Driving Experience Modes and Gearbox Modes

MR_Y

Well-known member
Hi,

I am a new BMW driver/owner.

Apologies if this has already been discussed at length in the past, however, I could not find a definitive answer in my online searches.

Basically, my F30 has a Sports Auto box (with D and S modes) and a Driving Experience Control Mode selector (Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+).

My car does not have adaptive dampers, so the Experience Modes would only affect throttle, engine and steering (?) - please correct me.

Let's consider these combinations:

1. Auto Box in D mode and Experience Mode in Sport
2. Auto Box in S mode and Experience Mode in Comfort
3. Auto Box in S mode and Experience Mode in Sport

In #1, I note that the box changes gears at higher revs, compared to the Comfort setting (also when box is in D).
In #2, it feels like the box changes at a bit more revs than #1 above. Besides the slightly higher revs, I do not feel a discernible difference between #1 and #2.
In #3, the shifts are still at high revs but they feel snappier and sportier. #3 feels clearly different from #1 and #2.

My question, what is the actual difference between #1 and #2 above? Besides, #2 having a bit more revs (honestly, feels like only a few hundred more revs per gear change compared to #1), what is actually happening behind the scenes?

In normal driving, I am in D (on gearbox) in Comfort mode. If I need to take a gap in traffic, I slot the gear into S - this is #2 above. However, this seems as effective as leaving the box in D and staying in Sport mode (Experience Mode) - #1 above.

For what it's worth, I drive a 320d, so the power is in a limited rev range, but I feel that the box and Experience Control (in any mode, besides full manual) is smart enough to keep the car automatically in the optimum rev band - the modes just specify where in that band you want to be based on your needs at that time.
 

MR_Y

Well-known member
Reviving this old post since I was Googling on this recently and came across this useful table from BimmerPost

images (8).jpeg
The results are across all options on an F30 335i. But the table is granular enough to read up specific options/settings that your car may have.
 
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