09-28-2015, 04:07 PM | #177 |
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Coming from a RWD 135i, I can tell you that a good set of snows/weight in the back goes a long way in these cars. Unfortunately for me (and I am assuming many others), I simply don't have a place to store 4 tires year round anymore. I live in Chicago, so weather certainly gets bad around here, which is why this time I opted for the AWD even though I may suffer some in certain departments (although I probably won't notice much).
I am also coming from a 6MT, and even though I cannot get that on the xDrive, I was perfectly content. For the amount of traffic in this area, the manual makes driving very tiresome. I cannot wait to just relax a bit more and not have to constantly worry about making perfect shifts (awful CDV valve), etc. That is why I bought a motorcycle so I can still scratch that itch if I want. |
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10-04-2015, 10:14 PM | #178 |
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You know what I'm actually going to do, after reading everyone's posts, is I'm going to keep my AWD M235xi through this winter... and I'm going to put a note pad on the visor.
Every day that it snows so much in Vermont that I'm glad I've got AWD, I'll put a checkbox on the notepad. If I have 15 or less checks at the end of the season, then in the Spring I'm going to trade it in for a manual M235i. Or maybe an M2. 15 or more checks, I keep the AWD. Or something like that. I may just get impatient when the M2 comes out in a few weeks. Looks so amazing! |
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10-04-2015, 11:37 PM | #179 |
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To me, the AWD is just as much or more about the rain and constantly wet roads here in Seattle as it is about the possibility of snow. Imagine your road surface is wet 70% of the year. AWD makes a lot of sense and keeps me from just spinning tires all the time if I want to get a bit frisky.
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10-05-2015, 12:35 AM | #180 |
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I have an XI and I almost didn't get it because of it... I still really enjoy the car especially in less than stellar weather and because it can lay down power without going sideways. However, I also enjoy going sideways and a little over steer. I think both are great, but I will go back to rwd simply because I enjoy it more. Nothing wrong with XI or AWD... Just personal preference.
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10-05-2015, 05:55 AM | #181 |
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I travel a lot, often for a week or ten days at a time. Around here, you often don't get a ton of warning about potential snow. Knowing that I have awd and I'm that much less likely to get stranded at JFK adds a lot more piece of mind to me.
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10-05-2015, 07:08 AM | #182 | |
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10-05-2015, 08:47 AM | #183 | |
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Now, I live in Chicago, but even with it being totally flat here, its nice to know that I won't need to worry. I have gotten stuck at stoplights and stop signs, not been able to accelerate on the highway without the backend coming out, etc. |
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10-09-2015, 10:20 AM | #185 |
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I try to get the old pickup out when its snowy, just for the multiple idiots on the road, but I don't know how many times I have been out in the WRX and all of a sudden there are 1-4 inches of snow on the road, so I opted for the X drive, I was tired of shifting in rush hour traffic anyway. I don't have enough spaces in the garage for a garage queen in winter! Well maybe but only if its a Z06...
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10-10-2015, 07:59 PM | #186 | |
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So Analytical
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10-11-2015, 01:17 AM | #187 |
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Xdrive corrupts steering feel, makes the car more prone to under steer and adds weight. Not to mention on all other models excluding the M235i, the Xdrive suspension is soft and sits an inch higher. If you ask me, you'd be making a huge mistake to get an Xdrive BMW if you're an enthusiast. But hey, it's your money and your choice. Also, if people stop buying the manuals, before you know it, they'll be gone.
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10-11-2015, 04:36 AM | #188 |
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Everybody's choice. Different to the E90, suspension is not compromised on the M235 with xDrive. Rest is personal choice. As a daily driver in a winter state I appreciate xDrive. Others may choose different. Be happy.
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10-11-2015, 08:35 AM | #189 | |
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10-11-2015, 08:57 AM | #190 | ||
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10-11-2015, 12:10 PM | #191 | |
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RWD handles better IMO, and weighs about 3-4% less, but on snowy/icy days AWD can certainly help. I've always owned RWD cars but my previous house like yours was on a hill. Sometimes I barely drove off the street and onto the driveway. AWD can give some well founded peace of mind, mainly in helping the car get moving. However, for those in hilly areas (unlike Chicago) it doesn't help address the biggest challenge: negotiating a downhill curve on an icy road. Here in Austin, where the ground barely freezes, I'd say there is little reason to choose AWD. The main risk here in the winter is other drivers. On one morning when there was some light ice on the roads there were more than 800 collisions! |
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10-11-2015, 02:08 PM | #192 | |
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I respectfully question your claim that xdrive affects steering feel, at least on the 235. I noticed absolutely no difference whatsoever, and I don't recall any 235 xdrive reviews (I think I've read just about all of them) making such a comment. Why would xdrive change steering feel? That makes no sense. Of course if being able to have some fun drifting and kicking out the back of the car is a high priority, you are not going to be ordering xdrive. |
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10-11-2015, 02:32 PM | #193 | |
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http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=31_0993 http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=31_1098 You can see there they are far from identical...although both sit at the same height.... For example you can't use the M4 lower control arms on the Xdrive version for more camber... Haven't driven an M235x so don't know if it's better or worse... Last edited by pikcachu; 10-11-2015 at 02:42 PM.. |
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10-11-2015, 02:34 PM | #194 | ||
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10-11-2015, 02:40 PM | #195 | ||
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Excuse me for my elitist tone, but Xdrive has always been and will always be a byproduct of American ideology that you need to have something every day even if you only use it once. In most urban and suburban areas, streets are salted and plowed. There is absolutely no need for an awd car (though it may be nice). It's kind of like how people buy cars that they use only several times a year to tow with. It's just a huge waste to sacrifice something every day of the year for the 1 or 2 days you might need it. How did people survive all these years without AWD? It's not that awd is bad, but it's not the purists or enthusiasts choice when buying a BMW. It's there for the paranoid people who don't know any better. If you're buying an m235i because you want the classic BMW driving qualities, you're straying from them by getting Xdrive. Plain and simple. The reason I'm so annoyed with Xdrive is because other than in the southern states, dealers only stock Xdrive cars. No matter whether it's a 2,3,4,5,6,7 series, rwd is nearly a thing of the past. So if I want to test drive a car before I buy it, it's almost impossible because enthusiasts are 0.001% of the buying public. It's the same with manual transmissions. Years ago, they used to pop up here and there, but not they're pretty much order only. If you do find one, it's probably an ordered car that the potential buyer ended up backing out of. It's really tough to find a proper non-M BMW on the dealer lots. I wish it wasn't the case. After the manuals disappear, rwd will probably be next.
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10-11-2015, 04:03 PM | #196 | |
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10-11-2015, 04:46 PM | #197 | |
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Think about how often and under what conditions torque that is material enough to change the feel of the car is sent to the front axle on a 2 series xdrive, and you will begin to understand my test drive observations. Believe me, I'm well aware of all the xdrive debates of the past, but I'm not at all sure how that is relevant to this discussion. Go drive an xdrive 2 series and you might be as surprised as I was. And if you are not, that's cool too as I fully subscribe to "to each his own". One of your comments I strongly disagree with is that "there is no need for a AWD car". Perhaps that's the case for you, but there are plenty of us who will in fact have a recurring predictable need for AWD, even when we have dedicated winter tires. I'm also one of those enthusiasts who will probably never again purchase a manual shift car. Can't believe I'm saying this (and I have plenty of friends who will ridicule me, so I don't need more of it), but after driving the Porsche dual clutch and the 8 speed slushbox in the 2 series, I'm a believer. I'm loving the snappy shifts in manual mode, feel that I can control the car just as well as with a stick, the faster acceleration, and have no complaints about the better gas mileage. Times they are a changin.... |
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10-11-2015, 05:08 PM | #198 | ||
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