you should stick to manufacturer’s recommendation as the advantages of better grip and handling far outweigh the disadvantages.

Agreed. Let's see how my experience goes with a staggered setup car.

[deepak_bajaj]

Have you tried Volvo? They don't have a diesel but both XC60 and XC90 are excellent cars. If your prime criteria is "Fun to Drive", then go for X5. For any other criteria, Volvo is pure bliss in terms of plushness, refinement, service and safety. It provides more bang for your money.

[Jay_P2324]

Originally Posted by deepak_bajaj

Have you tried Volvo? They don't have a diesel but both XC60 and XC90 are excellent cars. If your prime criteria is "Fun to Drive", then go for X5. For any other criteria, Volvo is pure bliss in terms of plushness, refinement, service and safety. It provides more bang for your money.

I haven't considered Volvo primarily because of the lack of diesel options. The design of the XC90 looks a bit dated to me personally. I do agree that in terms of interior, the XC90 is a much better car but the engine just sounds overcomplicated to me with the supercharger + turbocharger + hybrid tech. I am unsure about the long-term reliability of that powertrain.

[noufal.ps]

Get the X5 30d. Your options, requirements and post ask for it

I'd go to an extent you considered 530 while picking up 520 but left it as an upgrade option. Time to redeem!

[ballfry]

As an owner of a X5 40i, I would highly recommend you check out the backseat of the SUV before you make a decision(if that matters to you).

I have faced some complains within the family about the up-right nature of the rear seat.

Not a deal breaker for me since I drive 90% of the time.

[pk1972]

Go for the X5 - I have taken extensive test drives in Bengaluru and it is a very good drivers car. It’s a maniac in Sports mode. On the other hand, Merc will be dull to drive compared to X5.

[DonHyd]

Six cylinder diesels are becoming a rarity. GLE 400d has better rear space, it being an LWB although not E Class like. But it is due for an update. If you can wait, next gen GLE might be a better car.

[QuentinTino]

IMO go check out the Audi Q7 once because of-
-Stellar comfort
-Huge interior space
-Punchy petrol engine
-Discounts that Audi offers can be considered as compensation for the additional petrol fuel costs!
-Great set of features

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by ballfry

As an owner of a X5 40i, I would highly recommend you check out the backseat of the SUV before you make a decision(if that matters to you).

I have faced some complains within the family about the up-right nature of the rear seat.

Not a deal breaker for me since I drive 90% of the time.

Finally someone said it . All that 6 cylinder creaminess is great but that backseat is just too upright and non adjustable. I sat in one at a showroom and the rear seat comfort was not at all close to what one would expect from a 1 crore rupee car. If the OP has passengers accompanying him, the X5 is not the car to go for.

[Turbo Bro]

Go for the 530D M Sport as you already have a GLE350D to take care of the bad road conditions.

Same engine and gearbox combo as the X5 30D M Sport, but it's a lot cheaper and way more fun to drive is a sedan.

If you really want to go for an SUV, Then the X5 is the one as you are going to drive and already have a GLE in the garage. The X5 would also be more reliable as compared to GLE .

[inwester]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

I have shortlisted the BMW X5 30d Msport and the GLE 400d (the only diesel competitors left in that segment).

Another big dilemma that I am facing is the staggered setup of the BMW X5.

Are there any other cars I should consider? I am not considering the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 for being petrol only.

I would go one up, and recommend Mercedes GLS if its in your budget. The difference between GLE 400d and GLS is "only" 20 lakhs. () If you are spending 1.25 Cr what's another 20 lakhs!

In the US GLS comes standard with a lot of features that are optional in GLE, like Burmester, Airmatic suspension, and a host of other features. I recently had a GLS 450 (rental) and drove it for thousands of miles and loved every bit of it. The car is luxurious, spacious, powerful, smooth, comfortable and most of it all, it makes you feel special and makes the journey much better than anything I've ever driven. I also got 22 mpg (~9.5 kmpl for the entire duration I had), which is crazy good for a vehicle that heavy and huge.

Currently I drive a 2020 Volvo XC90 and in terms of pure luxury it cannot hold a candle to the Mercedes GLS (or GLE for that matter, since XC90 is a bit old now after 6-7 years in production).

Regarding the tire size, in the US, for Mercedes (GLE or GLS), you get same tires front and back for 19/20" wheels and staggered for 21/22/23".

Even if I were to pick between X5 and GLE, I would still go for the GLE. I never liked the way X5 rode and the seats are not super comfortable. For me GLE is just more luxurious, comfortable and a bit more modern. For that money X5 (and XC90, Q7) looks cheap in comparison to Mercedes.

One of the several comparison videos if this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVqPLVs83pM

In International markets, Mercedes is considered to have better reliability than the rest of European luxury manufacturers (I mean they all suck, but its cream of the crap).

Full disclosure* - I have not driven the Diesel versions of any of these as they are not available in the US.

Good luck, you can't pick a wrong car in that category and price range, so ultimately pick the one you like.

[Jay_P2324]

After a brief test drive of the X5 30d a couple of days back I am in love with the car. It drives so much better than the GLE 350d. The steering although is not as heavy as the F10 5 series but I'm assuming a few tweaks to the settings through the iDrive can make the steering a tad bit heavy. Overall, a brilliant driver's car.

Originally Posted by ballfry

As an owner of a X5 40i, I would highly recommend you check out the backseat of the SUV before you make a decision(if that matters to you).

I have faced some complains within the family about the up-right nature of the rear seat.

Not a deal breaker for me since I drive 90% of the time.

I do agree with you, the seating is a bit upright but it would be me driving the car alone 90% of the time as well.

Originally Posted by pk1972

Go for the X5 - I have taken extensive test drives in Bengaluru and it is a very good drivers car. It’s a maniac in Sports mode. On the other hand, Merc will be dull to drive compared to X5.

Agreed!

Originally Posted by noufal.ps

Get the X5 30d. Your options, requirements and post ask for it

I'd go to an extent you considered 530 while picking up 520 but left it as an upgrade option. Time to redeem!

We had briefly considered the 525d but settled for the 520d as it seemed to offer adequate performance at that time.

Originally Posted by inwester

I would go one up, and recommend Mercedes GLS if its in your budget. The difference between GLE 400d and GLS is "only" 20 lakhs. () If you are spending 1.25 Cr what's another 20 lakhs!

I did consider the GLS / X7 but I don't require a luxury SUV with 7 seats. The 5-seat format better suits my usability.