Towing with X5 / other suggestions

[admranger]

Originally Posted by kpaso

The F15 X5 35D can tow 8,000lbs with a stealth/invisible hitch and is pretty much bulletproof in terms of reliability. And is a great highway cruiser. Just FWIW.

Is that the BMW approved weight or stealth hitch's weight? I didn't realize BMW had approved towing in the USA that high. I know the chassis can handle it, but legally, you'd be in a hot mess if you had an incident and BMW hadn't authorized it.

[kpaso]

Originally Posted by admranger

Is that the BMW approved weight or stealth hitch's weight? I didn't realize BMW had approved towing in the USA that high. I know the chassis can handle it, but legally, you'd be in a hot mess if you had an incident and BMW hadn't authorized it.

Technically it's the hitch's towing capacity that now brings your towing ability up to 8k, so yea, not BMW per say.

[roastbeef]

I'm no towing expert, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the weight of the tow vehicle, power, brakes, suspension… it's not just like slapping an 8k hitch bumps you up a few notches.

[k_mann]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

My 2012 S with 70k miles was 26k in September. Look around, they’re out there

How'd the cayenne feel towing? We have a '13 diesel, but my wife will probably upgrade soon so I may keep it as daily/tow. Need to add the hitch though still.

I will agree, its a great vehicle, they're so well built. We bought ours 3 years ago with 50k, just crossed 150k, drives the same as when we bought it. Only issue is a little sweat from the RMS, but otherwise a tank

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by k_mann

How'd the cayenne feel towing? We have a '13 diesel, but my wife will probably upgrade soon so I may keep it as daily/tow. Need to add the hitch though still.

I will agree, its a great vehicle, they're so well built. We bought ours 3 years ago with 50k, just crossed 150k, drives the same as when we bought it. Only issue is a little sweat from the RMS, but otherwise a tank

Originally Posted by k_mann

How'd the cayenne feel towing? We have a '13 diesel, but my wife will probably upgrade soon so I may keep it as daily/tow. Need to add the hitch though still.

I will agree, its a great vehicle, they're so well built. We bought ours 3 years ago with 50k, just crossed 150k, drives the same as when we bought it. Only issue is a little sweat from the RMS, but otherwise a tank

Cayenne's are tempting but in this used car market it'll be tough to find one at ~$40k that ticks all the boxes, meanwhile I can find an X5 with air suspension, towing package & an engine I'm used to working on for $30k. If my tow weight was >4500lbs I'd definitely consider the cayenne but this car won't get much use (still super tempting).

[admranger]

Originally Posted by k_mann

How'd the cayenne feel towing? We have a '13 diesel, but my wife will probably upgrade soon so I may keep it as daily/tow. Need to add the hitch though still.

I will agree, its a great vehicle, they're so well built. We bought ours 3 years ago with 50k, just crossed 150k, drives the same as when we bought it. Only issue is a little sweat from the RMS, but otherwise a tank

I'd definitely keep the Cayenne diesel. If it's like the BMW, it'll have a wiring harness module you can buy as well. Factory setup is nice so if possible, stick with that. It certainly won't be cheap...

Originally Posted by spxxx

Cayenne's are tempting but in this used car market it'll be tough to find one at ~$40k that ticks all the boxes, meanwhile I can find an X5 with air suspension, towing package & an engine I'm used to working on for $30k. If my tow weight was >4500lbs I'd definitely consider the cayenne but this car won't get much use (still super tempting).

The BMW factory tow package is super sweet as it works with the DSC to help if the trailer tries to drive the X5. Keeps things very stable.

[Chris_PDX]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

I know this is a BMW forum, but I'm Very happy with my Cayenne tow rig. Tows up to 7700lbs, so no problem with an e92 and a steel trailer, but for extra breathing room on weight I would seek out an aluminum trailer. V8 and air suspension is a great setup, or if you are looking for more fuel economy, get a Diesel. The Touareg is the same platform as well, but the Porsche has the nicer interior of the two.

How is it to drive otherwise? I've been reading this whole thread in fascination because I'm debating trying to find a fun, fast, luxury SUV that can also tow my 3050lb E46 but still be fun to drive on road trips/adventures.

I didn't think you could get a Cayenne S even from that year for sub $30k...

[admranger]

Originally Posted by Chris_PDX

I didn't think you could get a Cayenne S even from that year for sub $30k...

It's hard to find any decent vehicle under $30k in today's market.

[admranger]

2014 Cayenne Diesel for sale on Cars and Bids. Sadly no air suspension but it has the extended range fuel tank which is nice. Looks to be a Georgia/TN car now residing in MA (get undercarriage pics before bidding is my recommendation). No affiliation.

2014 Cayenne Diesel on Cars and Bids

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by admranger

2014 Cayenne Diesel for sale on Cars and Bids. Sadly no air suspension but it has the extended range fuel tank which is nice. Looks to be a Georgia/TN car now residing in MA (get undercarriage pics before bidding is my recommendation). No affiliation.

2014 Cayenne Diesel on Cars and Bids

We bought a 2019 Discovery HSE through Carvana "for my wife" - we got a pretty good deal on it with a 6yr bumper to bumper warranty... I'll be very tempted to steal the car for tow duty with it's 8200lbs capacity + air suspension / towing package...

We'll see how she feels about me stealing it for the track... I assume she'll push me to get my own tow/daily if I start hitting the track >1-2 times a month and I'll be back looking at X5's.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by spxxx

We bought a 2019 Discovery HSE through Carvana "for my wife" - we got a pretty good deal on it with a 6yr bumper to bumper warranty... I'll be very tempted to steal the car for tow duty with it's 8200lbs capacity + air suspension / towing package...

We'll see how she feels about me stealing it for the track... I assume she'll push me to get my own tow/daily if I start hitting the track >1-2 times a month and I'll be back looking at X5's.

Please report back. It'll be an interesting choice for folks as a tow vehicle. I've heard they are very nice. Paraphrasing what they say: If you want to go to the track, take a Land Rover. If you want to come home, take a BMW.

[Kelse92]

My mom had a Range Rover Sport as a daily for a while a few years back. I towed our two horse trailer with it once and it was a good hauler and great daily driver. But drank gas like crazy with the big motor and supercharger. Land Rover reliability though... No thanks. She had tons of issues with it and had it from 2k miles to 15k miles.

[OG Shark]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

My mom had a Range Rover Sport as a daily for a while a few years back. I towed our two horse trailer with it once and it was a good hauler and great daily driver. But drank gas like crazy with the big motor and supercharger. Land Rover reliability though... No thanks. She had tons of issues with it and had it from 2k miles to 15k miles.

Unfortunately the old adage of having to buy two so that you can drive one while the other is in the shop hits a little too close to home here. Shame too - love the aesthetics and utility of them but just way too many problems. Have never seen with any other manufacturer that it is not very difficult to get them to buy them back...

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by OG Shark

Unfortunately the old adage of having to buy two so that you can drive one while the other is in the shop hits a little too close to home here. Shame too - love the aesthetics and utility of them but just way too many problems. Have never seen with any other manufacturer that it is not very difficult to get them to buy them back...

Yeah really hoping the Carvana warranty is legit, I have 1 year of the LR Warranty left and added the 5yr/100k mile Carvana warranty.

If I have issues I'll try Route66 which was great on my E82 ($14k of "repairs" over 5 years) on a track car... Supposedly you can get a prorated refund on the Carvana warranty.

Praying the newer LR V6's are a bit more reliable which seems to be the case based on the long term reviews I've checked out.

[Kelse92]

I discovered after my mom owned her Rover that there was an excellent Indy shop for them in town. Find one of those and you might be alright

[gilberjj]

I finally had a hitch installed on my 2011 e70 x5 35d with air suspension. It currently has ~135k miles. Totally stock. I went with a Draw Tite hitch and I was lucky enough to find a used BMW wiring harness and towing module on eBay. First I purchased a new wiring harness from ecs tuning (as the complete tow package, hitch and wiring harness are unavailable from BMW with no timeline), but it didn’t come with the necessary module. That too is unavailable from BMW. I really wanted the factory wiring because it plugs in and it integrates with the factory computer with features like trailer stability control. It also tells you which lights on your trailer are out.
Anyway, I just towed with it for the first time yesterday. Just a small utility trailer, so not exactly useful information, but I am excited to get it loaded up and see how it does pulling a heavier load. I LOVE the diesel. It makes a ton of power. In time I will likely do a downpipe with a DOC and delete all of the complicated emissions equipment. It will free up a lot of power, but honestly, it’s more about reliability and mpg for me. I hope to keep this rig for a long time. I love the way it drives and I think it’s going to be a fantastic tow rig.

[bigjae1976]

I've towed with a lot of different trucks and an SUV. I just pay a buddy to borrow/rent or rent from National or Enterprise because its much cheaper. I've been looking for a 3/4 ton diesel. I won't drive it very much and prices have been insane for the past 2 years on anything used.

I've towed with:
Ford F250 diesel
Ford F250 gas
Ford F150 2.7 V6
Ram 1500 V8
Chevy 1500 5.3 V8
E70 X5 diesel w/ ABC delete

All have towed the same 1800lb open deck trailer with dual 3.5k axles and brakes on one axle, E46 M3 (2630lbs plus fuel), with 22g fuel in VP cans strapped to the trailer

The X5 has the power. My issues were the receiver is really low which creates some complications and its not the most stable platform towing. It pulls, stops and turns. Need to be paying attention because the trailer does wiggle. The receiver is too low for my trailer so it is tilted forward which adds tongue weight. My trailer is relatively low. Might have better results with a lower deck aluminum trailer but you'll still scrape the jack when leaving gas stations with steep driveways. You need to account for this with the hitch and turn it upwards. Then you have to be careful when lowering the lower tailgate. It was really close to the trailer tongue.

The F250 diesel - one word. INSANE. I would totally forget I was towing a trailer. I'd be at 85mph at the end of short on ramps. For me, its overkill which is why I'm looking for an older 3/4T diesel. Its also scary that I would forget I was towing. You want some reminder...lol

F250 gas 6.7 I think - gutless. I wouldn't bother. The newer ones might be better.

F150 2.7 V6 - Wouldn't take this through the mountains but it's a good balance between a daily and short to mid-range tow rig.

Ram 1500 - This was the worst 1/2 ton IMO. It's kind of gutless, the rear suspension is super soft so lots of porpoising.

Chevy 5.3 - This was the best 1/2t.

Never had any overheating issues or problems. Drove everything up to 350 miles away except for the X5...not sure I would want to do that. The trucks just make it easier.

Right now I'm leaning towards a new Tundra. Used car prices should be free falling soon and with gas prices so high, I'm still hoping I can score a reasonably priced used diesel 3/4t.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

I've towed with a lot of different trucks and an SUV. I just pay a buddy to borrow/rent or rent from National or Enterprise because its much cheaper. I've been looking for a 3/4 ton diesel. I won't drive it very much and prices have been insane for the past 2 years on anything used.

I've towed with:
Ford F250 diesel
Ford F250 gas
Ford F150 2.7 V6
Ram 1500 V8
Chevy 1500 5.3 V8
E70 X5 diesel w/ ABC delete

All have towed the same 1800lb open deck trailer with dual 3.5k axles and brakes on one axle, E46 M3 (2630lbs plus fuel), with 22g fuel in VP cans strapped to the trailer

The X5 has the power. My issues were the receiver is really low which creates some complications and its not the most stable platform towing. It pulls, stops and turns. Need to be paying attention because the trailer does wiggle. The receiver is too low for my trailer so it is tilted forward which adds tongue weight. My trailer is relatively low. Might have better results with a lower deck aluminum trailer but you'll still scrape the jack when leaving gas stations with steep driveways. You need to account for this with the hitch and turn it upwards. Then you have to be careful when lowering the lower tailgate. It was really close to the trailer tongue.

The F250 diesel - one word. INSANE. I would totally forget I was towing a trailer. I'd be at 85mph at the end of short on ramps. For me, its overkill which is why I'm looking for an older 3/4T diesel. Its also scary that I would forget I was towing. You want some reminder...lol

F250 gas 6.7 I think - gutless. I wouldn't bother. The newer ones might be better.

F150 2.7 V6 - Wouldn't take this through the mountains but it's a good balance between a daily and short to mid-range tow rig.

Ram 1500 - This was the worst 1/2 ton IMO. It's kind of gutless, the rear suspension is super soft so lots of porpoising.

Chevy 5.3 - This was the best 1/2t.

Never had any overheating issues or problems. Drove everything up to 350 miles away except for the X5...not sure I would want to do that. The trucks just make it easier.

Right now I'm leaning towards a new Tundra. Used car prices should be free falling soon and with gas prices so high, I'm still hoping I can score a reasonably priced used diesel 3/4t.

What year F250 Diesel? I've taken my dad's F350 7.3L Diesel and while the truck's mass helps you forget the weight you're towing... The acceleration was equal or worse than our old Grand Cherokee V6 (gas) which really surprised me, we'd usually tow with the Jeep as it was much more comfortable and got much better MPG (Not to mention it was a lease so we didn't care as much about wear/tear) lol.

[admranger]

Here's my towing history:

First pic was the 2007 Chevy Silverado crew cab diesel dually. That Duramax/Allison combo was magic. That combo was 53.5' long and weighed in at 18,800lbs total. Trans temps got high in summer going up the Baker grade but it would hold 65mph up the grade until it got hot. Towed to Thunderhill as my longest tow with this rig.

Second pic is the 40' diesel pusher motorhome -- 70' long which is a bit too long to be honest (not legal in CA which was a problem). Engine had a Banks kit on it but it would run a bit too hot on super long grades in summer (Baker grade in particular). Miller Motorsports park (where the pic is) was our longest tow in this rig.

Third pic is the 1996 Ford F350 crew cab diesel dually with the 5-speed manual (no pic w/trailer). Had a sweet Transfer Flow 76 gallon tank in the bed of the truck. Automatically kept the front diesel tank full. 1000 towing range (9mpg). Towed to Denver for O'Fest as our longest tow. That was a fun, flat filled trip (2 trailer tire flats on way to Denver). 45mpg up the Vail pass was no fun.

Loved the enclosed trailer, but probably would have been better off w/a toy hauler instead of the trailer and motorhome combo. There just weren't many good options back then as there are now.

And of course the X5 pic is already in this thread.

Surprisingly, the motorhome was the least stable platform as wind really had a detrimental effect on it. The dually trucks never wiggled, even in winds that had semi's on their side in Mojave/Tehachapi area.

The F15 X5 40e never wiggled either with the open trailer and E90M3 on it. That one surprised me. X5 by far was the most comfortable, though that Chevy was an LT3 trim so super nice inside.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by spxxx

What year F250 Diesel? I've taken my dad's F350 7.3L Diesel and while the truck's mass helps you forget the weight you're towing... The acceleration was equal or worse than our old Grand Cherokee V6 (gas) which really surprised me, we'd usually tow with the Jeep as it was much more comfortable and got much better MPG (Not to mention it was a lease so we didn't care as much about wear/tear) lol.

It was a 2018 or 2019 - 7.3L powerstroke.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

It was a 2018 or 2019 - 7.3L powerstroke.

Interesting, he did end up cracking the block on his older 7.3L after >300k miles so there may have been an underlying issue that was causing the lack of torque.

[nsogiba]

Late in 2021 I was looking to get a larger family oriented car to replace my E90 335i. I was dead set on a F31 330i Wagon until I realized it wouldn't do very well towing a boat, car trailer, etc if I decided to get some toys in the future. I looked at many options but ultimately settled on my 2016 F15 X5 35i. It's fairly basic with no air suspension or tow package, but I added a Curt 13077 Class 3 hitch (6K rating) and a TK47FR T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector. Both were easy to install and the 4 pin wiring harness lives inside the trunk cubby when not in use, which keeps the green crusties away.

I pulled home this dead 1984 Jag (that is getting a turbo LS) using a tow dolly. It was about a 50+ mile trip on everything from twisty back roads to highway use doing 70. Plenty of power to get things moving, always felt stable and controlled. I would have used a regular car trailer but they had none available for rental, so I had to settle for a tow dolly. I have no doubt the X5 would pull a regular U-Haul trailer with an E9x chassis just fine. For reference the Jaguar weighs close to 4,000 lbs.

Keep in mind this is with a bone stock X5 - I just flashed mine with MHD Stage 1 software and the difference in acceleration is very noticeable.





Unrelated to X5s - I welded a HF manual winch to a HF hitch to help pull dead cars up onto the trailer. Worked like a charm, if a bit slow.