[dwchastain]

I’m new to BMW. Planning on ordering a 2024 530i soon and struggling between Xdrive and RWD. For those of you who have experience with both is Xdrive worth the money. I live outside of Atlanta Ga so snow isn’t a real issue. Does xdrive provide better safety in wet conditions and is handling better in general? Thanks.

[PsychDoc]

I would say the real issue is snow. If you don't get any snow where you are going to be using the car, there's really no compelling reason why you'd need x-drive.

[dwchastain]

Thanks. Appreciate it.

[MidnightMarauder]

A fellow prospective buyer from metro Atlanta. I'm looking at the RWD versions just to save some money. It's a tougher decision with i5, as the AWD version gets you extra horsepower too.

[dwchastain]

Yep. I’m starting to lean RWD based on everything I’m reading. It may be a while before I order. Waiting for the ambient lighting interaction bar to become available on the 530i. Do you have a dealership you are working with? I’m in Canton.

[SkykingUSA]

I'm in southern California where we don't get snow (unless we drive up into the mountains for skiing, which I don't do), and there is very little rain. I went with the RWD model for the following reasons.

1. Primarily price. For the i5 models, the difference is significant (about $15,000 US). Figured I'd rather have an almost fully loaded RWD than a bare bones xDrive (or have to compromise on what options I order).
2. Range. Although the range difference isn't huge, I wanted the maximum range I could get. That means only a single motor and not two.

Of course, the things I miss out on by this choice:

1. Less power and torque. 600HP is better than 340HP, but after driving both of them I felt that the 340 HP is more than enough for my driving style and is still way better than what I've been driving my whole life previous.
2. Four wheel steering. The RWD does not have rear wheel steering. It is a feature I would have loved to get, but not worth the price difference for me, considering the turning radius is still better than my previous vehicle.
3. Dynamic handling package - mostly the active roll bars. Another feature I would like to have for better overall ride handling, but again not worth the price increase to me.
4. Not so important, but still present is the M badging and styling. The M60 has the M badging on the grill and the back of the car. It also has the tri-colored stitching and the red center marker on the steering wheel. Even though it's the same steering wheel on the RWD version, it does not come with the colored stitching or the red center marker. I would have liked to have those too.

As you can see, I think it largely depends on what you believe you "need" for your driving style and environment. I have driven rear-wheel drive vehicles my entire life and feel very comfortable with that configuration. I learned how to drive in the snow in Toronto using a RWD vehicle, so stability is not really an issue for me. I have also driven my wife's all wheel drive vehicle and like how planted it feels too. For me, RWD is good enough. For some people though, they may like the more planted feeling the xDrive can provide, especially if they are used to having all wheel drive in their past.

To summarize this longer-than-expected post: if you can afford it and aren't concerned with the range difference - go with the xDrive. Why not have more power and features available, even if you may not need it? However, if you are trying to keep a lower budget and can live without the extras listed above, then don't feel like you won't enjoy the car. You'll still probably have more power and torque than you'll need for 99% of your driving, and you will probably still massively enjoy the driving experience.

[aptekcom]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

I'm in southern California where we don't get snow (unless we drive up into the mountains for skiing, which I don't do), and there is very little rain. I went with the RWD model for the following reasons.

Primarily price. For the i5 models, the difference is significant (about $15,000 US). Figured I'd rather have an almost fully loaded RWD than a bare bones xDrive (or have to compromise on what options I order).
Range. Although the range difference isn't huge, I wanted the maximum range I could get. That means only a single motor and not two.


Of course, the things I miss out on by this choice:[LIST=1][*]Less power and torque. 600HP is better than 340HP, but after driving both of them I felt that the 340 HP is more than enough for my driving style and is still way better than what I've been driving my whole life previous.[*]Four wheel steering. The RWD does not have rear wheel steering. It is a feature I would have loved to get, but not worth the price difference for me, considering the turning radius is still better than my previous vehicle.[*]Dynamic handling package - mostly the active roll bars. Another feature I would like to have for better overall ride handling, but again not worth the price increase to me.[*]Not so important, but still present is the M badging and styling. The M60 has the M badging on the grill and the back of the car. It also has the tri-colored stitching and the red center marker on the steering wheel. Even though it's the same steering wheel on the RWD version, it does not come with the [...]

This is an interesting topic. I also thought about it but for a completely different reason. I believe the OP was comparing the e drive 40 vs the x drive 40 (not m60). I think there is about a $4000 difference, but here is the one key in my opinion if you are buying and can find one in stock. The x drive is a 2025 model, while the e drive is a 2024 model. That by itself makes up the difference of $4000 plus you get awd and more power.

[SkykingUSA]

After re-reading the opening post, he's actually looking at the 530i. I guess only some of my points would be valid then because I only looked in detail at the all-electric models. I'm not sure what comes with the ICE versions as far as features, etc. but I would suggest you essentially do the same thing I did and compare each one to see what you get with each and what you don't get. Then see if the price difference is worth it to you. I'm not sure if you get more power with the xDrive 530i compared to the RWD version. Sorry, I just haven't looked at those. Hopefully someone with some 530i or ICE knowledge will be able to advise better.

[jgkappiah6]

I don’t think you need to worry about it in Atlanta. But here in Michigan where we have lots of snow all wheel drive would definitely be the choice. I had both and could not believe the difference in the four-wheel-drive with SNOW.