2012 BMW X3: No Need for Additional Sport
March 09, 2012
Our X3 is equipped with BMW's Driving Dynamics Control (DDC) system which bundles various adjustments together into driver selectable normal, sport and sport+ modes.
There's only one real problem with the system -- it's not really needed. Driving around in "normal" mode I never once felt the need to sporty things up a little. This X3 is very much a 3 Series on stilts, so it turns, accelerates and stops like a small sport sedan.
I've generally been of the opinion that a well-tuned suspension/transmission/throttle setup shouldn't really need or even offer adjustments. Just get it right and leave it there. There are instances where it's nice to soften the ride up a little or quicken up the shift speed on the transmission, but it's often very subtle. I tried the Sport and Sport+ modes on our X3 and didn't find them much better than the "normal" mode. Maybe if we had the Dynamic Handling Package it would be different, but I doubt it.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line
