BMW's xDrive All-Wheel-Drive System

Press Release

Short Story

 

More BMWs than ever before now come with the brand's one-of-its-kind xDrive all-wheel-drive technology - no less than 20 different models in all. And indeed, BMW's intelligent xDrive all-wheel-drive system sets new standards in both traction and agility: xDrive allows infinitely variable distribution of drive forces between the front and rear wheels, modifying the flow of power at a speed never seen before. The system immediately recognises the need to change engine power, where appropriate, and respond within fractions of a second.

 

xDrive also in the new BMW 3 Series.

Introducing the 325xi, the 330xi, and the 330xd in the BMW 3 Series, BMW now offers the advantages of xDrive technology for the first time also in the mid­range segment. And xDrive technology is also featured in the BMW 5 Series (525xi, 530xi, 530xd) as well as the X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles, thus now coming in no less than four different model series.

 

At the same time it goes without saying that this is not the end of the road, the new BMW model series announced at this year's Geneva Motor Show and scheduled for introduction in 2008, for example, further enlarging the xDrive portfolio: This sporting crossover, through its coupe-like silhouette interacting with its high, commanding seating position, will indeed be predestined for xDrive with its many benefits.                 

         

Action, not reaction: xDrive "thinks" for the driver and acts instantane­ously.

xDrive acts faster than other systems, because it is able to think ahead and anticipate upcoming situations on the road. To offer this unique benefit, xDrive uses information from the wheel sensors showing the system wheth­er a wheel is about to spin and providing data gathered by DSC stability con­trol. The yaw rate (rotation around the car's vertical axis) and the posi­tion of the steering wheel, for example, offer important data on current driv­ing conditions. Data of this kind is essential, for example, when taking a bend fast and dynamically, xDrive consistently spreading out drive forces perfectly between the two axles and minimising both under- and oversteer in the process. 

 

Apart from this significant improvement of agility and driving pleasure, xDrive also ensures a substantial increase in driving safety, BMW's DSC stability control system therefore intervening far later in many cases than would be required with a conventional all-wheel-drive concept.

 

Better traction, particularly on snow and loose ground.

With BMW xDrive reacting within fractions of a second, the system offers enormous advantages also in terms of traction. When setting out on slippery or loose ground, for example, the time-lag between the loss of wheel grip on the surface and the re-distribution of drive forces to wheels with grip is only a few milliseconds. So xDrive elegantly solves and eliminates the usual prob­lems otherwise encountered so often when setting off, without the driver even noticing what is happening.