2007 BMW 530xi Road Test
For once luck was on my side. As the rain switched to snow, I was behind the wheel of BMW's 530xi, which meant that four wheels did battle with crystallized H2O, rather than the more traditional two. The "x" in Bimmer parlance represents traction, and plenty of it. Essentially, BMW engineers lifted the intelligent all-wheel-drive technology from their X3 and X5 SUVs and adapted it for use in the 3- and 5-Series sedans and wagons. The beauty of xDrive is its ability to instantly transfer power to any of the four wheels or any combination thereof that find themselves with grip. The percentage of torque from wheel to wheel varies infinitely based upon driver demand and a myriad of electronically sensed criteria, such as wheel speed, engine speed, yaw rate and steering wheel position. A sophisticated Dynamic Stability Control program (DSC) analyzes the data and triggers wheel-specific loading or braking along with engine modulation to maintain adhesion on slippery surfaces while resisting a loss of control. It's simply uncanny how perceptive the system is and how seamlessly it works. So effective is xDrive at providing the 530xi with traction on snow and ice-laden surfaces that it feels eerie not to encounter slip-and-slide when instincts suggest we should.
