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      03-08-2011, 10:37 AM   #25
jijioben
Second Lieutenant
Canada
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Drives: 2011 F25 X3 35i
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Canada

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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
Thanks for this. Where did you get that table at the end?
The table is taken from the 2011 BMW Product Planning Bulletin for Canadian X3s. I have been given some parts taken from that document by my CA to ensure I had accurate information before making my choice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
I'm not sure where this leaves me on servotronic with the UK Dynamic Package. Does this mean my servotronic is actually set to sport, I wonder?
Servotronic in Canada is standard on both models so I am not sure about how the X3 behaves without it - I would guess that without Servotronic the "stiffness" of the steering wheel is fixed (and reading other threads, it looks like it is on the soft side); with Servotronic, the "stiffness" changes as the speed changes, becoming harder as the speed increases. In that sense, the rate of change and initial level changes with VDC in Sport mode as opposed to VDC in Normal mode. I have not tried the variable sport steering as in Canada it is only available with the M Sport package.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
Also, is that soft - hard chart to scale?! Does that mean there is a much bigger difference between VDC Normal and No VDC than between No VDC and VDC Sport?
Yes, it is to scale - but the difference is just bigger, not much bigger. As well, subjectively the dampers do not change that much. It is not the difference between and old Cadillac and a Ferrari.

I reproduced the Normal setting in my VDC car by putting VDC in Normal and then enabling DTC with the DSC off button located near the transmission selector lever. My subjective finding is that the car is more responsive to the road but not at the level of VDC Sport. In VDC Normal, there is a bit more of a spring and a bounce when encountering road discontinuities, which filters out harshness in the ride but distances me from the road. Since the electric steering is not the best way to sense the road, I rely on the dampers to give me a more accurate feeling of the road surface, so when I want to be more responsive to road conditions I switch to VDC Sport. When I commute or I go for a longer drive on the highway, I am happy to leave the setting to Normal.

I hope I did not go overboard. Still in the honeymoon period - I like to talk about my X3 forever...
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