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Originally Posted by Lucky13
I have to disagree with your assessment. I own a 2007 335i with hydraulic and a 2013 X1 s drive and although it is electric it is not bad by any imagination. Yes it may give slightly less feedback but it doesn't feel light.
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Feedback is more than resistance. It's also whether the wheel fights back, and whether you feel the road conditions through sideways vibrations. This can be both a boon and detrimental. If you drive on cobblestone roads, deep ruts or pass cattle gates, hydraulic assisted or straight rack-and-pinion isn't all that fun, as the steering wheel will have a mind of its own. But if you drive on a diamond ground road or a steel mesh bridge, you likely will appreciate having feedback.
There's also added inertia with the electric system, but unless you jerk the steering wheel rather quickly back and forth, it probably isn't very noticeable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky13
I had zero need for all wheel drive living in SC and have owned 2 X3's and an X5 and never used the all wheel drive.
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Considering that the AWD is always on, unless you modded the car, you most certainly used it. Every time you drove.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky13
Unless you plan on going on trails it just adds weight so it will not handle as sharp.
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Yes, and no. AWD also helps prevent oversteering, and for the M-Sport models, Dynamic Performance Control allows for individual speed control of all four wheels, giving you a slight steering advantage that the RWD doesn't have. But if you are in full control, there's no doubt that RWD gives a snappier steering.
I love RWD, but BMWs AWD in the X1 delivers more power to the rear than the front and makes it feel much more like RWD than your typical front-wheel biased AWD car.