[Bimmer5]

For those of you that have xdrive, I am curious about how you feel about it.
I currently have a 2011 535i, I am considering getting xdrive on my next one, I am going to place an order next year after the LCI. The only reason I'm considering it is for winter driving, I live in the mid Atlantic area of the US. Some winters bad some not, would you go with xdrive or stay with RWD and get a dedicated winter car.

[Touring]

I bought the new Golf VII with 4wd as my "all purpose" car, but I still keep my F11. The VW is compact, efficient , worth its money, safe, well engineered, looks good, all in all a very good car.

BMWs should be RWD, that's what make them special.

So keep your bimmer, as I did :-)

[HighlandPete]

Why not just have a set of dedicated winter wheels/tires?

Do you get that much poor weather that xDrive is really necessary?

I'm in the highlands of Scotland, so a mixed bag of winter conditions, RWD and winter tires are the best compromise. Saves having xDrive and/or compromising with all season tires all year round. I have dedicated summer and winter tires.

HighlandPete

[Arran73]

Xdrive is great, get a good set of snow tires and u gan go anywhere as long as the snow is not too deep. Have had a 330xd 325xi and now 525d xdrive and I can tell you that the hilldecent function has worked great.

[Gilgorm]

My 2012 535i X-drive is my first X-drive and I am looking forward to winter.
All my prior BMWs and MBs have been rear wheel. Put a good set of four WINTER tires on your beast and enjoy it year round. They are awesome with the proper shoes.
BTW, my 535 is only available as an X-drive so I had to take it to get the car I wanted; otherwise, I would have gone RWD again.
GL

[The X Men]

If you can affort a winter car, that is the best senerio. You can keep the BMW out of the winter climate and garage.

[tnikolov]

Originally Posted by The X Men

If you can affort a winter car, that is the best senerio. You can keep the BMW out of the winter climate and garage.

I can agree with that point. Although I do drive my BMW in snow and winters, I still have a Winter car in my garage, cause I feel sorry for my bummer when snow is too deep.

That being said, xDrive does the job perfectly, so long your tires are not too wide. The weather here in Sofia is pretty severe in winters and I have a lot of friends with X5/X6 that have problems because of their enormous rear tires. I on the other hand had only a few problems during the winter with my 330xd, and all of them were cause the snow was TOO deep for the poor car. I haven't really tested my F10 on snow yet, but I'd assume it will do the job the same or better.

I'd still opt out from the xDrive tho if weather conditions were milder here. Besides it does the job well its too heavy and makes the car more unpleasant at cornering

[Lee]

Just got my winter tires and I'm gonna wrap them on replica M5 wheels. I plan on driving all over Bavaria and into Austria this winter.

[E92LNGCGY]

I have a E92 335 RWD and X3 35i xdrive we just had our first snow storm (about 15-20 cm of snow) and let me say even with the factory all season (I have a dedicated set of winters) the xdrive is a great option to have. This is actually my 1st AWD vehicle and I have already come to appreciate the added security. For your situation it really depends on the amount of bad weather you have. Good luck.

[FElleven]

I agree, xdrive all the way, its not just for snow, but on slippery wet roads it tracks the corners with such confidence that Im smiling all the time. I see it more as a primary component of my car. Since F11 is not sportish car, but more of a luxury family cruiser I have no desire to have it in RWD version as I never race with it. If I would want real bmw rwd experince I would buy an M3 as a second car with manual transmison that would give me real thrills, but since my days of speeding on public roads are long gone Im not missing it. Go for xdrive, you will not be sorry.

[Bimmer5]

Thanks for all the info, I appreciate it

[4dayze]

If you have the extra cash i'd go with purchasing a second car with AWD, you can keep the milage down on the BMWand store it for the winter. I have driven the xdrive and i must say i loved it and may be considering it for my next purchase but then again idont have the money for a second car.

[vdubturbo]

Originally Posted by 4dayze

If you have the extra cash i'd go with purchasing a second car with AWD, you can keep the milage down on the BMWand store it for the winter.

That's what I've been doing for years. 3 previously with my Lexus and now with the F10. And personally, living in the "Mid-Atlantic" area, I don't even think you need a second car with AWD. I've been rocking my lowered MKIII 2.0l GTI since '05, and the only thing I do during the winter is put on a good set of snow tires.

About 3 years ago when we got that serious snowfall >24", I took the GTI out with a friend who followed me in his F-350. I bet him that I couldn't get stuck... and I couldn't. FWD & snows for the win.

[copello]

Winter tires for the winter and ski

Dacia Duster for the beach, rocky and savage off-road in southern france; which makes me even more appreciate the smoothness, confort and power of the F10....

[JNoSol]

Keep in mind that xDrive doesn't mean you don't need winter tires, for heavy snow and ice. Always remember that AWD vehicle stops just as quick as a RWD car. With that, save the cash and just get winter tires for your RWD.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by Touring

I bought the new Golf VII with 4wd as my "all purpose" car, but I still keep my F11. The VW is compact, efficient , worth its money, safe, well engineered, looks good, all in all a very good car.

BMWs should be RWD, that's what make them special.

So keep your bimmer, as I did :-)

+1