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      01-01-2014, 09:31 PM   #1
BoxsterPhil
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How good is the X1 in snow?

I am thinking about buying the xDrive 28i X1, how good is the vehicle in snow?
It is a important factor in being able to use the car in snowy weather.
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      01-01-2014, 10:30 PM   #2
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I have Blizzaks on mine and it's been amazing.
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      01-01-2014, 11:00 PM   #3
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Real snow tires are no small part of the answer to that question; my bride's Audi has Blizzaks as well, and they are flat amazing. For the OP, if you are stone serious about getting around in really bad winter weather, get those winter tires.
The only issue that the X1 should have is relatively limited ground clearance; in really heavy snow a real offroad-type 4wd has an advantage in that it isn't pushing snow out of the way, or potentially piling it up underneath 'till it hurts traction, simply due to its greater ground clearance.
The lowest thing on my 10 year old Jeep Wrangler are the diffs, and I can still crawl under them with no difficulty...or at least minimal difficulty for an old fart.
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      01-02-2014, 12:03 AM   #4
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I've gone through some pretty deep snow in my 28i Xdrive with no problems. I have blizzaks on and my car is lowered, still no issues. As others have stated, winter tires are a must, not because of poor vehicle performance but to make it that much better.
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      01-02-2014, 06:26 AM   #5
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as above....excellent with a set of Winter tires and xdrive. I have a TireRack package using 17" General Altimax Artics and have had zero issues in up to 4" of snow. Should have a deeper drive tomorrow AM here in the NE.
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      01-02-2014, 07:55 AM   #6
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I have been pleasantly surprised by how well my X1 35 M sport with 19 inch wheels does in the snow. I due have winter tires. The X1 is better than my old 2011 X3 was with winter tires. I think that the traction control works faster in the X1.
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      01-02-2014, 07:57 AM   #7
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AWD doesn't help steering or stopping without proper tires, and the X1 is no exception, but properly shod with winter tires, it's fantastic.

We run studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 winter tires.
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      01-02-2014, 09:43 AM   #8
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I agree with everyone about having winter tires and that it does so much better in winter driving. Although i did not have a chance to put a set on this year to also test out the capability of its original 17" Goodyears and the x-drive/TCS system and I must say that it is amazing. We are currently having one of the iciest/snowiest winters of 5 years in Northeast Ontario, Canada that's why I commend the vehicle and it's features a lot. Minimal tire slippage on slow or normal linear acceleration. There is still a good feel of control and safety even in this type of weather. To make an indirect but possibly relevant comparison, I drove a 2014 Honda Accord with brand-new Michelin X-Ice2 tires and a 2004 Toyota Sienna with General Altimax Artic tires on the same route I drive the X1 each day and I can still feel more tire slippage on the Accord/Sienna than the X1 even on some corners (Still not an excuse for keeping your all-seasons on for this season though)
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      01-02-2014, 10:39 AM   #9
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As bad as any other vehicle without snow tires.

With blizzaks it eats snow for lunch!
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      01-02-2014, 10:53 AM   #10
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I am more than pleased driving in snow with the OEM A/S tires on my X1-35i. Granted I'm sure it would be better with winter tires, but around here getting snow >4 inches is very rare so I'm staying with the OE's. My perspective may be biased by coming from a 135i with rear-drive and foot-wide Bridgestone Potenzas on it.
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      01-02-2014, 11:23 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BoxsterPhil View Post
I am thinking about buying the xDrive 28i X1, how good is the vehicle in snow?
It is a important factor in being able to use the car in snowy weather.
My wife has the xDrive 28i and still have the OEM 17" all-season RFTs on even though we've had more snow and ice this year than all of last winter.
Even without snow tires, the X1 has been great in snow and on icy conditions.
Her previous SUV was a 2010 Subaru Forester with snow tires and I personally feel as confident in the X1 with all-seasons as I did in the Subby with snows. I probably shouldn't, but I do.
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      01-02-2014, 03:35 PM   #12
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I was up north a few weeks ago, even though our x drive 28i has pirelli all seasons it was still amazing in the snow. I agree that with proper winter tires it would be outstanding, but you can say that about almost any car. I was surprised how infrequently the traction control kicked in despite the all season tires. With the traction control off, it was very predictable and the car was easy to control sliding around corners. I was fortunate enough to experience some country highway with drifting, freeway with slush and in town driving on snow covered roads, all in all I was very impressed with the X1, but also glad that I live in warmer climates and don't need to worry about it...

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      01-02-2014, 04:07 PM   #13
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Well with these on it had been pretty unstoppable .. Well ok once but the snow was over the roof line and had buried a snow plough
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      01-02-2014, 06:58 PM   #14
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I got home an hour ago in this winter storm and i have the 28 xdrive m-sport with the 18" all seasons. This is my first all-wheel drive car and it is amazing. I will try to see if I can get snow tires, but I am pleasantly surprised!
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      01-02-2014, 07:03 PM   #15
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One caveat with AWD vehicles; you can be moustrapped into thinking that there is more traction than actually exists, based on how easily the vehicle accelerates.
But everything in the house drives thru' all four in one way or another; I'm a believer.
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      01-02-2014, 10:54 PM   #16
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With blizzaks its good enough that in the middle of a blizzard here in Connecticut I felt 100% comfortable heading to a bar to meet a friend. Just got home and the car is amazing. Nearly 50/50 weight distribution + AWD + snow tires = incredible snow performance. Rolled over unplowed roads like nothing.

Keep in mind I've grown up driving in the snow thanks to being from the northeast, but it's the best car I've had so far in the snow. As long as the driver keeps in mind that stopping/turning traction is limited by the surface more than accelerating traction is, you'll be in great shape.

Quote:
One caveat with AWD vehicles; you can be moustrapped into thinking that there is more traction than actually exists, based on how easily the vehicle accelerates.
Yup. I don't care what tires or vehicle you have - if it's 8 degrees Fahrenheit out with wet snow like it is in CT right now, you're going to slide if you lock up the brakes. However, the X1 has very high limits if you know what you are doing as a driver. Go to a parking lot, disable DTC and DSC and practice.
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      01-02-2014, 10:59 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paradoxical3 View Post


Keep in mind I've grown up driving in the snow thanks to being from the northeast, but it's the best car I've had so far in the snow. As long as the driver keeps in mind that stopping/turning traction is limited by the surface more than accelerating traction is, you'll be in great shape.
This should be posted on the driver's visor. Our daughter managed to spin an AWD Dodge Caliber (with winter tires) simply because it felt like there was more traction than there really was. Neither she nor the Dodge were hurt, but it was a wakeup call for her, so all's well that ends well.
It does appear we're damned to one real stinker of a winter this year.
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      01-03-2014, 06:59 AM   #18
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Quote:
but it's the best car I've had so far in the snow
I was thinking the same thing...but also first X drive vehicle I've owned and the General Artics are excellent. (My first favorite snow car was a 1980 Ford Fiesta with Hakka's )

Just made it thru drifting secondary roads with 1-4" on the road for my morning commute. Great traction but obviously hard 90° turns in deep snow will cause you to loose traction. (I was experimenting a bit)

Last night I was on a back road with Honda Fit ahead of me climbing steep hill, he lost traction, started sliding back down the hill. I was in reverse backing down the hill to get out of the way. Honda got turned around to go down the hill as a Suburban crested the hill from other direction and ran into the back of the Honda. I'm about 100 ft below them on the hill, put it in D and punched it...climbed the hill one way as they slide past going down the hill.
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      01-03-2014, 09:30 AM   #19
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What's snow?
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      01-03-2014, 09:51 AM   #20
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It's a great snow car, but it's not for everyone. At least my 35i M-Sport with 17" snow tires is great - the rear comes out real easy, making for much tighter turns. But you have to realize that it's going to do this, and know how do do snow turns and accelerate out of them 4WD style, or it will go badly. I love it.

What's not so good is that opening the doors after a snow fall makes a LOT of snow fall down into the interior. Bad design, that. It means I can't keep the snow brush inside the car, as I have to brush the roof before opening the doors.
I've also had to turn on the AC a couple of times to work as a dehumidifier because the side windows were fogging so badly. I think I'm going to try some Rain-X on the inside side windows.
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      01-03-2014, 10:18 AM   #21
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I had a Fit with winter tires some years ago, and it did really well in the snow, tho' there's no substitute for AWD. Our daughter (the one who spun the Caliber) now has what had been our Focus with winter tires, and she has a bit of adjusting to do...her first car was a Jeep Cherokee and the AWD Caliber the second, so she's been used to driving all 4...she also has 60+ miles of commuting every day, so the Focus' great gas mileage will help her out.
My wife's cars have been AWD for the last 15 years; a VW Passat and now the A4; it is hard to argue with the level of security, tho' our last winter or so have made it seem less necessary.
Guess I'll see how the X1 does today in some semi-serious snow with the all seasons...gotta say the heated seats and steering wheel make the cold a lot easier to live with.
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      01-04-2014, 08:31 AM   #22
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Drove to work at 0430 in yesterdays mess of a snowstorm (we got 9 inches in NYC, which is A LOT in a heavily congested area) in my X1 with the a/s GoodYear RFT's and nary a slip. I felt the car biting into the snow and more importantly, just leaving my driveway can be a challenge, It's steep going up. My SAAB 9-3 with XWD had a bit of an issue with the driveway last year, granted the stock tires which had about 28k on them, (I replaced them later that spring or early summer at 33k) because they were shot. They didn't bite into the snow and they were Michelin MXV's, it took me a couple of times of rocking to get up the driveway. Driving in the streets at 0430 that had hardly any plowing on was a bit scary, but again, I felt good grip and no slip. I was amazed at some of the jerks out there speeding past me and some of those folks I'm sure experienced a mishap. All in all I was impressed at the little X1 yesterday.
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