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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series - AWD or RWD?
427 messages, Last post on May 13, 2009 at 5:06 AM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 11, 2007 9:39 am) I guess BMW NA has observed the success of Mazdaspeed, NISMO, and other manufacturers' performance divisions in offering performance parts. Me, I'd rather they bring over more Alpinas such as the B3 Bi-Turbo sedan:  I'll even forgive its lack of a proper -i.e. manual- transmission...
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Replying to: roadburner (Dec 11, 2007 12:09 pm)  Best Regards, Shipo
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 11, 2007 12:15 pm) Make that WAAAAY WAAAAY more forgiving than me. The Alpina B3 does essentially nothing for handling over a 335i sport, gives you 20% more horsepower and torque on paper (but nominally better actual acceleration), and forces you to take a 6 speed slushbox automatic in exchange? Forget it. That is an entirely unacceptable tradeoff. Put the B3 next to a 335i sport 6-speed manual for exactly the same price and I'll take the latter. What happened, did a Motorsport engineer retire and Alpina recruited someone from AMG?
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Replying to: habitat1 (Dec 11, 2007 3:32 pm) |
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Replying to: redsoxgirl (Dec 11, 2007 8:27 am) |
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I just finished my January issue of Road & Track including a nice (but brief) test drive of the new WRX STi. If I were looking for an AWD sports car, this is the one I would choose (and I would very possibly choose it over the RWD 335i/135i). Subaru's Driver Controlled Center Differential really is the way to go. In manual mode, the driver can select any of 5 preset front/rear torque splits, including a very RWD-like 25/75 Front/Rear split. Then, in inclement weather, the driver can simply leave it in automatic mode and let the computer send torque where it's needed. Add to that genuine mechanical limited-slip differentials front and rear, a no-nonsense cockpit, a time-proven bulletproof 2.5L turbo engine (with sufficient oil-cooling ability), a user serviceable drivetrain including transmission/differential drain plugs, an engine oil dipstick (!!!), and a highly usable (and good-looking) 5-door body. I remember poking around underneath a 2006 STi a couple years ago before a test-drive and being hugely impressed by the strength and design of the body/suspension. Very beefy components and reinforcements in all the right places - it's overengineered in an E30 sort of way. I like that. BMW's AWD system is perfectly adequate for a soccer mom (or dad) driving an X3 to the supermarket in Portland, but for a sport sedan, it's an embarrassment. The STi will absolutely eat up and spit out any AWD BMW on any road, in any weather. |
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