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BMW's x drive in a 3 sereis
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geoffjFull Member
Any experience of them. My eye is being turned by a 320d x drive tourer, but I know nothing about BMW’s 4wd system. Any comments about reliability etc?
Tajam-boFull MemberNo idea about reliability but it’s a good drive. My boss has one and I’ve driven it a bit.
Lots of electronic gizmos to go wrong though. Wouldn’t want one out of warranty.
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberDepends on how you like to drive. I’ve got a 330d xDrive and really, really wish I’d gone for the 2WD. The xDrive deletes the sports suspension and even with the adaptive suspension I added, its handling is really soft. Added to that, every time you get in the car it defaults to comfort.
Cars have too many buttons these days…
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Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...mynamesnotbobFree MemberFine, been offered for years in Europe, just only come recently to uk. I don’t have it any moreas it’s only needed for about 14 hours each year for most of the uk and think it ruined the drive. Suspension is about an inch higher on msport models than sdrive, so does look much higher, but they drive ok just not as fun as rear drive, still more fun than an audi though. Would stick to s drive with a set of winter tyres if you’re worried about winter driving, 320d doesn’t really need 4 wheel drive to tame it. Look on f30 post for more details of reliability, but not seen any issues about reliability.
I had an f30 335d for a year and 30 k miles apart from 2 standard services there were no issues so it wouldn’t concern me, but 330d with PPK (which I swapped to) is more fun so would say that xdrive on a 320 would suck the fun out of it, and certainly not worth a premium
Extended warranty costs the same for x drive and s drive also if that’s a concern, so should be the same cost to maintain over the first 6 years of so.
FunkyDuncFree MemberWhat’s the motive for the 4×4?
To be fair it’s something I’ve wondered though as have a 2014 320d rwd
Mine was fine last year in the cold and snow. Snow socks came out on a couple of occasions when the snow got over about 2″ deep. I found it very predictable and easy to drive in the snow.
mynamesnotbobFree MemberAdded to that, every time you get in the car it defaults to comfort.
Believe you can code out that.
Also,look at ACS springs to fix the ride hight
FunkyDuncFree MemberWhy is it a problem defaulting to comfort ?
Sport doesn’t give more power just makes the accelerator more on of. Does it affect the active suspension though?
geoffjFull MemberMmm something to think about. It’ll be used for a 60 mile commute from Perthshire into Edinburgh all year round, so I was thinking that the 4wd would help in the winter snow. Would also be used for trips to Glenshee which can be a bit sketchy if there’s been a dump of snow. If I didn’t get the x drive model i’d keep my ford ranger truck too for those times when 4wd is going to be useful, but I’d prefer to go to one vehicle if possible.
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberI’ll look into that not Bob – thanks.
Throttle response and ride is soft, really soft, in comfort. Plus, the only way I can get the throttle to feel nice is in Sport+ (there doesn’t seem to be a suspension difference between Sport and Sport+), but in Sport the suspension still feels pretty soft. If you configure the button to just affect chassis, throttle response is a bit muted.
From the way Comfort rides, an xDrive without adaptive suspension must be very soft (again, plenty posts on Bimmer forums and the like confirming that). My old E91 was a much nicer drive for my taste, YMMV…
Not sure what the reason for going xDrive was if I’m honest, I think it was just because I thought it would be less of a pain in the arse in the winter than swapping wheels. Of course, we had no snow last year in Newcastle once I bought it.
Honestly, wish I could just get in it and drive with one suspension setting, one engine character and no buttons.
monkeysfeetFree MemberWe have the X1 1.8D Xdrive. Brilliant 4×4 system which was refined whilst BMW owned Land Rover (or so the dealer told us.)
We bought the XDrive as we live on a small estate up a hill, which when it snows generally leaves a trail of BMW,s at the bottom.
Never had a problem with our X1 in Snow/Ice. The biggest gripe is the Run Flat tyre system which can’t be repaired if you have a flat.FunkyDuncFree MemberIamthe – why not buy a sports car though if you want a very firm ride?
My 320d is foremost a family car, that I can still have fun in. When you really press on it really doesn’t roll around that much or feel too soft. Personally I think they have done a great job of making a nice comfy car at slow speeds, but one that really does drive incredibly well when you put your foot down. Older 3 series were harsh all the time.
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberFriends got a 4 series x drive tourer last year. Very happy with it, replaced a tail happy 3_series rwd.
Yes, I know winter tyres/less right foot may have helped….
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberI guess we just have a differing opinion Funky. I really liked the ride of my previous e91 which is why I wish I hadn’t gone for the xDrive (and the MSport suspension deletion)
I guess the sports suspension makes a difference that the adaptive suspension can’t compensate for. If your 320 is MSport then you probably don’t realise how soft the standard suspension is. If it’s not MSport, then clearly I like a firmer ride than you… I never used to think of 3 series with rolling through corners, my F31 definitely does. A lot.
I have two year old and five year old boys. A sports car will have to wait until I’m 60, when I can delude myself properly.
FunkyDuncFree Memberclearly I like a firmer ride than you… I never used to think of 3 series with rolling through corners, my F31 definitely does. A lot.
Nope mines bog standard suspension. If you make a car firm / little body roll, when it lets go it lets go big time. The current 3 is so much fun that you know exactly when the back end will go and its easy to control
maxtorqueFull MemberReasons to buy a 4wd 3er:
1) It gets up snowy inclines on summer tyres
Reasons not to buy a 4wd 3er:
1) it costs more
2) it ruins the handling
3) Worse fuel economy
4) it ruins the steering
5) You can’t pull big drifts around wet roundabouts
6) it makes the car horribly nose heavy
7) more stuff to break / complex transmissionSo your choice really…….. 😆
Dorset_KnobFree MemberThis doesn’t answer your question, and you’ll probably be disgusted by the suggestion, but I recently bought a Passat Alltrack. It’s not a sports car, but it does have 4Motion full-time 4WD, normally biased to front admittedly, and what I love about it most: it’s free of any driving mode nonsense. (Apart from what you get with DSG.) (And, I think I’m right in saying, VW beefed up the suspension gubbins to cope with ‘4WD situations’).
I’m really pleased with it – quiet, comfy, space, and I know I’ve got a chance of maintaining forwards in the snow.
…and it’s not a BMW…
…or an Audi.
geoffjFull MemberI’m not adverse to a Passat, but for the spec I want, the BMW offers decent bang for buck.
I had my heart set on an x drive 320d tourer this morning. Sat in it for the test drive and realised it was a manual not an auto 🙁I’m going back to the dealer tomorrow to pick a car off the BMW management nearly new list – it may come down to tossing a coin to decide between to x drive or not 🙂
Kryton57Full MemberUnless you live in a snowy area, the rwd in beemers is not the death wish people would have you believe. I had my 2002 330i on 255 Toyo Proxes on some real scary conditions, drove carefully and all was fine. I’d expect 13 years of traction control development to have improved that.
Freedom interacts have the M sport 320d for about £240 private atm too.
andyg1966Full MemberI’ve got a F30 330d rwd and never had any problems in the wet or winter conditions to date. Wet conditions can regularly trigger the traction control so I don’t turn it off!
Can’t comment on x drive but rwd is fine. Had 3series 320ds and 330ds since 2004, got stranded in the snow once with ‘000s of other motorists.
320d is plenty fast enough for most conditions but its not a 6 cyl.
gribbleFree MemberI have the old model 320d touring. It is an auto rear wheel drive from 2011 or so.
Car drives great. We have however got a set of winter tyres and wheels from BMW which we put on every winter. The one winter where we did have snow, it coped very well and got me past loads of front wheel drive cars and even a few SUV type things on the side of the road.
Car is going in a month or so. Let me know if anyone interested in the winter wheels/tyres. They are 17 in.
I do like the idea of x drive though. Looks like a good compromise but unfortunately 3 series proving too small for family stuff.
jimwFree MemberHaving had 4wd cars for the past 12 years, I would not get a 2wd car by choice anymore. They have not proved any less reliable than the 2wd cars I had before, they do cost a small amount extra to service every 40,000 miles or so.
Advantages?
no wheelspin
Secure in poor weather conditions, not just snow
I live on a track that doesn’t get gritted in the winter
More even weight distribution provides a better ride quality-it is noticable when compared to 2wdDisadvantages?
Higher fuel consumption, due to the extra weight and mechanical drag, although in my current car this is oficially a smaller percentage compared to the 2wd equivalent. As it will comfortably do over 45mpg measured( the trip computer lies and tells me it does 50mpg) I am comfortable with this considering it weighs 1.6 tonnes and has an enormous amount of space
Err.. Can’t think of any othersEdit: the problem for me is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a 4wd estate car with a manual gearbox and the higher power engines offered. I don’t want an auto, yet VW, Audi, BMW, and now even Skoda won’t offer anything above 150/170hp, manual and 4wd in the UK. Yes I know, 1st world problem
alanfFree MemberSport + is the same as sport but without traction control so the throttle response shouldn’t be any different.
Oh and run flats can be repaired – had it done earlier this year without issue. It’s a myth that you can’t get them repaired.thebadabingFull MemberHey, I have a 320d x drive touring. It replaced my 330d saloon.
The 330d was amazing, performance was incredible and the 6cyl engine was sweet. Problem was the boot was tiny and the back seats didnt go down (optional extra on BMW saloon – I didn’t know).
the 320d xdrive estate is great. Loads of room, xdrive thing was decent in the winter (my 330d was a bit lairy when ice or very wet). Im getting an average of 45.4 mpg and that’s with roof bars on constantly and I have an auto. the 4cyl engine over the 6cyl is a bit annoying but it’s still pretty nippy for most driving anyway.
If you want a sporty fast car, you probably weren’t going to get a normal rwd 320d touring anyway, note the new 335 only comes in xdrive i think.
maxtorqueFull Memberandyg1966 Wet conditions can regularly trigger the traction control so I don’t turn it off!
To be fair, a lot of people don’t really know how to drive a powerful rwd in “slippy” conditions! (i’m not saying you don’t, just in general)
Basically, the force a tyre can apply parallel to (ie front/back or left/right) the road depends on the load pushing that tyre vertically into the road. In a front wheel drive car, with the engine/ transmission over the driving wheels when you are not accelerating there is a good proportion of the cars weight over it’s driving wheels. Hence, if you snap the throttle open quickly the car doesn’t wheelspin initially.
In a RWD car, there is a lower proportion of the cars mass on the drive wheels when you are not accelerating, so sudden or large throttle opening can cause the rear wheels to spin.
The important fact is that the traction difference between a fwd and rwd car reverses as you accelerate. As you accelerate, the weight of the car moves rewards, pressing the rear tyres into the road. On a fwd car this REDUCES it’s maximum tractive capability, on a rwd car it INCREASES it!.
So, to accelerate off say a wet roundabout in a fwd car, you need to accelerate hard initally, then back off as the weight moves rearwards.
In a rwd car, the opposite! A nice easy initial application of throttle to start the weight transfer, and “chase in” the throttle as the car sits on the rear driving wheels.
My 335d actually has incredibly good traction in slippy conditions if you apply the throttle properly, and really only triggers the traction control if i’m being ham-fisted on the throttle! Often, you can be sat next to a fwd car at the lights, both go for a brisk get-away, and the fwd car gets the jump on me. But resist the temptation to welly it to catch up, feed in the throttle as the accel builds, and suddenly they are going backwards in the mirrors like they just grabbed reverse not 2nd! 😉
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR: Why the same effect means you can drift a rwd car at a nice low controllable speed…….
FunkyDuncFree MemberThat’s quite a drop in mpg for the 4×4. I average about 55mpg in rwd 320d. On long journeys 65mpg + !
Are you sure Sport + turns off traction? Mine has a separate button for traction. Full on, safely loon, and no help but fun.
4×4 would kill and chance of having fun
thebadabingFull MemberYea, I only have comfort, sport and sport +…no other options to turn off traction control.
45.4 is overall average, it is better on long runs but I’m getting nowhere near 55 average overall, the reported figures for xdrive mpg are bull s/#t
geoffjFull MemberThe deed is done! I’ve ordered a 320d x drive tourer in black m sport spec. Nearly new with all the toys – I can’t wait!
geoffjFull MemberPCP over 2 years – made more sense from a flexibility perspective in the end.
iaincFull MemberInteresting, will be in same situation next yr so curious, cheers
mindmap3Free MemberI’ve been pretty impressed with the X Drive cars.
I had a 330d M Sport X Drive for a week whilst our 330 (E90) was in the bodyshop. It rode really well…a lot better than our car and I didn’t think it was that rolly….certainly not as bad as the none M Sport cars). It felt really secure even in nasty conditions and it just gripped. And gripped and went.
I’ve never really got the point of sporty diesels, but that car changed my perception big time. As a quick every day car I’d have trouble looking past one. Only downside was that it drunk diesel at a fairly alarming rate.
geoffjFull Memberiainc – Member
Interesting, will be in same situation next yr so curious, cheersI looked at lease, PCP and loan for an outright purchase. I made the spreadsheet, twiddled the numbers and then decided it was all swings and roundabouts with about 10% in it over 4 years.
My quandary is that after working from home for 10 years, im about to start a 12 month contract in Edinburgh, which is a 55 mile commute. It’s likely that the contract will be extended, but equally, I could end up working away, where I won’t need a swanky motor (I already have a ford ranger truck as a runabout and mrs j has a car too). Chuck the 25,000 annual mileage in the mix and the PCP allows me to just walk away, or refinance to own the car after 2 years should I want to buy it. I came to the conclusion that there was no right answer, but the PCP seemed like the least bad option for me given the uncertainty 🙂 The other factor for me us that I wanted to avoid Arnold Shark and Motorpoint.
It’s a bugger I’m going to have to wait a week for it to arrive though.
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