A lot of folks leave it in sport and use the individual setting to do some customizing. I find myself doing this more than generic sport or sport plus. Plus is generally reserved for passing or just fun.

Not a popular opinion but I enjoy eco pro exclusively on the highway if you are using cruise control. Not sure if the 430i has the mild hybrid but those work great and can net you great mileage. Eco pro acceleration on normal roads is very sluggish which you would expect so not recommended as it does not really improve on mileage in that scenario.

Comfort is what I spend most of my time in hauling the kids around.

Mess around and see what you like, doesn't hurt to change it up often.

Try ecopro once and then never again. I would say it's personal preference (responsiveness, tighter/looser steering etc). I like sport mode all the time and my SO likes comfort. Adaptive is cruise control that adapts to the cars in front. Try them all and see which one you enjoy.

Edit: I might not be up to date on adaptive driving modes though. In my car it's cruise control but after some research it looks like another driving mode. It will tighten everything up if you push the car and loosen up when you relax.

You basically said how it should be.

Comfort - basic drive mode. For comfortable driving around.

EcoPro - for traffic, city, just saving fuel on a long trip.

Sport - for doing sporty driving

Adaptive - the car tries to figure out what mode to use by itself.

There is a small, very loud minority claiming it should be in Sport mode 100% of the time. Just use comfort. You won't notice a difference in commuting, but you will notice it in fuel consumption, noise, etc...

Just use whatever you’re in the mood for!

I have to add here I’m impressed by how different they all feel.

Also depends on mood so if u feel like ripping it u can leave it in sport n vice versa

For me when I'm commuting ill always stick with the comfort it's the most fuel efficient mode besides the eco mode, but in eco mode, the engine would be turned off when ur on a stop, which is why I never used it. in comfort mode, the car would always try to get the highest gear possible which would save u gas. I'll only use sport mode or manual mode when I want to have fun in the canyons. In sport mode, the gas pedal becomes more sensitive, and the car will shift gear around 5000plus rmp. However, it would consume more gas.

I use comfort almost all the time. Until I get to two laned roads and can pass and the engine has warmed up. Then it goes into sport. But I’ll leave it in comfort if the roads are shitty because I don’t want to deal with firmed up suspension.

I don’t use adaptive much at all. Driving a loaded 2021 X3 M40i.

Edit: last car didn’t have adaptive suspension so I put into sport a lot more often. It was also only a four cyl so not nearly as sporty outside sport mode.

I’ve got a 2017 320i auto and I’m assuming yours is auto as well. Something to remember is the gearbox learns your recent driving style, so if you’ve been gently cruising a while and then put your foot down there’s often a short delay before the car kicks down a gear or two. You can can reset the learning by putting the gear selector into sport and back again.

Something to keep in mind if you’re using Sport on highways - unless you’re going like 120mph your car will not go into 8th gear and you will use a lot more fuel.

Turn traction control off

Assuming both engine and transmission are placed in sport mode: yes, because sport mode increases throttle response and optimizes shift points for speed rather than comfort.

Your actual power output of the engine does not change, the only thing that is changed is the application of that power.

I have a 540 and sport plus makes it go beast mode. I never use sport. Just eco on highways, comfort on regular streets, and sport plus going on and off highway, or having to change lanes.

Also make sure to have soft suspension settings for the best launches.

A vast majority of time it’s in comfort since I’m daily driving to work and back. I’m in traffic so there’s no sense in putting it to the floor to slam my brakes 10 feet later.

Now, if I see an opening, I’ll click it up into sports plus so I can take advantage of it. Or I’ll use it on on ramps.

Comfort for warm up, sport+ until a quarter of a tank.

Comfort most of the time until I hit the backroads.

Right. I’m wasting gas, tires, my patience. Only to have granny in a Buick pull up next to me that was literally behind me.

Just not worth it. I find looking ahead and making smart lane choices gets me there faster.

Individual mode for me

Comfort mode always until all temperatures are up to normal operation, then Sport+ and never look back.

I use Eco mode when I want the extra range or if I'm on the highway, interstate.

I rarely use Eco +, it doesn't match my driving style.

Comfort is full power to all things all the time. Eco mode limits some of the power from the motor, you can also set the max speed it will allow you to go. Mine is set at 70. That is what I am in on the highway most of the time. Eco Pro + is limited to 56, and removes all climate control unless you turn it back on. Its designed to save as much power for distance as possible without providing any to other functions.

Yes when driving on the freeway, put it into eco Pro mode and put the cruise control on. There is no point to drive in comfort mode on the freeway while using cruise. You will get better range and will effect nothing

The modes just make the accelerator pedal “softer”, which makes it easier to be gentle, adds a soft speed limiter and turns down or turns off accessories.

Frankly it’s nothing you can’t do yourself by being gentle with the pedal and turning down the aircon, but the modes do make it easier to drive economically.

Given where you are at this time of year on a long trip I’d guess you aren’t using much heat/aircon and have the cruise control on so the different modes won’t make much difference.

To get more range on a long trip just drive slower; once you get above 60mph economy drops off and at 80+ it’s pretty terrible. But if you’re going to charge along the way anyway just drive as fast as you like, the time you lose from extra charging is less than the time you gain by driving faster.

There's a section in the manual that breaks down the exact differences between the drive modes. Off the top of my head (speaking as a 6MT turbo 4 owner, IDK about how modes affect the PDK or the 4.0 specifically):

• Normal: softest engine mounts, no rev matching (6MT), thermostat closed (results in higher engine oil temp), moderately progressive throttle pedal.
• Sport: medium engine mount firmness, rev match enabled, thermostat open (lowers engine oil temp), very progressive throttle pedal (makes it much touchier), backfire enabled, auto S/S disabled, engine attempts to hold boost.
• Sport+: stiffest engine mounts, rev match enabled, thermostat open, linear throttle pedal (least touchy throttle), no backfire, auto S/S disabled, engine attempts to hold boost, suspension stiffened (PASM).

Traction control is adjusted independently of the drive mode via the PSM button.

I don’t know. What car do you have? Options? LOL. All the good ones are paid. Dynamic engine/transmission mounts. Suspension. LSD slip angle…  

Normal. I put it into sport when I feel like hearing the downshift rev, then I turn into a wannabe teen.

Never ever normal in my 8yrs of ownership. Mostly Sport, sometimes Sport+.

Normal until engine is warm. So short everyday trips in stop start traffic. Once it’s warm sport and sports + in manual mode for spirited drives. I can’t use sports+ on the track however as the db is too high and in Germany they then kick you off 😒

Sport after the oil temp hits 190°F.

Normal. Sport+ if I want to giggle like a child at the lift off crackles.

You can with Bimmercode. You'll need a Bluetooth OBD2 scanner (great to have regardless) and you'll need to buy the bimmercode app. You can do a lot of good stuff with it, well worth.

The BimmerCode app will charge you $39 to actually code the car fyi

Thanks all for the comments - is it possible to just take to dealer to have them change? Would rather put the onus on them…not to mention does coding void warranty? My car is only a few days old😄

You can code that.

I believe if you put it in sport mode it will start charging the battery.

If I am not mistaken, in the long run you are more efficient if you leave it in auto Edrive as long as your destination is programmed in the navigation system, it calculates the best mode automatically