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Used 2011 BMW X5 Consumer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
91 reviews
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Pros
Cons
4.88 out of 5 stars

It just keeps getting better

lessbs, 06/03/2012
2011 BMW X5 xDrive35d 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 6A)
43 of 48 people found this review helpful

I had the 2011 x5 diesel built to my specs and delivered in Sept 2010. I loaded it up with almost all accessories which, like all German cars, add considerably to the price of the car. I now have about 26,000 miles on it. The car drives as close to a BMW feel as is possible for an SUV and continues to improve as the computer learns how you drive it. I am tall (6'3") and it is one of the few cars that truly fits me. We drive the car regularly between Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area, and it is hard to imagine a better car for this use.

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1 out of 5 stars

By all means, stay away from the x5 50i.

Marvin, 03/26/2016
2011 BMW X5 xDrive50i 4dr SUV AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
57 of 66 people found this review helpful

Bought this vehicle with only 9K mile on it, and by far has been the worst reliable vehicle I have ever owned. Mind you, this is my wife SUV. Not even a month of owning it and maybe around a thousand mile, my low oil light indicator turns on but there is still another 10k miles until next oil change, so decided to do an additional oil change at my expense since BMW refused to do one for me. At about 2-3k miles again, going to Austin for the weekend from Houston, and my low oil light come back on again. Took it back to the dealer and they added over 2 quarts of oil. I asked them why the oil consumption, and their response was it's normal. A month or two, rolls out and the Aux. Pump goes out. No problem since it's still under warranty and your driving on a brand new loner car for 3 weeks, since they were on backorder from Germany. A couple of month go by without any issues and then the high battery consumption light come. They replaced the battery and a couple of module and returned the vehicle back in a couple of day, no problem. A couple of months go by again, and bam, the battery light come back again, took it back to the dealer, they kept the vehicle for over a month this time, saying they couldn't find the issue and when they finally did, it turned out to be a right front door handle, that would not dormant. Happy to get the vehicle back, when I get a letter from BMW about a big campaign(another word for a RECALL) and to bring the vehicle in to the dealer. Brought the vehicle to the dealer, and they tell me that it will stay in the shop for a couple of weeks since it's a big campaign for Injector, Vacuum system, Etc. So again, they kept vehicle at the dealer for a month. I'm beginning to get aggravated with vehicle already and am thinking of replacing it already. But instead, decided to keep it, after all, it's a very nice SUV, M-packaged with all the bells and whittles. Just about 2 weeks ago we decided to take a road trip for spring break, and drive to California. Long story short, we broke down in between Bakersfield and San Jose, ruined our Vacation and cost me over $2000 in unexpected repairs bill. The Starter went out, the coils went out and this is ONLY with just a little over 30K MILES!!!!! Folks, I LOVE BMW, having and owing 135i, (2) 335i, x5 3.0, and now the X5 50i, By all means , Stay away from the X5 50i.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
2 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Great to own new and through the warranty period

Ken, 02/21/2018
2011 BMW X5 xDrive35d 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 6A)
17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Excellent vehicle to own new and if it's still under the warranty period. Love the diesel and, over the past several years, it's cheaper to operate than the premium gas version - also get better mileage (24.6mpg). Easy to get in/out of, very comfortable, great visibility and performance, reliable for at least the first 6-7 years (up to 70,000 miles). Couple of nuisance items prior to warranty expiration: Leather seat issue, cracked woodgrain trim. After I hit the 70,000 mile mark, The repairs started getting expensive. $2300 for the shocks & struts (not bad but did them before they were shot), $2450 for a catalytic converter, $800 for a thermostat, $1300 for Throttle Actuator and Turbo Boost sensors (once at 55k miles and again at 97k miles), $600 for Urea tank sensor, $500 for EGR valve and of course the maintenance stuff: $1500 for brakes twice, $600 for non run flat Continental tires twice (got out of my run flat tires fast), host of oil changes, etc. Get out of it before 70,000 miles while you can still get a decent trade in or a private sale. Another option is to get a third party extended warranty before the problems start. Be warned, BMW's have a lot of sensors and your Check Engine light will be no stranger to you - mine goes on every year when the weather gets cold and the problems start.

Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars

German engineering at its finest

piredon, 05/03/2012
2011 BMW X5 xDrive35d 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 6A)
20 of 23 people found this review helpful

I have about 21,000 miles on the odometer and am mostly very pleased with the vehicle. Fuel mileage is frankly amazing for a 5200 lb SUV. Worst tank was 22mpg and best was nearly 28, overall average of 25mpg. It's fast enough for nearly any situation. It's a fantastic long-distance vehicle with a range of nearly 600 miles between fill ups, and grown-up back seat passengers have commented the rear is plenty comfortable. It also handles better than any other SUV I've driven. Complaints include some cheap plastic in certain places in the interior, an "upgraded" audio system that's just so so, some turbo lag off idle, turning radius is terrible, and you have to get used to the diesel noise.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

My 3rd X5

dborlando1, 11/06/2012
2011 BMW X5 xDrive50i 4dr SUV AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
18 of 21 people found this review helpful

(Previously leased 2003 4.4 and 2008 4.8 X5 models). By far, this 50i model is my favorite X5. Improved satellite navigation system lets you speak the entire destination at once, instead of bit-by-bit, and is usually accurate. Sound system has both an equalizer and surround sound. Excellent back-up camera that shows not only the rear view, but also view from above, which is great for back-in and parallel parking. 8-speed automatic is noticeably smoother than the earlier X5's 6-speeds transmissions. Fuel economy is slightly better than the earlier X5's (averaging 13.5 to 15.0 MPG). The 19" tires help. The '03 and '08 X5's both had 20" tires (and were more expensive to replace).

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