I got it on both of my 550s. I do not feel that the steering is desensitized and I do not feel the intrusion is abrupt. It has a very linear feel in how the ratios are changed. Not very noticable unless you are paying attention to it. No problems at all on the mechnical side of this option. It performs flawlessly.

 

I still maintain AS provides better feedback to the driver than the standard system (and I've owned E60's with and without) but to be honest if road feel is so important to the buyer then some 4000lbs of BMW sedan probably isn't the best starting point anyway. As for the future issues point, that's an argument we could level against the entire car - there's very little in the E60 that isn't at the leading edge for the class and I really don't think AS is any more or any less likely to cause future issues than any other component.

 

All E60's in Aus have AS so can not comment on what an E60 is like without it. But I will say that personally I like it. Sure the steering is a bit light at low speeds but I am not so worried about feel at those speeds and it firms up to a better feel at more crucial higher speeds.

One of the most noticeable points about getting out of the E60 and getting into almost everything else (including my wife Golf Sport) is that it feels like driving a truck i.e. you have to turn the wheel twice as far. One of the things I really love about the E60 is taking roundabouts with just a twitch of the wheel .

 

As usual Cal does not tell us where he lives and what type of driving he will do. YAWN!!!

If you mainly do city driving than I would get it. I have it and love it because I do tons of city driving with tight turns and such at lower speeds. It makes the car really nice to drive. The road disconnection, I laugh at that one every time. The test drive vehicle I drove did not have A/S and I hated the steering. Im not driving this vehicle to get a workout. I want things as smooth and easy as possible especially when taking short trips and weaving in tight traffic.

 

I had AS on previous E60 (04 530), did not order it with present 08 550 and don't miss it at all.

Good luck.

 

+1

Had it on my last one, didn't order it for the new one. Didn't like the way it acted during cornering. You can't be exactly sure how much you are supposed to turn the wheel; allways have to do some correction when you steer in to a corner fast. It's a comfort option not a sport option. Depends on how you like your car to feel.

 

I was not thrilled with the AS on my 2005 545 sport. I love the AS on my 2008 550 sport. They have greatly improved the "feel".

 

I test drove both before I ordered my 550i sport and decided to get it. It was a close call but I decided to get it as I have a friend in Germany who had driven E-60's with AS and he strongly advocated for it. He told me that once I had it and drove with it for awhile, I would not want to not have it.

It turns out he was right. I love the handling and miss it when I get a loaner. It is obviously personal preference but I don't sense a loss of feel for the road and the handling is extremely responsive. They had problems with the AS ini early models that seems to have been corrected with software upgrades. I've never had an issue with mine and will absolutely get it on my next car.

 

Thanks for all the replies.... Sorry jcflys for violating an apparent etiquette matter here: I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, travel a fair amount between eastern and western Washington and Oregon locales, so have both highway and mountain terrain to cover. When "in town" I do commute to Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle -- some of the worst stop n go around.

The dealership close to me does not have a 550i with AS, so I haven't driven one. I did drive a 535i and liked the steering okay under the conditions I was able to create. As many suggested I'll travel to another dealer to drive a 550i. Thanks again guys,

Cal

 

A must have option in my opinion...... You won't want to drive another car without it.