X5 4.6 opinion (long) (archive)

i have a blk on blk 4.6 and am very happy with it.i enjoy its performanceyes, it costs more than a fully optioned 4.4 but it gives you 50 hp more which is the difference between fully loaded 4.4 and 3.0s for a similar price premium.yes, i wish it had the real m5 engine tuned for greater torque but it is still real factory hp compared to the aftermarket add-on hp which can be optimistic in its estimates.(see car and driver tests of what performance chips can/cannot do on a normally aspirated vehicle.)
furthermore, look at the number of our fellow board contributors who have done countless modifications to their x5s to make them more 4.6 like in appearance and performance such as - 4.6 20" wheel/tire package,4.6 aerokit, 4.6 dashboard instrument cluster and steering wheel(!)as well as springs, shocks,disc brake rotors,dinan cold air box induction,eprom chips,cat-back exhuast systems, etc.these are very nice mods and great work but when one factors in the cost for parts,labor and time for these mods, one quickly approaches or exceeds the cost of the 4.6 with out its exclusivity, cachet , full factory warranty as well as nappa leather interior (which i am sure can be upgraded as well from your friendly parts dept mgr). this is similar to a highly modified 5 series can look and maybe even perform close to an m5 but it will never be an m5.one will also never recover the cost of these mods when it comes time to sell, again making the modded 4.4 more expensive in the end.
i am certainly not discouraging people from modifying their x5s as i think these are among the most fascinating posts on the board. i may eventually upgrade to the m5 steering wheel which chris yeung and others have done and posted nicely.
negatives on the 4.6:
its is even more biased for onroad performance and limited for offroading if you care than the x5 3.0/4.4 sport is and even the non sport is no mountain goat and wasn't designed to be.
snow performance- there are no winter tires made for x5 's 19 or 20 inch wheels. in fact, in order to fit snows on the 4.6 , you must buy special bmw 18 " wheels designed to clear the 14" front disc rotors.that is an added expense and makes one feel foolish that their awd sav with std wheels/tires has limited snow capability and that an m5 with winter tires would perform better in the snow and trounce it in the dry!
the ride over pot holed streets can, in car and driver's words, be concussive but certainly tolerable and not significantly different from a 4.4 sport (i and others actually thought it was a little better, dont ask me why) but definitely worse than a 4.4 nonsport.
cost: all x5s are great vehicles (when they work well which is most of the time for the vast majority of owners)and you should only buy/lease that which is well with in your budget and dont over extend yourself for any vehicle no matter how much you love them.
comparative value: for the cost of a 4.6, there are many other attractive choices. for me , they were the m5, audi s8,and audi s6.had the m5 ben available with steptronic or smgII, i would have chosen it in a heartbeat even in its last year in current body style.it is arguably one of the best cars on the planet imho. unfortunately nyc commuting and wife are not compatible with std trans as daily driver.
s8 is also an impressive car(360hp,awd Sclass fit/finish/features) with better ride and at least equal onroad performance as 4.6. but audi a8/s8 have terrible depreciation and especially in last year in current body style plus wife like suv ride height.
s6 also makes sense with equal performance to 4.6,better ride and more cargo space but les cachet and wife hates station wagons but loves suvs.
hope this is helpfull
jonathan

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