BMW X5 35i N55 F15: an inline-six you can finally hear, the exhaust system guide

Your vehicle.

All our exhausts for this generation, version by version, are brought together on one page: BMW X5 F15 Valved Exhaust.

The X5 F15 is the third generation of BMW's big SUV. As the xDrive35i, it combines a gasoline six-cylinder with all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission, for a family SUV livelier than it looks. Here is what you need to know about it before choosing a line for it.

Model

BMW X5, third generation, type F15

Years

Presented in 2013, sold until the arrival of the X5 G05 in 2018

Engine

N55: 2,979 cc gasoline straight-six, twin-scroll turbo

Factory output

306 hp (225 kW) and 400 Nm

Transmission

Eight-speed Steptronic

Drivetrain

xDrive all-wheel drive; sDrive35i with rear-wheel drive in some markets

Seats

Five, or seven with the optional third row

Range neighbours

V8 xDrive50i, X5 M F85, diesel versions

A more accomplished third generation

BMW unveiled the X5 F15 in summer 2013, with deliveries from autumn. It derives from the platform of the X5 E70, with a tauter design, reworked aerodynamics and an entirely new interior.

The range then covers a wide spread: diesels with four to six cylinders, xDrive35i and xDrive50i in gasoline, then an xDrive40e plug-in hybrid and the X5 M F85. The X5 G05 took over in 2018. The Rog product page targets the xDrive35i built from 2013 to 2018.

The xDrive35i and its figures

The xDrive35i delivers 306 hp (225 kW) and 400 Nm, a torque available from low on the rev counter, which is enough to move an SUV of more than two tonnes with ease, even loaded for the holidays or towing a trailer.

The bars below take unchanged the Rog product page values for this version.

Stage 2: published figures with the front section and an ECU remap carried out by a tuner.

The N55, a single-turbo six-cylinder

The N55 succeeded the twin-turbo N54. It uses only one twin-scroll turbo, which separates the gases of two groups of three cylinders, with direct injection and variable valve lift. This arrangement made the engine simpler and more responsive at low revs.

It is found across a large part of BMW's range of the time: 335i E90, 535i F10, 640i F06 or X6 35i F16. Under the hood of the X5, it sits longitudinally and is paired with the eight-speed transmission, as on all versions of this generation.

xDrive and eight speeds

In Europe, the X5 35i is sold with xDrive all-wheel drive, which distributes torque between the two axles according to grip. In the United States, a rear-wheel-drive sDrive35i version also existed. The eight-speed Steptronic transmission is standard.

For the rear line, these drivetrain differences do not change the route in most cases. We check your VIN before manufacture, and reply in writing if your X5 needs an adaptation.

Gasoline or diesel, six or eight cylinders

In the F15 range, the xDrive35i holds a place of its own. The xDrive30d and xDrive40d diesels long dominated sales in Europe for their economy, and the twin-turbo V8 xDrive50i was aimed at those who wanted maximum power before the X5 M. The 35i offers a compromise: the smoothness and the sound of a gasoline six-cylinder, without the weight and fuel consumption of the V8.

It is also the version that benefits most from a more expressive line. A diesel has little to make heard, and the V8 already sounds deep as standard; the N55, for its part, has a real voice that the factory line hides almost entirely.

Like the two previous generations, the X5 F15 is built in Spartanburg, South Carolina, then exported worldwide. Equipment varies from one market to another, hence the value of the VIN: it gives us the exact configuration of your X5, whether it was sold new in Europe or imported, and lets us make the line that matches it, with no approximation on the route or the mountings.

An SUV that smothers its six-cylinder

In an X5, the cabin's sound insulation and the factory line add up. The N55 nevertheless has the typical sound of the inline six, round and even, which becomes rougher when you accelerate hard. At the wheel of a standard F15, you barely guess at it, even in Sport mode.

Outside, what you mostly hear is ventilation and rolling noise. For a gasoline SUV of this power, that is a pity: part of the driving pleasure rests precisely on this six-cylinder tone.

Flaps open, flaps closed

With the flaps open, the Rog line gives the X5 an ample voice, with a steady bass at mid-range and a more metallic climb towards high revs. Joining the highway and overtaking take on a quite different relief.

With the flaps closed, the big SUV returns to a level close to the factory one, which suits family trips, children asleep in the back and early-morning departures. The two faces coexist in the same vehicle.

The Rog remote

On this product page, the flaps arrive fitted with a remote and a small unit placed in the trunk. Open, they stay open; closed, they stay closed, whatever the driving mode selected on the X5.

You decide the volume, without depending on the vehicle's menus: closed in the neighbourhood, open on a country road, with two buttons.

Stainless steel, titanium and sound character

On an SUV that faces winters, salt and sometimes tracks, 304 stainless steel is a solid choice, with a full sound. Titanium, about 40% lighter for an identical design, makes the note clearer; it comes in brushed, gold and purple.

The character is chosen at the same price: the straight pipe lets the N55 speak unfiltered, the resonator gives it a rounder and slightly softer voice, often appreciated in a vehicle that covers a lot of highway.

Rog tips or carbon tips with the M logo

The X5 35i can take Rog tips in chrome, gloss black or blued titanium, or carbon tips with the M logo, in forged carbon, black carbon or carbon and titanium. The line can also be delivered without an added tip.

On an X5 in M Sport trim, with sportier bumpers, carbon or gloss black go well; on a more classic trim, chrome remains the most understated.

The optional downpipe

The product page also offers the front section under the name "Manifold": on the N55, it is the downpipe that follows the turbo and carries the catalytic converter. With 200 cells, the emissions control is kept; the 100-cell version depends on the car and the rules of the country; the catalyst-free version is intended for the track.

Without a remap, this part mainly brings volume and a little lightness. The values published on the product page assume the downpipe and a map made by a tuner, which mostly interests those who tow and want more torque. Rog makes the line to your VIN, and your garage fits it without welding or cutting.

Configure your exhaust.

How the exhaust is put together

On the X5 xDrive35i F15, the Rog line starts at the downpipe connection, under the floor, and runs to the outlets: pipes, mufflers and flaps. The N55 downpipe, placed right after the turbo with its catalytic converter, forms the front section; the product page offers it as an option under the name "Manifold".

Each choice explained in detail, from sound to material: How to configure your exhaust.

Three recommended configurations.

• Family SUV

  • Stainless steel
  • No manifold
  • Resonator
  • Rog remote

  For an X5 that takes the family out every day: the front section stays factory, the resonator rounds off the voice of the N55 and the remote lets you drive with the flaps closed in town.

  View this configuration

• Trailer and mountains

  • Stainless steel
  • 200-cell sports catalytic converter
  • Straight pipe
  • Rog remote

  For an X5 that tows a van or a caravan: 200-cell downpipe that keeps the emissions control, a base for a torque-oriented remap, and robust stainless steel to take the miles.

  View this configuration

• More character

  • Titanium
  • 200-cell sports catalytic converter
  • Straight pipe
  • Carbon tips with the M logo

  For an X5 M Sport that wants to sound the way it looks: lighter titanium, straight pipe for the roundness of the six-cylinder and carbon tips with the M logo for the rear.

  View this configuration

From order to fitting.

VIN, manufacture, delivery, fitting and warranty, step by step

Questions.

Further reading.

• All our lines for the BMW X5 F15
• BMW X6 35i F16 guide, the same N55
• BMW X5 M F85 guide, the V8 version
• BMW 535i F10 / F11 guide, with the N55 engine