The BMW 4-Series is an impressive enough vehicle in rear-wheel drive form and the xDrive all-wheel drive chassis adds quite a lot of additional capability without compromising the car’s feel. BMW xDrive is the German manufacturer’s intelligent all-wheel drive system which gives you optimal traction at all times. It distributes the engine torque to the axles in a fraction of a second so that they can achieve maximum traction.
Weather and road conditions can change in a flash, and BMW’s all-wheel drive system responds just as quickly. With xDrive, you can enjoy driving the 4-Series on mud, gravel or snow. It brings added grip without affecting economy and emissions too badly. You’ll have to decide whether the price premium is worth it, but it’s undoubtedly a more capable car than its rear-wheel drive counterpart.
The key piece of engineering underneath the 4-Series xDrive models is similar to the system found in an Audi A3. The xDrive system uses a multi-plate wet clutch rather than a Torsen differential and this will send 60% of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels and 40% to the fronts. When it detects wheel slippage, up to 100% of the drive can be sent to either axle within one-tenth of a second.
The BMW 4-Series Coupe all-wheel drive range starts with the 420i xDrive SE (petrol) priced from £30,735 while sitting at the very top of the model selection is the 435d xDrive M Sport (diesel) which is priced from £44,680.
There’s a choice of three engines, the biggest seller of which is certain to be the 181bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel in the 420d coupe. Then there’s the diesel unit featured in the 435d xDrive with a hefty 313bhp at its disposal. Should you prefer a petrol engine, you’ll like the turbocharged 2.0-litre direct-injection petrol unit.
Drive a 4-Series next to an Audi A5, particularly one equipped with xDrive, and you’ll appreciate the years of expertise that have been poured into this model. That a car can be so rapid, capable and desirable yet still return such befuddling economy and emissions figures is testament to the engineers in Munich.
You’ll have no fewer than a dozen 4-Series xDrive models to choose from, five with petrol engines and seven with diesel. The xDrive versions offer a distinctive edge over other 4-Series models, and teamed with a decent set of winter tyres, they would make a brilliantly discreet tool for winter driving fun.