June 24 2009   Source: Bryan Joslin via Left Lane News

2010 BMW 7 Series Will Offer All Wheel Drive

Although we originally pointed out that BMW had kept the new 7 Series light by not offering all-wheel-drive, we should have known the market would dictate otherwise. Competitors like Mercedes-Benz's S-Class with optional 4Matic and Audi's A8 with its standard quattro drivetrain have made the option a necessity in the flagship class. We now have word that xDrive, BMW's all-wheel-drive system, will be available on 2010 model-year 750i and 750Li models in combination with the new eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Our first clue that the F01/F02 7er would get the optional drivetrain was in the information about the new eight-speed transmission that will be standard in the 760Li and will find its way into other 7 Series models, as well as the new 5 Series GT. The snippet from ZF's press release stated that the new gearbox would be compatible with all-wheel-drive as well as conventional rear-drive.

According to LeftLaneNews, the system will be tuned to delive approximately 60 percent of the torque to the rear wheels, but will be capable of pushing roughly 80 percent to the back during more aggressive driving.