Just got an invitation to do a BMW xDrive comparison test drive (vs Audi & Lexus)

siko · May 8, 2006

Here's what the email said:

Pretty sweet! :banana:

I got a similar invitation when the E90 came out... a friend and I had a blast with various 325i/330i models around in a mini-track (where they do the entry level BMW driving courses).

Yperion · May 8, 2006

Why do i have the feeling that the Audi quattro will be sabotaged to drive worse than the BMW?

siko · May 9, 2006

Yannis said:
Why do i have the feeling that the Audi quattro will be sabotaged to drive worse than the BMW?

LOL... I'm also surprised that there won't any Benzinos.

Centurion · May 10, 2006

Great news, have lots of fun and snap a few s hots if you can. :t-cheers:

Yperion · May 10, 2006

Like Luw said and please don't forget to take pics of the Audis too. :usa7uh:

wltsm · May 10, 2006

Lucky devil, tell us what you think of the cars!

Seems weird Lexus are there, they have never been known to make great AWD cars!

RikfromBelgium · May 10, 2006

very confidant move

siko · May 10, 2006

Don't worry guys, I'll take pictures and give a review after the fact!

YoungWarrior · May 14, 2006

Yannis said:
Why do i have the feeling that the Audi quattro will be sabotaged to drive worse than the BMW?

They probably will. I reckon they will just stick crap tyres on the audi, and have one with a rubbish colour scheme and make the suspension ride harsh.

EnI · May 14, 2006

YoungWarrior said:
They probably will. I reckon they will just stick crap tyres on the audi, and have one with a rubbish colour scheme and make the suspension ride harsh.

Oh, c'mon ...

Quattro is very good. Bot not unbeatable.

With the tech development going on, BMW & MB are catching Audi on 4WD, Audi & MB catching BMW on performance, Audi & BMW catching MB on tech, ...

Regarding xDrive vs. Quattro: just wait for a few months when E70 X5 comes out ... A shock is expected ...

YoungWarrior · May 14, 2006

bmws 4wd is good for the road, but thats about it. MBs 4matic is more of a threat.

Zafiro · May 14, 2006

YoungWarrior said:
bmws 4wd is good for the road, but thats about it. MBs 4matic is more of a threat.

Then you havent read all positive reviews the next X-drive has gotten.
Too bad you dont know swedish you should have read the wintertest in swedish carmags were they tested different cars with AWD. The new X-drive got som very positive grades.

BTW 50% of all bimmers in Sweden is using X-drive.

EnI · May 14, 2006

YoungWarrior said:
bmws 4wd is good for the road, but thats about it. MBs 4matic is more of a threat.

Yes, and that's the point of 4WD in cars like MB, Audi, BMW, Lexus ...

Do you imagine serious off-roading in A6 sedan? Or even in a Q7. I don't ...
Or ploughing in a half meter of snow. I don't think so.

So - it matters what 4WD system can do on a normal road in any condition (dry, snowy, wet, or muddy).

That's also why Audi has shifted to 40:60 rear biased quattro.

YoungWarrior · May 14, 2006

EniLab said:
Yes, and that's the point of 4WD in cars like MB, Audi, BMW, Lexus ...

Do you imagine serious off-roading in A6 sedan? Or even in a Q7. I don't ...
Or ploughing in a half meter of snow. I don't think so.

So - it matters what 4WD system can do on a normal road in any condition (dry, snowy, wet, or muddy).

That's also why Audi has shifted to 40:60 rear biased quattro.

Only certain audi's have that rear bias.

Audi's can go up ski ramps, mercedes,bmw and lexus couldnt manage, and the A6 can go up sand dunes, which the locals could only do in jeeps.

EnI · May 14, 2006

YoungWarrior said:
Only certain audi's have that rear bias.

For now.

In the next generation all the Audi quattros will get the new rear biased quattro. Audi know other car makers are getting closer & closer with 4WD systems, so they had to react.

Audi's can go up ski ramps, mercedes,bmw and lexus couldnt manage, and the A6 can go up sand dunes, which the locals could only do in jeeps.

Sure they can. But what's the point of doing that? Would you climb up ski ramps in your car? I don't think so ... Would you ride upon sand dunes in A6 or A8 (with almost no ground clearence)? I dont' think so ... All that ski ramps or sand dunes are just marketing blurbs ...

Nowdays Audi's quattro, BMW's great engines & performance, MB's luxury, high tech & great comfortable ride are endangered like never before. Margins are getting very thin. And with cars very alike in performance & tech, other elements will become more important: e.g. design, customer services, brand image, etc.

Mr Robert · May 17, 2006

Just_me said:
Then you havent read all positive reviews the next X-drive has gotten.
Too bad you dont know swedish you should have read the wintertest in swedish carmags were they tested different cars with AWD. The new X-drive got som very positive grades.

BTW 50% of all bimmers in Sweden is using X-drive.

In one of the latest winter tests i have read the E91 330xd was faster around an ice course than the Evo 9 and the latest Subaru STi. So there is nothing crappy about the X-drive anymore.

In anonter more useability oriented test the X-drive system proved to be more efficient than both Audis torison system and Subarus viscous system in real world winter use. (No Mercedes in that test, only a SUV in another class).

wltsm · May 17, 2006

dr Dunkel said:
In one of the latest winter tests i have read the E91 330xd was faster around an ice course than the Evo 9 and the latest Subaru STi.

That sounds very impressive, and Tine keeps saying in the new X5, there will be a new version of X drive which will be much better than the current version, so things can only get better!

It's a shame that BMW don't sell X drive in the UK!

Giannis · May 17, 2006

How can BMW not offer X drive cars in the UK, the loose many sales there...

RikfromBelgium · May 17, 2006

YoungWarrior said:
Only certain audi's have that rear bias.

Audi's can go up ski ramps, mercedes,bmw and lexus couldnt manage, and the A6 can go up sand dunes, which the locals could only do in jeeps.

I'm sorry but that commercial was a load of BS. It only went up there after
- they scraped off all the ice and snow
- gave it studded tires
- attached it to a cable for stability

I'm sorry, My grandmother can go up a ski ramp after that, and she has a bad hip

Yperion · May 17, 2006

Sorry Rik but the act was real and the only reason the cable was there was safety precautions. It didn't help the car in any way.

With all the conversations about BMW and xDrive lately i get the feeling that BMW is trying to compensate for it's limited history in AWD technology by spreading false information.

Xdrive is conditional AWD meaning the car is RWD until the ESP and traction control sense a slip and then the torque is also transfered to FW.
Quattro is permanent AWD in which 40% of the torque goes to FW and 60% to rear ALL THE TIME.

If you knew about AWD you would know that true off road vehicles like Hummer , Land Rover and Land Cruiser use a system like quattro while light off road vehicles like SUVs use systems like xDrive.

The reason the latest version of quattro (Torsen C based) is asymetrical is that with 40/60 distribution, power understeer is reduced to minimum.

Just got an invitation to do a BMW xDrive comparison test drive (vs Audi & Lexus)

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