Without even trying to test out BMW's bold claim of its xDrive superiority over other AWD systems (especially Quattro), this past weekends trip to Killington, Vermont proved otherwise...
2007 BMW 335xi with All-Season tires
In the end, we managed to place rubber floor mats underneath the wheels in order for the tires to get traction. With a bit of pushing and clutch burning, the 335xi was out of the ditch. At least now we know BMW floor mats can help its xDrive out of a ditch.
To add insult to injury, here's a picture of a similar trip to Vermont two years ago with a B5 A4 on 19's with summer tires...
Stokes|Moderator - PM me with any questions/concerns
Little more to the story maybe? Like maybe carrying too much speed into that turn and driving straight off the road? Looks like the back end got loose, the front wheels are turned like it did. While I agree that Quattro is a better system than Xdrive, I also think that the driver has more to do with how a vehicle behaves in less than ideal driving conditions than the AWD system they have. Nice work with the matts.
Driving approximately 25mph (+/-), the car slipped abruptly after that slight turn (keep in mind the road is in a slight downward incline). The vehicle started to suddenly slip towards the left side of the road so the driver slammed the brakes (ABS and traction control kicked in). The driver was already cautiously driving since we had to back track due to the 335xi getting stuck on an unshoveled road about 5mins prior so he was in no way driving recklessly. This incident happened during normal driving!
Stokes|Moderator - PM me with any questions/concerns
During the snow over the weekend i drove both a BMW 750 Xdrive and 2011 Audi Q5. Both were in unshoveled and shoveled snow and to be honest I didn't notice much of a difference. If i was forced to pick, i think i would pick the audi just cause it did seem slightly better but then again it could be due to the ground clearance since one is a suv and one was a sedan. However, i think you are making xdrive out to be much worse than it truly is..
Driving approximately 25mph (+/-), the car slipped abruptly after that slight turn (keep in mind the road is in a slight downward incline). The vehicle started to suddenly slip towards the left side of the road so the driver slammed the brakes (ABS and traction control kicked in). The driver was already cautiously driving since we had to back track due to the 335xi getting stuck on an unshoveled road about 5mins prior so he was in no way driving recklessly. This incident happened during normal driving!
AWD system has nothing to do here, say you were flying down that road at 60mph or climbing a slippery hill; thats when a good AWD system would come into play. It sounds to me like this person needs snow tires...
2008 Ocean Blue A4, Turbo, AWD
REVO stage 2|2.5" test pipe|B8 DV|K&N drop in|NewSouth boost gauge
AWD system has nothing to do here, say you were flying down that road at 60mph or climbing a slippery hill; thats when a good AWD system would come into play. It sounds to me like this person needs snow tires...
Snow tires would have definitely helped, but the xDrive also encountered problems climbing up the smallest of inclines during our trip in Vermont.
I guess I just hate the fact that BMW boasts its xDrive to be far superior against other AWD brands (especially Quattro) by testing their cars on rollers and whatnot. It's just too bad I don't encounter rollers on my daily commute; just ice, snow, and rain. I'm not the only one that feels the same way about BMW's xDrive though...
Stokes|Moderator - PM me with any questions/concerns
I had a B5.5 4motion passat (Quattro in audi terms), and I passed cars that couldnt make it up hills easy in the snow with other awd options, one being a bmw x drive and the other a buick terazza.
Kristokes your right about the rollers thing but i think it is actually a good test. Maybe not the video your thinking of because it's made by BMW but i'll put a link below to some people who did a test with no bias. It's not english but you can get the gist by watching it and reading the first few comments that the poster replied to. He explains that they are really different since audi is mechanical and xdrive is electronic but they are relatively equal and both have their advantages and weaknesses
And hey quattro also has some embarrassing moments.. hahaha
one issue is that the awd system arguably makes the a4, where as the bimmer is a solid vehicle regardless of awd. thats my opinion at least.
its going to be pretty easy to design a test to highlight the weaknesses of any car running any kind of open differential (and the ability to turn off stability and traction control systems).
beyond a certain point, the awd system only matters so much. compared to many of the (bad) alternatives id be happy with both audi and bmw systems, but for different reasons. it took em a few years, but i think the newer haldex systems are going to be another good option. im interested to see how vag decides to use it.
Last edited by funky_snowman; 01-25-2012 at 07:29 PM.
one issue is that the awd system arguably makes the a4, where as the bimmer is a solid vehicle regardless of awd. thats my opinion at least.
its going to be pretty easy to design a test to highlight the weaknesses of any car running any kind of open differential (and the ability to turn off stability and traction control systems).
beyond a certain point, the awd system only matters so much. compared to many of the (bad) alternatives id be happy with both audi and bmw systems, but for different reasons. it took em a few years, but i think the newer haldex systems are going to be another good option. im interested to see how vag decides to use it.
i recall reading at least one case where a car with a haldex system (a volvo, don't recall the model) had the awd system shut off abruptly at a HPDE due to heat, though i'm not really sure of the details, and it was a few years ago, so feel free to disregard my hazy recollection. i mean audi uses them in their transverse layouts, and I don't recall hearing of any failures in those cars (not that this means there haven't been, just that I haven't heard of any).
I didn't like the older systems, specifically those in the volvos. still, it's better than nothing I guess (though they weren't good for much more than getting out of the snow imo). frankly, i'd still trust one over subaru's POS viscous coupling center diff. the new ones can supposedly transfer all 100% of the power either front or rear in certain conditions, which sounds exciting (the main gripe i had with the initial generations), but i don't know how that plays out in reality. either way, if it's lower cost, and performance is up to snuff, then i'm all for it.
And hey quattro also has some embarrassing moments.. hahaha
I've seen that video already. The driver took that obstacle at a slower rate compared to the vehicles that followed. You can actually see him braking on one of the attempts too.
Stokes|Moderator - PM me with any questions/concerns
I've seen that video already. The driver took that obstacle at a slower rate compared to the vehicles that followed. You can actually see him braking on one of the attempts too.
are all of those vehicles awd or are any of them a true 4x4? I'd love to take my old Cherokee on that baby course lol
Well my dad has the 328xi in the family and i have the a4 quattro (so we get a taste of both of them). What i must say is the bmw is very quick to react, given that it detects slippage correctly and what not. Also from what i understand quattro is more of a mechanical system (torsen) so it works no matter what... For that reason alone whenever we have to take one of our sedans out in bad weather the quattro is the one out battling the weather haha...
The BMW's awd system i feel is better for dry/wet handling not particularly snow. Quattro is more of a all season handler, it takes whatever you throw at it...
Without even trying to test out BMW's bold claim of its xDrive superiority over other AWD systems (especially Quattro), this past weekends trip to Killington, Vermont proved otherwise...
2007 BMW 335xi with All-Season tires
In the end, we managed to place rubber floor mats underneath the wheels in order for the tires to get traction. With a bit of pushing and clutch burning, the 335xi was out of the ditch. At least now we know BMW floor mats can help its xDrive out of a ditch.
To add insult to injury, here's a picture of a similar trip to Vermont two years ago with a B5 A4 on 19's with summer tires...
LOL since you made a completely blind comment about a brand, i want to make a completely blind comment that the driver cant drive.
i heart when you bias is obvious.
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Originally Posted by psmitty95
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