And what about the new iDrive? When will that be available on the X5/X6?
If the facelifted 3er has it (and we even saw a pic of the E60 with new iDrive), these two should have it too.

Good point! I wonder if X5 & X6 will get it before their facelifts.

Hello all!

Here is my first post on this forum

I test drove a 3.0si X5 last saturday.
The BMW sales person told me the 09 model would get the X6 engines!
I hope so cause I want to buy one!!

X5/X6 are getting new iDrive as of March 2009 production.

As for engines, maybe they will have two different versions of N54 and N64 with X6 getting the more powerful engine.

Why March 09?
The X5 is produced in the USA and they will change to the 2009 car in a few months.
I don't think they will redo everything in March 09!

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER X6/X6 will only get the new iDrive / hard drive based nav in March 2009.

Hi, this is my first post. I was all set to buy a new 08 X5 4.8si back in April, but the salesman (a rarefied honest and genuinely caring salesman whom we've dealt with before on the purchase of our 330xi) told us to wait until the Fall for the '09's because the X6 engines were slated to go into the next round of X5's. He also intimated that they would be upgrading the Xdrive to the improved system that's on the X6, but wasn't sure on that.

We've been waiting and watching the speculation online, and there still is no definitive information. I asked the salesman recently for an update and he's going to get back to me soon. I independently talked with a BMW mechanic who repeated the same news that the '09's will have the upgraded engines. Who knows. BMW is keeping it very secret so as not to kill sales of the '08's still out there.

I will post any news when I hear it.

I think they probably have more than just iDrive upgrade in spring of 2009. Maybe that's when they roll in X6 engines.

^^^ I suppose you're right. When the X5 gets the new iDrive, it's get the updated engines and xDrive too.

I just think March '09 is way too late for this update. The X5/6 have old iDrive while a simple 3er or 1er (much older cars) has a brand new system...

I agree with you.
BMW does not upgrade his US build models in March but in the fall!
As for now the X5 diesel will be introduced as a 09 model.
I was also told that the engines of the X6 would be introduced in the 09 X5 models.
We'll have to be patient........