I wasn't trying to paint the picture of "imperiling the oncoming driver" absent "instantaneous warp speed". The image is very dramatic though.

I think we've all been in situations where we can safely make the turn I described factoring in our perception of oncoming traffic speed, vehicle performance, weather conditions, etc. To have a vehicle that may not predictably perform in that situation could turn a relatively safe situation into a relatively unsafe situation and that is my concern.

Well you're not supposed to hit the accelerator mid-corner. You're supposed to break in a straight line before you get to a corner and be accelerating smoothly all the way through a corner gradually adding speed.....definitely NOT hitting the gas mid corner. That just makes the car unstable.

Breaking half way through a corner then accelerating (mid way) through the second half is certainly one good way through a corner.

Perhaps keeping the tranny in DS mode will avoid the granny gear...

The majority of speed should be bled off before entering a corner, in most situations.

Trail braking or light bleeding of speed into the apex of the corner is a good technique, and can even assist in the stability of a car at speed (which may be what you're referring to), but it's little more than keeping the pads in contact with the rotors to a degree in which you're bleeding off a few miles per hour (10 to 15 mph. for instance).

Though, any type of material braking (30 to 40 mph) into the apex of the corner can confuse the stability control, and can create some interesting "interventions" that can take you by surprise if you're not expecting them.

Keeping in in DS mode can "sometimes" assist in maintaing the correct gear.

Unfortunately, the car will still upshift and downshift on its own, even when in DS mode, which REALLY sucks! I was hoping, praying, begging that the car would not do this.

That is to say, it will NOT hold onto a manually selected gear a la a 335i or M3, etc. with triptronic technology.

You'll also notice the 35d has very little to offer in the way of engine compression braking, so downshifting into a gear to bleed of speed is, again, not on par with many vehicles. Then again, everything is give and take, and the only thing that really comes close to a 35d with adaptive drive is an FX50 and 1 or 2 other vehicles. It's very high up on the charts in terms of handling, when equipped with proper wheels, tires, and suspension packages.

That transfer from braking to acceleration has to be done very,very gradually in a car as heavy and with a high centre of gravity as an X5. I'd wager that most people would find it hard to do on the open road, I certainly would!

Most people, yes. All people? No. :-) Again, it's no 335i or M3, but it's also not a Pathfinder or Toyota Highlander.