[Tk718]

Hello all, for those who drove the f30 335i xdrive with dhp and 535i xdrive with dhp , how do these compare ? I currently have the 335 xdrive with dhp but could not find any dhp equipped 535i on dealer lots to test drive. Is the handling much worse on the 535 xdrive even with dhp ? Does the car feel much heavier? I test drove standard rwd 535i
msport at the ultimate driving event and that felt better than my car.
Thanks for any feedback.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Tk718

Hello all, for those who drove the f30 335i xdrive with dhp and 535i xdrive with dhp , how do these compare ? I currently have the 335 xdrive with dhp but could not find any dhp equipped 535i on dealer lots to test drive. Is the handling much worse on the 535 xdrive even with dhp ? Does the car feel much heavier? I test drove standard rwd 535i
msport at the ultimate driving event and that felt better than my car.
Thanks for any feedback.

Uh... let me try to answer based on my experience.

535i RWD with Msport (704) suspension or DHP is best handling 5 series in my opinion. Benefit of DHP is that you get additional flexibility, not only in terms of suspension "feel" but throttle and steering response as well. Lots has been written on this forum on DHP, it's truly impressive on these cars.

No DHP or Msport suspension on any model, handling is good, just not quite "as good". If you're after sheer power of course, 550 is the way to go, but you pay penalty in higher gas mileage and slightly heavier front end. xDrive in general will feel (and is) a bit heavier, and I think a bit higher off the ground (might be wrong on that, someone correct me if I am).

Hope that helps.

[Tk718]

The rwd f10 is def the proper bmw feel, however the convenience of xdrive is hard to pass up. My only benchmark is my car , I was given a 535 loaner without dhp and it felt like a boat, definitely turns me off to the f10, then I gave the rwd with 704 susp a chance and that was a different car. If the xdrive dhp f10 is best of both worlds then I would strongly consider that setup.

[chrisny]

Just returned my '13 335xi with DHP and got a '15 550xi with DHP. I didn't do a back to back comparison, but I swear the 550 has less body roll. DHP on the F10 includes Active Roll Stabilization, which the F30 does not. Yes it feels heavier, it is heavier.. But it's flat in the corners and just sort of glides through where the 335 just, goes.. Only way I can think to describe it.. I too had some 535 loaners without DHP and drove them quite a bit on the same roads I first played with the new car over the weekend. It's definitely a lot more floaty and has more body roll without DHP. I wouldn't buy the F10 without it, personally.

[Ben2k9]

before my 550 with DHP I owned a 535 without it. Handling is night and day difference. I would not be able to go back to regular suspension on this vehicle.

[snowmuch]

This may not be related at all, but is the f10 535i xdrive using hydrolic or power steering? I feel that the steering is very numb and can't feel a thing. Is there any way I can fix this issue?

[Pimpsy]

Originally Posted by Ben2k9

before my 550 with DHP I owned a 535 without it. Handling is night and day difference. I would not be able to go back to regular suspension on this vehicle.

Same here, same feeling. Night and day difference. I would not get an F10 without DHP.

[NewM3driver]

Its funny. My first experience with DHP was on my 08 M3, and in that car the different settings made a dramatic difference. On my 535, the change is much less noticeable, and I often find myself wondering why BMW seems to have "dulled" this technology down in the 5 series.

Either way it is a must have on an F10. Further, if handling is what you are after, you want to lose the Xdrive and go RWD.

As an aside, my nephew is entering his senior year in high school and my brother and I were out looking into getting him a new 320i to go back to school with. In rwd with the sport pack and the 8 speed auto that car was a hoot to drive.... tossable, flickable, great turn in. It wasn't fast but it wasn't slow either... exactly what we were looking to accomplish for a new driver. Great safety ratings at a very attractive price. I was very inpressed.