Drive in D or B?

[Joe from NY]

What is everyone’s preferred drive setting, D or B? To me it seems like the system is working against itself when I am just feathering the gas pedal, like it is using power to move, yet robbing power to regenerate.

Also, everytime you release the pedal, the guy behind you thinks you are brake checking him.

What do most brothers here feel is a better driving experience?

[BMW5and7]

Options are great; I think BMW has nailed it with the available options (more on that below).

I love driving in the B mode; truly one pedal driving. Switching it to D is the equivalent of ICE, so you have that option too. For B mode, you just need to be okay with the concept of one pedal driving. I was used to it from my previous 5-series PHEV, and I also had a Tesla, so the muscle memory was already developed to some degree.

You can also fine tune it to somewhere in between B and D. Set the car to D, go to settings and you will find FOUR (last I checked) other drive modes:
1. Dynamic regen... the car decides when to do regen braking for you based on conditions around, curves and cars in front of you. It's actually awesome, like AI regen.
2. Low regen (maybe no regen at all too, I don't recall)
3. Medium regen
4. Max/high regen.

So technically you have D, B, and the customized D drive mode broken down to 4 other levels/options. I think there is room for almost all possibilities and preferences there if you setup the car drive mode to your preferences. The four modes above for the regen level will also become the default each time your drive the car.

One reason why am fine with B as my preferred mode by the way, is that 99% of the time I have the drive-assist activated, so the car does all the work for me even in town. The only difference is on a weekend when I truly feel like driving the car spiritually. That's where B mode shines for me. I never cared much about D and the 4 different regen modes.

[BM8888]

I normally drive in B. Works out really great, as I've gotten used to releasing the pedal just enough and at the right time for it to break slowly where needed, and early enough for it to stop at the red light or cars in front. Never had a case where it would be a break check for cars behind me (obviously except those that drive really closely behind lol)

[F5506m]

I have bee driving in D - Adaptive for for over 10 months and recently started using B Mode. I think in D mode it still uses the brakes and not full regen.

[pcgeek]

D mode will use regen up to the max and then blend in the brakes if you use harder braking force than regen can supply.

D-Adaptive feels the most natural to me and the smoothest for passengers (coming out of a Taycan, it's almost identical to the adaptive regen in the Porsche).

[F5506m]

Originally Posted by pcgeek

D mode will use regen up to the max and then blend in the brakes if you use harder braking force than regen can supply.

D-Adaptive feels the most natural to me and the smoothest for passengers (coming out of a Taycan, it's almost identical to the adaptive regen in the Porsche).

That was my understanding but the brake dust on the wheels tells a different story. I think the system uses the brakes to slow down from 1-2 mph and does not use Re-Gen in D-Adaptive to fully stop the car. That would explain the extra brake dust on the wheels and the one annoyance of the system that car will not come to a complete stop if it detects a vehicle stopped ahead of the car. It will slow down to about 1-2 mph; but will not come to a complete stop. The Re-Gen is strong enough to stop the car as it can when driving in B and you take your foot of the gas. In D-Adaptive it will not bring the car to a stop until you press the brakes. It will use Re-Gen only to slow the car down.

[A-Train]

B-mode max-regen essentially all the time except when entering / exiting a steep slope or tight parking space; then to D-mode.

[DroMike]

Ironically, for the first year after buying my i7 (back in Nov ’23), I drove mostly in Drive mode. But over the past year, I’ve completely embraced Regenerative Braking. Using it to recapture energy is remarkably efficient -- and it significantly reduces brake wear since the car slows using the motor’s magnetic resistance rather than the pads. Magic! It also feels smoother, more controlled, and possibly even safer. Plus, there’s something genuinely satisfying and admittedly FUN about the way it all works.

Also uh, my last name is "Bresso," so maybe the natural universe made me spiritually obligated to go with the "B!"

[pcgeek]

D mode also uses regen for deceleration when you press the brake pedal. There is a gauge on the display that shows how much of the regen capacity you are using and as long as you don't stop harder than regen can handle, it won't use the brakes until the very last bit (and to hold the vehicle).

If you enjoy 1-pedal driving then B is the right mode but efficiency is no different between them. Arguably, D is actually more efficient when you coast which is Porsche's argument for why they don't offer a 1-pedal mode.

The brakes in both modes will likely never need replacing (100k+ miles).

[jha96]

I'm used to Tesla so I drive in B (I had an i7 loaner car for a month)