X5 good. X5's transmission bad.
There's a lot to like about our long-term 2008 BMW X5 4.8i, but its 6-speed automatic transmission is not one of them. And after this past weekend of head butting with the damn thing I need to vent.
The unit has three modes: D, S (Sport) and M (Manual). And they all have their deficiencies. In D it's lethargic, won't kick down without full throttle. In S it's alert, but jumpy and jerky. And in M it starts in 2nd gear.
Around town, I usually put it in S and deal with the jerkiness, but then you have to remember to put it back into D once you merge onto the highway because top gear is locked out in S. Trouble is, now the trans is back in lazy mode. So gaining any kind of passing power requires you to either floor the gas pedal to get the gear down you're looking for, or quickly pop the shifter back over into S. Usually I pop it over, which means that after the pass is made, I must remember to push the shifter back to D to get 6th gear.
Another quirk of this situation is pushing the shifter up into neutral by mistake when trying to execute a manual downshift. This is a result of you having forgot that you put the transmission back into D for highway cruising. If it were still in S, the manual gate would be active.
Got all that? Bottom line: X5 good. X5's transmission bad.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 17,250 miles
ampim says:
01:09 PM, 09/29/08
How can BWM nail the chasis setup everytime, yet drop the ball when it comes to the user interface? The wonky transmision is only out classed by the costantly frustrating iDrive.
Of course this would be a non-issue if it had three pedals like God intended.
billt9 says:
01:35 PM, 09/29/08
We know now to ignore the MPG figure Edmunds gets out of this vehicle.
Driving in S on a regular basis? Well, that's what probably most male X5 drivers probably do, but you sure are getting an ultra low city MPG.
I'm not complaining, I would do it too.
cjasis says:
01:37 PM, 09/29/08
Am I the only one that thinks that perhaps BMW is a bit too smart for their own good?
They build awesome cars and rather than resting on their laurels, they're finding creative ways to screw up the driving experience. First the stupid, lame, overly complicated, impossible to use, and did I mention stupid I drive. Then the keyless nonsense. Now this transmission.
Memo to BMW. Go back to what you're good at. Stop monkeying with this nonsense.
adavis2493 says:
02:24 PM, 09/29/08
I don't think BMW has ever made a good transmission. The SMG Trans found on the M6 and M5 is confusing, and the other ones have extreme problems, yet BMW has kindly ignored these complaints and continued to make them. That is why I am an Audi Convert.
Ps. I love XXX Vitamin Water. It is the most popular for people ages 15-19. Following Dragonfruit.
I used to work for Glacéau, I don't study that stuff.
cx7lover says:
02:28 PM, 09/29/08
energy is the best.
Yes, switching back and forth from S mode might not be the best thing for fuel economy.
texases says:
02:39 PM, 09/29/08
Reminds me of the comment regarding the M5 on Top Gear, something to the effect: "Every switch on this car has been designed to maximize the driver's confusion."
dragonflight says:
02:58 PM, 09/29/08
@adavis
I actually do enjoy normal BMW transmissions- classic Auto shifters and some heavenly manuals.
That being said, this gearchange is actually one of the stupidest ideas I've seen in a while- take the convenience/space savings of the Prius transmission and eliminate all the benefits of it, and you'd probably get something like this.
dragonflight says:
02:58 PM, 09/29/08
@adavis
I actually do enjoy normal BMW transmissions- classic Auto shifters and some heavenly manuals.
That being said, this gearchange is actually one of the stupidest ideas I've seen in a while- take the convenience/space savings of the Prius transmission and eliminate all the benefits of it, and you'd probably get something like this.
dragonflight says:
02:59 PM, 09/29/08
Gah, system gave me a 500 error and then double posted. my bad.
hondacura4 says:
06:16 PM, 09/29/08
Reminds me of the comment regarding the M5 on Top Gear, something to the effect: "Every switch on this car has been designed to maximize the driver's confusion."
With the exception of the "M" button!
sabastian says:
07:14 PM, 09/29/08
So how do you switch between M and S?
mentally says:
08:31 PM, 09/29/08
sabastian, when you're in S just move the shifter up or down, then you're in M.
When you're already in M, move it right to D and then back left to engage S.
IMO, D is not any slower than other automatic transmissions in that class. It's at least an average speed if not faster.
sgude says:
05:08 AM, 09/30/08
I think my Bimmer is perfect -- sport package, manual tranny, inline-six. Isn't that what God intended?
sgude says:
05:09 AM, 09/30/08
Oh -- and no iDrive!
adavis2493 says:
03:32 PM, 09/30/08
@ Dragonflight
I will admit, BMW does have some decent transmissions to drive it terms of ride quality, quick shifting, etc. I will agree with you there, but, when I was younger and both my parents were BMW Enthusiasts, we had a brand new 2004 X3 which had transmission failure and went in reverse by itself into a tree, and a 1998 540 which had an airbag malfunction which almost cost me my life.
bmlexus says:
09:08 AM, 10/ 2/08
To (adavis2493)
Hey, I am sorry to hear that you almost lost your life because of a bmw technical fault.
The more I try to like the more troubles I see for bmw,
e34bmwlover says:
11:22 AM, 10/21/08
First of all, RTFM!
I don't get it, why most people who doesn't own BMWs or can't afford one bash iDrive and active steering and all those other nice features that bimmers have. It's a luxury vehicle, it has to keep up with others in terms of technology and performance and etc. Everybody who I meet @ local bmw club say they like idrive, they don't complain about SMG or automatic they have. It's usually the old school people who hate technology says they don't like the gizmos and they just want manual and no power steering with nothing but air inside the car. Joystick in X5 is not that confusing, it's just need some time to get used to. Again, RTFM people!
qmf says:
06:01 PM, 12/15/08
I have this transmission interface on my 2008 535. Not only is it difficult to use, it has gone into DRIVE instead of REVERSE a number of time, over a hundred. Tonight I could not go into reverse. After shifting forward five times, it stayed in DRIVE and I hit something in the garage. The dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem, which I admit is rare but hazardous. BMW, please fix this awful design. Your ergonomics are awful on this otherwise excellent vehicle.