2011 BMW X5 consumer reviews

I'm a car enthusiast and former BMW CCA member, and I appreciate BMW's blend of performance, handling and build quality. What's more, my wife and I loved our previous car, a 2002 X5 4.4i which we owned for 6 years. I waited patiently for years for the right time to order my new 2011 X5 diesel just the way I wanted. But I was disappointed with the car. First the positives: it's the best-looking SUV on the road. Hands down. It handles well for such a big car and feels smaller than it really is. Even the basic seats are supportive and super comfortable over long distances, and they offer tons of adjustability. The diesel engine has gobs of power, is very smooth and gets great mileage compared to the V8. The 2011 is a lot quieter and smoother than the previous generation, with great ride quality and is packed with cool tech (like the top view and side view cameras--but why can't I use them at faster speeds?!). But for God's sake, what did BMW do to the trannny? Our 2002 always felt like it was in the right gear--I never had to think about it. The 2011 felt like the transmission slips from every stop until about 30 mph, after which it would shift normally. The dealer checked it and said it was operating correctly, so I can only include that it is an engineering flaw; set up this way to perhaps maximize mileage. Regardless, it's infuriating since it messes up an otherwise brilliant powertrain. The 2nd largest complaint we had was the navigation system. It sent us the wrong way on several occasions, couldn't find other addresses, and was absolutely clunky to use with the iDrive controller (or voice). A touchscreen would have made a world of difference. Plus, the map doesn't show every street name, making it useless in city driving. A $100 Garmin is much better. Other frustrations: cheap wipers that left streaks (despite being replaced by the dealer, and despite the BEST wipers on the 2002), annoying seat memory functionality, small 3rd row (though I knew that when I bought it), 2 small problems requiring service within the first 3 months, poor interior panel fit, numb steering(on center) and much less road feel and feedback through the steering wheel than my old X5. So after just 6 months of owning my dream car, I sadly turned it in for a Mazda 5 (see my review for more). I would be hesitant to get another BMW after this experience, except that the 2011 5-series loaner that I was given while my X5 was in the shop was amazing--it felt and drove like a BMW should. So maybe there's hope yet for the next generation X5!

I purchased a new 2011 X5 3.5i loaded with the staggered 20's. Only vehicle of 20 I have puirchased that never needed to go back in with even a minor adjustment. This car is flawless. Amazing handling, look and comfort. I could not go near the 5 Series after driving the X5 SAV.

41,000 miles and now going in for the 15th time. They keep telling me the check engine light isn't meaningful. 15 times come on . Diff. leaks fuel leaks. sensors out, piece of junk. $60,000. rip off. getting rid of it ASAP

Bought in May of 2011. Mileage is really great, the diesel power is amazing. Not a noisy or stinky car like diesels of the past. It's too bad North American drivers haven't embraced diesel like in Europe. Car is comfortable, great ride, nicely finished and quite attractive. (thumbs up)!

The driver's seat is horrible - more than 30 minutes and my legs and lower back go numb. It's undriveable after 40 minutes. The lumbar adjustment is terrible. It's too high, and when I try to lower it goes down a little, but stops before it gets to where I need support and just starts inflating instead. A friend has the same car and same problem. We're both about 6'1" so maybe it's a height thing. My wife doesn't have the problem. The exhaust rattles at startup (since new), dealer says this is normal. If so, BMW should be ashamed. Power at low RPM is poor. I have a steep driveway and need to do some precision maneuvering, the car just bogs until suddenly there's a turbo surge. The auto lights stay on in bright sunlight, don't come on a dusk. The ride is harsh, especially when both front wheels are impacted at once (speed bumps, road drainage culverts which we have lots of in CA). The chassis engineers should never have signed off on run-flat tires. There's just no vertical compliance. And for those that say this is to be expected in a performance biased SUV, first I would say nobody drives it like a sports car and second, yes you can have good ride and great handling - BMW has proven this for years. Unfortunately the chassis engineers were staging a protest when they came up with this car. Stay away. Too many liabilities. BMW has lost its way.

all i gotta say is i gotta 2011 35i xdrive premium conv. pkg, tech pkg, cold wthr. pkg 3rd row seat, running boards @ $62250 Luv it

German cars are the best of the best. But BMWs are the best of the German family of cars. Nothing drives like this Bavarian breed of machines, and once you drive one, it is difficult to drive anything else.

Great car, lots of fun to drive. The diesel is a little less responsive but more powerful. Also a little noisier.

I had a 2010 GX460. we liked it then we went looked at cars. Then we fell in love with the 2011 x5's. Ordered a 35iXDRIVE premuim. Black w/ cinnamon interior love it. Highs: Really Nice SUV, High quality Interior, Plush Materials, Nice Shifting Transmission, Real Sexy, NICE WHEELS!!!!! Lows: Power liftgate operates to fast, high pricing, everything in packages, real pricy, tight third row seat.

I've only had this car 10 days, so can't comment on reliability, but I've already put 1200 miles on it... This is my 3rd BMW, coming off a leased 535i. The responsiveness, performance and handling are great for a vehicle this size. I got the adaptive drive option, but don't feel much of a difference in the handling or performance. The "multifunction" driver's seat is extremely firm on the long drive I took, enough of an annoyance I had to buy a seat cushion for the drive home... The BMW "comfort" seat upgrade on my 535 was much more comfortable. I'm very disappointed the seats are too firm, after I spent the extra money hoping the seats would be similar. The new changes on the idrive are confusing, voice recognition is marginal, and the navigation mapping system is much worse, recommending inefficient roundabout routes, the maps that show the traffic are hard to read on the display...gray on gray doesn't show up well at all...who thought of that??? I'm going to have to get a Garmin now. The automatic rear hatch sticks open in cold weather...I've had to push it closed several times now. The car was delivered to me with a blown out tweeter in the driver's door, took an extra week for the dealer to get the part and fix it. Getting 23 mpg on the first few tanks, highway driving. However, I do love driving this SAV around, very fun.