Cold facts on all-wheel drive

The questions roll in about this time every year: Do I really need snow tires? Is all-wheel drive the best for New England winters? How can I avoid an SUV but still haul my family?

The answers: I prefer real snow tires on all four corners in New England, even if they are cheap ones. They hold up better in cold weather and have more aggressive treads. If you range far from Boston in the winter, I'd go that route.

I also prefer all-wheel drive.

And no, unless you regularly need to carry seven people , you don't need an SUV. There are plenty of sedans and crossovers out there.

If you need to carry five people, max, and you often travel to ski country or have a long commute into Boston, you're a perfect candidate for today's test car, the 2007 BMW 525xi. It's part of a growing niche, the all-wheel-drive sedan. Subaru has long been there in smaller form. So, too, has Audi. Infiniti's in the game, as are Ford and Chrysler, and most of Mercedes-Benz's line can be bought with AWD.

So what's the difference between anybody's front- or rear-wheel-drive sedan and an AWD variant? A few hundred pounds of weight, slightly worse fuel economy, but year-round performance in snow, rain, ice, mud, that is worth the sacrifice and maybe the $2,200 extra it takes to make BMW into a machine that grips with all four wheels.

The 5 Series is BMW's midrange fleet. We'll ignore the upper ranges -- hot-rod Ms, for example -- to consider what suits a family that wants sport, luxury, and utility bundled together. The 5 Series begins with the 525i and 530i, which can be bought in sedan or wagon versions. They have a 215-horsepower engine coming from a 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. The 530 refers to a hotter in-line-six with 255 horsepower.

The benefits of all-wheel-drive systems are magnified when you add an antilock brake system, traction control, anti roll technology, and electronic stability control. That's because these systems, separately at times, critically in concert, use brakes and throttle to shift power and anti slip, anti skid protection wheel-to-wheel.

Let these systems work their magic on four wheels instead of two and it's more powerful.

The 5 Series of BMWs has always struck me as the Teutonic equivalent of the Buick, Chrysler, Cadillac, or Lincoln our fathers and grandfathers coveted. They speak of wealth, common sense, luxury, a place in the world -- and a hint of fun down the road.

Today's 525i is far superior to any of the above competitors, with an elegant interior that richly mixes leathers and woods. It's a sedan for the ages. Raked back from its distinctive split-kidney grille, it rises over windshield and roof to a high trunk.

Space is perfect for four adults, a bit cramped for five. Three children in the back is no problem.

Its 3.0-liter engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission or, as in the test car, a six-speed automatic with manual option.

Its xDrive AWD setup, also used in its X3 and X5 SUVs, is transparent. Not until you feel it -- instead of hearing it -- do you know you have been helped out with a transfer of power or brakes or both. It can make for steering that feels a bit disengaged, but we are talking family vehicle here, not race car.

The $45,700 base price of the test car included leather, a host of electronic stability equipment, and wood trim. Extra costs included $750 for a cold-weather package that features a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, and retractable headlight washers.

Also added was a premium package -- $2,000 for garage door opener, auto-dimming inside and outside mirrors, and ambient lighting -- as well as the $1,275 steptronic automatic transmission and a $595 satellite radio.

Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com.