[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by Majec9-7

Can't help but chuckle a little while reading responses - most of USA doesn't need AWD. Now, that doesn't say anything about people wanting it, but they really do not need it. If you have a moderate amount of snow (as in around 1,5 feet of snow twice a year, but not every year) in your area, you really don't need AWD, we've been managing with RWD BMWs for 20 years where I live (snowfalls are as I mentioned above, used to be larger, but global warming and all that). One trick my father used was to put some heavy box of tiles in the trunk (or a bag of cement) and it had enough grip to drive safely to work and we live in a mountainous area. What really decides your ability to drive is tires - get snow tires and stop cheaping out on them (and no, all seasons aren't as good). You look like fools spending more than 50k on a car and then refusing to buy snow tires.

Also it will come in AWD, so your worries are void anyway.

True...Logic and rationale thinking will be trumped by perception and perception is everything. Many in North America believe they need AWD and it does handle better in snow than fwd or rwd. I'd rather have snows and awd vs snows and rwd in the depth of January.

I'm a huge believer in snow tires, especially living where we do. But the % of Americans who will mess with snow tires anymore is low and dwindling lower.

This vehicle will need to be taken out back and put out if its misery in a short period if it doesn't have AWD.

I hope the information coming-out stating it will have xDrive are correct.