2016 X5 diesel hard to find?

[SouthBayX5]

Hello all,

We currently have 2015 X5 Diesel and we love it.

2015 xdrive35d
- Alpine White / Black Dakota
- Fineline Oak trim
- Premium Pkg
- Driver Assist
- Driver Assist Plus (Wife loves the surround view and the blind spot detection. I like the speed limit on the HUD)
- Running Board
- Rear Window Shade
- and other bits..


Looking to purchase another 2016 X5 Diesel. After the sales person looked into the system, we saw that there weren't very many available in the entire Western region. (I am in the SF Bay Area.) If you select mineral white/black 2016 diesel combination, there were less than 10 TOTAL!

They had one 2016 diesel in the lot, but I don't really like the configuration.
2016 xdrive35d
- Alpine White / Black Dakota
- Brushed Aluminum Trim
- M Sport Pkg
- Premium Pkg
- Driver Assist
- Cold Weather Pkg
- 3rd row seat
- Surround View option
- Harman Kardon Audio

Several 'problems' with this. (Aren't we all spoiled...)
1) I am not too crazy about M Sport pkg. I would rather spend more on safety features. It surely does look mean though!
2) Have no kids, so 3rd row seat isn't really useful. My last truck had 3rd row seat, I used it once in 5 years. I would rather have space / spare tire.
3) No blindspot detection - for the wife
4) Somewhat illogical configuration - At this price tag, why order a $750 surround view option, when you can pay a few hundred more and get the Driver Assist Plus?

A few questions if you don't mind -
1) Folks with M Sport Pkg - Does it actually have handling difference or is it mostly aesthetics?
2) Brushed Aluminum - Isn't it really easy to scratch?
3) Cold Weather Pkg - We rarely have rear passengers. We love the outdoors, so we need a big car. So we don't really need the rear heated seat. How about heated steering wheel? Never owned a car with heated steering wheel. Well, we are in California..

There are a few incentives right now - totals up to $4,000(3K + BMW financing), and I don't want to miss the boat if I can make this work. We could live with a few things above, but it would be ok if we have to wait a few months as well. How often do they have incentives like this? Is it frequent? What are your thoughts on the currently available configuration?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[DETSGTSTARSKY]

We are in FL and I would not order a BMW without the cold weather package. I still find there are times that I turn on the steering wheel heat and heated seats. Plus for resale you can get buyers from Nocal or other states that ski and things that would want these features. Brushed aluminum will scratch so I would skip that if possible. I am actually looking at ordering an X5d by fall at the latest. So if you can't find one with the options you want just factory order one with what you want.

[MattBianco]

The delay was caused by EPA requiring additional tests on all diesels after the VW fiasco. BMW passed both EPA and the test by the independent group that exposed VW. Production resumed in December '15 sometime, going from memory.

First response: why bother by buying off the lot? From order to delivery it takes 3-4 weeks as they are assembled in North Carolina. Just order the exact colors, packages and options you like.

- Third row is good for emergencies. It is really not a three row vehicle. You get either extra storage without it, or space saver tire ($200 from memory) which would allow you to eventually get away from run flat tires

- M sport is mostly aesthetics. The steering wheel is a LOT nicer. Outside/wheels... a matter of taste. It also omits the useless running boards (same level as the vehicle cabin and thus not a step, just a way for your pants to clean the edges of the running boards. You can omit running boards on other packages for free and get aluminum trim piece in their place). The other thing you get is "Sport+" setting which changes the transmission shift speeds. The last item can be coded afterwards and is EUR250 option on every BMW in Germany, but only an M sport feature in the US/CAN.

- Brushed aluminum, like anything else gets scratched. Even the matte Fineline wood gets scratched.

- Cold weather package is nice to have, especially if you take the car to the mountains. Rear passengers, if any, get seat warmers. You can have a toasty steering wheel.

I'd look into the Harmon Kardon stereo package.

Look at the survey results below in my signature for what others like/dislike about various options.

My last response is my first: just order the one you want, and don't buy off of the lot. Incentives apply to orders.

And, now a question:

- Is there a reason you are upgrading from a '15 to '16? At minimum, the iDrive screen and software will be changed (announced) for '17, for deliveries this summer. The new one will be both iDrive controller accessed as well as by touch. No other changes announced yet.

[SouthBayX5]

Thank you both for the suggestions. I didn't know about applying incentives to orders.

I completely forgot about that EPA saga. The delay resulting from it makes perfect sense. My dealer told me that it will take 2 months to get the car if I order it. Maybe they are catching up with backed up orders from this delay.

The reason for looking into 2016 is because of a problem with 2015 model(unfortunately I cannot publicly discuss at this time), but the size, the torque of the diesel, fuel economy, the design, and comfort - we like everything about X5 diesel. It's unfortunate that we have to part with the 2015, which, to my family, is perfectly equipped. More on the safety and daily useful features.

Cold Weather Pkg - I will take advices from both of you and go for this option. Rear Heated Seat seems like it will be useful occasionally. I would use heated steering wheel often.

3rd row seat - Definitely will go for additional space and spare. We moved away from RFT on the 2015 immediately after purchasing. We are also not planning for 6 kids.

Brushed Aluminum - I was worries that the scratch will be much more visible on the aluminum. I will stay away from this one..

Running Board - Completely agree with you. Our 2015 has it, and it just gets in the way and we have to jump out of the seat to keep the pants from getting dirty.


Bottom line - Your suggestions make a lot of sense. Waiting for the 2017 MY and ordering it sounds like the best option.

Very much appreciated.

[F15GorDe]

Originally Posted by MattBianco

The delay was caused by EPA requiring additional tests on all diesels after the VW fiasco. BMW passed both EPA and the test by the independent group that exposed VW. Production resumed in December '15 sometime, going from memory.

First response: why bother by buying off the lot? From order to delivery it takes 3-4 weeks as they are assembled in North Carolina. Just order the exact colors, packages and options you like.

- Third row is good for emergencies. It is really not a three row vehicle. You get either extra storage without it, or space saver tire ($200 from memory) which would allow you to eventually get away from run flat tires

- M sport is mostly aesthetics. The steering wheel is a LOT nicer. Outside/wheels... a matter of taste. It also omits the useless running boards (same level as the vehicle cabin and thus not a step, just a way for your pants to clean the edges of the running boards. You can omit running boards on other packages for free and get aluminum trim piece in their place). The other thing you get is "Sport+" setting which changes the transmission shift speeds. The last item can be coded afterwards and is EUR250 option on every BMW in Germany, but only an M sport feature in the US/CAN.

- Brushed aluminum, like anything else gets scratched. Even the matte Fineline wood gets scratched.

- Cold weather package is nice to have, especially if you take the car to the mountains. Rear passengers, if any, get seat warmers. You can have a toasty steering wheel.

I'd look into the Harmon Kardon stereo package.

Look at the survey results below in my signature for what others like/dislike about various options.

My last response is my first: just order the one you want, and don't buy off of the lot. Incentives apply to orders.

And, now a question:

- Is there a reason you are upgrading from a '15 to '16? At minimum, the iDrive screen and software will be changed (announced) for '17, for deliveries this summer. The new one will be both iDrive controller accessed as well as by touch. No other changes announced yet.

+1^^^

Definently place an order.

We like the M-sport we have. Passed on third row but choose all of the options we wanted. Cold weather package and the heated wheel get a lot of use. HK works very well, just couldn't justify the cost of the B&O.

Not mentioned is the DHP option. This is a must-have for us, and we're glad we have it. Highly recommend it!

[Kzang]

If you like the aluminum trim, I would consider the hexagon aluminum which I currently have and after 11 months of ownership I have no issues with scratches on them.

It all depends on how well you take care of your car as well.

[cretanu]

Originally Posted by Kzang

If you like the aluminum trim, I would consider the hexagon aluminum which I currently have and after 11 months of ownership I have no issues with scratches on them.

It all depends on how well you take care of your car as well.

No scratch for me either...in my view this trim looks more sporty!

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by Kzang

If you like the aluminum trim, I would consider the hexagon aluminum which I currently have and after 11 months of ownership I have no issues with scratches on them.

It all depends on how well you take care of your car as well.

That's good to know. I went for matte wood. So far so good, but others have reported scratches on that too.

[igom3]

MY 2017 will have different maintenance program. Pretty much oil changes only

[maluch]

So I'm ready to order my 2016 X5d but I continue to struggle with the option selection...
It's easy to get carried away and just click everything....after all I want a luxury vehicle. BUT - do I really need all that stuff?
I'm mostly conflicted about the Driver Assistant features.
I know how to drive a car with no cameras, radar, adaptive cruise controls and such - I've done it all my life. There is no substitute for vigilance and common sense - and I've been lucky so far to not have been in any accidents.
So with all that tech I even see the potential to get annoyed by things like lane change assist and other various alerts.

So here is the question:
anyone annoyed by the features? Anyone find themselves turn those alerts off? How many of you were in situations where those saved?

Lastly - how about resale value? Would having those tech packages added improve ease of resale and resale value?

Thanks

[HansRobert]

I was at the dealership (in PA) today and inquired about the availability of the X5 35d. They have none in stock and it will be several months till they get any. I was told the reason is the need for the diesel models to be exported to Europe where the majority of cars sold are diesel models. So till they get the European market somewhat satisfied getting diesels in the US market will be difficult!

I was interested in a 35d but drove a 40e and was impressed and my go that route instead.

[athanyel]

Originally Posted by HansRobert

I was at the dealership (in PA) today and inquired about the availability of the X5 35d. They have none in stock and it will be several months till they get any. I was told the reason is the need for the diesel models to be exported to Europe where the majority of cars sold are diesel models. So till they get the European market somewhat satisfied getting diesels in the US market will be difficult!

I was interested in a 35d but drove a 40e and was impressed and my go that route instead.

That makes a lot of sense. Backfilling the European orders could easily be impacting their allotment to the US.

Regarding the 40e, check out a few of the threads here if you haven't. There have been a few comments about it being great if your daily driving is short and you have the ability to recharge at home. Otherwise, the 35d wins for economy.