[naylon]

About to order 530i xdrive.

How does G30 x-drive cope with snow? Have you driven on snow uphill/downhill?

Is the 4 zone A/C a must?

Is there a power upgrade kit for 2.0L (5.30i) engine from BMW?

Integral rear steering: read different reviews about integrated rear steering. What do you think of it?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by naylon

About to order 530i xdrive.

How does G30 x-drive cope with snow? Have you driven on snow uphill/downhill?

Remember on snow, braking and car control is about the tyres not xDrive.

[.BMW.]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Remember on snow, braking and car control is about the tyres not xDrive.

+1

[Nivarox]

I have read something I don't know whether it's true all the way or not . A FWD car with snow tires is just as good as a AWD car with summer tires on the snow .
XDrive is good and gives a confidence but tire choice is more important than type of wheel drive . From a standstill if the road surface is slippery I can feel the car wobbles just a second or slightly less during a hard launch with summer tires equipped .
4 zone is not a must but I like it , it gives you a touchscreen A/C unit as well as rear air vents located behind the door pillars for the rear passenger .

[ZigmundUK]

Originally Posted by Nivarox

...
A FWD car with snow tires is just as good as a AWD car with summer tires on the snow .
...

For taking off perhaps in some situations but for braking or general handling it's more dangerous to have summers with awd. At least with rwd on summers it won't even get going so never puts you in the dangerous position when you need to brake or swerve etc. Awd with summers may well get you going but then braking is as compromised as an rwd would be on summers.

I actually mainly drove our toyota auris on winters during this snow and it performed brilliantly on the snow and ice. I didn't want to get the g30 all mucky or for someone to ram into me because maybe they thought their fwd or awd without winters was 'just fine' in the snow

[lnaukkar]

I have no idea why you would think 4-zone AC is a must.

So then the issue with snow and winter... its all about tires. And having said that, x-drive really is wonderful for that added stability and performance in very slippery conditions. I had to test the limit of my RWD while going uphill on watery ice. I decided to stop. Yeah, that did it, I was stuck even with my studded winter tires. This is a sort of situation where x-drive just gets going. I had to reverse back down and try again, no issue if I just go and don't stop. So, with my previous x-drive I never got stuck, but with this RWD it seems I can get stuck when I do something stupid enough. So that's a difference.

[babaikram]

AWD without snow tires is still safer than RWD without snow tires. My wife Fiat 500X AWD with Michelin summer tires was able to go uphill of an ungritted road during this last snow storm in the UK and catered for all of us. My RWD G30 with summer tires were just rolling without moving an inch beyond my driveway. Of course all of us would be getting winter tires next year.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by babaikram

AWD without snow tires is still safer than RWD without snow tires. ....

Depends how you define safer. Stopping will be very similar, two identical models one with AWD the other with RWD.

I look at this way, if you can get going on summer tyres then it is more dangerous, as you now also have to stop.

[babaikram]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Depends how you define safer. Stopping will be very similar, two identical models one with AWD the other with RWD.

I look at this way, if you can get going on summer tyres then it is more dangerous, as you now also have to stop.

Apart from stopping distance which might be the same on summer tires, AWD are much stable regarding slipping sideways, climbing hills from stopping. I know this because we can switch our AWD to none-AWD and vice Versa and we notice the difference in snowy/icy conditions.

[naylon]

Originally Posted by babaikram

Apart from stopping distance which might be the same on summer tires, AWD are much stable regarding slipping sideways, climbing hills from stopping. I know this because we can switch our AWD to none-AWD and vice Versa and we notice the difference in snowy/icy conditions.

Do you mean switching from AWD to RWD by using idrive?

[ZigmundUK]

Originally Posted by babaikram

Apart from stopping distance which might be the same on summer tires...

I think that's he key point. The rwd lets you know it's not safe to go so you're never in that situation needing to brake suddenly in front of a car/child/pregnant lady crossing the road.

I've driven an awd without winters in the snow and it gets you into more trouble coz it Im gives you more of a false sense of security.

Personally I think there needs to be better laws in this country on winter tyres. A lot of the trouble on the roads this snowy period would have been avoided by having decent weather-relevant tyres on.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by ZigmundUK

I've driven an awd without winters in the snow and it gets you into more trouble coz it Im gives you more of a false sense of security.

Personally I think there needs to be better laws in this country on winter tyres. A lot of the trouble on the roads this snowy period would have been avoided by having decent weather-relevant tyres on.

Totally agree on the false sense of security. So many drivers do feel AWD is better, regardless of tyre type. So surprised they slide all over the place and can't stop.

Clearly AWD with winter tyres is best, but I'd opt for winter tyres over and above which axle (or axles) drive the wheels. The biggest safety factor is gained with the tyres, not the drive wheels.

[AP]

I think this shows the difference between tyres and AWD very clearly.
As people have mentioned, its down to the tyres.

[csm7djs]

Great video. Wish they would show that to all of the 4x4 owners in our area who think as soon as it snows they own the road....

[babaikram]

Originally Posted by naylon

Do you mean switching from AWD to RWD by using idrive?

My wife has corrected me her is 4 by 4 and she could turn on extra grip in snow.

[babaikram]

[QUOTE=ZigmundUK;22966571]I think that's he key point. The rwd lets you know it's not safe to go so you're never in that situation needing to brake suddenly in front of a car/child/pregnant lady crossing the road.

You are really making me afraid of ever driving summer tires in winter with the above statement. My God..............

[ZigmundUK]

[QUOTE=babaikram;22968270]

Originally Posted by ZigmundUK

I think that's he key point. The rwd lets you know it's not safe to go so you're never in that situation needing to brake suddenly in front of a car/child/pregnant lady crossing the road.

You are really making me afraid of ever driving summer tires in winter with the above statement. My God..............

Hehe. Melodrama...? Me...?

[geoffG31540x]

Originally Posted by naylon

About to order 530i xdrive.

How does G30 x-drive cope with snow? Have you driven on snow uphill/downhill?

I have had my G31 x-drive for 4 months and its snowed three times. One light snow, one bad snow and the last time in very severe weather in the Derbyshire Peak district. The traction and stability (when switched into "traction" mode) has been nothing short of miraculous even on its standard run flat summer tyres. As long as the snow is not severely above the front splitter you are not going to get stuck on the flat or uphill.

Punch the stability button once to get it into traction mode, gearbox into manual - 2nd or 3rd - and it will power up snow covered hills in a stable manner even tho you will be making 4 lovely white rooster tails. It even tackled a climb that some bloke in an mitsi outlander chickened out on.

IT WILL NOT STOP however. Summer tyres and massively over sensitive ABS brakes means that even the lightest of touches on the brakes will have it sliding serenely on with no trace of retardation at all this time without the directional stability. Strategy and forward planning is required for bringing it to a halt.

A small jokey example from my dash cam

[naylon]

Does G30 xdrive have Hill Descent System?

[geoffG31540x]

Originally Posted by naylon

Does G30 xdrive have Hill Descent System?

Not on the UK spec g30/31

[Nivarox]

Thanks for sharing this video . I find some scenes kinda scary yet an amusing .
Happy Driving