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Do you have any pics of your car? Would love to see a non-US facelift X5 with the new headlights, which the US is denied.

Ahh... I think that is correct. :D DOH! After a bit of research, I think our X5 has the Adaptive Drive and not the Adaptive Steering. The little "Sport" button just behind the parking brake button? Fancy.

I have adaptive drive and I love it, on my 2011 35d. I extensively drove X5s without it, and the difference is obvious, especially on twisty roads.

If you truly want the best handling from your vehicle, this is probably the best way to do it, short of opting for 20" wheels and sticky tires.

I have 20" 214s and the car handles turns incredibly well. I've not pushed it yet, as the tires are still breaking in and haven't really been heat cycled yet (380-miles), but I have 100% control in places I've had to be mindful, even in 328i w/sport packages. I'm not comparing the two, but I'm simply stating the excellence by which adding adaptive drive (not to be confused with adaptive steering), adds to the enjoyment of the X5.

If you're a "driving enthusiast," the high cost is worth it, in my opinion. I think it should be a $1,000 option, and $3,500.00 is pretty ridiculous, but you have to pay to play with BMWs and their interesting options.

In the M3 the sport button remaps the throttle so it seems more responsive. The sport button in the X5 is more about stability while cornering etc. as described above.

I drove an M Sport 5.0 with it and a 3.5d without it but not back to back so I don't know exactly how much different it is but I can tell you this.

There is a subtle but noticeable increase in stiffness pressing the button. With 19's, normal mode is quite smooth, and Sport is nicely sporty.

I would guess it's not necessary, unless you go for 20's and want a smoother ride at times along with a sporty ride.

On the other hand, I'd highly recommend active steering, especially with 20's if you need to maneuver around parking lots a lot.

Thanks for the welcome. No decent pics as of yet, just some low rent iPhone non-sense. I'll see if I can take a few today. What is the difference with the headlights that you are referring to?

Cheers,

non-LED (US) vs LED halos.

I have a 35d with 19" wheels and I'm driving around parking lots with one hand almost like my dad drives his Town Car! However, I'm coming out of an E35 which I think has killer tight responsive steering, which also made it "not parking lot friendly" I guess. Perhaps I'd built up "steering muscles" :). If I go to 20s, maybe my steering will go back to normal and I'll be happier! [Sorry, but unlike the masses, I find E70 steering way too light.]

I also have adaptive drive and think it is the best money I spent on the car. In general I prefer sport mode, but I'll switch the modes back and forth depending on the terrain, if other people are in the car, and the contents of the cargo area [56 lbs of bowling balls hitting the headliner is not my idea of a good time].

I have adaptive drive and 20s with spacers so it's pretty wide... yesterday on a road trip there was a winding road and the SUV ahead of me had to brake while I didn't, BUT I still felt body roll (not just G-forces but tilt - hey at least the sport-seat bolsters helped). Now mind you the SPORT button was off, but I believe adaptive drive is supposed to be always-on. I'm reading that it is merely for comfort if it's off (because my kids were sleeping and it was sort of bumpy)... not really sure if it helped that factor either. I'm just still really confused what the SPORT button really does even after 2.5 years owning it. Out of habit I always turn it off on bumpy roads but I cannot say there's an absolute difference... then there's this adaptive drive question.

Interesting story.

In 1990 the Infiniti Q45 had an Adaptive Suspension option (I had one). Twenty years ago...... so much for cutting edge BMW technology

But there was an article on programming the car and subsequent track testing, in which the engineers had set the computer to keep the car 'flat' no matter what.... the feedback from drivers was that it was very dangerous since the car gave no feedback as to how 'extreme' the corner was, and would stay flat right up until the tires broke free...

So adaptive drive MUST allow some roll as a physical cue to the driver... this is how it is programmed.

Kinda OT, but interesting to think about

A

Especially when going to 20" or 21" - it makes the world of difference having the adaptive drive. I am still amazed how comfortable the truck is with this option compared to without. Smooth as a baby's butt!

Cheers,