[Glazonyoursix]

Hello all.

So I haven't been driving my car anymore or for the most part in Comfort mode. I feel like either having it in Sport or in Sport transmission basically takes that problem away. As some have noted that it is more of a transmission error where it isn't placed correctly in the gear. I feel like even though it might say S1 or D1 the vehicle is starting out in the second gear. At this point I'm just staying with the car until either around the lease is over then I will more then likely shop for another brand. I love the way the car looks and sounds but it doesn't seem as though BMW cares for it as much as we do. Feel like they are to focused on being different then what they currently are to give a damn about us who have issues. I hope all of you are safe during this Pandemic and being safe out there on the road!

[TheBigP]

Just want to note that I joined this forum and made my original post just to specifically comment on this thread in hopes that BMW might see it and respond (I've used every available means to let BMW know about this problem, even letting them know this thread exists). The thing is, if turbo lag were at all a problem, then the "double sport" mode would also be impacted, but it's not. That mode is over-aggressive for simple grocery runs, which can still require nimble moves in traffic or quick responses at intersections. It is, as others have said, a bat out of hell in those moments with no hesitation or "lag" whatsoever. The BMW engineers have pulled some amazing power from this engine and my standard is the several turbocharged Subarus I've owned over the years. Paddle shifters are fun and make driving over tight mountain passes much more exciting, but driving around town, and the necessary turning that's involved in such maneuvers, makes trying to find the paddle at any given moment more cumbersome than convenient. If the shifter had a manual mode in basic sport that could help a lot. This issue is real and has been there since day one. As I've written previously, I ignored it at first thinking I needed to learn how to best drive the car. It's been more than a year now and it's still a problem. If I could, I'd print out this entire thread and hand-deliver it to BMW...

[rice_rocket88]

I'm sure I've mentioned it before in a post.. but I do once in a while put it back into comfort mode and when I come to a full stop I do feel the subtle transmission becoming disengaged. Likewise when I let off the brake to transition to the gas, it takes just that split second more for the transmission to re-engage. This is a weird feeling for me, and completely horrible in the stop and go cut-throat carnage that my commute used to be. (One good thing about COVID). I always drive in sports mode and have the BMS pedal tuner. I have it dialed in so that as soon as I touch the throttle things move as if it's drive by wire old school. I'm completely used to driving my car this way all the time, and whenever I flip back to something like even comfort, I can feel it. I daily drive this to work and have no problems at all and this now behaves like my previous cars. Saying that it's too sensitive to drive I wouldn't say so at all. Would I choose another vehicle because of this? Probably not.. there's other factors that go into the cars I pick. I did cross shop many other brands and there were other factors in the driving or interiors etc that I just didn't like. I also agree with Glazonyoursix that BMW may be starting to waver with their new designs. I do also understand when you are the small cog in the machine, getting a software update for the transmission is kind of hard to get in motion.. but when online reviewers make that comment on the line of cars it should have gotten at least some attention! I'm glad that I could at least solve it with a few things like sports mode and even the pedal tuner. One thing to note.. I "believe" the X1 is the top sales of all BMW's. So in this case there haven't been enough complaints for them to do anything about it.. it's just more pronounced in the m35i version, but I assure you I feel it in the X1. People like my wife just got used to it and didn't complain.

[Glen e]

Originally Posted by TheBigP

If I could, I'd print out this entire thread and hand-deliver it to BMW...

No need, I am a retired BMWNA person (19 yrs) and I’ve sent this link to a field service engineer I know, so he can input it in the system. Will that change anything? I have absolutely no idea, I’ve been retired for 12 years, (and so have all my big contacts)....LOL

So what’s the best option guys, for getting groceries/urban stuff?, (which is really all I do now). Obviously sport transmission and sport driving mode is too much, but what is better? Sport transmission, or sport driving mode?

[rice_rocket88]

Obviously it's to each his own.. since I drive on sports mode with the pedal tuner. I feel that even in comfort mode with the sports transmission it isn't as good as the sports mode on normal, which is nice because having bimmercode start it off in sports mode is easier than always flipping the gear selector to sports transmission mode all the time. Plus if you're on sports transmission mode and taking a slow long turn it'll hold the rpm's reaaaaaly high and long, and that reminds me of how I learned how to drive stick because I was too afraid to shift while turning haha.

[//TMT]

Originally Posted by glenersly@mac.com

So what’s the best option guys, for getting groceries/urban stuff?, (which is really all I do now). Obviously sport transmission and sport driving mode is too much, but what is better? Sport transmission, or sport driving mode?

For me, there are two main options:

1) Sport mode, regular transmission ("D"). Car is responsive, is not revving above 4Krpm after every stop sign, and is generally fun.

2) Comfort mode, sport transmission ("S"). Car is mostly responsive, and dynamic dampers are softer. Transmission shifts up in a more polite manner.

However, I say "mostly" for #2 in Comfort. There is still enough lag that I am not 100% confident in shooting a gap, like I am with Sport.

I no longer ever drive the car in "normal" mode (Comfort and "D"). My wife hates it too, but that's got a silver lining since it becomes "my car"

[billnchristy]

Originally Posted by rice_rocket88

Obviously it's to each his own.. since I drive on sports mode with the pedal tuner. I feel that even in comfort mode with the sports transmission it isn't as good as the sports mode on normal, which is nice because having bimmercode start it off in sports mode is easier than always flipping the gear selector to sports transmission mode all the time. Plus if you're on sports transmission mode and taking a slow long turn it'll hold the rpm's reaaaaaly high and long, and that reminds me of how I learned how to drive stick because I was too afraid to shift while turning haha.

Sport sport is great in the mountains.

[billnchristy]

S-S on the mountain

[//TMT]

You hooligan, you.

[xcelir8bmw]

Nice sounds.

[TheBigP]

After seeing this thread come alive again, I found myself thinking a little more about the issue than I generally do anymore. I realized that I really like the way the car decelerates in the sport-sport (or sport sharp, I think they called it in my first gen X1) mode. The aggressive downshifting and accompanying growl doesn't feel too jarring and it's kinda fun, actually. It makes the car feel spirited and signals it's ready for fun. It feels fine whether you're exiting the freeway or just running between stops in town. Most importantly, it seems to mostly solve the issue we're discussing as it's always looking to downshift so as to be instantly ready for throttle input. But, as others have mentioned, the mode holds it's upshifts too long, at least for around town driving. If I'm in that mode, half the time I think I hit a paddle shifter by mistake and it's holding the gear until I manually select the next. It's just too jolting for anything but focused driving (preferably with tight hairpins, not stop and go). So, if I could go into the iDrive and simply pair the downshifting from one mode with the upshifting of another, it'd be perfect for how I want it to behave most of the time and right from start-up. In fact, I'd be willing to pay a handsome sum to Dinan, Cobb, or any other reputable tuner to just make this change. I'm fine with the power in this car and, in fact, as much as I love to drive fast, I've never bothered to launch it or even take it to its limits. It has plenty for me as is, which is pretty unusual (haha). The other thing I realized is that BMW ain't fixing this issue, which is a bummer. I had hopes a year ago that they'd start to hear about this, realize that it was a simple fix that would make certain enthusiast owners happy, and roll it out on an as-requested basis or something. No luck. So, although I was initially not very high on the pedal tuner option, it does seem like the kind of simple mod that could help make daily driving a bit more satisfying. I intend to revisit this forum over the holidays and check out the instillation posts for the pedal tuner (thanks in advance to those that shared earlier). This car is such a cool unicorn and so having it be so close to great, but not quite there, is frustrating...

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by TheBigP

The other thing I realized is that BMW ain't fixing this issue, which is a bummer. I had hopes a year ago that they'd start to hear about this, realize that it was a simple fix that would make certain enthusiast owners happy, and roll it out on an as-requested basis or something. No luck.

More than likely any changes they would make to the transmission programming and perhaps engine programming would be of the nature requiring the car to be recertified for emissions or fuel economy ratings (or both perhaps). Hence if that's the case it would entail huge costs.

[TheBigP]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

More than likely any changes they would make to the transmission programming and perhaps engine programming would be of the nature requiring the car to be recertified for emissions or fuel economy ratings (or both perhaps). Hence if that's the case it would entail huge costs.

Boy, I admit I sure don't know about how these things work, but it seems like the Dinan flash tune the BMW dealer installed on my last car reprogrammed both the engine and the tranny (at least I thought that was the claim). I get that it modifies the car in a way that changes what was officially approved by the Feds, but I'm wondering how Dinan gets around that aspect...

[jcatral14]

Believe it or not I have not driven my car much since picking it up end of August due to not having plates (DMV issues, but I digress). Drove it the other day and have to say, Comfort mode with trans in S works fine for me. Have not noticed the hesitation but kind of disappointed in the lag or non-linearity of power delivery. Will try it in Sport mode next time but afraid the upshifts and downshifts will be too harsh for my liking.

[//TMT]

Originally Posted by TheBigP

(or sport sharp, I think they called it in my first gen X1) mode.

Interesting term! Was it BMW that called it this?

Because, "sharp-s" is a name for the German Eszett character, written as "ss".

So maybe we should be practicing our internationalized keyboard skills and calling it ß-mode!

[King_Leonard]

Originally Posted by rice_rocket88

... comfort mode and when I come to a full stop I do feel the subtle transmission becoming disengaged. Likewise when I let off the brake to transition to the gas, it takes just that split second more for the transmission to re-engage.

Interesting. Every once in a while, I feel a mechanical whir as soon as the car comes to stop, which is followed by a barely noticeable thud coming from underneath the vehicle.

Can't figure out if it's the transmission or a secondary braking mechanism (emergency brake) that prevents roll back when you release the brake pedal.

[rice_rocket88]

It's not there in sport mode.. So I thought it was the transmission vs any roll back.

[King_Leonard]

Originally Posted by rice_rocket88

It's not there in sport mode.. So I thought it was the transmission vs any roll back.

You're right. I guess there's a transmission disengagement/reengagement mechanism that I feel when coming to a complete stop or taking off in Comfort mode. Immediately after I release the brake pedal, I can feel a thud which I assume is the transmission reengaging with the engine.

Not sure if anyone else experiences this in Comfort mode, but occasionally when crawling along in stop and go traffic the transmission can get confused between engage/disengage, causing the car to 'vibrate'.

Is this normal?

[rice_rocket88]

Originally Posted by King_Leonard

You're right. I guess there's a transmission disengagement/reengagement mechanism that I feel when coming to a complete stop or taking off in Comfort mode. Immediately after I release the brake pedal, I can feel a thud which I assume is the transmission reengaging with the engine.

Not sure if anyone else experiences this in Comfort mode, but occasionally when crawling along in stop and go traffic the transmission can get confused between engage/disengage, causing the car to 'vibrate'.

Is this normal?

I'm not sure if I would say "normal" as it should be.. But it's there in the only one other m35i I drove. It isn't there in the older generation X1 so I'm assuming it's another push for fuel economy etc and it's programmed in there. I used to experience very brutal stop and go every day on the highways and every second counts before another dbag cuts you off. Also feeling this happen over and over again is annoying so I stuck with sport mode, and frankly like I mentioned before I always leave it that way with the combination of the pedal tuner and I'm happy with the response. I only flip to manual paddle shifters or "sports sharp" when I'm having fun and have plenty of time to goof off.

[Davy Jordi]

k, so i have been on the lookout for this issue and i'm not having any issues with the transmission off the line.

the one issue that's annoying is that the car will take forever to shift either up or down, but particularly down and will let the revs hang at around 328932839389 rpm for what seems like forever before i get fed up and shift the transmission myself or push the pedal down further. but off the line? not at all. maybe i got lucky or maybe it's just too minor for me to notice regularly?

that said, i'm working from home like the rest of the world, so i haven't driven the car a ton thus limiting my exposure. the car still has fewer than 1000 miles on it haha

[billnchristy]

That only happens in sport-sport for me

[xcelir8bmw]

Ditto.