is my x5 permenant 4 wheel drive?
 

is my 2001 x5 4.4 permenant 4 wheel drive, or is it only front wheel drive etc.
thanks

It is All Wheel Drive, which is slightly different than "4 wheel drive"...
the torque split is ~58 rear, 42 front, from fading memory. It has DBC,
which senses wheel spin and applies braking to the whee(s)l with "slip",
which can be defeated to allow for wheel spinning with gas, in certain
situations.

The Owner's Manual, on this site, is a handy ref and worth a read...
GL, mD

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/e5...20-%202001.pdf

Short answer is yes. Yours is a pre xDrive model so it has a planetary center differential with fixed (front-back) torque split. It has no differential locks and relies on the DSC system to brake spinning wheels and thus shift power to the other side. In the pre xDrive models, like yours, I believe the trouque split favoured the front, but this does not mean the vehicle is front wheel drive.

thanks for clearing that up for me.
cheers

The torque split actually favours the rear, to preserve the driving characteristics of a rear-drive vehicle.

BMW doesn't make FWD cars - BTW. Not counting Mini anyway. They make RWD cars and all of the SUV's are AWD, which is an option on the 3 and 5 series cars as well.