Well, it has been awhile since I posted. In many ways I miss my M5 - no need to explain to all of you! I finally caught up on many items at work and at home that had been delayed due to my back surgery. Feeling MUCH, MUCH better I decided to put our X5 through the mountain paces. I headed out to Shaver Lake late this afternoon - virtually no traffic - great weather & views - and super roads when empty.
So far, our only complaints involve ##@^)! BMW voice activation performance and inconsistent transmission shifting when accelerating from a stop. A tranny software update will hopefully fix this issue.
The good news - it really drives like a BMW - even more so when pushed hard. On center steering feel is excellent - no dead spot, road feedback is just about right, turn-in (considering its size) is excellent. It does have a stump pulling first gear. Like the M5, you are headed into second gear as soon as you get on it. The 6 speed - in Steptronic mode - is impressive. The brakes - WOW is all I can say - they are great :-) There was a rattle in the dash but it rattled itself into silence a month or so ago. I have learned that patience on those type of issues does pay off sometimes :-) This Bimm is tight and quiet even on the poor stretches of road.
My opinion has improved significantly as I have driven it harder. I did not push it much in the begining - probably afraid of seeing where it would fall short of the M5. The harder it gets driven the more I know that it is all BMW :-) If you are in the SAV market you should scope this Bimm out!!!
We are looking forward to the release of the E60, the new M3 w/V8 is also something that I might hold out for. Also - GASP - a P car. If we keep the X5 I might just go for a small / nimble full on sports car. The E60 styling, including the interior may be the decision point for me - good or bad.
A good evening to everyone
Webmaster 
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