[angelbones]

This will be interesting to most of us on here. As a RWD fan, I must say I love the last sentence of the article.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ed-test-review

[Xiaoxi]

I'd rather get stuck in snow than drive an AWD bimmer.

[bizzyqu]

Originally Posted by Xiaoxi

I'd rather get stuck in snow than drive an AWD bimmer.

Spoken like someone who hasn't gotten stuck in the snow that often :P

Unfortunately up here in the north east awd and snow tires are pretty necessary in the winter for me. I'm happy BMW offers something for everyone (even an awd convertible).

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

If I didnt live in the snowbelt, I'd go RWD for all the reasons stated in the article.

Since I do live where there can be snow 5 mos a year, I'm glad there are choices...

And yes, RWD with snows is good, AWD with snows are better.

BMW, MB and Audi are smart to offer drive-train choices for people who live in all kinds of weather conditions.

[Canaletto]

Originally Posted by bizzyqu

I'm happy BMW offers something for everyone (even an awd convertible).

Yeah, but no AWD with a manual transmission (at least on the 2 series)!

[Merc for hire]

Originally Posted by Xiaoxi

I'd rather get stuck in snow than drive an AWD bimmer.

Second that!

[bobby66]

For me I don't want to lose my performance during the winter. Ice, snow, rain. No problem, just drive fast.

[beenthere1]

Uh, doesn't BMW claim the AWD version is faster to 60?

What was up with C&D?

http://www.bmwusa.com/bmw/2series/coupe#Performance

[mfourn20]

Originally Posted by bizzyqu

Spoken like someone who hasn't gotten stuck in the snow that often :P

Unfortunately up here in the north east awd and snow tires are pretty necessary in the winter for me. I'm happy BMW offers something for everyone (even an awd convertible).

AWD is not nes. My 228 rwd is my only car. I drove it 32 miles round trip in Rhode Island without missing a single day of work even with 5in of snow on the highway. It plowed through just fine with snow tires...Plus it was a TON of fun! Didn't get stuck once not even in unplowed parking lots with snow just barely under the bumper. Our driveway is steep and the BMW with snow tires was able to make it up the driveway when my wife's front wheel drive car couldn't.

[raisingAnarchy]

Originally Posted by Canaletto

Yeah, but no AWD with a manual transmission (at least on the 2 series)!

xDrive wasn't always exclusive of manual...

[Xiaoxi]

Originally Posted by bizzyqu

Spoken like someone who hasn't gotten stuck in the snow that often :P

Overwhelmingly most days of fun outweigh a few days of misery

[G-Mann]

Originally Posted by beenthere1

Uh, doesn't BMW claim the AWD version is faster to 60?

What was up with C&D?

http://www.bmwusa.com/bmw/2series/coupe#Performance

I believe they do a rolling start which AWD will suffer with the added weight.

The tests are also done with a bunch of different variables at play not occurring under the same conditions. Be nice to see a RWD vs AWD review and get both cars on the same track on the same day.

[beenthere1]

Originally Posted by G-Mann

I believe they do a rolling start which AWD will suffer with the added weight.

The tests are also done with a bunch of different variables at play not occurring under the same conditions. Be nice to see a RWD vs AWD review and get both cars on the same track on the same day.

Perhaps, but the article lists the 0-60 time at 4.5 separately from the 5-60 time of 5.6. I'd also like to see a back-to-back comparison.

[basiluf]

Originally Posted by beenthere1

Perhaps, but the article lists the 0-60 time at 4.5 separately from the 5-60 time of 5.6. I'd also like to see a back-to-back comparison.

The poster meant rollout, not rolling start. C&D uses a rollout in their results.

From Edmunds:

A Few Words About Rollout
The term "rollout" might not be familiar, but it comes from the drag strip. The arrangement of the timing beams for drag racing can be confusing, primarily because the 7-inch separation between the "pre-stage" and "stage" beams is not the source of rollout. The pre-stage beam, which has no effect on timing, is only there to help drivers creep up to the starting position. Rollout comes from the 1-foot separation (11.5 inches, actually) between the point where the leading edge of a front tire "rolls in" to the final staging beam — triggering the countdown to the green light that starts the race — and the point where the trailing edge of that tire "rolls out" of that same beam, the triggering event that starts the clock. A driver skilled at "shallow staging" can therefore get almost a free foot of untimed acceleration before the clock officially starts, effectively achieving a rolling-start velocity of 3-5 mph and shaving the 0.3 second it typically takes to cover that distance off his elapsed time (ET) in the process.

We believe the use of rollout for quarter-mile timed runs is appropriate, as this test is designed to represent an optimum drag strip run that a car owner can replicate at a drag strip. In the spirit of consistency, we also follow NHRA practice when calculating quarter-mile trap speed at the end of the run. So we publish the average speed over the final 66 feet of the quarter-mile run, even though our VBOX can tell us the instantaneous speed at the end of the 1,320-foot course, which is usually faster.

On the other hand, the use of rollout with 0-60 times is inappropriate in our view. For one, 0-60-mph acceleration is not a drag-racing convention. More important, it's called ZERO to 60 mph, not 3 or 4 mph to 60 mph, which is what you get when you apply rollout. While it is tempting to use rollout in order to make 0-60 acceleration look more impressive by 0.3 second, thereby hyping both the car's performance and the apparent skill of the test driver, we think it's cheating.

Nevertheless, some car magazines and some automobile manufacturers use rollout anyway — and fail to tell their customers. We've decided against this practice. We publish real 0-60 times instead. But in order to illuminate this issue and ensure we do justice to every car's real performance, we've begun publishing a clearly marked "with rollout" 0-60 time alongside the primary no-rollout 0-60 time so readers can see the effects of this bogus practice.

[AWheeler]

I fully intended on ordering a RWD car and using winter tires. However, my local dealer had one in the exact configuration I would have ordered, except that it was AWD. After a test drive I was more than happy with the performance. For those that do not go to the track (me) or live near Motor Trend's filming grounds (me) I think the AWD option + winter tires provides a great winter driving experience.

[augerpro]

Yeah I think they got a weak car. Considering they trap at just over a 100mph, if there was a second difference that would imply there be about that same second difference at the trap (if I'm thinking about this correctly) That is definitely not the case.
Or I wonder if it had more to do with this being an auto versus the manual that everyone initially tested. I've been drag racing about 4 times now and you really have know how to launch the auto or there are large variances in time.

[angelbones]

Originally Posted by beenthere1

Uh, doesn't BMW claim the AWD version is faster to 60?

What was up with C&D?

http://www.bmwusa.com/bmw/2series/coupe#Performance

I think the confusion is that the AWD 2-series with the automatic is faster than the manuals that the car mags usually test in RWD form for 0-60 times. In the end, though, the added weight will hurt in getting to 100 and 1/4 mile times. I think I've read most reviews about the various configs for this car and the RWD manual is slower to 60 than the AWD automatic.

[CF22]

Originally Posted by angelbones

I think the confusion is that the AWD 2-series with the automatic is faster than the manuals that the car mags usually test in RWD form for 0-60 times. In the end, though, the added weight will hurt in getting to 100 and 1/4 mile times. I think I've read most reviews about the various configs for this car and the RWD manual is slower to 60 than the AWD automatic.

C&D tested the RWD M235i with 8 speed at 4.3 0-60.

[Transfer]

I don't need to justify my AWD choice to all the RWD diehards. It fits my life, my driving style, and my driving environment. I'm really happy we have the option.

[falconati]

My RWD car got stuck one time this winter. In Wisconsin.

Very happy I didn't get AWD. The RWD dynamic of the car is a fucking blast.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Transfer

I don't need to justify my AWD choice to all the RWD diehards. It fits my life, my driving style, and my driving environment. I'm really happy we have the option.

This is true and BMW's AWD is rear wheel drive most of the time and a lot better than front wheel drive AWD X1 and active tourer.