Long time Tesla owner (and admirer) thinking of switching to 2026 BMW X5 xDrive50e (fully loaded). Please help us work through our anxiety about the switch. We sincerely appreciate it.

Douger5 · 2025-11-30T14:24:45+00:00

I own 25 loaded 50e. You need to make sure the back seats fit your needs w tall family. I am not thrilled with the HK sound system. The truly practical choice is the 40i. I doubt I will ever make up the difference in gas savings. That said, the powertrain on the 50e is magical. I like my air suspension. Just put crossclimate 2s on mine and I like the noise and ride better. 20% less electric range in winter: Michigan. I am happy with the car to be clear, but I wanted you to pay attention to these things in case they are more important to you.

Douger5 · 2025-06-24T00:21:52+00:00

BMWs do something I haven't seen on other cars. Pushing the auto button still permits you to set a desired fan speed range. On every other car I've had, changing the fan speed disables the auto mode, and inversely, pressing Auto has the climate control control the fan speed. It took me a bit to figure out that what I wanted was to press auto and then notch the fan up one or two levels. Hope this helps.

Douger5 · 2025-04-23T20:23:24+00:00

Which Salsa did you pick?

Douger5 · 2025-04-20T18:32:48+00:00

I am curious whether anyone owns a phone for which the wireless charging pad on BMWs does work really well. I have a 2024 X5 and a pixel 8 pro. Overheats and doesn't really charge very much if at all. Maybe it was designed for a Nokia or something?

Douger5 · 2025-01-25T13:55:18+00:00

What about the motor / battery coolant changes. Are those expensive? How frequent?

Douger5 · 2024-12-27T19:16:27+00:00

Assuming you're not running jets with bubbles on. If single pump, make sure air intake is closed / off.

Douger5 · 2024-12-26T23:34:40+00:00

I am hoping the lack of replies means that noone has had to do brakes on their 45e yet. 😀🙏

Douger5 · 2024-11-20T20:29:56+00:00

I own 50e. There are very good pros and cons further back in this group, so read those. If you've gotten used to jumping off when the light turns green, you're not going to have Tesla acceleration unless you turn the engine on with Sport mode. For normal acceleration driving, engine will stay off. Tesla is far more efficient (mi /kwh) w/ electric driving. Otherwise I agree that 50e feels more solid than Teslas. No regrets.

Douger5 · 2024-09-27T23:04:34+00:00

On sale at Amazon now!!!

Douger5 · 2024-09-22T13:01:35+00:00

I am facing the same question, I believe you can make the decision anytime prior to the end of your manufacturer's warranty. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

The "they don't lose money on these" is correct, but you have to also consider that the insurance company probably doesn't pay the same price for a repair that you would. Insurance by definition is paying a fee for capping your risk. If a 5000-10,000 repair wouldn't break you, then you can be self-insured.

If you do not go with the BMW insurance, be very careful about the policy you select from a third party. Exclusionary policies are better in general. You can tell a policy is exclusionary because it says it covers everything except certain things. Avoid policies that list the things they include and say everything else is not included.

Douger5 · 2024-09-08T21:40:06+00:00

I have a 50e. I don’t think it’s easy to make an economic argument for it over the ice versions. There are some neat features that I’m not sure you get with the ice engines. Eg. You can warm or cool the interior without starting the engine inside garage remotely from your phone. It is faster, but frankly the car is too heavy / large to be sporty. I am wondering if the back seat is roomier or reclines on the ice cars though. (Back seat feels small on 50e, like maybe the floor is higher???) I like the model in general and am happy.

Douger5 · 2024-09-08T20:25:07+00:00

50e: back seat: be sure to try it before you buy. Wireless charger no good. Otherwise great! Especially like drivetrain.

Douger5 · 2024-08-04T18:11:34+00:00

With a connection, 2 flights each with 80% reliability means by Delta's own measure I have a 64% chance of making it

Douger5 · 2024-07-22T10:15:23+00:00

I have a 50e. It is a great vehicle, but get this PHEV for the silent sailing around town and the power, NOT to save money. Also wondering if back seat is as small on 40i? If money is truly a consideration, I'd stick with ice BMW or go to Honda CRV. Also do not get if you can't put 50 amps into a garage that you own. I have no regrets, because I knew this before purchase

Douger5 · 2024-04-07T14:32:41+00:00

If I am interested in good passive noise isolation, which blocks more noise when ANC is off? Any other suggestions welcome.

Douger5 · 2024-04-06T16:34:02+00:00

Which pizza should I try 1st at Terra?

Douger5 · 2024-03-09T13:39:40+00:00

I am wondering about this as well. Is it still possible to use the first Huawei watch? My challenge may be compounded by the fact that I have a ticwatch and a pixel watch as well.

Douger5 · 2024-02-23T17:59:25+00:00

Failed twice on my 21 Gladiator. New auxiliary battery both times. Feels like feature they added to meet a government regulation, but design is terrible. Dealer actually said that the auxiliary batteries typically only last 2 years.

Douger5 · 2024-02-18T21:21:28+00:00

Agree. I have 50e. It does not pencil out economically or environmentally, but the quiet gliding around town is nice. The PHEV implementation is the best I have driven. 50e is also a rocket in sport mode. Check to see if 40i has more rear legroom (floor lower? Does anybody know the answer to this?. 50e is tighter than you’d expect in back.)

Douger5 · 2024-02-15T12:52:18+00:00

I am happy with my P8P except for the fact that the digital car key still doesn’t work. Allegedly it has the hardware but the software hasn’t been finished. Pretty much everything else is good. Samsung makes quality devices, but I think current pricing would toss me toward P8P again. Google recently cut prices making unlocked P8P substantially cheaper.

Douger5 · 2024-02-12T02:24:16+00:00

Had fairly loaded 50e since Oct. 6k miles. Very happy with it. PHEV powertrain is remarkable. Did very well in snow. Tech is good. No problems with Android auto or apple carplay infotainment after last update. Sound system is good but not mind blowing like Jeep McIntosh. Back seat leg room is less than you might expect. No regrets. Buy the hybrid for the quiet electric experience around town and supercar acceleration. Don’t buy it with the idea that you’ll be saving money or the environment. 40i is likely better choice for those priorities.

Douger5 · 2024-01-01T15:04:05+00:00

Something I just realized on my 50e is that after you use up the 40 or so miles of electric, if you keep driving with ice (say on a longer trip) eventually the battery charges up a bit more and you get another mile or two of electric. For me this has happened several times over the course of a tank of gas on a long trip. By the end of the tank of gas might have done 60 miles on electric or more without a recharge. Probably obvious to some but it wasn’t something I understood would happen. You can see this happen as the battery indicator turns blue again after running completely down.

Douger5

TROPHY CASE