BMW xDrive

Never before has BMW offered as wide a range of all-wheel-drive vehicles as in the 2006 model year: xDrive is available in four model series, covering 21 different models in numerous categories and segments, from the BMW X5 and BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs), to the BMW 5 Series where one out of every four cars is now sold with all-wheel drive. The new 3 Series is for the first time introducing this all-wheel-drive technology in the mid-range segment, with BMW xDrive being available in both the 3 Series Saloon and Touring.

A particular benefit of the BMW xDrive all-wheel-drive system comes from its ability to determine the need for intervention in advance, virtually looking ahead in preventing any loss of traction. While conventional all-wheel-drive systems only respond when the wheels are already spinning, xDrive is able to determine in advance that the wheels are about to spin, feeding drive power from the wheel concerned to the other wheels with better grip on the surface.

A further advantage is that xDrive always distributes drive power the right way for optimum driving qualities and transmission of power on the road, sparing the driver the disadvantages of permanent all-wheel-drive systems with their fixed, inflexible distribution of drive power: under normal driving conditions, 40 per cent of the engine’s output goes to the front, 60 per cent to the rear axle, thus maintaining the dynamic benefits and typical feeling of rear-wheel drive.

In everyday traffic, therefore, a BMW with xDrive is just as agile and dynamic as a “regular” rear-wheel-drive car. Next >>>