JDN

I have to check every now and then to make sure AS is working. The only way to test is to observe how little the steering wheel turns on cornering at slower speeds as in traffic. It is seamless to me, but I never have tracked this car.

kscarrol

I'll tell you what it is. We have members that drove early 2004 models where they had too much ratio dialed in. It takes some getting used to. I have always liked the AS even with the old ratio. 3 days after deliver in Munich I curbed the car in Florence thanks to the AS. I soon got used to it and it made maneuvering the car in tight Italian French and Spanish streets and parking lots very easy. AS is not that noticeable with the post CIP 13 software adjustment. I think its got a bad rap because of the early ratio. I also think that twitchiness in wind etc is being blamed on AS when in fact it could very well be the tires.
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Bingo! We have a winner! Indeed my test drive was in December 2003 and the feel of the AS was just not right. Yes, it was helpful in low speed turning situations, minimizing the need for the driver to turn the wheel, but highway speeds, I just didn't like the feel of it. I'm sure it has been much improved, as others have noted by more recent software updates. Kind of late for me though. Maybe in 10 years when I'm ready for a new car I'll give it another try...

UUronL

As a general rule, I'm not convinced it's smart to train yourself to drive in such a fundamentally different manner - something AS most certainly does. Just as it's a danger to jump from a sports car into an SUV and throw it into a turn, I'd imagine the first few minutes after getting into a non-AS car are going to be "interesting".

Car and Driver had this to say about Active Steering in their recent 3-Series test

"...feels more intuitive in this car than it does in the 5 and has the advantage of providing a small amount of automatic opposite lock when the electronics detect that the car is oversteering. That said, we are still not entirely convinced it is better to drive than the regular linear power steering we tried in a Euro-spec 320d diesel."


I'd bet the software changes since their initial 530i Sport test might close or eliminate the perceived gap between 5 and 3, but it's interesting to note their thoughts comparing what they perceive to be the 3's better AS system against its traditional counterpart.