NoMoreBMWs

If I'm going to drive into the steel area in East Hamilton, or drive through Michigan my suspension will be in Comfort mode to save my tires - and even wheels. But I think the commonality here is that those of us who use Individual mode are trying to optimize the car for individual enjoyment given our normal driving conditions.

Greg W

I use my programmable steering wheel button (right side spoke, near the audio controls) to toggle between Drive Select settings. Makes it easy to switch modes on the fly without fumbling for a center dash console button.

Tony M

Dynamic mode means the steering ratio is constant, but it is a bit more direct than the standard steering. It makes ordering the dynamic steering a "no-brainer" IMO. If you find you don't like the variable ratio (but I absolutely do) then just leave it in dynamic via dynamic or individual drive modes.

Nikon1

As an "Owner In Waiting" who has read every thread on this board - especially the ones that talk about "throttle lag" - I especially appreciate this thread, where people who have the S5 have taken the time to explain the settings that they enjoy. It will certainly give me guidance when my S5 arrives.

A Thank You to everyone!

WillieFlo

Totally agree Nikon1! Thanks everyone!

superswiss

The thing is this depends on which model you are asking about. Very different for an A5 vs an RS5. For example, I'm currently driving an A5 SB loaner as my RS5 is getting the gear selector sensor replaced. I have it set to Dynamic and I go between D, S, M, Sport M depending on the situation, but neither transmission mode is truly satisfying on this thing. Driving an A5 in Dynamic mode is about like driving my RS5 in Comfort mode. It just doesn't compare. As for my RS5, I drive in Individual mode most of the time. Everything in Auto, except sport differential in Dynamic and then same thing as far as the transmission is concerned. Gong between D, S, M and Sport M depending on mood and situation, but here S and Sport M are properly sporty. I also make much more use of the different modes because they actually make a real difference in RS models. Comfort I use for long distance highway journeys, Dynamic for when I hit up the canyons or other fun roads and otherwise Individual. In case of the A5 SB, Comfort and Auto are pretty much useless to me. Even in Dynamic the car is still too soft for my taste.

Abtpl

duhg

Does anyone know why the Individual settings are not saving for me?
I change the transmission to Dynamic, but once I turn off the car everything resets to Auto.
Thanks..

superswiss

This has been explained many times in other threads. The engine/transmission won't ever stay in Dynamic between engine restarts. That's by design and it's due to EPA regulations and such. The regulations require that the car starts up in the mode that yields the rated fuel economy. Steering, suspension etc. will stay in whatever mode you had it in, but the engine and transmission will always go back to comfort/auto. You have to pull back on the shifter to put the transmission back into S, so setting engine/transmission to Dynamic in Individual mode is kinda pointless if you leave the car in Individual mode. It will always require to explicitly put the transmission into S after starting the engine. Individual mode is great to configure everything else to your liking, but just leave engine/transmission set to Auto and then toggle between D/S using the shift lever.

duhg

Thanks, that makes sense.
I searched on this forum but must not have used the right key words. My Google-fu needs work!