[C5 X7] Comparison review between 2L and 3L diesels

[the-termin8r]

This post is probably about 15 years too late, but here goes...

Just wanted to post a quick comparison / review between a 59-plate 2L diesel and 60-plate 3L diesel C5 X7 (both saloons). They are surprisingly different cars. The 2L has been in my family since 2014 (bought at 8162 miles), I've been a passenger for 8 years and the owner and driver for the last 3 years, it's currently sitting just above 111K miles, I've put about 26K on it. I bought the 3L at the end of March of this year, in the month-and-a-bit I've had it I've done about 1.5K miles in it (currently sitting at ~96.2K miles).

Significant differences between the two cars:

- Engines: One is an RHF (2L HDI 140 BHP / 320 Nm) the other is an X8Z (3L HDI 240 BHP / 450 Nm)
- Gearboxes: The 2L is running a 6-speed manual, the 3L is running a 6-speed automatic (proper torque converter auto, none of that EGS nonsense in the later ones with the smaller engines)
- Brakes: To my knowledge, the 2L has 304mm front discs, the 3L has 340mm. Both share the same 290mm rears.
- Wheels: The 2L is on 17" Baltic rims, the 3L is on 18" Atlantic rims
- Tyres: The 2L is running Michelin Primacy 4+ on all corners (225/55/R17/97Y), the 3L is running Michelin CrossClimate2 on all corners (245/45/R18/100Y). I'm surprised it wasn't sold with ditch finders.
- Head units (I promise this is relevant): The 2L started with a regular RD4, but I upgraded it to an RD45 with twin antennae, the 3L is running an RD4 with a NOMAD module
- Optional extras: Both of them are exclusive, but the original owners appear to have been cheapskates of some sort so the only optional extras they both have is fancy paint. The 2L is KJC / Eritrean Red (the best colour for an X7) and the 3L is KTV / Black Pearl Nera (kind of a redundant name). Weird that they spent money on pearlescent paint, but not on any of the actually cool optional extras.

Comparison of differences:

Engines:

Obviously, this is the big one. The only reason I bought the 3L was for the engine, in every other aspect, my 2L is in much better condition. At idle, the 2L is a bit louder than the 3L but the 3L has more vibrations. Both are surprisingly smooth though given their age and fuel type. Neither is a bad engine, this is just the observation of a pedant who's spent almost half his life with one of these cars. Once you get moving though both are very smooth and reasonably quiet, the 3L is noticeably quieter though. To the point where, if it were a manual, I'd have trouble changing gears by ear and feel initially. The 3L almost sounds like a 2-ish L petrol when in motion around town (roll the window down and it sounds like a diesel van).

On the motorway is where the real difference is. The 2L is solid, when you get it up to speed and keep the revs up (~2-2.5K) overtaking is fairly painless and it cruises very nicely around 80 or 85 MPH. But if you go faster it starts to creep just over 2.5K and the engine starts to pipe up a bit more (could really use a 7th gear). It's nothing major and the car doesn't feel like it's straining, but for long-distance cruising you start to notice it a bit. If you behave and sit at the speed limit, it's perfectly fine. The main issue with the 2L though is that it's utterly gutless for mid-range overtaking, if your revs are below 2K, forget about it. 30-60 pulling and overtaking is a no-go.

The 3L is a completely different beast. At any given speed the engine sits a good 200-300 RPM lower than the 2L and it makes a world of difference for noise. You almost can't hear it at motorway speeds. What really gets me is how nonchalant it is about the speeds it does. You put your foot down, it kicks down a couple of times. You feel it take off slightly, but ultimately you don't feel like you're moving very quickly...until you look down. High speed cruising is so utterly effortless, it's perfectly happy sitting at 95 MPH and about 2.4K RPM. I probably shouldn't admit to this, but on the A1M heading South there's a somewhat steep hill immediately after J6. This thing accelerated up said hill from 50 to 117 MPH with zero issue whatsoever, it didn't even break a sweat. The mid-range 30-60 pull of this thing is unhinged. The steering handles the power very well, there's no sign of torque steer or anything like that at all. This car is going to get me in trouble.

Regarding fuel economy, both cars are hooned around on the motorway (obviously I behave in town, I'm not that crazy). In terms of live readouts, both will comfortably pull 60+ MPG at 70 MPH with decent throttle control. Both can pull about 40 MPG at 90 MPH on level ground with very good throttle control. Combined fuel economy at the pump (60 miles per day, 10 town / 50 motorway) for the 2L is about 45 MPG when driven above the speed limit. For the same commute, and when driven much harder, the 3L returned 38 MPG which I'm actually very happy with. I took the 2L on a trip to Sheffield from North West London a year or two ago. Went as far as Snake Pass in the Peak District. At any given moment, the car had at least 3 people and luggage in it (5 people and luggage up Snake Pass), so I behaved myself. Car did the whole trip (there and back) on half a tank and pulled 50 MPG, so imagine what it can do with just the driver behaving themselves. I'm yet to take the 3L on a big trip like that, but I will be going down to Exmoor in a couple of months (with passengers) so I'll see how it does.

Gearboxes:

I was a little hesitant about an auto at first as all the autos I've driven in the past have been kind of shoddy. The 7-speed DSG in a B6 Passat is ok once you're moving, but is quite jerky when setting off. The 5-speed in a Mk3 Honda CR-V is very sluggish and the kick-down response is non-existent. The EAT8 in a Mk2 208 is the single worst gearbox I've ever driven. It's jerky, the kick-down is trash and it's always running in too high a gear and won't change down in time when slowing down.

I was pleasantly surprised by the auto in the X7, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good. Starts are smooth, kick-down response is adequate and it's well matched with the car's natural engine braking. My only gripe is that it's a little dim-witted around town and sits a gear too high like the 208. I'd be doing 28-30 and it'll be in 4th instead of 3rd. Thankfully the engine has enough torque to not get too bogged down by it. The sport mode I'm not too keen on, it holds gears a little too long (as it's supposed to), but it also changes down sooner and is a touch jerky when doing so. I haven't tried the snow mode.

In comparison, the manual in the 2L feels quite different. 1st is very short (too short if you ask me), but the others are more or less fine. It could really do with a 7th for high-speed cruising. One thing I've noticed with the manual though is that on cold mornings, 1st and reverse are very clunky for 15 or so mins before it warms up. No idea why, that's been the case since the car was bought and no other gears do that. Fun fact: the 2L is still going strong on its factory clutch from 2009.

As I type this, I've taken the 2L to work for the first time in about a month. I actually have no real preference of gearboxes yet. On one hand, the manual is kind of fun and gives my left leg something to do. But the auto is just effortless and much better when you want to get going because you don't have to think about the gears. I think the decider would be traffic jams. Given that this is the UK, I'd probably ultimately go for the auto, but it wouldn't influence my purchasing decision on a car too much.

Brakes:

Nothing much to say here really, both have good brakes, can't really feel a difference in their stopping distance or behaviour. Both stop straight and true without drama and the steering wheel has never tried to fight me.

Wheels and tyres:

This one is a hard one to judge in terms of comfort for reasons I'll get to in a bit. In terms of handling bumps and holes, both are excellent, I feel a slight difference in their behaviour, but I don't think it's the tyres. As for road noise, this is more down to the tyres than the car, but the CC2s are noticeably louder than the P4+s. The same goes for how they handle motorway puddles, the P4+s are excellent, they go through like there's nothing there. The CC2s are also solid, but I definitely feel the puddles more. It's very hard to tell, but I don't think the rims are making that big a difference in this case as the difference in sidewall between the two is only about 13.5mm.

Suspension and steering:

This is a weird one, you'd think that they'd be the same, but they really aren't. I suspect is has a lot to do with the extra height sensors, ECU and weight in the 3L. Both are incredibly comfortable and will shred the competition. But the 2L actually feels closer to a normal car than the 3L in terms of ride behaviour. Though if you get in a normal car after the 2L it will feel like rolling down the side of Mt. Everest in a wooden barrel.

The 3L is oddly wallow-y both around town and on the motorway and feels more like a classic Citroen rather than being significantly more comfortable than the 2L. You can definitely feel the extra 200 Kg in the car. It's not unpleasant, but definitely something to get used to, the 2L feels much tighter in relation. On the motorway, the 2L will just heave over larger undulations whereas the 3L pitches a little as well as heaving when going over large undulations. Both are incredibly planted though, like nothing I've ever driven, they feel like they're on rails. They just hunker down and get on with the cruise.

Around town the wallow-y-ness is what makes bump and hole handling harder to judge. I feel like the added heft of the 3L helps it better absorb the sharper jolts, despite the smaller side walls. Whereas the 2L almost feels slightly over-sprung and you feel the sharper bumps more and they make a bit more of a muted thud than in the 3L (both cars being mechanically sound). Both are very good, but the 3L takes some getting used to after 11 years in the 2L.

The steering really threw me off though. Around town the 3L is noticeably lighter than the 2L (not that the 2L is heavy). I immediately noticed this when I briefly test drove another 3L a couple of years ago as well. Where things change is on the motorway, the 3L becomes the heavier one and the 2L is lighter (relative to each other, not themselves, at a given speed). Both feel great, but the change is odd. I suspect it's to do with the 3L having the extra suspension ECU and the steering being handled by that.

Head units:

Didn't think I'd be talking about this, but here we are. The RD4 with the NOMAD module in the 3L actually allows for Bluetooth audio streaming which is nice (I thought it was for calls only), but you can definitely tell that the feature was shoehorned in. The RD45 in the 2L is a more seamless integration and it's down to the little things. When you turn the ignition on, both take a moment to connect, but when you turn the engine over the NOMAD disconnects and has to reconnect again for some reason. When it reconnects, it takes it a moment to register the BT channel as one of the sources whereas the RD45 is immediate and doesn't disconnect when turning the engine over. The NOMAD takes less source-button spamming to get to the BT channel which is nice. The RD45 puts BT right at the end whereas the NOMAD is after the radio (maybe also after CD, but I haven't tested).

In terms of usability, both are fine, I found that the RD45 occasionally drops audio for a split second and then continues. It's kind of annoying, but you get used to it. The NOMAD is fine in that regard, but a couple of times now it has had a weird issue where it almost sounds like the audio equivalent of a slideshow. I don't know what causes it, but I get similar behaviour when my phone and laptop fight each other for control of my ear buds. I'd be watching something on my laptop and I'd get a notification on the phone. The buds would then have a panic attack trying to play the video while also trying to play the notification noise from my phone. As a result, everything gets choppy and garbled for a few secs. It's the same sort of behaviour on the NOMAD, but to my knowledge, nothing is fighting for control over it like my buds. It's only done it 2 or 3 times so far, so it's not too big a deal.

The NOMAD module means that the car comes with the Citroen and SOS buttons. To my knowledge the system no longer works because it ran on a 2G network that got decommissioned. I'm still curious what would happen if I pressed the button. I don't want to press the SOS in case the system still works and calls the emergency services. But I might give the Citroen button a whirl. Another curious observation is that the original RD4 from the 2L is made by Blaupunkt, while the RD4 in the 3L is a Bosch. The RD45 I retrofitted is made by Continental.

Other and final thoughts:

On one hand, I'm a little disappointed that the original owners didn't opt for things like front parking sensors, Xenon headlights, rear blinds or uprated HiFi on either car. But on the other, I'm also glad they opted for the optimum head unit and not one of the poorly aged nav ones. The cars are more or less the same spec as each other, but there are differences. For instance, 2010 models and onwards ditched the ambient lighting above the glovebox and the motion lights and felt lining in the front door pockets (features I plan on swapping between cars). The 3L also has the nice twin exhaust tips, the problem is that they lead to a large common muffler. Said muffler takes up space and the car has a space saver as a result. Still, at least it has a spare. Being a V6 also means that the battery lives in the boot, which means I lose one of my boot cubbies. The battery living in the boot is actually easier to change than the one under the bonnet. There are fewer things in the way and you only have to slide it instead of lifting it. Both cars use the same 096 form factor of battery. Another neat feature is that the 3L has dedicated jumper terminals under the bonnet.

Overall, both are great cars, both have distinct personalities and differences, you can absolutely tell that one isn't just an overpowered version of the other. If I had to liken them to anything it would be Peter Parker's suits in Spiderman 3 (even down to the colours). There's ol' reliable and then the power-tripping maniac. I love both of them and I'm emotionally attached to the 2L because who wouldn't be after spending 11 years with a car? But I'm hoping to keep the 3L and probably sell the 2L on for someone else to enjoy. Things are still in the unknown for now so I'm holding on to both.

That was a long one, but I'm happy to answer questions.

[myglaren]

Nice review!
I wonder if some of the differences you note are not just due to different cars and their history.
I have just bough a new Mazda 6 to replace the crashed one and there are notable differences in some areas, mainly the steering. New one is far lighter but less precise, for instance.

[the-termin8r]

Could be. The 2L has been treated like a beloved family pet more than a car, it's wanted for nothing and has a literal ring binder full of receipts for work done over the last 16 years. In contrast, the 3L had no history whatsoever (not even a handbook). What I've managed to gather based on observations is that it might have been a farm car at some point. It was full of dry grass / hay / straw when I cleaned it out and the rear tyres were at 2.6 Bar which is the high load rating on the B-pillar sticker. It's definitely a more tired car with a more careless owner.

It's a shame, because my dad is a self-employed building contractor, the 2L was a workhorse for 8 years, but he treated it well, you wouldn't be able to tell at all what its history has been. If you looked at it (without knowing the mileage) you'd assume it was used for the odd trip to the shops or a school run or two. It's not perfect and if you really looked for flaws you'd find them, but it's held up incredibly well. Especially when you consider that it's been crashed into 3 bloody times by different morons over the years (thankfully all just cosmetic damage).

As for the steering specifically, I don't know, they both seem equally precise. I'll have to get the 3L on better tyres. When my dad had the B6 Passat (before it went bang after a year) it came with some spent Pilot Sport 4s (regular 4s not 4Ss). He changed to P4+s like on the 2L and said he immediately felt a difference in the car's steering response. I personally couldn't tell as I didn't drive it frequently enough, but I definitely noticed that it got a lot quieter and it handled bumps less harshly. I'm tempted to stick some 4Ss on the 3L just to see what they hype is about with those tyres. But at the same time, the Primacy 5s came out recently and I'm waiting for TyreReviews' review on youtube. I'm honestly not a fan of the CC2s. Short of being good on snow, I'm not sure the other trade-offs are worth it. Their handling of motorway puddles disappointed me.

[wurlycorner]

This car is going to get me in trouble.

Yes, absolutely that ^^^^

And not just because of it being a money pit on parts/servicing (if mine is anything to go by on that front)

[wurlycorner]

Nice review!
I wonder if some of the differences you note are not just due to different cars and their history.
I have just bough a new Mazda 6 to replace the crashed one and there are notable differences in some areas, mainly the steering. New one is far lighter but less precise, for instance.

Could be.

When mine is back up and running properly (he says masochistically and optimistically) we will meet up and you can compare your 3.0 to mine and see if it's a characteristic of the 3.0, or of how well each of the X7's has been cared for.

I suspect the steering/suspension of the 3.0 feels very different because of the extra weight over the front axle on the 3.0 v 2.0.

[the-termin8r]

1-year update / further review of the 3L.

The car has drained me of a lot of money, but not too much has actually gone wrong (list at end of post), a lot of it has been preventative stuff and consumables.

Going off of the sections from the OP:

Engine:

Mostly good, minus stuff that's gone wrong from the list at the end. The oomph is still great, but the power has corrupted me. I'll probably be getting it remapped at some point this year (probably closer to insurance renewal).

Gearbox:

Also mostly ok, but the dim-wittedness of it is starting to annoy me. I don't know if Aisin programmed it on their own or if they did it according to PSA's spec, but I don't like that it always sits in a gear too high. I can switch it to sport which helps a bit, but then it holds 1st for way too long and will sometimes hold 5th for a bit too long as well around the 2.5k mark when I've clearly stopped accelerating. I find myself going into manual to change it down often.

Brakes:

I've upgraded to EBC Yellowstuff pads. Unfortunately couldn't find beefed up discs so am running OE-spec Brembo Prime. I've yet to properly nail the brakes; but from various high-speed progressive brakes I've had to do they seem better. I'm still struggling to tell. They also squeak more than the stock brakes. It's not too bad but I'm hoping it fades as they break in more.

Wheels and tyres:

No comment on the wheels, all fine. The tyres though... I grew to absolutely revile the CrossClimate2s that it was originally running. They were loud, sucked with motorway puddles and in wet braking. And, as I found out after getting better tyres, absolutely ruined the handling dynamics of the car. I ended up going for Pirelli P-Zero PZ5s. Best decision I've made with this car so far. The difference is so colossal that it's not even funny. The car is much quieter and is utterly poised and controlled. The handling is just *chef's kiss*. The car has been transformed entirely. My dad actually described it as originally driving two parts of completely different cars that are connected only by the power of suggestion. The front and rear ends felt completely disjointed. It wasn't dangerous or uncontrollable, but the car just didn't feel right.

I actually chalked the wallow-y-ness up to the extra weight of the car in the original review. And it's definitely there, there's no way around that. But after putting the PZ5s on, it felt almost identical to the 2L in terms of characteristics. Even the slightly unsettled feeling of the car on the motorway that was gnawing at me completely disappeared and it became exactly what I expect of a C5. I didn't really mention this bit in the original review as I thought I might just be hallucinating.

I don't care how good CC2s are in the snow, in every other aspect they're not even in the same solar system as the PZ5s. I'm yet to hit any significant, high-speed, puddles in the PZ5s but I expect them to be just fine. The only downside I've noticed thus far with them is that they transmit more of the micro-textures and imperfections of the road through the steering wheel's vibrations. Other than that, I can't fault them. If you're running 18" Atlantic or 19" Adriatic rims on a C5 or C6 GET PZ5s! (unfortunately they don't come in 17").

Suspension and steering:

See above. As it turns out, most of my gripes were caused by the tyres.

Head unit:

Not much to say here, it's been solid. The only thing I've noticed that annoys me is that if I have my Spotify liked songs on shuffle, it won't display the artist name, only the song title. Instead of the artist name it displays the device name for my phone. If I'm listening to an album it will display the artist name. The RD45 didn't have this issue.

Other and final thoughts:

In spite of how much money this thing has drained me of so far I'm very happy with it. I'm now in a position where I think I've only really got servicing costs and probably minor maintenance with how much has actually been replaced. In a year this thing has drained me of more money than the 2L did in the first 8 or so years of my family owning it. The annual costs should now hopefully fall off a cliff, especially as I plan to get at the very least 5 years out of it, but knowing me I'll probably have it for the decade LOL.

Non-consumables that have been replaced:
- Infamous rusty coolant pipe
- Rear rubber and metal LDS pipes
- Some kind of nylon pipe somewhere
- Alternator
- Alternator belt idler and tensioner
- Exterior A-pillar trim (re-glued, was a recall years ago)
- Driver's weather strip
- Scuttle plate
- Top section of washer hose
- Oil cooler (the suspected cause of the forbidden milkshake)
- Oil filter housing
- Thermostat housing
- Turbo pipe seals
- Sump
- Front struts (yes, technically consumable, but it was only because of the deteriorating foam damper on the mount)

[wurlycorner]

A good review.

Gearbox:

Also mostly ok, but the dim-wittedness of it is starting to annoy me. I don't know if Aisin programmed it on their own or if they did it according to PSA's spec, but I don't like that it always sits in a gear too high. I can switch it to sport which helps a bit, but then it holds 1st for way too long and will sometimes hold 5th for a bit too long as well around the 2.5k mark when I've clearly stopped accelerating. I find myself going into manual to change it down often.

It can be sluggish to change down on acceleration, yes.
Also really annoying, I find if you're just crawling in traffic, above idle on very slight throttle, it can't decide what gear it wants to be in and hunts up and down. Stupid thing.

Brakes:

I've upgraded to EBC Yellowstuff pads. Unfortunately couldn't find beefed up discs so am running OE-spec Brembo Prime. I've yet to properly nail the brakes; but from various high-speed progressive brakes I've had to do they seem better. I'm still struggling to tell. They also squeak more than the stock brakes. It's not too bad but I'm hoping it fades as they brake in more.

Curious - what made you upgrade the pads? I wonder, were you thinking the same as me on them?
I was going to wait and change the pads (I don't know what are currently fitted to mine) to a 'known good' before posting about this, but from my experience... The front brakes are under-spec'd IMO. They don't have anything like enough bite/power for the weight of the front of the car and the speed this car can be going.
They're not a patch on the way my C5 Mk1 brakes perform.

Wheels and tyres:

No comment on the wheels, all fine. The tyres though... I grew to absolutely revile the CrossClimate2s that it was originally running. They were loud, sucked with motorway puddles and in wet braking. And, as I found out after getting better tyres, absolutely ruined the handling dynamics of the car. I ended up going for Pirelli P-Zero PZ5s. Best decision I've made with this car so far. The difference is so colossal that it's not even funny. The car is much quieter and is utterly poised and controlled. The handling is just *chef's kiss*. The car has been transformed entirely. My dad actually described it as originally driving two parts of completely different cars that are connected only by the power of suggestion. The front and rear ends felt completely disjointed. It wasn't dangerous or uncontrollable, but the car just didn't feel right.

I am not happy with the ride on mine. I swapped the original tyres (they were out of balance and grip wasn't good either) for a set of Michelin Primacy 5 in the hope that would improve things. The grip is there both wet and dry, but I'm still not happy with the ride - again, not a patch on the Mk1 C5's *or* the other 3.0 HDi X7 I tried, which had 21" rims!!!
I am looking forward to trying yours (and vice-versa) for comparison, so we get a better idea of what's 'normal' and what's 'good'/'bad'.

Head unit:

Not much to say here, it's been solid. The only thing I've noticed that annoys me is that if I have my Spotify liked songs on shuffle, it won't display the artist name, only the song title. Instead of the artist name it displays the device name for my phone. If I'm listening to an album it will display the artist name. The RD45 didn't have this issue.

I'm happy with the sound of the NG4 and generally with the way it operates, but I do want carplay. It annoys me that this head unit isn't one that has an after-market plug in solution (considering it was also fitted to other cars not just the X7!). I probably will look into retro-fitting the SMEG unit, if... I can find the bits.

On the costs - yes, it is not a cheap car to run (and I don't think it ever will be). In one year it must have cost me more then half what my Mk1 C5 has cost me in the 12 years I've owned it (and parts availability is much worse!).
I am not looking forward to cambelt time on this thing and I am ignoring the weeping power steering pump, because the price of that thing is *outrageous* not to mention impossible to change...

I still haven't got all the problems mine came with, sorted (on account of working on other cars and having lent it to someone for the last 2 months) but will get there...

But as you say. The grunt...

[the-termin8r]

Also really annoying, I find if you're just crawling in traffic, above idle on very slight throttle, it can't decide what gear it wants to be in and hunts up and down. Stupid thing.

I haven't had the hunting thankfully, but I have noticed some oddly strong engine braking in 2nd. I don't think it's gearbox related though, I feel like the turbos might be doing something or it's just overall ECU control.

Curious - what made you upgrade the pads? I wonder, were you thinking the same as me on them?

Nothing in particular, I'm just pathological about safety in that regard. I know it has bigger 340 front discs, but the extra 200kg is a lot. I'm surprised it's not running the larger, vented, rear discs that the C6 uses. It's still on the regular, solid, 290s.

I'm happy with the sound of the NG4 and generally with the way it operates, but I do want carplay. It annoys me that this head unit isn't one that has an after-market plug in solution (considering it was also fitted to other cars not just the X7!). I probably will look into retro-fitting the SMEG unit, if... I can find the bits.

It's exactly because it doesn't have an annoying eyesore tablet that I love the RD4/45. It does exactly what I need it to. If I need nav, I just plop the phone on the magnet and it's good enough. I've never found myself wanting or even really needing a touchscreen, especially a big one, in the car.

[wurlycorner]

Nothing in particular, I'm just pathological about safety in that regard. I know it has bigger 340 front discs, but the extra 200kg is a lot. I'm surprised it's not running the larger, vented, rear discs that the C6 uses. It's still on the regular, solid, 290s.

The car feels front brake limited to me, rather than rear.
Didn't know the C6 had larger rear brakes - interesting and surprising, as you'd have thought the X7 Tourer is the one that would benefit from/need that?
Might try and have a look at a C6 to see what's involved in an conversion... Presumably backing plate, discs, carrier (wonder if the caliper is the same).

It's exactly because it doesn't have an annoying eyesore tablet that I love the RD4/45. It does exactly what I need it to. If I need nav, I just plop the phone on the magnet and it's good enough. I've never found myself wanting or even really needing a touchscreen, especially a big one, in the car.

Oh not fussed about a touchscreen, sure - not a huge fan of them (especially on new cars where they make them do *everything* - so damn distracting, slow, non user-intuitive!)
As you know, I just want better bluetooth audio streaming and waze built into the dash screen as an 'oem' install, that's all. And the SMEG seems to be the only OEM way to do that on an X7.

[the-termin8r]

I've considered a potential C6 conversion for the rear as well, but my concern has been mostly for the parking brake and how that would work. Rim offset might also be affected because presumably the discs are thicker too.