the SAT isnt really for faster 0 to 60 time its for when the car is moving. When you need to downshift multiple gears quick... when you want to downshift into a corner... when you want to play in the twisties... its for those that enjoy shifting their cars but dont want a manual or need to compromise and not get a manual.

 

What is wrong with you, did you read my test drive post? there is NO INCREASE IN THROTTLE SENSITIVITY!!...... go test it yourself you will see.

 

This is because in Sport mode it never automatically goes to 6th gear. So what happend was that it changed down to 5th.

Also, I do not agree that there is no change in throttle response. Unless there is a EU vs USA difference (again...) in Sport mode the engine response is much quicker and the sligtlhy spongy feeling in "normal" is totally gone. Also, the steering is slightly sharper.

But, as said before in this thread, the SAT won't make the car faster than the LCI-auto, it just delivers more "sportiness", ie fun. The real difference is between pre-LCI autos and LCI-autos. Not LCI-auto and SAT.

 

Perhaps the effects of SAT are different between diesel/petrol. I know on my 535d, switching to SAT just seems a bit jerkier/revvier, but not quicker. Maybe in the large petrol engines it makes more of a difference.

All I can say is ... for the sake of ?100 (price of the option in the UK), it's a no brainer to choose it. You lose nothing, and without the sport button pushed, there is no difference. For $500 (price of the option in the US as I understand), it makes it slightly, but not much, more trickier. Ultimately though, if you aren't sure, just go to your dealer and ask to try it.

 

1) The rpm increase is because pressing the sport button kicks the transmission down a gear, so in 5th it kicks down to 4th, & in 4th it kicks down to 3rd and so on.
2) It is very easy to check if there is a throttle responce increase...while in DS mode and maintaining a constant throttle pressure, press the sport button....nothing will happen!......the car will not accelerate, the rpm's will not increase, & there will not be a kick down in the gears. I said so in my other post. The steering sharpness only accurs in the LCI 550i Sport with SAT here in the US spec. E60s, the 535i has no such steering sharpness.
3) Only a test can confirm the sameness of the SAT & reg LCI auto, but I suspect you are correct.

 

Phill, with all due respect, your testing methodology and opinions are flawed. For example, in #2 above, you're making an assumption that the car's acceleration will change if the sport button is pressed while holding a constant throttle pressure. This is simply not true. The sport button affects how the throttle responds to pedal movement, not pedal position.

It's like saying hold the steering wheel at a certain angle and then (if it were possible) deactivate active steering and see if the wheels turn any more or less. They wouldn't -- the wheels wouldn't change position at all...

 

Nothing wrong with me Read Russ's post above and he agrees the throttle is more sensitive.

SAT changes the throttle response - FACT (could be just the diesel though?)

 

Rudy, I wondered when you would weigh in on this.....look these cars are all drive by wire, and the throttle position is determination made by the computer based on the pedal position. So lets say (for the sake of argument) in regular mode, 1/4 pedal travel results in 1/4 throttle opening, 1:1 ratio. A true throttle responce change would be like 1:2 ratio
i.e. for the same 1/4 pedal travel you get a 1/2 throttle opening, the way the 'power' button works in the new M3 See here the point is made 2min 8sec into the video.

 

I'm finally weighing in on this because the 'view new posts' bug has been fixed! (I was completely off my game the past few days... )

I'm not going to get into a great debate here -- to me, you're basing your theory(ies) on your assumptions and not necessarily any facts.

Having driven an SMG E60 with a similar sport button (BMW calls it "Dynamic Driving Control" on the SMG cars as well as the SAT cars) for over three years and around 32K miles, I can say for sure that the throttle response on that car was much different when the button was pressed. That said, if I were driving the SMG car at a constant throttle and I toggled the sport button on or off, no difference would be felt. The difference is when you move the throttle pedal. Again, it's not about what percent the throttle is open, it's about how quickly it opens when you move the pedal.

I will admit that the difference in throttle response is not as noticeable on the SAT cars, I still feel a difference. I'm also not ruling out further refinements and/or improvements to this feature with future software updates, just like they did with the 2004 car over time.

Bottom line for me is that the SAT option is well worth the $500 premium because it gives you more options and more ways to enjoy the car. The only way I'd not recommend getting the SAT is if you're the type of person who doesn't like to maximize the fun factor when driving these cars...

 

Yes, the SAT was in the LCI catalogue from the beginning, it was just saying available June onward production. I took it and I do not regret one single second the money have spent. Like you said nobody knew what was about I got a big help by Rudi's review of his new car.