Interesting conversation.. Makes me think of a few things.

For one, I LOVE AUTOHOLD. I think the weight of the vehicle almost makes it NECESSARY, as it is very prone to roll (forward or backward). I do not think it would be a terrible BURDEN without it, but I do like having it.

Someone mentioned the space it saves on the center console, too - a very big plus, I think. The ergonomics are all very clean, and there are few "mistakes" on this vehicle, although I notice the Park Assist is not convenient on the X5, but it's right where it should be next to the shifter on the 5 series (oh well).

Mine does grab a bit but not often and not usually too bad, but yeah, sometimes it will jolt. I have noticed lately - probably after having to do a hard stop yesterday - that the brakes themselves will grab like nobody's business, but thankfully of course the vehicle will dive only slightly.

The reasons we could debate until the end of time, but..

I wholly disagree with the notion that "expensive gadgets" serve no real purpose. When I was a kid, I remember that most German cars were "driving machines" but had few (if any) creature comforts. I also remember when those German cars started to acquire gadgets - and all the problems they had - (remember the Audi 5000 automatic?) but they've come a loooooong way since then.

I think some gadgets are next to useless. (I'm just going to cite Audi by reference and leave it at that) I did not order the automatic cruise control, for example, although there are days it seems like it would be quite useful.

But everyone told me the HUD would be useless - and nothing could be further from the truth. It is undoubtedly the single most used feature in my X5, next to Park Assist. To others it's probably a useless gadget - "what kind of driver are you if you need blah blah blah."

It is certainly a different era, and one in which many gadgets play a vital role. Traction control, anyone? Sophisticated computer control of the entire drivetrain for best performance AND efficiency? Just the way it is these days.

Speaking of which.. Just how many computers are in this car?