[ezmaass]

My last BMW before my 550xi was an e90 335i with sport suspension.

I can honestly say I don't miss it one bit. While it was a decent car (still not as nice as my e46, but that's another story), the sport suspension was just too much in many circumstances.

Had I gotten the 550i rather than 550xi, I still would have opted for DHP. It's just THAT good. The Sport/Sport+ setting will give you PLENTY of stiffness for some fun. I've driven the car pretty hard through windy back-roads in this mode, and it holds its own... especially with the xDrive.

It may be that I'm in my mid-30's now and not 20's anymore, but I'm over the RWD + hard suspension setup for my DD. The 5-series isn't a 3-series. It's designed to provide some amount of luxury and comfort that you won't get in a 3-series. And while I still like a sporting ride, I prefer to be able to turn it on and off via DHP. And it works like a charm.

If I'm heading into a city with crappy roads (like NYC) or cobblestone (like many areas of Boston), I'll flip it to Comfort+ and things get much nicer. A nice smooth, winding parkway or well maintained country road? Sport. It's just much more versatile.

The DHP is also more than the dynamic dampers. It includes Active Roll Stabilization (ARS) that actively counters cornering forces to keep the car flat in a corner. For a big sedan like the 5, this is actually a nice feature. You can drive in a more comfortable mode (damper-wise) while still getting the body control in corners you'd expect from a firmer setting.

My R8 also has its DHP equivalent - called Magnetic Ride. Granted, the R8 only has two settings - "normal" and "sport" or put another way, "hard" and "giggle your eyeballs loose hard." But one mode works well on the street and the other for the track. So much more versatile than just putting a passive suspension on the car that tends to be a compromise in order to serve multiple situations.

Long story short, it's an expensive option, but it's well worth it. It's one of my favorite options in the 5... and you'll be so glad you have it when you need it.