[kjx]

Originally Posted by CP911

Why would I buy an AWD car and pay more for it if I'm going to prefer to drive it in RWD mode? Makes zero sense.

Why would other people do it? You can learn why in videos like this one - a G80 RWD owner praising the AWD car:
https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1876546

Originally Posted by CP911

I would then get all the downsides mentioned and no upside. Or are we so brainwashed and addicted to technology today that we lust for new features without really understanding why we have them and without considering whether they actually add real value to our lives or not?

In some ironic way, the RWD automatic is meant exactly for people like you. Not because of the downsides you mentioned, but because you truly think those downsides are real and matter more than the upsides in the face of consistent evidence pointing otherwise.

Originally Posted by CP911

I haven't driven a G80 yet, but I'd be curious to drive the xDrive back to back with the RWD to see how they really feel when sitting in the driver's seat

This is just gold. There are many reputable people on YouTube claiming, uniformly, having driven both cars extensively, the exact opposite of what you merely have suspicions of having never even driven either car. Not one person with any reputation is saying the things you are.
One more: https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1876317

Originally Posted by CP911

Also, AWD does nothing to help a vehicle stop or turn better. The tires have whatever inherent grip they will have. Therefore, I don't accept the notion that AWD automatically makes for a better daily driver just because you can accelerate off the line faster in slippery road conditions. Big deal. It's not like you are towing or going off-roading where AWD actually has a purpose and a job to do.

More misinformed opinions presented as fact mixed in with things nobody is disputing (nobody has said AWD stops faster). Can an AWD complete the entirety of a corner (entry, apex and exit) faster and more safely at the same time than an RWD? Yes, it can, consistently with all other factors being equal. This matters to people buying performance cars and has been proven in the real world, as opposed to your unsubstantiated hypotheses. If that's not a big deal for you, please, by all means, go get a RWD, which btw is slower to 60 than the M440i in wet conditions. You are not representative of 99% of the user base for the automatics. Just about every M3/M4 that's arriving at my dealership now is AWD.

There is a reason high end supercars/hypercars are mostly all wheel drive. It's not for towing or for going off-roading like you are suggesting. Lol.

I really have to address this line piece by piece:

Originally Posted by CP911

However, for me, the additional weight penalty on an already hefty car,

That no reviewer could perceive. It's literally like a 2-3% difference that has only positive effects on outcomes below 140 mph.

Originally Posted by CP911

a more forward-biased weight distribution,

Which the front wheels are ready to take advantage of when the rear has no more traction to provide (in a corner or in a straight).

Originally Posted by CP911

and a more complicated drivetrain in terms of maintenance and cost

I'd presume this is not a problem for the average M car owner. Granted, it could be for some who stretch a lot to get one, and that extra 5% or less is too much (which makes me question their financial judgement in getting an M3/4 in the first place, but whatever).

Also you know what's even less complicated? The manual gearbox. Go for that if this is what is important to you.

Originally Posted by CP911

simply could never be worth the ability to take off from a dead stop a little bit quicker

25% quicker to 60 in the real world in perfectly dry conditions is not a "little bit quicker". And that's not the only benefit - the limits to which you can navigate corners faster without compromising safety are much higher.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion but not to their own facts.

Originally Posted by CP911

On the contrary, it rains and snows a shit ton here near Chicago. I simply understand from 20 years of experience driving through the terrible winters that true winter tires + RWD will outperform all seasons + AWD every single time.

Lewis Hamilton in an RWD with winter tires will outperform the average Joe in an AWD with summer tires. Only the truly scientifically-challenged and professional trolls (which one are you?) will conclude from such an observation that RWD > AWD.

All other things equal, the AWD will outperform (except above 140 mph). Same car, same driver, same tires, same conditions, same roads. The only variable being RWD vs. AWD. That's how you come to conclusions that have a basis in reality.