[Coconut]

So I’m having a dilemma if I should get an M240i with xDrive or RWD. I’m in Northern California so I’ll never see snow or even drive through much rain. I like the idea of having xDrive for that amazing consistent sub 4 sec. 0-60 and perhaps the added pull and stability going through corners.

Or perhaps it would be better to have the RWD which weighs 120 lbs less which I’d assume may feel a bit more nimble going through the corners. Any thoughts or experience with this?

[OriginalFake]

I do deal with a little bit of winter but I went RWD.

[LivingInSalt]

I went rwd

[jay1k2]

I had a Supra with a downpipe, and an ethanol tune. There was so much torque and never enough traction. I decided to go with xDrive.

[jbazz]

Tough call! I have not seen reviews on the RWD version yet, but given your situation and amazing roads, I might lean to RWD. It should be much more playful and any weight you can shed would be good, plus lower driveline losses. Traditional sports car formula.

The Porsche Turbo S is AWD, the Porsche GT3 RS is RWD, and even with less power and a lower top speed, the GT3 is faster around a track. I know.. apples and oranges. but it makes you think.

[CarsAndGuitars]

Florida, xdrive

[inc235]

Originally Posted by Coconut

So I’m having a dilemma if I should get an M240i with xDrive or RWD. I’m in Northern California so I’ll never see snow or even drive through much rain. I like the idea of having xDrive for that amazing consistent sub 4 sec. 0-60 and perhaps the added pull and stability going through corners.

Or perhaps it would be better to have the RWD which weighs 120 lbs less which I’d assume may feel a bit more nimble going through the corners. Any thoughts or experience with this?

When I lived in the New England, my m235xi served me well in the snow. Rear wheel biased AWD was so much fun with proper winter tires. Now that I'm in Norcal like you are, I feel that I don't really need AWD anymore (thus getting a RWD!). But until you experience it for yourself, maybe a tough call to make.

[Ricochet48]

RWD definitely. AWD will give you better off the line acceleration in all instances, but RWD is lighter and more fun. In Chicago I have basically no choice though.

That being said, if I lived in Cali (and didn't need a back seat), I would be looking at the Z and Supra instead as they are even lighter and sportier.

[MPR]

I went AWD as I'm not drifting at the track, mine is just a daily. With this much power I think AWD is great. If it didn't have power I'd likely have gone RWD, as I had a 328xi in the past and it was boring as hell.

Plus I do have to drive through occasional snow in NJ, so AWD is useful for parts of the year.

[Ezio]

AWD for me. Real world performance even when the weather is good is better. Sure there are certain situations where RWD will be more fun, but on most days I prefer to put power down.

[snapcall]

The xdrive is 100% rear wheel drive. Front only kicks in when rear tires slip. It's the most rwd feeling awd I've ever driven and I'm coming from a focus rs with drift mode.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by Coconut

So I’m having a dilemma if I should get an M240i with xDrive or RWD. I’m in Northern California so I’ll never see snow or even drive through much rain. I like the idea of having xDrive for that amazing consistent sub 4 sec. 0-60 and perhaps the added pull and stability going through corners.

Or perhaps it would be better to have the RWD which weighs 120 lbs less which I’d assume may feel a bit more nimble going through the corners. Any thoughts or experience with this?

Lived in northern CA for decades, San Jose area then about 3 years in the mid west. When I then returned to CA I ended up in Livermore.

At no time was AWD necessary.

But when I lived in Livermore, I did end up owning one AWD vehicle, a Porsche Turbo. While AWD it was a kind of an odd system that relied on a viscous fluid/disc clutch system to transfer torque from the rear diff to the front diff. The amount of torque transferred ranged from 5% (Porsche didn't say at what speed) to 40% (at 150mph!).

Certainly not the type of AWD system to use in bad traction conditions. I drove the Turbo in the snow at least once and on summer tires. The AWD system didn't play any role in my making through about 30 miles of several inches of snow on the freeway. Dumb luck -- with some experience in driving in snow -- saved my butt.

Might mention it was not unknown for owners of this model of Turbo to disable the AWD and removing the hardware to save around 100lbs.

The AWD feature was sacrificed for lower weight and less drive train power loss.

Now the subsequent Porsche AWD system which used a computer controlled clutch pack was quite a bit better. It really provided AWD. I saw a tech demo launch control with a customer's (and with the customer in the car with the tech) Porsche fitted with this AWD system and even on the dealer parking lot with its crumbly pavement the car launched like a home sick lightning bolt.

AWD brings with it added complexity and weight and costs some HP. But these can be offset by better traction in bad traction conditions. But this requires proper tires, too.

If I lived somewhere where snow was a real problem and I had to drive up and down roads that might not be plowed, sanded, and even salted, I'd have an AWD vehicle, probably. I'd certainly have very good and real snow tires on any vehicle I drove in these conditions.

I don't race and any launch advantage of AWD over RWD is of no real value to me. Yet the cons of the AWD system are present all the time.

The bottom line is in northern CA and with you admitting you'll not "see" snow or much rain I think AWD is a solution looking for a problem.

BTW, my experience in driving in rain in northern CA and other places is taking off is not a problem. Turning or stopping is not a problem. But hydroplaning can be a problem so I slowed down when I had to drive on wet roads.

[Ricochet48]

Originally Posted by snapcall

The xdrive is 100% rear wheel drive. Front only kicks in when rear tires slip. It's the most rwd feeling awd I've ever driven and I'm coming from a focus rs with drift mode.

This is what I've heard: "With normal road and weather conditions, xDrive maintains a 40:60 power ratio between the front and rear axles for balanced performance."

When there's slip it can add more where needed, but more of the time it's just AWD with a slight rear bias. You would need Xdelete to go in full RWD mode (but it's not available on the G42). Only some of the M models allow you to disengage AWD unfortunately.

[BobHen]

My 2022 M240i is a daily. BMW's real wheel bias AWD is fantastic. And the M240's power, coupled with BMW's AWD make a formidable combination.

Xdrive for me.

Bob

[M240SLC]

I did enough donuts in the snow as a teen with an E36 325i. AWD it is for me this time around.