Interesting article Re BMW X5 & Towing

Road Ruler · 03-04-2007, 07:40 AM

The highlights below are from an article in "Automobile Magazine". It praises the towing prowess of the BMW X5, perhaps the "Ultimate driving "towing",?? machine.

"Online editor Greg Anderson called the X5 a "tall 5-series wagon with worse gas mileage." Founder and editor emeritus David E. Davis, Jr., felt it was more of an "all-wheel-drive mini-minivan" than an SUV. Executive editor Mark Gillies abandoned automotive terminology altogether, branding the X5 "an odd fish but a really good one." Most staffers agreed that whatever the X5 is, it's a good one.

The chassis and suspension inspired much praise. After a 1200-mile weekend, contributor Ronald Ahrens wrote: "There's no shake, the car remains composed over railroad tracks, and road-surface irregularities are nothing but trifles. Ride quality is simply astounding." Senior editor Eddie Alterman lauded its superb damping and over-the-road comportment. Managing editor Amy Skogstrom praised the taut suspension, preferring it to the "lumbering ride" of traditional SUVs.

The powertrain and chassis made for stellar towing. After pulling a U-Haul trailer laden with his dismantled Lotus racing car back from Indianapolis, Gillies wrote: "This is a far better tow vehicle than the GMC Yukon XL Denali I used to take the Lotus to Indy (with the same kind of trailer). For one, you don't get blown around. Just because a vehicle can haul a house doesn't mean it can tow well. The BMW may not have a huge towing capacity, but it tows superbly."

Anderson recanted his earlier dismissal of the X5 as merely a tall wagon after using it to collect an impulse eBay Motors purchase from Sacramento, California
Even with the 1972 BMW 2002tii riding piggyback, the X5 handles the trailer with ease, no jolting or wagging. It feels more like a train than a truck. If it weren't for the 2002 in the rear-view, I could forget we were pulling anything."

Silvertwinkie · 03-04-2007, 08:05 AM

Look sharp. Great article.

I'd seem to think based on wheelbase that a U-Haul or 16' Airstream might work well with this....maybe, maybe a 19'.

**moosetags** · 03-04-2007, 08:12 AM

Well, I am suprised and really glad to know that a BMW X5 is a more compentent tow vehicle than a GMC Yukon XL. Given a choice, I believe that I would still rather trust A GMC Yukon XL to tow a heavy load.

Silvertwinkie · 03-04-2007, 08:15 AM

Body on frame construction can really make a significant difference when towing big rigs or very heavy loads. I know there are folks (mostly in Canada) that tow a 34' with a Dodge Intrepid, but I think we all know where certain limitiations are and I'm glad to see the level of common sense around here knowing where to draw the lines.

scottanlily · 03-04-2007, 01:46 PM

Id say if you put that super wide rubber and wheels the X5 BMW normally
comes with and superiour handling package on the yukon ,the yukon would do great and it has the longer wheel base and good tow capacity as well .The BMW is designed to handle ,as all BMWs are and the independent rear suspension greatly enhances that .So then the BMW would have a more stable feel to it overall .That said ,forget the uhaul ,and get real ,
hitch up a new 25ftr and then see whether its competent or not ,thats the real test afterall .Much has been posted many times about too short wheel
base vehicals and the poor combination it makes with a travel trailer ,yet ,still
these vehicals are being shown to be the greatest thing sinced sliced bread
by BMW ,SAAB and VW and others.anyone that has tried to tow with these or any
short wheel base vehical finds out in a hurry they are not the right TV.
I towed a 14' travel trailer years ago with my very well equipped 70 IH scout.
It had big disc brakes in front and a 401 V-8 ,turbo 400 transmission etc.
(modified yes) and It did great with a small trailer ,never would I have considered anything over a 16' period .Be smart and be safe Is my motto .
Use the correct TV for towing your airstream or any other trailer.

Scott

Stan Z · 03-04-2007, 03:14 PM

When considering a new tow vehicle for my Caravel, I looked at used (2001-2003) X5 as a potential. My neighbor has one with a hitch, so I hooked up the trailer and went for a spin. for just the few miles I went it felt great and the automatic rear-leveling suspension kept the hitch at the right height. Given the short wheelbase I wouldn't want to tow a larger trailer. At that time BMW said the x5 with a 3 liter v6 was rated for 5000 lbs, with 500 hitch weight, but no guidance on weight distribution. I think the v8 was rated higher for towing. My local BMW dealer was not motivated to try to install a hitch if I bought one. From what I read on the internet you have to be careful to use the BMW factory hitch, but the BMW tow package has no provision for a brake controller. I did find some info about installing a prodigy controller, but it was a tricky installation. He quoted me around $1200 for the factory hitch installed IF he could find a mechanic who could do it. He said a few years back all the x5 came with a hitch installed, but few customers wanted them, so they stopped including them. The dealers in this area do have lots of lease-return BMW's that are 3 years old. They say everyone leases new BMW's because of the high prices, then the dealers are stuck with a bunch of slightly used cars to sell.

I hear the 2007 X5 is a new design, so maybe they have solved the hitch problems.

I ended up buying a 2006 toyota 4runner with the factory tow package, pre-wired for the brake controller. It has turned out to be a great tow vehicle for the Caravel.