2007 530ix or 2006 X5 4.4 or - need advise pls

[rockblock]

Hey Folks,

I currently have a 325/e46 that served me well...9 years & 200k km later (~125k miles) I decided it's time to get a new(er) car...because I live in Toronto, Canada, I kind of need a 4x4 during the winter times, so I'm definitely looking at an xDrive...but which one?...

Well, after a long debate, going through 3,5 & X series, I narrowed it down to the following 2: 2006 X5 or 2007 530iX both at around 60k km (40k mi)...but which one?...they are both comparable in price, the e60 does have the iDrive, and drives very smooth, but the e53 feels more robust, plus I feel that I would need a 4.4 to compensate for the extra weight (I would have loved to get the 2007 X5 w/iDrive, but it's $10-12k more expensive)...so, since this is a 5 series forum, I'm wondering how is the reliability with the e60 and what are some of the things that I should be looking out for in terms of failure?...with my e46, other than regular wear & tear, the only issues I had were with the alternator, water pump & steering rack.

Any help I can get to help me decide, would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[rockblock]

A few more questions:

1) are 255HP/220 torque enough to handle 3,600 lbs?...the next step up would be the 550 V8 w/360HP, but it doesn't come with 4x4...
2) with the iDrive, there's a single point of failure, so if the chip fails, no cd, no radio, nav, no computer info, etc...any known issues with this?
3) will the xDrive enable me to use all-season tires as opposed to switching between summer & winter?

Thx