Quote:
Originally Posted by 300hp
I think xdrive has earned it's due respect. It's not just dead weight . . .
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Absolutely. xDrive increases traction on slippery surfaces, allowing for more controlled acceleration in bad conditions. Thus, many like it for snowy conditions, especially going up hill.
Unfortunately, it does not improve cornering or handling. xDrive is fairly unsophisticated as an AWD system and does not include torque vectoring or any other technology to potentially assist in cornering. Instead, it merely transfers power away from a slipping wheel. That is, it reacts only to a loss of traction. Nothing good happens until there is actually a loss of traction.
On dry pavement and any time traction loss is not occurring this hinders cornering. Any amount of power transferred to the front wheels decreases the traction available for cornering. This is the major reason front wheel drive cars understeer. One can feel this understeer on every corner.
xDrive's default placing drive power to the front results in a heavier feeling front end in normal driving and front wheel slip at the limits. This is always apparent, regardless of driving style or speed, and is simply a matter of physics. This is exacerbated by the extra weight up front (although this is relatively minimal).
xDrive is wonderful for snowy conditions, very loose driving surfaces, etc. It does not improve handling. Of course, if you do not notice the detrimental aspects of xDrive, or the improved ability to accelerate in slippery conditions is a high priority, xDrive is a great choice. As with many things, there are tradeoffs.
Back to the point of OP's post, xDrive increases traction in a straight line and the car is fairly quick with the Power kit.