The difference between sport and sport+ is the activation of DTC (dynamic traction control) which is basically a reduction of traction control. Sport+ allows you to get more wheel slippage (by limiting traction control) and not reducing engine throttle, too if the wheels begin to slip. This is the reason I DON”T use sport+ when driving in traffic…especially in wet conditions.
And I find driving in SPORT MODE when on a long interstate/divided highway journey annoying since the RPM is high since the tranny usually doesn’t go into 8th gear. Like other’s mentioned…when on long highway trips…where you’re going at a constant speed with little braking…this is when the comfort, comfort+…and God forbid..even Eco Pro can be useful.
I never use eco pro…kinda really don’t like it…but I did find it useful in July 2020 on a 600 mile trip in 90°F-100°F temps. The AC was doing its thing…but after actuating to it…after a couple of hours I was too cold. So instead of multiple HVAC temp adjustments…I remembered that eco pro mode will reduce the AC…and it did. If I did need to pass or accelerate…it was simple just to move the gear shift lever over into the M/S gate to regain the sport mode transmission shift pattern….then with a quick flip….go back to eco pro or comfort/comfort+.
The chart below shows how the engine, transmission, throttle and traction control all reacts depending on what driving experience mode and gear selected as well as gear shift M/S gate selected. Unfortunate COMFORT+ isn’t listed since the 3/4 series didn’t come programmed that way from the factory…but the data pretty much carries over to other BMW models: