Thanks for the responses. Does the xDrive have any negative effects on handling, steering, road feel etc.? On the option sheet the $2K for the xDrive seems like a no-brainer here in New England, however, so few 3 series have this feature that I feel I must be missing something.

The other cars we are looking at like the Mercedes C280 and Audi A4 have 4-matic and quatto respectively.