Can anyone comment on E70 vs. E53 in snow?
 

I had an 04' X5 3.0 and I used snows on the OEM rims (it was LCI with xdrive). The DSC on that model was designed to allow some sliding before it kicked in. I read in BMW literature that unlike a rear drive BMW sedan where the DSC takes action immediately when traction is lost in a corner, the Xdrive models allow the 4 wheel drive system a shot to correct the situation and restore traction, and if that fails only then does the DSC kick in with the individual wheel braking etc...

Bottom line was that the old X5 was not as goof proof in a corner in the snow as my rear drive 740/325/550 were (although they'd get stuck starting from a stop light going downhill!). The stability control was noticeably slower to act (as you head for the trees).

Well, I just got my wife an 09' E70 4.8 sport. Great car so far. I'm going to get 18 inch wheels with 255/55 snows for next season.

So, is the new E70 more confidence inspiring in the snow than an E53? Its a lot heavier than my 6 cyl. was. I'm sure there have been changes to the xdrive system and the flexray network on the E70 allows for superfast data transfer to the DSC. Does anyone have experience with both X5s in the snow?

Thanks,
DRP

No personal experience, as I haven't driven an E70 in the snow. 2004 onwards E53 uses x-drive, same as the E70. E70 weighs more, so it wouldn't do as well in the snow in theory. What it really comes down to is tires; compared to that factor everything else is essentially irrelevant. I would be interested to hear from owners who have had both, with the same tires.

I live in Minnesota and the E70 (6cyl, non-sport) was fantastic this year with the stock OEM runflats. It drove better than the 2007 Acura MDX I had before it.

I was very surprised, I did not expect the tires to work that well.

I really don't have much snow time in the E70. It performed well during the few times I drove on somewhat bad roads, but I was away for the storm we had a few weeks back. I know I am less confident in the E70 because I'm running all seasons on 19s. My '05 E53 was great in the snow but I ran snows on 18s. Not a fair comparison really. Liek JCL said, tires make the difference.

The E70 is fantastic in the snow with snow tires. Can't compare to E53 but I've never been a better vehicle in the snow...

Can't compare to the E53, but when I did some informal testing of the DSC/DTC and with it off, there was a noticeable difference. I tried to do a quick 180 and you can feel the DSC prevent the spin halfway through it. I don't know what that was in actual seconds, but it reacted enough to help me gain traction (even if I tried to prevent it). All this was done on 20", all-seasons (the whole reason for the test). Have driven in snow quite a few times with them with no traction or real slippage problems. If you live in an area that gets snow more than 10 times a year though, snow tires are safer of course.

it mostly comes down to tires.

Forgot to mention that I owned a few E53s also. For me, the E70 is better in the show. But -- YMMV since the tires made a big difference. If you have decent 18" all seasons on the E70, I really don't think that snows are needed. The only place that snows would help is for extremely icy conditions.

I know it was a challenging winter here because my wife complained about her car all winter in the snow. I never had a problem with the E70.

Ok I had a 4.4 with Scorpions(for snow) and my 4.8 has stock 19" wheels/rubber. the stopping is not even close but the get up and go is just as good. The new Xdrive rocks compared to the previous e53 systems. BUT.... I believe 100% in winter setups so i will have a winter setup next year but you will be very happy with the new xDrive

I have driven the E53 on ice and in over half a meter soft snow in Sweden, close to the polar circle, a few months back (yes the car is standing on the road, temperature around -28C). I managed to get to the place at the picture but although it was soft snow, I was not able to get any further since the road is rather steep uphill at this place. So, I got stucked and had to reverse and park the car and walk the last few kms to the house with some of the luggage... That took me a while in that weather.. :confused:

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I am now driving an X6 with same set of winter tires (Pirelli Scorpions, 19" and a bit wider). I did not try it in one meter snow yet but I can tell you that the handling on snow and ice is miles better than the E53, which also was a very competent car. So, the E70 would surely be better than the E53 since the xDrive-system has been improved and the ground clearance is an inch or so better than before.

The only difference to the E71 would be the DPC, which of course does help on snow a lot when you have different friction between left and right (for example left wheels on ice, right wheels on snow). In this case the DPC will divert the torque sideways between the backwheels. Another situation is while cornering on slippery surface where the DPC will kick in and shift the torque to maximize the cornering speed and suppress understeering.

The day E70 gets the DPC, I will place an order. Do not understand why they do not provide the X5 with this nice feature, especially as the X5-owners are more likely to use their cars on such places than the X6-owners.