xDrive - BMW's All-Wheel-Drive System with the Intelligence to Look Ahead.

1. BMW's xDrive All-Wheel-Drive System. (Short story) 2. BMW's xDrive
All-Wheel-Drive System with the Intelligence to Look Ahead: Setting the
Standard in Traction, Driving Dynamics and Safety. 3. xDrive in the New
BMW 3 Series. 4. xDrive in the BMW 5 Series. 5. xDrive in the BMW X3 and
X5 SAVs. 6. Specifications. BMW's xDrive All-Wheel-Drive System. 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.