18 messages,
Last post on Feb 08, 2012 at 7:56 PM
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BMW 3-Series Forum.
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BMW 3 Series, BMW, Car Buying, Coupe, Sedan
#9 of 18 Re: 2010 335 i x drive [jwlev]
by upstatedoc
Sep 08, 2010 (7:21 am)
Those two options are included in the Premium package.
Oct 14, 2010 (12:30 am)
In Canada, the bluetooth and auto dimming mirror are standard features with the 335i xdrive,
#11 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [plina]
by yelnats19
May 18, 2011 (4:40 pm)
I wonder the xdrive makes the car slower in general
#12 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [yelnats19]
by steveaccord
Jan 31, 2012 (4:58 pm)
There is no penalty in top speed since that is defined by the electronic governor/limiter (hence only factor such as sport package etc would trigger differences). Purists will contend that the sacrificing of the RWD will subdue the 'spirited drive' ability of an xDrive model compared to the regular ones. Personally I am very happy of my xDrive vehicle and would not consider the feature a penalty at all.
#13 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [steveaccord]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 31, 2012 (5:37 pm)
it just "pushes" more in hard cornering and is a bit heavier..for the average driver, hardly noticeable.
#14 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [Mr_Shiftright]
by steveaccord
Jan 31, 2012 (10:47 pm)
I still wonder if per se AWD is an absolute second in terms of sport driving characteristics. The RWD iconic dominance we should remember is also due to the fact that in professional racing AWD was banned in major circuits (indy and formula-1 car racing) back in the late '60s or early '70. True, AWD back then mostly was part of a very exotic combination mating gas-turbine engines (yep .... same as an in aircraft) with a transmission able to couple all the extra juices to effective traction. Just a thought anyway.
#15 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [steveaccord]
by srs_49
Feb 01, 2012 (5:32 am)
Isn't the reason they did was to try and keep speeds down (all relative, I guess)? The same reason they restricted the size and height of wings, and prohibited cars with active fans that tried to suck the car to the ground (the CanAm's Chaparral being one of the first)?
#16 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [srs_49]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Feb 01, 2012 (10:46 am)
Ah yes the Lotus 56!
I think it's difficult to compare race cars and street cars except in the category of weight, where the extra lbs penalized the AWD cars eventually---but some of them were very successful (Nissan Skyline GT-R, etc).
Also in racing you can get downforce through aerodynamics rather than 4 stickies on the track.
I drove my friends 328ix quite a bit and I thought it felt heavier and didn't turn in as well.
#17 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [Mr_Shiftright]
by fedlawman
Feb 01, 2012 (2:24 pm)
You don't choose a RWD street car because it has any performance advantge over AWD. You choose it because it's more fun to drive.
You can never have "too much traction" when you're racing, but you can on a street car.
Several years ago I had some issues with my street tires so I drove my M on the street with my track wheels (with Toyo RA-1's) for a few weeks. The grip was phenomenal compared to my street tires but I couldn't "play" with the car at street speeds. Couldn't kick the tail out, drift, etc.
Once I got street tires back on (ultra high performance all-seasons), the fun was back. Yeah, cornering speeds were lower, but now I could "play" with the car and dance around the limits. It requires more skill and finesse and is a lot more fun.
Still, I really do want to own an AWD car...for my wife.
#18 of 18 Re: X DRIVE TIRES [fedlawman]
by steveaccord
Feb 08, 2012 (7:56 pm)
hehe, a good punch line....and admittedly the 335xi has been mostly my wife car since for a few years I have mostly used air transportation rather than ground vehicles for my work commute/travels. It is solidly back in my control after restoring the status of a 2 car vehicles household (she wanted an SUV all along anyway and is not complaining about her new Volvo XC 60, but really learned to appreciate the ride qualities of the BMW). That said I may be very well be interested in another xDrive model, the i8 coupe that should arrive to market in the fall of 2014. As a matter of fact I should perhaps initiate an new thread on the topic of that future model.