Question about X5 Colours

[ozorion]

I'm in the process of replacing my 2012 F30 with a new X5, and I'm really torn over colour choices. I ordered the 3 Series in Sapphire Black, but the car has been a real tough one to keep clean - I sort of promised myself I would never get a black car again (or one with lots of wheel spokes thanks to the European brake dust).

I'm ordering the M Sport Pack (not the X5 M), which for some reason limits the number of colours I can pick from. I've tried to involve my wife more in the process but her favourite is the Imperial Navy Blue, which they won't do on the M, and it looks pretty close to black anyway (so it's likely to get dirty easily).

As with most BMWs, that pretty much leaves 50 shades of grey. I was going to go with Space Grey, but while my wife was bemoaning the lack of Imperial Navy Blue to the dealer today, he recommended either Carbon Black (which apparently has a blue tint in the sun), or Azurite Black. I've heard that the individual pearlised colours like Azurite Black also mark really easily. Does anyone have any experience that they can share with any of the above colours and keeping the car looking schmick? (Space Grey, Carbon Black, Azurite Black).

Cheers!

[1230vani]

Space grey really looks "clean" for a long time. I have it now for the 2nd time. Got bored of it, looking at carbon black now altough i said before i will never buy a black car again because it looke dirt ly unless it was clean

[Kzang]

OP, you said that you didn't want to deal with a black car due to difficulties of keeping it clean. Just so you know all the colors you are suggesting minus the space grey is going to be similar if not the same in keeping clean. I would suggest Mineral White metallic which has been very popular..

[cretanu]

Azurite Black is most of the time black. It gets immediately dirty even from small amounts of dust. It has to be 100% clean and in direct sun in order to show shades of blue. Is true that in these rare moments it looks very elegant, but it seems that is not your first concern...

[TallTrees]

Silver is by far the easiest color to keep clean, white being a close second. Black would be the hardest obviously, after my last black vehicle I swore never again. IMO Mineral white shows the X5 body lines the nicest. Glacier Silver Met would be my 2nd choice after the white only because my last vehicle was silver. I think the space grey looks great too, probably would be much harder to keep look clean.

[Staszek]

I have Jerez Black on my M3 its close to Azurite which means it looks black in some lights and blue/purplish in others. I love the color but its hard to keep clean. Azurite has more blue and metallic in it then my Jerez so it will show up some more in sunlight, but it will be no mean be easier to keep clean then black (slightly but still close).

For that matter, Imperial will be just as hard to keep clean as black. I agree with you and it sucks that the X5 takes colors away depending on lines.

I wish they would bring Orient Blue back, still one of my favorite colors.

I went with Mineral white, I didnt want straight white and I didnt want silver, this is a mix of both and it stays cleaner. Mineral looks almost like a frozen white in person with more shine.

I personally love Azurite though and it would be the closest to what your wife wants.

[JHinman]

My CA said that for $5,000 BMW will paint your X5 with any of the colors available for any BMW. I'd have loved to get the bright metallic blue that I saw on a 2 Series sedan. It did not take long to realize that I wasn't going to spend that kind of money on custom paint.

I thought I was being original when I gave the CA that line about 50 shades of grey, too.

[CrEsT]

Originally Posted by JHinman

My CA said that for $5,000 BMW will paint your X5 with any of the colors available for any BMW. I'd have loved to get the bright metallic blue that I saw on a 2 Series sedan. It did not take long to realize that I wasn't going to spend that kind of money on custom paint.

I thought I was being original when I gave the CA that line about 50 shades of grey, too.

I'd love to see frozen (matte) colours on X5s. I would've gone with matte black or grey.

[MattBianco]

I've owned two colors on the F15, Mineral Silver and Mineral White. The MS is not available on the mSport so I had to change. The MW gets dirty as you leave the car wash. The MW hides dirt well.

[originalgoods13]

My pick for you will be Space Grey. It has always been my choice of color prior to being a detailing enthusiast. I have the Black Sapphire Metallic and it is not as bad to maintain as long as you take care of the paint work.

A couple of nano sealants should keep any dark vehicle clean and shiny, along with proper washing and drying.

A lot of dark vehicles I see on the road have swirls and scratches from improper washing and drying technique, hiding the true beauty of the paint work.

[roadkillrob]

I concur with space grey, have it on my X3 and I think it is a great color on the X's and it shows very little dirt!

[elisiX]

As suggested above, get a good nano sealant and buy the colour you want.

Assuming your car is garaged, it will easily do two weeks and still look clean.

[apw2607]

Space grey is a horrible drab grey which is even worse in overcast, cloudy climates. Avoid it like the plauge. It gets old quick. I had it on a M3 and never ever again.

[ozorion]

Thanks for the many and varied responses. I put a Wolf's Hard Body nano-sealant on my current Sapphire Black car every 24 months, and although it was nice when it rained (water just beaded straight off), it still got dirty very quickly. My car is garaged both at home and at work, but perhaps it's just a problem with where I live.

Probably going to stick with the Space Grey, but I'm not placing the order until March, so I've got some more time to agonise over the decision.

[stewy604]

+1 for Space Grey. Love our E82 in this colour...looks good on the F15's as well.