All-wheel drive is great for some things. Driving through inclement weather, getting extra traction in certain situations and some drivers just like the tactile feel of all-wheel. However, while competitors are building their high-performance autos based on such all-wheel drive platforms, German automaker BMW is sticking to its tried-and-true rear-wheel drivetrain for the company's lineup of BMW M Series vehicles.
There was that rumor about an AWD BMW M5 that floated around the internet mill for a while, but these look to be put to rest. Autocar quotes BMW M boss Friedrich Nitschke as stating, "Our philosophy in regards to steering feel and precision is that rear-wheel drive is the best solution. xDrive brings an 80-90kg weight penalty and the M differential is the industry's best rear-drive set-up."1
Increasing the M5's weight to power ratio would certainly affect performance and it's a sacrifice BMW just isn't willing to make. Another sacrifice that could save BMW money in manufacturing costs would be to only offer the dual-clutch automated manual, but guess what, they're not traveling down that road either. BMW M models will remain available with manual gearboxes.
With these couple of decisions, BMW is truly showing how much it wants to keep its fans and customers happy. A variety of new BMW M models are slated for release soon, which gives everyone here at Bert Smith BMW great joy and we suspect, many of our BMW enthusiast friends in the greater Saint Petersburg area.
To learn more about the forthcoming BMW M3 sedan, M4 convertible or any other BMW model on our showroom, stop by 3800 34th Street North Saint Petersburg, FL today. For all of the latest BMW updates and insights, be sure to stay tuned here on the Bert Smith BMW blog.
Source: 1 http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/bmw-m-remains-committed-rear-wheel-drive