AWD can be an interesting perfomrance option, as you can do things with strong power delivery that you just can’t do with RWD. Executing a sharp right turn to pull out into traffic from a stop is an amazing feeling that you can’t get otherwise.

Ultimatelyl I got bored AWD and I switched back to RWD. RWD (& stick) is a more engaging, more rewarding car to drive – even if the transmission and drivetrain performance differences are becoming a mute point.

Yeah, maybe the M X6 (or even new Audi S4) are redefining AWD, but they don’t help on the battle against weight (which BMW may not be fighting), and the electronic nannies just remove the driver one more step away from the driving experience.

(Funny, I wrote this before I saw the post above – kinda echoes those sentiments.)

Only one real comment though. Michael your commentary about fwd doing less than pleasant things to the brand image is about the same feeling I and a few others have about ///M badges in suvs and increasingly larger and heavier cars not to even mention X series cars. Guess I fall into the old school group longing for BMW days of the past. While I have huge respect for the technology of making a 5k vehicle perform this is something I would expect out of Japan, hiding mass behind layers of technology (see the GT-R).