Following a discussion I've been having on another forum, I mooted the idea that it might be possible to oreder an X-drive E60 direct from the factory but with right hand drive.

Do any markets with RHD (Japan/Australia) offer the X drive models? If not, why not?

 

No. Same reason as stated in the other forum - low sales would not warrant the investment to design a RHD version.

 

I just googled it myself though, and it looks possible to order an E60/E61 with X drive in Japan.

http://www.bmw.co.jp/jp/ja/newvehicles/5se...ine/xdrive.html

 

I wish !!! Seriously investigating a return to a Quattro after the past few weeks, as they have stayed in business during the snow ;-(

 

And note which side the steering wheel is on....

 

Try proper winter tyres - I run Vredestein Wintracs and they work very well in the recent snow and ice - biggest issue is not enough ground clearance. One of the car magazines did a winter driving test a few years back with 2WD and AWD Audi A4s and BMW 3 series on summer and winter tyres. The 2WD variants on winter tyres ran circles around the AWD variants on summer tyres. Of course AWD with winter tyres is better still but the right tyres are far more important than how many and which wheels are driven.

 

I was under the impression they drove on the left in Japan. Hence the influx of Japanese cars to the UK and to Aus. Has that changed?

 

Sorry - what I meant was in the photo on BMWs website - it's a LHD car with AWD.

 

Well I posted the same link on another forum and someone said that while they do drive on the left in Japan, you can (and people do) buy both Left and Right hand drive cars. Only the Left Hand drive versions are available with X-drive.

Shame as I think there'd be a market for them.

Here's the list:

http://www.bmw.co.jp/jp/ja/general/interna..._pricelist.html

 

I just surfed to the BMW Australia web site.

There are no xi cars available (E9x or E6x) until you get to the X1, X3, X5 or X6.

I don't think that there is such an animal as a RHD 530xi Touring...