[KneeDragr]

Originally Posted by mattu

I admit getting the adaptive suspension was a mistake though...I think it's worse than the stock setup.

Could you elaborate on why its worse?

[mattu]

Originally Posted by KneeDragr

Could you elaborate on why its worse?

I don't feel like they got any mode right. Comfort is similar to driving a Buick or a F10 5 series: very cushy. Sport is more harsh and closer to what you'd expect out of a 3 series, but it's not really harsh in a way that makes you feel more confident cornering the car (body roll seems pretty much the same regardless). It's been a while since my test drive of the GT without adaptive suspension, but I remember thinking the car felt much less bouncy than a F10 (that I had driven just before-hand) and not harsh...my perception is that it felt a lot like an xDrive F30.

It seems like a lot of the auto journalist who were saying the adaptive suspension was a must-have option perceived comfort mode being representative of the passive suspension, and I don't think that is the case. I think the passive suspension is somewhere between comfort and sport mode on the adaptive system; maybe leaning a little more toward the sport.

There's also the fact the passive suspension is much easier/safer to modify than messing about with a variable damping system. If I were giving someone advise on a build, I'd say stick with the passive system and put the money saved toward a setup that will actually lower the car and reduce body roll.

[markbridge]

I just checked the "Auto Climate Control" this morning while I was out. Now maybe I didn't give the system time to adjust, but, from what I could tell, the fan speed did not increase when I moved the temperature to the lowest setting or the highest setting. In any other car that I've had with an automatic temperature control the fan would immediately go to it's highest speed any time I moved the temperature to either extreme.

According to the manual, by pressing the Auto button, "Air flow, air distribution, and temperature are controlled automatically." Under "Intensity of the AUTO program", it states, "With the AUTO program switched on, automatic control of the air flow and air distribution can be adjusted. Press the left or right side of the (fan) button: decrease or increase the intensity. The selected intensity is shown on the display of the automatic climate control" In any other vehicle I've had with an automatic temperature control, if you adjusted the fan speed ("intensity"), you would turn off the automatic control and make it manual.

I stand by my assertion that the BMW Automatic Temperature Control is actually "Semi-Automatic". I shouldn't have to touch the fan speed control button for anything, by adjusting the temperature the system should do everything on it's own.

Perhaps I'm missing something. I need to go on a longer trip on Friday, I'll check the system again and give it more time to adjust the fan speed automatically.

Any input from you guys would be appreciated.

[BucksDan]

That's exactly how it works and I agree, every car I have had with ACC has regulated fan speed. It took me a while to believe this is how BMW configured it.

[mattu]

Originally Posted by markbridge

I just checked the "Auto Climate Control" this morning while I was out. Now maybe I didn't give the system time to adjust, but, from what I could tell, the fan speed did not increase when I moved the temperature to the lowest setting or the highest setting. In any other car that I've had with an automatic temperature control the fan would immediately go to it's highest speed any time I moved the temperature to either extreme.

According to the manual, by pressing the Auto button, "Air flow, air distribution, and temperature are controlled automatically." Under "Intensity of the AUTO program", it states, "With the AUTO program switched on, automatic control of the air flow and air distribution can be adjusted. Press the left or right side of the (fan) button: decrease or increase the intensity. The selected intensity is shown on the display of the automatic climate control" In any other vehicle I've had with an automatic temperature control, if you adjusted the fan speed ("intensity"), you would turn off the automatic control and make it manual.

I stand by my assertion that the BMW Automatic Temperature Control is actually "Semi-Automatic". I shouldn't have to touch the fan speed control button for anything, by adjusting the temperature the system should do everything on it's own.

Perhaps I'm missing something. I need to go on a longer trip on Friday, I'll check the system again and give it more time to adjust the fan speed automatically.

Any input from you guys would be appreciated.

I'll have to play around with it too I guess. Any time it is blazing hot during the summer I just hit the Max A/C button, and I haven't had the F34 long enough to definitively know whether the system would have cranked up the fan if I move the temperature dial all the way down. I can definitively say the E90 and E46 ACC modes modulate fan speed according to the difference between the actual cabin temperature and the set temp. I feel like the ACC "intensity" setting is new for 3 series with the F30 though, so it's possible BMW over-thought ACC and made it worse.

[KneeDragr]

Originally Posted by mattu

I don't feel like they got any mode right.

Its not possible to define your own stiffness settings? Seems like it should be pretty easy to offer a range of 1-10, with 1 being comfort and 10 being sport, something like that.

[BimmerNo5]

Love the idea of a 1-10 setting (or at least maybe 1-6). Why didn't BMW think of that? But given that they prefer names to numbers, they'll have to come up with names to fill the spots between Comfort and Sport - like "Rapid" or "Impatient".

Worth noting that, according to this YouTube review [u2b]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cefGMlrBTc[/u2b] (around 1 min 35sec), you can set the adaptive damper settings separately from the drivetrain settings.

[markbridge]

Originally Posted by mattu

Any time it is blazing hot during the summer I just hit the Max A/C button

Ditto

I feel like the ACC "intensity" setting is new for 3 series with the F30 though, so it's possible BMW over-thought ACC and made it worse.

Couldn't agree more

BTW, was able to find a paintless dent repair guy and get the dent in the rear passenger door repaired yesterday. Fortunately, the dent wasn't bad, but it was all I could see when I looked at that side of the car. With only just over 1,400 miles on the car, I wanted to get the dent repaired as soon as possible.