Would you an all wheel drive 3 or 5 series?

[Victor McDade]

Have just returned from over the pond and it was remarkable (to me anyway) how many 'xi' 4 wheel drive 3 and 5 series saloons which were on the road. In fact I don't think I saw a single bmw without the 'xi' on the back. No doubt this is to cater to the winters they get (this was the mid-west, Chicago).

So would this work over here? Would you buy one?

Given the hysteria created over here by the media when it comes to our 'severe' winters, one would think BMW could sell quite a few in the UK.

Any thoughts?

Edited by Victor McDade on Thursday 13th January 16:13

[Victor McDade]

Oops - posting from phone and messed up the title.

Could a mod add a 'buy' please?

[phelix]

Do a search - I think future generation BMW saloons and estates will be offered in RHD *and* AWD.

[mmm-five]

BMW have offered 4 wheel drive versions of the 3 & 5 series for some time, but the uptake in the UK has historically been poor, so why bother spending millions doing a RHD version for a few sales?

Unfortunately, most of the ones that were available in the UK were 325/525ix models.

[Luca Brasi]

X-models aren't available in Britain?

I think they're selling the vast majority in the US anyway, hardly ever see one around here.

[DennisCooper]

Hiya,

now the Hysteria has gone again, people have already started to forget all that hassle, and the current hot topic is the ever increasing cost of fuel and of course everyone getting clobbered with much higher insurance premiums!

So, the whole all wheel drive and 4WD thing, the oh my god should I get winter tyres thing will be brushed under the carpet until later this year, where we'll repeat the whole process again, airports and London will come to a standstill once more and the forums will be full of where do i get winter tyres from and winter tyres make such a difference posts

Would I buy an Xi BMW, not really, no 'real' need in the UK, Winter tyres on a normal car are a much cheaper solution and most likely more effective for many drivers than getting a 4wd car

PS - I also visit the USA alot, and whilst on one hand their driving standards are visibly lower than ours, they do know other elements much better than us Brits!

Cheers, Dennis!

[pilchardthecat]

I contacted BMW UK a few years ago about the possiblity of getting a 330i or 335i Touring in x-drive form and they told me to fk off and die.

[phelix]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[EK993]

I live in the US and test drove the 335xi as well as the i. I didn't like the additional weight, or overall feel of the xi car (you can't spec it with sport suspension). I can veryify that a 2wd on winter tyres copes without issues:

[gizlaroc]

Alpina use the springs off the 335xi on their D3 and B3 which gives the extra height and slightly softer ride and allows them to put a tyre with a profile higher than standard cars so you get better comfort again.
It is not some special suspension as many think, they just use the BMW parts better than BMW do themselves.

[GrilledBeans]

Seen an e30 325i that was 4 wheel drive for sale a while back... that is about all I have seen though.

[Wills2]

I've read that the new 3 series may be offered with Xdrive but the existing RHD 5 series cannot be converted due to packaging issues?

And yes I would buy one, I rather fancy the idea of a AWD car without the engine in the front bumper.

Edited by Wills2 on Tuesday 18th January 10:00