I hear you on all points. I was first introduced to the world of coding, and all of its "intricacies" when I got my F80 M3 almost 3.5 years ago now. I started with E-sys back then, and made the transition to BimmerCode once it came out. My experience and learning with E-sys made using Expert Mode in BimmerCode a lot easier - so I use BimmerCode 99% of the time now for coding, including using Expert Mode. I haven't even updated my E-sys setup to work with the X7 and probably won't.
Before I got my X7, I had a G05 X5 40i loaner for a few days that had Sport Plus from the factory (apparently a rare option/configuration on the X5). Setting the Sport Individual drive functions (Sport Plus for Engine and Sport for Transmission combination specifically) really "woke up" the X5 and made it a real pleasure to drive. I was disappointed to learn that the X7 with M-Sport package did not have the same option even though the X5 40i and X7 40i share the same engine and transmission combo.
As long as you know what parameters need to be changed in different ECUs for certain functions (from a trusted and competent source of course), I would feel confident making the changes in BimmerCode and not necessarily waiting. I learned that the BMW coding community is quite large and generous (as seen in this thread) and will only get better with time, specifically for iDrive 7/G-Series vehicles.
Now if I can only figure out how to get the Drive Mode displayed when using the M-Display in the cluster, I know it must be out there.....
