German Car Zone

Still an AWD car?

EnI, you need to read (or perhaps re-read ) the driving impressions on the new S4. Your statement only serves to perpetuate an across-the-board stigma about AWD in exactly the same way that RWD is universally touted as the yellow brick road to motoring nirvana.

It's all in the application these days. With the advent of sophisticated electronic control of mechanical componentry an AWD like the S4 suddenly turns out to be more the "driver's car" i.e. with propensity to oversteer on the throttle than the 335i sans proper limited slip rear differential.

You know what, the next thing, BMW's M5 goes twin-turbo and AWD and then what? Then we'll be told that AWD, like turbocharging, was in its infancy and without the truly credible performance characteristics that were befitting of a BMW - it took BMW to perfect it. And, all due respect - I love your work and I love your brand - but I will have heard that story before.

I'm not saying the new M5 will be AWD but historically-speaking, BMW's marketing has been made to look, ahem, a little short-sighted of late.

I'm with Just_me, the performance enhancements are great but methinks the preclusion of a proper LSD is a deliberate act on the part of BMW to protect the reputation of the M3. It is in fact, an approach that I wholly and completely agreed with, mind you, because I would do the same thing if it were my business.

Well, Eni has a point. Most AWD cars are less of a drivers car. The fact that one magazine thinks that the S4 is more of a drivers car than the 335i (we are not going to go into what car the S4 is more compareable to in terms of technology and implementation) just goes to show that this is not a universal truth. It also shows that there in fact have been a tremendous development in the technology behind AWD. On the other hand, the current RS4 is also more of a drivers car than the 335i but I guess the 335i is more of a drivers car than the A4 3.2 Quattro.

That said, drivetrain layout is not the final deciding factor in determining the "fun-to-drive" rate of a car, but it is an important one. However, that factor was much more of an issue just a few years ago.

Why do we just believe in journalists？ i mean, they can be you or me or some random guy who just think "power means driving", or how good a driver are they？ some may think the car that never slips (for example) is the best driver's car because a driver wouldn't want to slip. I don't know what the electronics do and what electronics will do in the future (like tune a car with the crappest balance on terms with a M3 or something) but naturally, RWD cars are faster in the dry, they just kick ass in corner exits while AWD would probably be understeering. And it's common sense that a RWD will handle more neutral as you are not controlling the driven wheels. Talking about power, well i'd say for example a E46 318i is as much of a driver's car as a E46 330i, it's not just power, in fact in the case of E46s 318 actually has a superior weight balance.

dr Dunkel, I never really have much reason to disagree with your posts and this is no exception. Nor am I in some way trying to nitpick with EnI. I'm just the kind of person who likes facts and, when it comes to vehicle dynamics (something that I'm passionate and professionally connected to) I will regularly try and balance perception.

It's a shame that carmakers the world over are cutting marketing budgets. In my case it means that work for part-time instructors is down the tubes. So, not having driven on a skidpan or circuit for some 9 months now could cloud my judgement. But the 5 years prior to that remains embedded in my mind and, I've seen some RWD cars that were mediocre handlers (previous gen C-Class) and some all-wheel drive cars that were epic. Similarly, the view from full-time professional instructors was the same: it's as much about the sporting spirit behind the car as it is in the drivetrain layout that determines fun-to-drive factor. Witness a MINI Cooper S vs. a 118d.

In my humble opinion, the engine in the 335i far exceeds any other 6 cylinder engine of its immediate competitors. I believe that the 335i is denied true greatness by the lack of a proper LSD. The reason for this is obvious and justifiable: to distance (on paper) the glorious M3 - as it should be - from the snapping-at-the-heels 335i. That's the plain and simple truth of the matter in my mind.

Here's a classic example of generalisation vs. isolated instance of fact. No offense, and you're not wrong, but also, you're not right either.

Well, that's an interesting philosophical question, but I would hazard a guess that it's only selected journalists that "we" choose to believe. Cognitive science will tell you that you have a predisposition to believing journalists that confirm your own preconceptions... but they are just random scientists and I don't know why you should believe them.

hmmm, let me guess, somebody around here owns an E46 318i? You forgot that the 318i is lighter than the 330i too.

Well what i was trying to get at was, it's just a natural fact that a FF, FR, RR, AWD car has their own distinct (general if you like) characteristics, of course there are lots to play with but those natural general characterstics are always true.

Not 100% on what you mean but indeed i have a e46 330, don't really think the extra power i have makes it a driver's car.

Then why did you buy a 330i instead of a 318i? To use more fuel?

Most of the BMWs sold have smaller engines, which always make me laugh at how important the owners think RWD is.

In many cases it is more important for weight distribution and driving dynamics more than the ability to make huge power slides.

One of the best examples must be the Mazda Miata.