[Jay_P2324]

Introduction

The hunt for a new car began when our previous car the F10 520d turned 11 years old. We had been on the lookout for a new car since it was time for an upgrade. The F10 5 series is an amazing car with a timeless design and has received a lot of praise on the forum. My selection criteria and decision-making process is documented here (Upgrading from a BMW 5-Series | BMW X5 30d M-Sport vs Mercedes GLE 400d)

I was sure-footed that I wanted a BMW but the additional power on the GLE with the 400d engine made me contemplate my decision. After test-driving the X5 there was no looking back, for a driver the car ticked all the right boxes, as a rear-seat passenger, GLE is a much better car.

The car comes in pretty much as a standard spec with all the options ticked. One option I would have loved is the Bowers and Wilkins sound system.


The Buying Experience:

I contacted both dealers in the city Navnit and Infinity. Navnit Motors had a very positive approach towards making a sale. Initially, both dealers did not have a diesel car for a test drive but in a couple of weeks, I got a call from Navnit that they had a diesel car available for a test drive and the SA came over with the car the same day. I was also offered a discount which Infinity did not offer and Navnit also stuck to the delivery commitment. I booked the car in the first week of November and PDI was done in the last week of November. I took delivery of the car in the first week of December.


A picture from the PDI


The car was dropped off for a PPF the day we took delivery. I had shortlisted a few detailers in the city namely Ceramic Pro Vasai, The Detailing Studio, and Optimum Detailerz. After speaking to Mr. Amol Chitre from Optimum Detailerz, I was quite impressed with his knowledge and passion for the work he does. He was the only one to invite me to his workshop and check out the installation process being done on a car. He addressed all of my questions and concerns and I was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of work and finish he offered for a PPF installation.


Delivery Day

I went with the STEK Dynoshield which comes with a 10-year warranty. The overall process including paint decontamination, detailing, installation, and curing took 10 days. I was kept updated throughout the process.


The Driving Experience



I got the car home on the 18th of December after the PPF installation and did not get much time to drive it. 70% of my driving is in the city and 30% on highways. The car does a good job at sedate driving in the city and does a good job at highway driving as well. The car had covered about 1000 km in one month. But this weekend I got a chance to drive it to Nashik and this is truly where I got to experience the car and play around with it as well. The car is quite comfortable, 18-way adjustable seats make sure you find that sweet seating position. In terms of fit and finish the car seems well put together.
On my way back from Nashik, the car had completed 1500 km on the odometer, and I decided to test out the sport mode. The engine gets more responsive and the shifts are quicker. It just doesn’t feel like a 2-ton SUV, the car gets to triple-digit speeds in no time. I read somewhere that with the MSport package, there is an exhaust note that comes in through the speakers in sport mode (correct me if I’m wrong here). I couldn’t find a better explanation for how a diesel engine can sound so good at higher revs.

The car is fairly easy to maneuver around the city but one needs to be careful at narrow toll booths. Overall a good performer, I've been getting a fuel economy of 10 in the city and 12 on the highway with sedate driving. My spirited drive on the way back from Nashik returned around 10 on the highway.





Pros

- The infotainment system is angled towards the driver, a cool layout by BMW.
- Plenty of space in the rear
- Space saver lid comes with a strut
- Boot space is quite good as well, can take in a lot of luggage
- Touch-sensitive door handles makes unlocking and locking the car easy, no need to look for a button
- Wireless CarPlay, no need to look for cables
- The 30d engine + the ZF 8 speed, a match made in heaven
- The body roll is well controlled, making it fun around corners
- NVH is surprisingly low for a Diesel
- Soft close doors



Things that could have been better

- Rear reclining seats
- Digital Key (offered overseas)
- Remote engine start and app connectivity
- Height-adjustable seat belts
- RFT: the ride could have been much better with regular tubeless tyres, RFT’s make the ride a little harsh and I need to be on the lookout for deep potholes which could damage the rims
- Ventilated seats
- Crafted Clarity panel is a fingerprint magnet
- 80/120 chimes are irritating, especially the 80 one on a highway when driving through a busy one


Exterior

I like that the car gets a good mix of chrome and black accents. The grille and name badges are chrome whereas the shadow line around the windows and the bumper get piano black accents. I waited a long time for BMW to launch a diesel MSport trim. The plastic trim around the wheel arches of the Xline variant was an eye sore to look at. The car looks quite good for an SUV and in my personal opinion a lot better than the X7. The 20-inch 740M wheels are beautiful to look at.


Went with the Jahre emblems to complement the MSport pack


Interior

At first, I was not a fan of the Cognac interiors but later they grew on me. The open-pore wood trim also looks great contrasting the cognac seat colours. The Msport steering size is smaller in diameter compared to the F10 5 series. In terms of equipment, I like that Apple CarPlay fills up the entire screen compared to the Mercedes where only a rectangular portion is filled and there are blank gaps on either side. The Harmon Kardon sound system is brilliant in terms of sound quality. I also love the heads-up display and the fact that you can scroll through and select songs through that; really helps when navigation is on and you need to change songs.







Issues/niggles

- I feel a minor vibration at low speeds while parking the vehicle in D or R until 5 kmph, need to get that checked at the preliminary service

- Around the silver plastic trims on the steering wheel I feel there is a minor play on the right side below the voice activation button. The left side feels normal


- The pictures that the dealer sent had fog lights on the car. My car came without fog lights. The online configurator mentions it as an option but the spec sheet does not.







- I can see a panel gap between the lower end of the split tailgate and the rear bumper. I feel that the white colour is making it more prominent.



- I have experienced some color transfer from dark-coloured denim onto the seats.

Conclusion

The X5 is an amazing driver's car, it has all the right features for a driver, as a passanger it misses out on a few but no car is perfect. You get a laidback driving experience in Eco Pro, sedated yet peppy in Comfort and the car gets into maniac mode in Sport. I am unsure of the value quotient of the car in 2023 where BMW has increased the pricing of the car closer to 1cr ex-showroom.

[GTO]

You got yourself a beautiful car & one that's so much more practical than the low-slung German sedans. Big congrats . You will enjoy the engine, gearbox, suspension tune & top-class reliability for years to come. Yes, this is one of the rare diesels that sounds awesome.

Glad you already took her out on the open road to Nashik, next on your list should be the expressway and onward to Amby Valley.

- Be sure to take the max extended warranty coverage.

- BMW has the worst implementation of the 80 / 120 kmph chimes. You can get them removed by a tuner.

- Got any discounts? How much?

[Dante]

Congratulations on such a beautiful car.
I picked up MY2023 on 1st Feb in Merino Tartufo from Infinity because they offered a better deal than Navnit.
Wishing you many enjoyable and safe miles.

[d3mon]

Many congratulations on your new beast! Moving out of the BMW family is quite difficult unless it's a Porsche that you're talking about

Can you post a detailed driving comparison vs your F10 530d?

[Jay_P2324]

Originally Posted by GTO

Glad you already took her out on the open road to Nashik, next on your list should be the expressway and onward to Amby Valley.

- Be sure to take the max extended warranty coverage.

- BMW has the worst implementation of the 80 / 120 kmph chimes. You can get them removed by a tuner.

- Got any discounts? How much?

Sure thing, Aamby Valley has been on my mind for the next drive.

- I have gone for the 5 year BSI+ package, SA says BRI (extended warranty) is included in BSI+, I'm unsure if BSI+ actually includes BRI

- Any tuner in Mumbai particularly that you would suggest? Can't the BMW workshop do it?

- Apart from the insurance discount, 2.5L off.

Originally Posted by Dante

Congratulations on such a beautiful car.
I picked up MY2023 on 1st Feb in Merino Tartufo from Infinity because they offered a better deal than Navnit.
Wishing you many enjoyable and safe miles.

Congratulations on your new purchase as well, wishing you many happy and safe miles!
Excellent choice, if given an option I would have picked Tartufo as well.

At the time of my purchase, Infinity did not offer any discounts. How much discount did they offer?

Out of curiosity, does your car have fog lights?

Originally Posted by d3mon

Many congratulations on your new beast! Moving out of the BMW family is quite difficult unless it's a Porsche that you're talking about

Can you post a detailed driving comparison vs your F10 530d?

Thank you!

True that! no other car matches the driveability of a BMW

I had the F10 520d

[Dante]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

- I have gone for the 5 year BSI+ package, SA says BRI (extended warranty) is included in BSI+, I'm unsure if BSI+ actually includes BRI

- Any tuner in Mumbai particularly that you would suggest? Can't the BMW workshop do it?

- Apart from the insurance discount, 2.5L off.

I can confirm the BSI+ does indeed include extended warranty.
Regarding the sound chime, no, BMW won't do it. Can be done with an OBD enet cable & bimmerlink app purchase.

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

Congratulations on your new purchase as well, wishing you many happy and safe miles!
Excellent choice, if given an option I would have picked Tartufo as well.

At the time of my purchase, Infinity did not offer any discounts. How much discount did they offer?

Out of curiosity, does your car have fog lights?

No fog lamps on mine.
Discount was similar to yours on 2023 model with Merino leather. While Navnit was quite a bit more expensive.

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

I had the F10 520d

Coincidentally I too had F10 520d.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

I have gone for the 5 year BSI+ package, SA says BRI (extended warranty) is included in BSI+, I'm unsure if BSI+ actually includes BRI

Originally Posted by Dante

I can confirm the BSI+ does indeed include extended warranty.

Congrats to you both!

However, BSI Plus does not include BRI unless your dealer threw it in for free, i.e. as an offer from his margin. Do confirm this at the earliest.

https://www.bmw.in/en/topics/owners/service-repair.html

[Jay_P2324]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

However, BSI Plus does not include BRI unless your dealer threw it in for free, i.e. as an offer from his margin. Do confirm this at the earliest.

https://www.bmw.in/en/topics/owners/service-repair.html

I got this confirmed from the dealer. One can check the status of their BSI and BRI packs online by entering the VIN no.

https://www.bmwindia.com/BMWServicePackagesStatus

BSI+ does include BRI. I did not pay any additional amount apart from the BSI+ amount nor did the dealer offer it from his end.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

I got this confirmed from the dealer. One can check the status of their BSI and BRI packs online by entering the VIN no.

Hi, not doubting that you indeed have both BSI Plus & BRI, but I still maintain they are totally standalone offerings from BMW, and BSI Plus does not include BRI by default.

Will you check your invoice? It is possible that it was included as a zero cost item as a special offer.

Good you have it of course - purely academic interest now .

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

The pictures that the dealer sent had fog lights on the car. My car came without fog lights. The online configurator mentions it as an option but the spec sheet does not.

Hey, checked with a friend who has an early Feb MY22 X5 MSport 40i, even his car doesn’t get the front fog-lights.

Reminds me of this thread, https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-now-what.html (BMW sold me a car without a feature mentioned in the spec sheet | Now what?) , definitely not new for BMW India to skip features that are present somewhere on their website, but eventually doesn’t come with the car!

[PSJ]

Congratulations..!!! You have made a great choice…I have been driving an X5 30d M sport f15 since 2018. I took delivery of my car on 31.12.2017. That was an era of big discounts and I got a whopping discount of 15 lakh at that time. I have clocked around 77k kms in it so far and trust me it still brings a smile on my face whenever I push it on a sharp curve. It gives immense confidence and pleasure in all driving moods…since it’s time for me as well to change my car, trust me I couldn’t find a car to match its fun factor. I even test drove the cayenne but somehow I felt that the low end torque was missing in that as well. The push you get in your back while driving an x5 could not be felt by me in the cayenne. May be I was driving the test car conservatively. Moreover, the features and equipment you get as standard in an X5, you have to shell out a fortune for that in a cayenne. So I’m looking forward to the new X5 LCI to get launched in India which has an upgraded engine apart from other visual updates before I make the final decision.

[Jay_P2324]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Will you check your invoice? It is possible that it was included as a zero cost item as a special offer.

Checked my invoices, it doesn't mention BRI as a zero cost option anywhere.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Hey, checked with a friend who has an early Feb MY22 X5 MSport 40i, even his car doesn’t get the front fog-lights.

Reminds me of this thread, https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-now-what.html (BMW sold me a car without a feature mentioned in the spec sheet | Now what?) , definitely not new for BMW India to skip features that are present somewhere on their website, but eventually doesn’t come with the car!

I did some digging on it, post 2021 BMW has deleted fog lights on the G05 X5 globally. I believe they forgot to delete it from the India website.

Originally Posted by PSJ

Moreover, the features and equipment you get as standard in an X5, you have to shell out a fortune for that in a cayenne. So I’m looking forward to the new X5 LCI to get launched in India which has an upgraded engine apart from other visual updates before I make the final decision.

True, speccing a Cayenne all the way up costs a fortune. You won't go wrong with the LCI it truly is an amazing car. Cosmetically it does not get a lot of changes, interior is where most of the updates are.

[Turbanator]

^^

On extended warranty- the dealer must have paid from his own margins. They can share an invoice too if OP asks. Even when there are schemes, BMW reimburse the dealers but the money has to be paid in separate head. I think it goes to some insurance setup within BMW.

[RoadFiend]

Originally Posted by Jay_P2324

The car looks quite good for an SUV and in my personal opinion a lot better than the X7.

Indeed, it's one of the best looking SUV's! Congratulations on your lovely acquisition. Do give periodic updates, after memorable long drives. I've been toying myself, whether to go for this one or await the LCI which has >< headlights...

[Jay_P2324]

One Year Update

December 8th marks one year since I took delivery of this beautiful driving machine. Until now the car has covered 10,500 kms, one accident, and a spectacular 2500 km road trip.

The Unfortunate Incident

In June, I had been on a weekend getaway to Mahabaleshwar. On my way back, around Khed Shivapur toll plaza it was pouring down quite heavily. While descending the bridge before the toll plaza I saw some water logged and reduced my speed. A Mahindra Pickup carrying a heavy load could not brake on time and rear-ended me.






The car was sent to Navnit Motors Thane a couple of days later. I made an insurance claim and got the car repaired. The repair took one week as promised by the SA and the fit and finish and the quality of repainting done was spot on. Overall I was quite impressed by the Service Center.

Parts repaired / replaced:
1. Rear Bumper and lower cosmetic attachments
2. Rear taillight
3. Rear left reflector fitment
4. Lower split tailgate denting and painting
5. Loading sill



Next came the PPF replacement. Spoke to Mr. Amol Chitre; he said that the PPF on a repainted panel should be replaced after one month. I was fine with it since I was traveling to The Netherlands for 20 days and the car would be in my garage. I did not have to worry about driving the car without PPF and having the rear bumper scratched in Mumbai traffic.
The replacement PPF cost was about 26k.

First Service

As per the iDrive, the service message popped up in October. At the time, the car had covered about 6500 kms. Service was covered by BSI+ and the following things were carried out at Navnit Motors Thane Workshop:

1. Oil was changed
2. Oil filter replaced
3. Air Filter cleaned
4. AC filter cleaned
5. Wheel alignment was done

The only thing chargeable was the wheel alignment which costed 4000 plus GST. Honestly, that felt like a total rip-off.

Road trip to Coorg


During Diwali, we decided to take a trip to Coorg. We left Mumbai at 5:00 AM on 11th November and hit some traffic at the Lonavala Ghat on the Mumbai Pune Expressway.



Little did we know that wasn’t the only patch of traffic we were gonna hit. After crossing Pune, the NH48 is undergoing widening hence traffic was limited to one and a half lanes of traffic, and 2-wheelers took most of the outer lane. A major cause of traffic was broken-down cars, seemed like everyone was out for an annual holiday without running a basic check on their vehicles. There was steady traffic up to the Maharashtra Border. After a late lunch around 3:30 PM in Peth, we crossed into Karnataka around 5:00 PM. The original plan was to reach Apoorva Resorts Davangere, but the ETA was 9:30 PM. We decided to call it a day around 7:00 PM at Hubbali and stayed at the Fortune Park near the Hubbali Airport.


Clear roads after entering Karnataka


Day 1 driving summary

The following day, after a good night’s rest we hit the breakfast table and were on the road by 9:30 AM. Once we were on the Highway, we were greeted by splendid 6-lane highways. I must appreciate the Karnataka part of the NH48; 6 broad lanes and very well-marked highways. The 3.0 6-cylinder diesel finally got to stretch her legs and boy did she enjoy it. We were covering kilometers effortlessly. Google Maps showed a right turn after Davangare but I was unsure of it as it was a single-lane highway. I read on the forum that the road via Tumakuru is better. We decided to proceed ahead on the NH48. It was time to refuel the car around Sira. I started looking for COCO pumps and came across Shell but it was on the other side of the highway. Finally decided to fuel up at BPCL COCO Sira. The diesel price was 88.80/- compared to 92.62/- in Mumbai at that time. The car covered 850 kms on one tank.


Spotted a M340i at the Hotel. Loved the 0340 plates


Beautiful Highways


BPCL COCO Sira

As we were nearing Tumakuru, I took a close look at the route. It was taking us through Tumakuru and joining us on the Bangalore Mysore Expressway. I decided it would be nice to drive the whole stretch from Bangalore to Mysore on the Expressway and the difference in ETA was not much. Just ahead of Tumakuru we had lunch at De Mandrin Restro Cafe, it is within the campus of Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences. It is a nice restaurant with clean washrooms, would recommend it to anyone traveling on the route with a family.

After a nice lunch we headed on towards the outskirts of Bangalore and took the diversion onto the NICE road. Traffic was a bit slow since the road was under construction. Once we joined the Expressway, it truly is an engineering marvel. Distance from Bangalore to Mysore was covered in no time. We reached Mysore in time for some coffee, found a nice place on the Mysore ring road and headed towards Virajpet. We reached our Resort at around 7:00 PM, which included a couple of stops to pick up some stuff in Virajpet.


Bangalore Mysore Expressway

The next couple of days we simply enjoyed the resort property, just headed out to Madikeri one afternoon for some lunch and shopping.













The return drive was the same route backwards. We left our resort at around 9:30 AM and we reached outskirts of Bangalore for lunch around 1:00 PM. Coincidently the car needed a refuel around Sira. Decided to refuel at Shell Sira. I was curious to try Shell fuel and if it would make any difference to the car. To my surprise, the fuel was 112.72/- per liter. In my opinion, it felt like I overpaid for diesel there.


Shell Sira


In about three hours time and a spirited drive later we reached our hotel in Hubbali, and decided to stay at the same Hotel Fortune Park since our previous experience was great.


Spirited drive from Shell Sira to Hubbali

The following day, resumed our journey back for the home stretch and reached home late past 12:00 AM post dinner since we hit some evening traffic in Pune.


Overall, it was a great trip except for the traffic we hit on the first day. Can’t wait to take her on more such trips!


Trip summary


Loading sill replacement



Recently when the car was sent for a car wash, the washer tried to lift the rear tailgate loading sill not knowing that it is a delicate part, and ended up breaking the clips. The loading sill would not move with the rear lower tailgate after that. Contacted my SA and he ordered the part and sent a technician home for fitment. Car washer's negligence costed me 11.5k.

Fuel Costs

I've been tracking my fuel consumption and expense for the past year using Fuelio.