[BMW012]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I fully appreciate some drivers are totally happy with the passive 704 M-sport suspension. Plus, most of us are conditioned to expect a firmer ride, if we have good handling and body control. It's different with DHP, more refined.

The G30 530d I tried with 704, was pretty good for a passive system, a good compromise. But there are negatives, it did fidget on poor surfaces. Getting back in my wagon, easy to see how Adaptive Drive (DHP) is more refined, improves the ride quality, while also improving the handling. Adaptive damping obviously gives the base options for comfort - sport, but for me, the active roll bars are the part that sets it apart. The body control is at another level, without the compromises of over stiff passive roll/sway bars.

I tested the F10 sedan with Adaptive Drive, it convinced me that's what I wanted in a wagon. In a wagon with rear air and self-levelling suspension, plus Adaptive Drive, makes for a superb package.

Do you know if the DHP is the same on sedans and wagons? I know for the MB E Class wagons the air suspension operated somewhat differently due to difference in the nature of vehicles.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by BMW012

Do you know if the DHP is the same on sedans and wagons? I know for the MB E Class wagons the air suspension operated somewhat differently due to difference in the nature of vehicles.

As far as I'm aware the two are very similar, regarding adaptive damping and active roll control.

Having compared the F10 and F11, both with DHP, when getting to know the suspensions, where I'd say there is a difference, is when running the F11 with a light payload. Being air springs at the rear, and self-levelling, there is obviously a variable rate to the air springs. (Pumped up more with more load). This translates to a more compliant feel to the rear at light loads. One of my complaints with metal springs, the rear can be too high a spring rate for just a driver (and front passenger), fine when loaded.

For me the wagon with DHP, is the best of all worlds. Even the 10mm ride height difference, is useful on my roads, some of the single-track roads I drive in the Scottish Highlands are not suited to low vehicles.

[berninam550]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Hey Everyone,

Looking for some real world feedback on DHP in the 540. I know it removes the sport suspension and rides slightly higher.

Who's got it and is it worth it?

Does anyone have it and wish they didn't?

Most of the prior threads are pretty dated on this topic.

Thanks!

I have an M550 makes a night and day difference. I test drove it without it and it felt hard in the corners.

I ordered my car with it blind folded 7 months back, as soon as I drove it off the lot I knew I made the right decision. It increases the ease of handling and makes cornering, turning and switching lanes effortless, like cutting through butter!

Knowing what I know now, I would have never even purchased the vehicle if it didn't have the option available.

[Mattl0806]

@Gautam
HighlandPete

Thank you so much. This is great feedback and puts my mind at ease while waiting for this car.

[Mattl0806]

So I've got an option to basically get a black on black wheel 540 m sport with every option except for:
DHP, ceramic controls, rear heated seats and sensatec dash. Msrp around 78k

My build has all these other options msrp ~83k. build is locked in and should be 12-14 weeks…

The wrinkle - my 2020 x3 m sport lease is up in august. I am being offered to get out of it for no charge if I take a deal now. I have a very negative view on used cars over the next few months with interest rates so high…

The deal now is 5% of msrp. The build is 8.25% off msrp. What this means is the 78k now is 18 MORE a month than the 83k will be in March when it arrives.

This is effectively putting a price on my x3 depreciation over the next 3 months. While getting me a car now with at least every one of my essential options. Car now gets me remote start before things start to get really cold around here . I'm so impatient…

What would you do?

[AF]

I had a 540 msport with the adaptive dampers which eliminates the 704 suspension and gives you the standard suspension and now have an M550 with the DHP. (Further background I had a previous Gen 550 also with DHP)

The ride height never made a difference to me on the 540 but I will tell you the day I went from my 540 to the M550 I noticed the difference immediately. The DHP is so much smoother and when it corners it is so much flatter plus I love the ability to go into sport mode and everything tightens up.

I cannot stress enough how much better I like the DHP.


I did test drive a 540 with the 704 suspension and liked that as well but not as much as the DHP.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by AF

I had a 540 msport with the adaptive dampers which eliminates the 704 suspension and gives you the standard suspension and now have an M550 with the DHP. (Further background I had a previous Gen 550 also with DHP)

The ride height never made a difference to me on the 540 but I will tell you the day I went from my 540 to the M550 I noticed the difference immediately. The DHP is so much smoother and when it corners it is so much flatter plus I love the ability to go into sport mode and everything tightens up.

I cannot stress enough how much better I like the DHP.


I did test drive a 540 with the 704 suspension and liked that as well but not as much as the DHP.

Thanks for this.

So the 550 DHP also comes with integral active steering (rear wheel steering) which the 540 DHP package does not. Do you think this also added to your experience switching from a 540 with just adaptive dampers to the full DHP package on the 550?

[Gautam]

I’m wondering if you can’t test drive these variants and see for yourself… perhaps my perspective is skewed, but I’ve shopped for BMW’s in multiple cities both on the east and west coasts and was nearly always able to find examples of the features I was interested in. Especially in nyc’s boroughs & nj…f30’s practically grew on trees there.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Gautam

I’m wondering if you can’t test drive these variants and see for yourself… perhaps my perspective is skewed, but I’ve shopped for BMW’s in multiple cities both on the east and west coasts and was nearly always able to find examples of the features I was interested in. Especially in nyc’s boroughs & nj…f30’s practically grew on trees there.

I think times have changed a bit and this easier said than done. Although I hope I am wrong as I would do what you suggest if it was so easy.

Using cars.com - this probably not the golden source of inventory, but a total of 8 cars returned on search using unlimited distance and "dynamic handling" for a 540. This is across new and pre owned. Nearest one is many hundreds of miles away.. Zippo, 0, zilch return if I use "DHP" as the search.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

I think times have changed a bit and this easier said than done. Although I hope I am wrong as I would do what you suggest if it was so easy.

Using cars.com - this probably not the golden source of inventory, but a total of 8 cars returned on search using unlimited distance and "dynamic handling" for a 540. This is across new and pre owned. Nearest one is many hundreds of miles away.. Zippo, 0, zilch return if I use "DHP" as the search.

Dhp admittedly is one of the rarest options and was challenging to find when I was shopping for mine in 2020-2021. I ended up finding one at a local European used car dealership to test drive. It’s not as simple as putting in as a search term on any website. Bmwusa.com lists every feature (Though unfortunately you can’t filter on many of them)…I would start there looking at ones nearby. Though it restricts you to bmw dealerships (which you don’t care about for a test drive) For searching on cars.com, I’d put every one I was interested in through a vin decoder- tedious but the only way to know what’s optioned for certain.

[Tk718]

I had the same dilemma between the 540 with or without dhp and after much research , the m550i with its base suspension which includes adaptive option made more sense. Lightly optioned was almost the same price, 550 has few options standard which are not in 540. This is my second m550 and tested it on the worst nyc potholes , 19in tires are great. I thought the cold start would wake up neighbors but it's much much quieter than my neighbors Hemi which he starts at 5am.

[RonronEG]

Love my 540 w/DHP, can absolutely feel the difference in the modes in daily driving and how flat the car is through traffic circles and freeway ramps. Some days that 10mm does stick out but rarely does it bother me.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Tk718

I had the same dilemma between the 540 with or without dhp and after much research , the m550i with its base suspension which includes adaptive option made more sense. Lightly optioned was almost the same price, 550 has few options standard which are not in 540. This is my second m550 and tested it on the worst nyc potholes , 19in tires are great. I thought the cold start would wake up neighbors but it's much much quieter than my neighbors Hemi which he starts at 5am.

Makes me a bit sad to read this bc 99% of me knows the 550 would be okay and would rather go that way . But, 1) it only matters if a certain someone believes it will "definitely" wake them when she hears it 2) if it does wake up my kids…yikes ..

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Gautam

Dhp admittedly is one of the rarest options and was challenging to find when I was shopping for mine in 2020-2021. I ended up finding one at a local European used car dealership to test drive. It’s not as simple as putting in as a search term on any website. Bmwusa.com lists every feature (Though unfortunately you can’t filter on many of them)…I would start there looking at ones nearby. Though it restricts you to bmw dealerships (which you don’t care about for a test drive) For searching on cars.com, I’d put every one I was interested in through a vin decoder- tedious but the only way to know what’s optioned for certain.

Thanks!!
I went on bmw and there is one dealer that has one closer by. I doubt I'll drive there still but I might be able to find a few more and see if anyone wants to make a deal earlier than my build!

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by RonronEG

Love my 540 w/DHP, can absolutely feel the difference in the modes in daily driving and how flat the car is through traffic circles and freeway ramps. Some days that 10mm does stick out but rarely does it bother me.

I think I will be of this exact mindset, especially given my bad back, it's better to get the more comfortable ride, while not sacrificing too much looks and as a bonus better handling.

[Greywall]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Thanks!!
I went on bmw and there is one dealer that has one closer by. I doubt I'll drive there still but I might be able to find a few more and see if anyone wants to make a deal earlier than my build!

If you go on a site like Autotrader and filter on new, it would show you the inventory at all the dealers that have them. This way you don't have to go check at each dealer's website separately. And if you must have a specific option, they have search filters you could use that will find all the ones with the option you're looking for.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Greywall

If you go on a site like Autotrader and filter on new, it would show you the inventory at all the dealers that have them. This way you don't have to go check at each dealer's website separately. And if you must have a specific option, they have search filters you could use that will find all the ones with the option you're looking for.

Will give that a shot. Thanks!

[SoCal540]

I have a 2019 540 xdrive with DHP. This isn't my 1st 5 series with DHP. I had a 2015 535 xdrive with it too so I'm relatively familiar with it compared to the 704. I've driven several 540's with the 704 suspension and while it's a very good passive system I found it harsh at times and jittery. I should specify the roads near me are in terrible condition and in my experience the DHP while an expensive option and a complicated system is an excellent balance. As mentioned the ARS is the real star with extremely flat cornering. I've had passengers comment on the ride and how it corners. I leased the car and then purchased it off the lease about a year ago due to current inflationary conditions, the semi conductor shortage and very low mileage due to covid.

While repairs for the DHP would be expensive once out of warranty I'd be just just as concerned about the cost for any engine, transmission, exhaust, or cooling system related issues. It's par for the course so either purchase an extended warranty if you buy the car or roll the dice. Every time I have a loaner with a standard or sport suspension I immediately notice the difference and miss my car.

I should also add I immediately swapped out the runflats for Michelin non runflat tires. In fact I still have 4x new Continental OEM runflats for sale. I was going to put them back on for lease return so they've been sitting in storage… the combination of quality tires and the DHP is a perfect combination for me especially with the shitty Southern California roads I drive on every day. As far as the 10mm increased wheel gap it's never bothered me at all. I have a neighbor with a Ferrari who has more wheel gap so I figure if he can tolerate it cosmetically so can I. As someone pointed out I also appreciate it since there's slightly more clearance regarding parking curbs and driveway ramps so there's that. I'm sure you would be happy with either suspension so best of luck to you!

[Chappers 71]

My G31 has adaptive suspension, I think it's excellent. You can really notice when changing settings from comfort to sport or sport plus.
Most of the time I waft around in comfort but when it's in sport plus it's a different animal.
Gear changes are fierce, the steering & suspension weights & firms up, it pulls like a train & makes a great noise.
The large wheel gap doesn't bother me aesthetically as mines an estate/wagon & it looks like it should be so. Having said that I'm considering fitting some AC Schnitzer springs but don't won't to ruin the ride for the sake of cosmetics. Also the extra clearance over speed humps is welcome after having had a e92 35i that had a 40mm all round drop for the last 11 years.

[Mattl0806]

@SoCal540
Chappers 71

Thank you for your posts. Your vote of confidence towards the DHP suspensions only added to my impatience and I really went after a deal today.

As a result, I finally secured a vehicle now instead of waiting for my build. Negotiated a great deal on fully loaded 540 with DHP. It's a few hundred miles away and they agreed to ship it up here and take my x3 back to them. It's got everything except rear heated seats, ~83k sticker.

I don't know if I'll never not have a bit of hesitation as it seems a bit silly when you can get an m550 for just a few thousand more and about ~125 / month.

[SoCal540]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

@SoCal540
Chappers 71

Thank you for your posts. Your vote of confidence towards the DHP suspensions only added to my impatience and I really went after a deal today.

As a result, I finally secured a vehicle now instead of waiting for my build. Negotiated a great deal on fully loaded 540 with DHP. It's a few hundred miles away and they agreed to ship it up here and take my x3 back to them. It's got everything except rear heated seats, ~83k sticker.

I don't know if I'll never not have a bit of hesitation as it seems a bit silly when you can get an m550 for just a few thousand more and about ~125 / month.

M550 is a beast but also factor in the $ for gas, a higher insurance premium and most likely a few more speeding tickets along the way… just a thought.

[DNYC1919]

Originally Posted by SoCal540

M550 is a beast but also factor in the $ for gas, a higher insurance premium and most likely a few more speeding tickets along the way… just a thought.

It's so hard for me to control the need for speed. I'm scared to get a 550 or anything faster as I'm worried I would be doing 130 all the time and get tickets or even worse accidents.