Hi All,

For those of you that have perhaps driven a 5-series with standard rear wheel drive and a 5-series xi model, was the xi a significant benefit, and in what driving conditions? I am in the mid-Atlantic U.S. with a few snow days per year. If the driving experience, especially from a safety perspective is really clear then maybe it's worth it for my next 5.

Your experiences?

Thanks!

 

Not worth buying in that area IMO. Maaybe if you lived out in the more rural areas. Other than that, there just isn't enough constant snowy conditions to justify buying an AWD 5er. If there happens to be a blizzard then pretty much the entire DC/Baltimore area will be shut down until the roads are clear anyway.

Get an RWD 5er and if you are really concerned just buy a set of winter wheels w/snow tires and swap every 6 months or so. Better yet, buy a used 4x4 and drive that when the weather is really bad.

 

Until I bought my '07 530xi I've had other RWD BMWs. Carefully driven, equipped with the correct tires, I've managed to handle driving in very heavy snow (up to 6-10 in) traveling throughout the mid-atlantic states. Did I like it - NO!! It was nerve racking :-(

And in some states snow tires are mandatory under certain conditions!

That said, I've found my xi, equipped with UHP All-Season tires handles winter and cold weather driving quire well. The UHP SUMMER tires are stickier during warm weather - wet or dry.

Last point ... I believe that AWD will become as common as 4-wheel brakes! That's my story and I'm sticking to it

 

I've had some winter snow storm fun with my 525xi.

I live in a dead-end road... so of course we always get shafted by the city in terms of street cleaning. Long story short: myself and neighbors with AWD vehicles were able to make it out. FWD, RWD vehicles... tires spinning all over the place.

 

NE ohio snowbelt veteran here. I have had rear, front, and all wheel drive cars. Lots of bad weather days, and lots of experience with all combos of tires are drive wheels. What you decide on will be the best compromise for you, depending on what you want.

I now have an 08 535xi.

First lets go with the some facts (theories) of mine:

Stopping and cornering - the tires make the most difference. All wheel drive with all season tires will not do as well as dedicated snow tires. Stopping on an ice covered road is usually the scariest part, and snow tires rule.

Accelerating and going up hills - AWD with almost any tire combo does better than front or rear WD

For almost all conditions a RWD car with snows will do as well as an AWD drive with all season tires.

Here is the downside, though. Snow tires, even the "performance snows" drive a lot "softer" than good all season tires, and neither can compare to summer rubber.

So here are some choices:

AWD drive will all season perfromance tires. You will get good all around perfromance and never need to change tires.

RWD drive with summer rubber from April until Nov with awesome performance, and then dedicated snows for winter and live with the decreased performance.

And this is what my buddy does - RWD with summer tires all year round, then when it gets bad calls Enterprise rent a car and they bring out a FWD car with all season tires fir him to drive.

There are many choices and it depends on what you want.

go to tire rack, they have a bunch of great comparisons on these type of choices

 

Avid PNW skiier here. Loved owning an xi. Drove the ever living crap out of it. 80+ ski days a year. Rarely encountered road conditions that it was not prepared to handle. Would still own it if I didn't need a safe rig for towing.

 

+1

I live in Upstate NY where we get lots of lake effect snow off of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
I didn't get the AWD Xi as it rides higher and has more components that could potentially go bad.
I have a dedicated set of winter rims with snows, and I usually change them in the driveway myself. Gives me a good chance twice a year to clean out the wheel wells really well and check brakes etc. Takes about 30 minutes.
Never had a problem with the winters up here, and I didn't want to give up summer performance and ride with the xi

 

no need for snow tires if u have summer tires. or u can have excellent traction in the wet! IMO, not that useful. I drove in western new york (buffalo, rochester, and syracuse) with a CLK55 AMG on all seasons with no problems. Just drive carefully and ur ok. When I had my 545i with blizzaks, i went uphill faster than a pathfinder. The pathfinder looked at me with his mouth wide open! PRICELESS!!

 

For the 1 or 2 days a year when there is actually a storm, it is nice to have AWD, but any other day of the year its AMAZING to have RWD

 

As I have said before, I drove a 72 Monte Carlo (with a 427 under the hood) through a Colorado winter in High School - no snow tires. I made it through fine. AWD is great, but I think it sometimes gives drivers a false sense of security. I have seen many AWD owners end up in a ditch or in the rear end of a car in front of them because they thought AWD would protect them. It doesn't. AWD helps you get going, it does nothing to keep you from skidding or braking in icy conditions. No matter what you drive, drive carefully, drive to suit the conditions and you'll be fine