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Our MY11 xDrive 1.8d came with Bridgestone Dueller non-runflats as standard. This is a standard summer tyre.
In conjunction with xDrive they worked really well in the conditions we've recently had in Scotland but on a steeper incline with the wrong type of ice/slush/snow there was some loss of traction and I had to dig out of my parking space once. (nose in on a quite sever camber in Edinburgh).
We had the BMW winter wheel package installed early this week and I am very impressed. The conditions were worse than last week but the car just goes everywhere without a worry. I'd be quite surprised if you ever needed to add snow chains - if conditions were that bad you are probably going to start having problems with ground clearance and ought to be in a full size 4x4.
The NRF package is steel wheels with Dunlop Winter Sport 3D and very nice trims (just like the picture on the other thread). £840 including two changes a year and the garage store the summer wheels until we change back in spring. The trims are secured with the 5 lug nuts so shouldn't come off in deep snow. Mine seem fine so far. If you do damage them they are only about £60 a set to replace.
It's not just the really bad snow and ice though (which is a rare occurrence) - the tyres just work better in cold conditions and given you probably have to change all your tyres once due to wear and tear during the time you have the car the additional cost is pretty low.
In summary - having driven with and without winter tyres in the recent conditions I would not hesitate in recommending the winter tyre package.
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