Hello,

Does anyone have any first hand experience driving a comparably equipped XE 3.0 RWD vs. 3.0 AWD? Did you notice any differences in handling in the dry?

I thought I've read some online reports stating that the RWD felt better, but I don't think there was much exact science behind it. Granted, the AWD is about 200 lbs heavier, so that alone could potentially impact handling. Not sure what else...

The reason I ask is that I want an RWD one, but my local dealer only has RWD ones available on the lot for test drives. He claims I will not notice any difference between AWD and RWD on dry pavement, but of course he would say that given that all he has is AWD ones to try.

Thanks!

 

I meant he only has AWD ones available.

 

I have a AWD XE Sport and the AWD is all they sell in Canada. I can't give you a comparison, however, I suggest you take an AWD out for a spirited drive and test it out.

The weight will make some difference overall and if you accelerate when turning or in a bend etc.. you can tell if the AWD is coming on, so as to speak. In my opinion its very smooth, seamless and hard to tell its an AWD.

I enjoy high performance cars and the V-6 is fairly quick, but not actually in the high performance category, however it really handles very well overall, a real joy to drive.
Lawrence.

 

I have the same problem. Dealer has AWD R-Sport, and RWD R-Sport is only expected towards the end of September.

 

My dealer tells me they will not be getting any rwd ones at all.

Anyway, I'm going to drive the awd one. If I like it, then I'll probably like the rwd version even more. I've been driving an rwd car for the past 10 years.

 

Probably because of your location.

What have you driven in the past?

 

'02 bmw 530i manual.

I test drove a 3.0 awd xe today back to back against a 340i. I preferred the handling and the engine notes of the bmw. XE's handling was just ok, but all in all did not feel that engaging to me. I felt the trans programming was better in the bmw, and all in all, it just felt more buttoned up/refined. Hard to put it in words. I'm sure it's personal preference to a large degree.

 

I'm in a 2015 328i M-sport now (mine is a manual). I have driven a RWD 35t XE S (Mexico spec) that was available for demo at the dealer. It's a slightly higher spec car than the XE R-sport (at least brakes look better). I was very impressed with the handling in that car--especially over rough pavement, the BMW feels like each of the wheels is intermittently losing contact. The XE felt planted. The second area where the XE shines is cabin comfort -- the R-sport seats are more comfortable than BMW's sport seats, and the windows significantly reduce heat/burning compared to the windows in the BMW where my left arm feels like it's always getting roasted.

As you noted the reviews of the Jaguar are quite polarized with respect to AWD vs RWD. That is one of the reasons why I have avoided test driving the AWD R-Sport which the dealer has in stock instead waiting for the RWD to arrive.

In the meantime, I'm also looking at Audi A4. I did not like the standard car. Today I'm going in to try one with the sport pack.

I'm a bit bummed with BMW because, even though the design is good, quality is very much lacking. My < 2 year old car is full of rattles, squeaks, and clicks. The engine has a slight shrill whine. And there's whistling from wind noise. I have taken it to the dealer to address these issues and they have done the best they can (I think), but the quality is just lacking. As a result, I simply cannot recommend the BMW.

 

Fyi, there was some wind noise/whistle when driving the xe on hwy as well.

Also, the AC in auto mode would keep switching the compressor on and off which would result in you getting hit with humid air every couple of minutes. Very annoying. not sure if there was something wrong with the one i drove or if they all do it.

The various body panels didnt seem to fit tightly together either. and then there were some really cheap plastics in the interior. Not a deal breaker, but kind of a letdown in this price segment.

 

I did not get to test the XE on the highway...part of the reason why I need to test drive the car again.

The A4 was super quiet on the highway, but it just wasn't enjoyable.

 

You should be looking at the S4, not A4.

 

True, but that is still the old style at this time and it's about to be updated.

 

They only have AWD's where I live and honestly even with a spirited test drive I could not tell if it was AWD.

The system works 10% front 90% rear torque bias, with 20%/80% under hard acceleration. Thus you almost never feel that front wheels are doing anything.

Under hard acceleration through the corners, the car rotates very well and seems very RWD biased. The only time I felt AWD was in pouring rain coming out from a very tight corner under hard acceleration. That's when I felt that the front wheels were pulling.

The issue with AWD is weight. It distorts the 50/50 weight distribution to 52.7/47.3

 

Thanks, although that didn't really answer my question. The question was: if you were to drive AWD and RWD versions back-to-back, would you notice a difference?

 

I am looking at the XE's this weekend and wondering the same. I doubt my dealer would have RWD model in stock to test drive.

 

I've driven both an AWD and RWD XE 35t R sport and I have two things to say.

1) The steering feel on the RWD is heavier than the steering in the AWD. To my taste, it's perfectly weighted for a practical but sporty sedan/saloon car. The feel was excellent on both, but the RWD had a heavier feel. I drove a 435i m sport and the steering sucked compared to the XE's steering. The beamer was light, had no feel, and just sucked.

2) The AWD didn't feel heavier than the RWD model despite being a couple hundred pounds heavier. The engine pulls so strong and the ZF transmission are perfectly matched. This combo blasts right through the extra weight. I didn't even really feel it in the nose of the car. I think if I had been able to drive them back to back, its more likely that I would have sensed something though.