335is a beast in the snow! AWD overrated?

lundi 17 novembre 2014

We got hit with our first big storm of the year, nearly a foot on the ground, with an inch of freezing rain in there, and high teens for temps ever since. Roads have been quite slick, they even cancelled school, and people are crawling around town doing 20mph.



I didn't know how my 335is would handle in the snow, but it rocks! It is literally a beast. So balanced, corners insanely well, just give it a little gas once in the corner and it drifts just enough to center itself! Or don't, and just turn as normal, as you won't slip unless you give it throttle. Stops on a dime, and even with acceleration from a stop, it never gets hairy. If I am at an ice coated intersection, I just start it in 2nd. I am moving 95% faster than most of the traffic out there, and 75% of those cars are AWD, 23% FWD.



Running Dunlop Winter Sport SP4



So, with that said, is AWD overrated for people who aren't going into deep snow, or who live on a steep hill? It seems that people won't even touch a car these days if it isn't AWD. Even if it is a 3-series, and the AWD adds cost and complexity and weight, and decreases the fun factor. I could see the need if I were going to the mountain everyday, and we got deep snow and I was having to move through a foot and get out of the parking lot. Or, if I lived on an unimproved road. But, for regular driving on maintained roads?



Scary thought; I was at the dealer yesterday, they had three new M235i, they were all X-drive! WTF?



My pickup is 4WD, but that is a different beast. Weight distribution is not quite the same, much taller vehicle, really touchy in 2WD mode.




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