With Alex Kersten in front of the camera, Car Throttle became one of the biggest automotive YouTube channels. Now the presenter has his own outlet called Autoalex Cars. And the first piece of content that caught my attention is a review of two old BMW models, the first-generation X5 and a wagon version of the E46 3 Series.
One of the defining types of content Alex created for Car Throttle was buying crappy cars, old, unreliable, but interesting. He proved that with very little money, you could have something a bit more interesting than your usual cheap compact.
And Alex was secretly obsessed with BMWs, so much so that there was an unspoken rule not to buy more in recent years. But the gloves are now off, so it’s time to buy more Bimmers, two of them, which are the subject of his most recent video.
One of them is an early BMW X5. Despite basically starting off the Sports Utility Vehicle craze in the early 2000s, people say it’s a bad idea to buy one of these. Not only are they critical of the design, but a YouTuber that’s even more famous than Alex says it’s an unreliable money pit. In the words of Hoovies Garage, “you should never, ever, ever buy one of these.”
But Alex needed an SUV that could tow and one suitable for married life, so he purchased a 2002 BMW X5. This is what’s called an E53, the first generation of the iconic German luxury model.
It cost a little over $1,000 and has quite interesting specs due to it being a demo car with all the bells and whistles. Behind the beautiful red paint sit a number of mechanical problems, mainly electrical ones. The windows don’t work properly, there’s no adjustment in the steering, broken prop shafts, bushings, etc.
What engine is in the X5? Well, the manual gearbox is actually the strangest part of the powertrain. Alex chose it because the automatic was apparently sourced from GM and was unreliable. The 6-speed is hooked up to a “3.0d” engine, which is decent on fuel and for towing, but surprisingly underpowered.
The turbocharged 3.0-liter M57D30 made 181 horsepower and 302 lb-ft (410 Nm), which is about the same as your average small crossovers, like a Tiguan or Tucson. In this big-boy SUV, that’s only enough to get you from 0 to 60 mph in 9.6 seconds.
Alex: Every petrolhead should own an E46
It’s widely believed that the E46 is one of the best BMW models of all time, which great-sounding, powerful engines and sporty handling. Alex’s has owned some of these before, and the latest one is a 330i Touring or wagon.
Obviously, everybody wants an E46 M3 with a manual, but those are impossibly expensive. The six-cylinder in this thing made about 270 horsepower back in the day. It’s got a manual and a lot of miles on the clock 219,000. So what does Alex do with an old BMW wagon inches away from the scrapyard? He makes a race car out of it, with suspension so low that the tires “only rub now and then.”
