To be clear, the X5 is my ideal daily car. If we weren’t eligible to join Motability, there isn’t a single car on the scheme that I would buy privately, therefore any car that we get via that route will always be a compromise.
The X5 ticks all but one box for me. Having driven hundreds of cars from most mainstream brands, my preferred brand of choice is BMW. Their balance of driver engagement, performance, economy, handling, refinement and quality suit what I look for in a car perfectly. The X5 delivers all of this, but in a large luxury car that also has the benefit of the high seating position that suits both my back and my wife’s disability (as we need a person hoist and it’s easier for me to manoeuvre her in and out in a higher car).
The one box that it doesn’t tick, and it’s a big one, is price. Even with VAT deducted, it’s still more than I would ideally want to pay. I would really want to hand back the Motability car and use the £4k a year sacrificed benefits (plus AP) towards it. That’s why I mentioned a second option, which would be to retain the Motability car as the daily driver and buy a second hand ‘fun’ car as a second car, just for me. However, my definition of fun isn’t a small cramped sports car that is difficult to get in and out of. Whilst their handling will undoubtedly be much better, I prefer luxury with good performance.
Having watched a number of YouTube reviews of the new X5 50e, I was surprised at the universally glowing reviews and the smiles on the faces of the reviewers as they exploited the near 500 bhp and their positive remarks on the sound of the 3.0 BMW six-cylinder engine. That’s more than enough fun for me these days, but I’d want more than the paltry 5% discount first mentioned (plus 15% VAT exemption) to tempt me!