The mpg must have included elements of battery usage, given that the two operate together (how can it be separated over the same miles?) and I know from user reviews that the now discontinued 40i (which had the B58 engine but wasn’t blighted by the extra weight of the PHEV) returned high 20s mpg.
The sports seat issue won’t be helped by the fact that I get sciatica anyway but also I am, shall we say, of generous build, so it’s probably self inflicted 😂 I found the sports seats fine in the X1 though, oddly.
You’re right about the noise of ‘nice sounding’ cars has been somewhat stifled due to killjoy legislation, plus the addition of the MHEV technology. That being said, one of the things that I want to establish with the M60i is that the V8 soundtrack won’t become tiresome over time when the novelty has worn off, so it might have done me a favour.
I cannot lie that the size when parking in standard spaces is an issue. The M60i has four wheel steering as standard, which I have some reservations about, but reviews suggest that it makes parking and manoeuvring easier. We shall see.
I agree about the V8 post warranty, and @BigDave really useful feedback about the air suspension (which I would add) makes me think that I’d probably only keep the car 3 years until the warranty ends. It makes sense financially as well, due to being able to get a VAT free vehicle purchase every 3 years and, as stated, the net cost over the 3 years, allowing for all the discounts combined, makes it no more expensive than a modest car through Motability.
If your daughter isn’t a full time wheelchair user, and you don’t need ‘substantial and permanent adaptations’ then, as you say, you wouldn’t get the VAT off, which makes buying used a much better option. I like the previous generation X3, and if we didn’t qualify for the VAT exemption I would have looked at the M40i, but I’ve sat in a new M50 and watched reviews and I just don’t like the styling, plus it seems cheap and plasticky inside compared to the X5. I contemplated waiting for the new Neu Classe X5, but I fear that will go the same way. Also, discounts won’t be as huge when it first launches but, if I want to stick with an X5 then I may be persuaded next time. Who knows. I may not even go ahead this time if the next test drive doesn’t blow me away!
Without VAT exemption, if buying used I agree that the diesel is the sensible choice. The V8 came out of the blue when I discovered the bigger discounts being offered and the much larger VED avoided (plus, of course, the even bigger VAT discount). As well as being a choice from the heart, the finances could even make it a choice from the head as well. There’s also the exclusivity factor. Less than 3% of the X5s on our roads are V8s, and that includes the full fat X5M. Let’s see what the next test drive brings.
