We're considering buying the 525xi, but I continue to be worried about the car in Chicago weather. We drive an SUV now with 4WD, which is great in snow/sleet. Is the 525xi really good in inclement weather?? Is the xi dramatically better than the regular RWD BMWs, which I know are terrible in snow?
X drive is good in inclement weather on flat land like you find in Chicago. And yes AWD on all season tires is greatly improved from RWD on all season tires. If you have a full size SUV you will miss the better road view and feeling of safety and stability (real or imagined) from the SUV. The February 2006 issue of Bimmer magazine has a good review of the 5 series with xDrive which would be worth a read.
I beg to differ.. a "regular RWD BMW" is just fine (and certainly NOT "terrible") in snow until the snow depth is such that it lifts the car off the road. All it takes is the right tires and a competent driver. The addition of traction and stability control lessens the need somewhat for being competent.
Somehow I managed to make it all the way to work today in my M3 without getting pranged by one of the many fools who think 4WD overcomes the laws of physics.
While a 4WD may get going better when driven by an incompetent driver - there is nothing 4WD can do for stopping, and due to the increased weight it may well be worse when trying to stop. Unfortunately since the car/truck does get going - the drivers frequently think that any speed they can attain is going to be just fine.
Add in the additional weight up high and you have an ill-handling, poor stopping vehicle driven by someone who doesn't know how to drive. They end up in the ditch rather frequently, usually on their sides or top.
4WD is a crutch for people who don't know how to drive in the snow. BMW added it for marketing - not performance. With the X series - BMW tried to keep some measure of handling - with varying success. I saw an announcement of the new X5 that is due out shortly. The CEO of BMW-NA, Tom Purves admitted it was bigger (people seem to want that) and some handling was sacrificed. Damn shame IMHO.I drive a 2WD BMW since seven years and sometimes in the Alps's snow. I enjoy it especially at those times, because it really means driving...
By the way, I think that you only need to have good winter tires. I use 6 month a year summer tires and winter tires for december to may. This way you will not have any problem.
a écrit dans le message de news: snipped-for-privacy@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
ditto
xdrive is better in snow than rwd, but rwd is never terrible, except in a shitty american car.
Skill is the most important thing, next winter tires, then awd, rwd... If you are a unskilled driver, then awd will help to get going, but that is it.
I have an 330xi from 2003, it is great but I feel now that a regular 330i would be sufficient in snow - barring extreme conditions, and less $$$ because of the reduced weight and fuel consumption. and I live in Montreal, where it really snows. I should point out I am a very skilled driver, the x factor is wasted on me.
Exactly. And why would the OP want to pay an additional $2,000 for a 200 lb. heavier car with already marginal performance and poorer fuel economy. The 525i with winter tires (Dunlop M3 works great on my 328i) should be fine.
Tom K.
...true, except that shitty american cars are mostly FWD these days.
Put on a set of snow tires and forget your worrying.
We need a reality check here. I grew up in Chicago (and I mean Chicago, not some suburb) and lived there until I was mid-20's. Everybody back then drove big, nose-heavy, rear wheel drive cars. Nobody had snow tires. All-season tires were an idea that had not come. We had winters that were at least as harsh as anything you see now. People managed to get around throughout the winter. You got stuck; somebody gave you a push and you were on your way.
Fast forward to your situation: a balanced AWD car with at least all-season tires and, if you are smart, decent snow tires. You will have exactly no problems unless the snow fall is so heavy that your front bumper becomes a snow plow and in that case, no one will move anyway due to traffic jams.
You have nothing to worry about. Nothing.
Just what "shitty" American car(s) do you have in mind?
And just what kind of shitty Canadian car can you recommend for the snow?
I did not start this, but to be precise; Canadian cars *are* American cars... Mexican cars are American cars... Cars made in Brazil would be American cars... and yes, of course cars made in the US are American cars.
Defining which ones are shitty I will leave to the originator...
Hm, how about:
"Any Ford or GM-built vehicle, excluding SUVs and trucks"?
Pretty funny. I see you are letting Chrysler off easy.
For what it's worth, I have a peice of GM Junk. 2500HD pickup truck with
4x4. In this weekends snow I needed to move it before clearing the driveway. Put it in 4HI and drove off the pavement, up a small incline, thru about 16" of fairly wet snow. Peice of cake with the Michelin AT's.My 2004 X5 stays put in the garage during snow. On a few tests with my Wintersport tires it performed OK in the snow, but the low clearance & high cost of the vehicle tells me it's just not the right choice of vehicles when the seriou snow comes.
Probably all, except for maybe... new Corvette or something? Rest is really crap. NHF.
-- nabolji auto je citroen 2cv
This wisdom obviously from somebody with a lot of experience with american cars...
just look at crash test results, f150, durango... BANG, youre DEAD! CRAP that makes you think you are safe!
seats that fold on impact, headrests that do nothing..... all crap!
the makers have known all along, yet they do nothing because it costs too much to improve quality to save lives. They just build them bigger, not better.
:-)) Since this is alt.autos.bmw I will sustain from starting a flame with you. Only one point for you dear colleague (you drive a bimmer, right?); imagine you Americans pay 5 or more bucks for 1 gallon of fuel instead of what you're paying now. Performance comparison is out of the question from the start. EOD.
N joy.
-- nabolji auto je citroen 2cv
Pop open a cold one and watch the video....pretty cool.....
I thought about this xi post when I watched it.
tom
2 drive wheels vs. 4 drive wheels....
do the math. 4 wheel drive is ALWAYS better than 2 wheel drive in snow and rain.
snow tires help 2 wheel drive in the snow but snow tires on 4 wheel drive are much better.
RWD BMW's drive well in the snow, but AWD BMW's drive MUCH better.
it's just plain old physics.
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