Quote:
Originally Posted by floydarogers
The current xDrive, and the systems dating back to 2001 in the E46, fit in with BMW's sales philosophy of selling what sells. People want AWD, BMW needed to compete with Audi Quattro, BMW didn't want to spend a ton of money on development and build a system that was expensive to build and repair like the E30's 325iX system; as simple as that.
BMW isn't building the xDrive system cars to compete with high-performance alternatives, or for enthusiasts; it's building them to sell more cars. Enthusiasts buy a 335is, or a 320i sport package, or (now) a 228i track package or m235i.
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XDrive = Xpensive drive. A technology used to skim between $700 and $5000 out of your wallet for the same system, which somehow changes price depending on model of car. The more the car cost, the less XDrive costs, unless you buy a 428, then you get the most screwed over paying the biggest delta between X and RWD.
Is the current and past xi system the same? I thought it was different (except for the money skim, that's the same). They used to call it 'xi'. I guess the name got upgraded to X-Drive but not it's technology. I can see why most enthusiast steer clear and most mechanics hate the current X-Drive just as much as they hated the old one, perhaps even more depending on experience. The last complaint i heard was there was no drain plug for the XDrive transfer case. Let me guess? Eternal Unicorn Diff oil sprinkled with fairy dust to last until the end of the Enchanted Kingdom, eternity, or 40,000km, whichever comes first.
I agree that BMW is jumping on the AWD drive bandwagon to sell more cars and couldn't give a flying fling whether their system was the first or 15th best (where but in the car world can you have 15th best?). But my feelings are more of sympathy rather than frustration. When last at the dealer, I got 'Aubry' to spec out a 320 XDrive with sport auto (which requires the performance package), sport line, nav, and xeons, then spec out a 328 RWD with sport auto and sportline only. MSRP: 51k vs. 48K.
So for $3000 extra I get 60 less horsepower and 60 less ft-lb of torque and a lower model car. I guess I'd consider myself an enthusiast because I sure am enthusiast about buying a better car for $3000 less.
Extra kick in the financial gonads: If you order a 320i BMW doesn't force the Performance Package on you to get sport transmission. Want XDrive and sport transmission? $1500 for the performance package + $1800 for auto sport tranny. Nice. Real nice.
* - all figures are from BMW Canada's web site and are in Canadian dollars, which are either worth a lot or on par with Kyrgyzstan rubble.