[7thGear]

After reading all the threads about this that I can find, both in the e89 forum and e90 and f30 forums, I am convinced that the chart provided by BMW is accurate and correct.

It helps not to think in terms of modes. A "mode" is just a collection of dynamic settings that control 3 things:

power steering boost level
throttle pedal feel
suspension parameters

There are 5 modes - 3 dynamic modes and 2 DSC modes. Each mode is entered by pressing the appropriate button. All of the dynamic settings pertaining to each mode are presented in the chart.

If you're in Comfort, Sport or Sport+, and you press the DSC OFF button, you are now in DSC Off (DTC) mode, which has all the same settings as Comfort, even though you are not in Comfort mode any longer. The previous mode is never remembered.

If you're in DSC Off (either DTC or DSC OFF) mode, and you press the Sport button to enter into one of the three dynamic modes, DSC will be automatically set ON again.

The DCT (transmission) also has modes (D, DS, M), but those only affect how the transmission behaves. The DCT mode does not have any effect on the dynamic settings (steering, pedal, suspension).

The steering is Servo-controlled, and no matter what mode you're in, it continually adjusts the amount of power steering boost depending on speed, so detecting differences in steering feel depends on more than just knowing what mode you're in. I think that accounts for why some people believe there is a difference in steering feel between Sport and Sport+, for example. Such comparisons can be deceiving.

Same goes for the suspension parameters. I don't know how the standard suspension works, but with the Adaptive M Suspension that comes with the M Sport pkg, each corner of the car is constantly adjusting itself to both road conditions and driving inputs (driving style). This occurs regardless of which mode you're in, but there are two parameter "ranges", Basic and Sport. Again, like steering, comparing modes based on suspension feel can also be complicated.

One thing that annoys the heck out of me is the fact that when DSC is OFF, the dash light remains lit at all times. It's not hard to ignore during the day, but at night it is distracting. I wish that indicator light could be coded out.