Upon
arriving at the Tian Siang Premium Auto’s doorsteps, although it was a dull Sunday morning, inside of here everyone was
packing a smile and the sense of warmth was better than my morning coffees.
Thanks to the power of "MEDIA" I had the X3 and the off-road
trail all to myself. My instructor, Hamdan guided me through the muddiest paths, raising the
bar for the X3 every time it overcame them, and to my pleasure it overcame all
challenges easily. The biggest help came from the Automatic Hold (Auto H) which
held the X3 firmly on ground without having me to press the break while
climbing uphill, and the Hill Descent Control (HDC) which swiftly moved the X3
down the slippery hill while I just controled the steering to where I wanted to
go. Much to this amazement, the tyres were covered in slippery mud and they
were actually your ordinary road tyres.
What is the xDrive?
BMW’s specialised all-wheel drive system, the xDrive
ensures the car has best traction at all times by enchancing agility and
ensuring safety at any situation. Under
normal circumstances, it distributes power to the front and rear axles in a
40:60 ratio, and changes variably when the road surface or overall driving
conditions change.
Working almost instantly and subtle enough to be unnoticed by the driver, xDrive can direct up to 100% of drive forces to one axle only. This enables the driver to move effortlessly on slippery surfaces, steep hills and in my case, muddy terrains. xDrive routes all power to the axles with the greatest traction. When parking, the system reacts to the need for high manoeuvrability at low speed by opening the clutch completely so the powertrain functions optimally.
In case of understeering, drive power to the front axle is reduced. If oversteering is detected, xDrive directs more power to the front axle. Thanks to this dynamic redistribution of power, vehicle stability returns to normal even before the driver notices anything amiss.
Driving on a winding road or taking a fast bend in dynamic style is particularly enjoyable with xDrive: you feel as if your BMW is being guided along the curve. xDrive is regulated by Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and uses information from the latter system’s sensors to monitor road conditions. In addition, brake force courtesy of DSC is used when there is traction difference between the two sides of the vehicle and wheel spin is likely.
Working almost instantly and subtle enough to be unnoticed by the driver, xDrive can direct up to 100% of drive forces to one axle only. This enables the driver to move effortlessly on slippery surfaces, steep hills and in my case, muddy terrains. xDrive routes all power to the axles with the greatest traction. When parking, the system reacts to the need for high manoeuvrability at low speed by opening the clutch completely so the powertrain functions optimally.
In case of understeering, drive power to the front axle is reduced. If oversteering is detected, xDrive directs more power to the front axle. Thanks to this dynamic redistribution of power, vehicle stability returns to normal even before the driver notices anything amiss.
Driving on a winding road or taking a fast bend in dynamic style is particularly enjoyable with xDrive: you feel as if your BMW is being guided along the curve. xDrive is regulated by Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and uses information from the latter system’s sensors to monitor road conditions. In addition, brake force courtesy of DSC is used when there is traction difference between the two sides of the vehicle and wheel spin is likely.
Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Hill
Descent Control (HDC) functions by holding the vehicle steadily at a
pre-determined speed, helping with the brake control so that the driver can
concentrate completely on the steering. This makes the potentially difficult
task of driving down a steep hill or over rough ground easy. HDC can be activated
with the press of a button and is particularly helpful when driving on
changeable, loose or slippery downhill surfaces, such as mud, gravel, snow or
grass. Together with ABS, it ensures excellent stability while still preventing
the wheels from locking if you apply the brakes on a slope. This prevents the
vehicle from skidding and permits you to retain control over the steering. When
HDC deactivates, it goes into fade-out mode, gradually reducing braking force
and giving you enough time to again take full control of your speed. It is
deactivated once your speed goes above 60 km/h.
Automatic Hold (Auto H)
The Automatic Hold system is a convenience feature to assists the driver by automatically setting
and releasing the brake when moving in stop-and-go traffic or up a hill, without requiring the
driver to hold constant pressure on the brake pedal. The vehicle is automatically held in place
when it is stationary and when on inclines, the system prevents the vehicle
from rolling backward when driving away, however as soon as the driver touches the
accelerator again, the brake is instantly released.
So lesson aside, here's some pictures of the day:
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| My shot with the Leica... |
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| Cutest Bimmer fans in the making |
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| You know you can't get your hands on the real one, so maybe a mouse is good too |
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| Where do you put in film in these things? |
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| Wrong shoes genius. |
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| Sneak peak at one sexay two wheeler |
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| This Bimmer just want to fly |
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