BMW Xi models...

[Coisman]

imp:
I wonder why we in South-Africa don't get the 3-series Xi (all wheel drive) models?? :dunno:
All the 3-series 4 door models are locally built at Rosslyn, and yet, we don't get that option??
BMW's quattro killer - the 335xi Coupe
Ralph Hanson August 16th, 2007
By Ralph Hanson

Author

August 16th, 2007

Articles Contributed: 1801Comments Posted: 0Leaderboard Rank: N/A4,822 Views
5 comments

August 16th, 2007 Audi is famous for its quattro AWD systems, but arch-rival BMW is cutting in on the action with a high-performance all-paw coupe of its own. An AWD option will be added to the 335i coupe when it launches the 335xi in the first half of next year. The 300hp twin-turbo straight six will remain unchanged but with the added traction can beat the manual transmission and automatic versions of the RWD 335i coupe (pictured) to 60mph from rest by 0.1 seconds and 0.2 seconds respectively. Manual 335xi coupes take 5.2 seconds to reach 60mph, while auto models take 5.3 seconds. The xDrive AWD system allows infinitely variable distribution of drive forces between the front and rear wheels, reacting in an instant to information gathered from sensors that can predict if a wheel is about to lose traction. BMW has also announced plans to introduce a new torque vectoring rear axle for some of its RWD cars, designed to distribute drive torque individually between a car’s rear wheels to improve agility and stabilize the vehicle, while also providing better handling in critical situations.

BMW's quattro killer - the 335xi Coupe
Enlarge PhotoAudi is famous for its quattro AWD systems, but arch-rival BMW is cutting in on the action with a high-performance all-paw coupe of its own. An AWD option will be added to the 335i coupe when it launches the 335xi in the first half of next year.

The 300hp twin-turbo straight six will remain unchanged but with the added traction can beat the manual transmission and automatic versions of the RWD 335i coupe (pictured) to 60mph from rest by 0.1 seconds and 0.2 seconds respectively. Manual 335xi coupes take 5.2 seconds to reach 60mph, while auto models take 5.3 seconds.

The xDrive AWD system allows infinitely variable distribution of drive forces between the front and rear wheels, reacting in an instant to information gathered from sensors that can predict if a wheel is about to lose traction.

BMW has also announced plans to introduce a new torque vectoring rear axle for some of its RWD cars, designed to distribute drive torque individually between a car’s rear wheels to improve agility and stabilize the vehicle, while also providing better handling in critical situations.

:cursin: Seriously pissed off!!!
imp: Might have to and "Skiet die bliksem!" at BMW that decided NOT to include this in the SA line-up

 

[applehero]

I think the main issue is demand in this country. x drive on sedan's is limited to areas that have extreme weather conditions. Especially places like America or Europe. The fact that high powered Audi's are available here as quattro is more linked to the fact that they have two drivetrain configurations - front wheel drive and all wheel drive. An audi with 309 Kw front wheel drive is probably a bad idea...

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Imagine the lekker all-wheel-drifting we could do :rofl:
and the better traction off the line :woot:
and the fun in the rain :thumbsup:
I would buy one

 

[applehero]

Well all you need to do is go past the Rosslyn plant and commandeer yourself a left hand drive 335xi. Funny thing is that not all of them leave on the back of a truck. If you know your stuff you might know of a secondary warehouse where the cars are stored prior to shipping. :mmm: And they get driven there...

I think a 335xi would be an awesome amount of fun!

 

[Coisman]

Well all you need to do is go past the Rosslyn plant and commandeer yourself a left hand drive 335xi. Funny thing is that not all of them leave on the back of a truck. If you know your stuff you might know of a secondary warehouse where the cars are stored prior to shipping. :mmm: And they get driven there...

I think a 335xi would be an awesome amount of fun!

imp:
:mmm: If you get the masks...
I've already got the gun... :mmm:
then we can "Skiet die bliksems!" at the gate
and get some

 

[Sankekur]

I just don't see the point of having AWD for normal driving conditions, if you will be driving rally or very slippery conditions then fine, plus AWD is really heavy.
Remember you can all wheel drift in a RWD car as well, in fact RWD is much more suited for drifting than AWD.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
... AND I QUOTE:...
Winter driving test: BMW xDrive By Paul Williams from Canadian Driver ( http://www.canadiandriver.com/2006/04/06/winter-driving-test-bmw-xdrive.htm )
In normal driving conditions, 40% of the power is distributed to the front and 60% to the rear, preserving BMW’s traditional rear-wheel drive bias. However, in more challenging conditions, the flow of torque can be varied all the way from 100:0 or 0:100, front-to-rear. If a rigid connection is required, the system can lock the front and rear axles, providing all-wheel drive with 50:50 power distribution.

100:0 or 0:100... frontwheel drive or rearwheel drive

 

[001asp]

We dont get the 3 series with the 35d engine,
but in all other series we do. WHY ???

 

[Philip Foglar]

Was wondering about this the other day - I remember reading about the Xi 3 Series range some years back. Saw a Youtube vid showing a 330Xi being drifted around a heavily snow-out parking lot - looked strange to see front and rear wheels of a 3 Series spinning! :excited:

Apart from the 335d which would be awesome, oversees they have a 328i and Xi for that matter which is basically a 330i engine just slightly lower output - probably then the same engine in the new locally available 528i...

Interesting thing about RWD, FWD and AWD and their differences, not sure if you guys ever saw that episode of Fifth Gear where Vicki showed the dynamic differences between the three and while the AWD was good in most cases it still wasn't as nimble at direction change as a good RWD, E46 328i in the case of the test:

FIFTH GEAR FWD vs RWD vs AWD audi bmw alfa

Philip

 

[applehero]

I'm not going to implicate myself in saying I will be involved. But if someone did that, it would be awesome. :mmm:

@Sankekur: I do agree with you. Although you don't neccesarily need snow for 4wd to have it's good points exploited. My lecturer was saying back in the day, they tested an M5 versus whatever the equivalent Audi was back then... In the dry the BMW won marginally. In the wet the Audi had an almost identical 0-100kmh time, they had to abort the run in the BMW cos it was too dangerous. Obviously this all happened before traction control and the like...

@001asp: It is kinda weird. To my knowledge the X6 was the only one with the 35d motor which I think they might be upgrading to the 40d motor... It's all about niches to fill.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
I wonder why they always make us wait for the good shit.
here is what we got now in the X6 diesel range...

The diesel engines in the BMW X6 xDrive35d use state-of-the-art Common Rail diesel technology for higher performance and singularly low consumption. The Turbodiesel in the BMW X6 xDrive30d delivers 173 kW and 520 Nm of torque, yet consumes just 8.2 l/100 km (EU composite figure). Even more efficient is the BMW X6 xDrive35d (not available yet in SA) with its Variable Twin Turbo Technology: here, two different-sized exhaust turbochargers work in sequence to deliver impressive power curves and high rpm. With 210 kW and 580 Nm of torque under the bonnet, the car sprints from 0–100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds – yet consumes a mere 9.3 l/100 km (EU composite figure).

---

xDrive40d - 8-speed Automatic Transmission Steptronic - Individual Model - R883 900

---

:thinking: Funny, they say not available in SA, but yet the 40d is priced??

 

[Sankekur]

@Sankekur: I do agree with you. Although you don't neccesarily need snow for 4wd to have it's good points exploited. My lecturer was saying back in the day, they tested an M5 versus whatever the equivalent Audi was back then... In the dry the BMW won marginally. In the wet the Audi had an almost identical 0-100kmh time, they had to abort the run in the BMW cos it was too dangerous. Obviously this all happened before traction control and the like...

That is very true, but I am just thinking that this involved some to the limits driving, and I just don't thing that with to the limits driving is really appropriate on about 99% (not an actual statistic, I sucked my thumb for this one) of road users, not that I am denying the added safety brought on my AWD, as it would be dumb to deny the obvious, I just don't really like AWD as it also presents a lot of the driving dynamics of FWD.
Of course if were to drive on gravel/dirt roads I of course would want to have AWD, last time I was in the Kruger national part I couldn't help thinking that it would be loads of fun to drive there in an lancer evo, just a pity there are so many animals in the way

 

[Coisman]

@Sankekur: I do agree with you. Although you don't neccesarily need snow for 4wd to have it's good points exploited. My lecturer was saying back in the day, they tested an M5 versus whatever the equivalent Audi was back then... In the dry the BMW won marginally. In the wet the Audi had an almost identical 0-100kmh time, they had to abort the run in the BMW cos it was too dangerous. Obviously this all happened before traction control and the like...

That is very true, but I am just thinking that this involved some to the limits driving, and I just don't thing that with to the limits driving is really appropriate on about 99% (not an actual statistic, I sucked my thumb for this one) of road users, not that I am denying the added safety brought on my AWD, as it would be dumb to deny the obvious, I just don't really like AWD as it also presents a lot of the driving dynamics of FWD.
Of course if were to drive on gravel/dirt roads I of course would want to have AWD, last time I was in the Kruger national part I couldn't help thinking that it would be loads of fun to drive there in an lancer evo, just a pity there are so many animals in the way

imp:
Olifante - Put Olie in die kar, and drink the Fanta
I know, pre-school joke
Johannes, have you ever driven a AWD?
and if "yes" where and how?
As you might know, here at City of Tshwane we have 4 Subaru Impreza station wagons. :shocked:
When these were bought as replacement to the Volvo S40 T4's highway patrol cars, I was one of the lucky ones to go and do the driver training at Gerotech.
Let me tell you, if you have EVER driven one of these things on the limits, you would know what I am talking about :drool:
Since then I wanted AWD, but I am not willing to part with my BMW.
As the article that I posted states, you can set it 100:0, or 0:100, so fwd, or rwd, so you can still have allot of fun as in a normal rwd bmw.
imp:

 

[Sankekur]

I have driven a AWD terracan before, but that doen't really count since it is mostly RWD and you just turned on the AWD when needed, like when we had to get up a slippery hill.
So if I have a Xi I would be driving it permanently on full RWD
The point is I don't see the use of something that only really helps you on "to the limits driving" in normal road use, as it is illegal in most cases and since the conditions are rarely that bad that the limits have been reduced by so much that is legal to drive to the limits.
But I can understand it if you guys need something like this as it is part of your job to be able to drive fast and do so safely.

 

[moranor@axis]

I think the issue is clear if you look at audi...

how many people drive a quattro audi? they very hard to find unless quattro comes standard like with the S4...

it seems most south africans are to cheap to pay extra for 4wd

 

[Coisman]

imp:
The same as buying 2-ply extra soft toiletpaper...
nobody wants to spend the extra money on it...
till they tried it, then it's hard to go back to single ply Pick&Pay special toiletpaper. :thumb:
Same with awd cars, if you EVER had fun in a car that's got this, you'd know what I am all about.
imp:

 

[moranor@axis]

when i was looking at what car i wanted i was seriously thinking of getting an audi quattro or a scooby in the end i decided rwd was more for me because you just feel more connected with the road its a way more pure feeling but then Awd is the perfect balance of safety and performance its a difficult decision to make...

if audi struggle to sell quattro when all their cars are Fwd rubbish
what chance does bmw have of selling big numbers of Awd when the Rwd already is so good?
but then again they are already making Awd cars so why not offer it as an option and let the customer decided?

 

[Coisman]

when i was looking at what car i wanted i was seriously thinking of getting an audi quattro or a scooby in the end i decided rwd was more for me because you just feel more connected with the road its a way more pure feeling but then Awd is the perfect balance of safety and performance its a difficult decision to make...

if audi struggle to sell quattro when all their cars are Fwd rubbish
what chance does bmw have of selling big numbers of Awd when the Rwd already is so good?
but then again they are already making Awd cars so why not offer it as an option and let the customer decided?

Why do people buy the X6?? :dunno:
Totally inpractical, but yet, it sells... :thinking:
We are a strange species, us humans

 

[moranor@axis]

but the X6 looks awesome and what better way to say look how much money i have...
i wish they would make a small sedan version of it :drool:

 

[Coisman]

but the X6 looks awesome and what better way to say look how much money i have...
i wish they would make a small sedan version of it :drool:

imp:
They do...
the X1, but :dunno: I don't get a stiff one like when I look at the X6.