DRIVER

Does active steering make your driving experience better or does it worsen the ridw and feel of the car?????????????

Peter530i

Active steering is likefor comfi limo ride not really like BMW's sporty nature.
Not that I consider one, but definitely it is not a high performance or racing stuff because it is simply an piece of electronic, hydraculics controlled by software. Therefore the direct feeling between the wheels and the steering-driver is gone so one can't feel what the car is doing on the road.

Again, it is very "cool" and comfortable feature but definitely not sporty one. If it would be so cool why racing car do not have this...............?
Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo....none of them has it....

And now guys with this feature on their car will punish me hard here for saying that

kryptokat

If you plan to race your car on the track don't get active steering. If you plan to race it everyday on regular streets with other cars that try to provoke a race get active steering as you will be weaving through traffic with little effort and leave the non active steering cars in the dust. Unless ofcourse if the driver in the non active steering car is a professional race car driver then thats a different story.

I absolutely loved active steering from the day I test drove the car.

You will get used it so much you have to be careful when driving non active steering cars as you will frequently understeer.

The only situation I can see why you wouldn't want active steering is when you are slowing down in a deep curve like the Highway exit curves I am not sure how active steering is programmed to act. In my experience as you slow down the ratio changes and thus your steering input will have to increase. Not a problem unless you fly through exit curves at 100 mph, because there is more than enough time, feedback from the car and the road and most importantly from you visual cortex to see that you need to steer more.

(((the reason this forum is the best in the world is because everyone here expresses opinions without insulting others. Lets keep it that way please)))

BetterMakeWay

I fully agree! Took the word right from my mouth...
krytopkat i don't quite agree with your statement! Yeah maybe using AS would make a bit easyer turning the car into turns, especially tight turns...but where is the feeling! It feels slugish and electronic! And it can't possibly make that much of a difference on streets! On streets with traffic all that matters is the driver (intuition, reflexes ...) and the sheer set-up with the car (power and feed-back)...chapter (feed-back) in wich AS lacks...read all the test drives.
AS is just for comfort. Period.
At least that's my opinion!

kryptokat

It feels slugish and electronic!
AS is just for comfort. Period.
At least that's my opinion!
[/quote]

I see your point but between active steering and drive by wire throttle I would get rid of the Drive By wire throttle.

Talk about sluggish behaviour thats where the problem is with the e60.

Hpdrifter

Had to bring my car in for service the other day and I got a loaner. It was another 530i but it was the stripped down cheap version. (No sense wasting options and money on the loaner I guess) It didn't have Active Steering. Uggg! What a pig it felt like! It felt like the car weighed another 2000 lbs. Parking it felt awkward. Pulling into garage (sharp turn to get it in) was not pleasant. I sat there wondering why would anyone not get the active steering as an option? Now I see why..... some guys need to reassure themselves of their macho-ness by muscling around the wheel! (Why else would you say only women would want this?) As far as racing goes if your "racing" a 525 or a 530 on the track you really need to check your manliness. The 530i is a nice car. I own one. It's fun to drive on the street. You can even have some fun on the off ramps and in some of the "twisties and back road curves" but you are seriously delusioned if you think your "racing" with that car! IT doesn't have the speed or quickness you need to "race" (Take the from someone who has "raced" performance sports cars at the track and on the street! I Love my driving experience in my 530i. Takes the dullness out of the drive home. But in no way am I "confused" into thinking I'm "racing" this car when I drive it hard. Therefore, I'm going to continue to enjoy my Active steering as it certainly enhances the driving experience on a daily basis! As for my manliness, You can see me at the Gym or at the rink ( ice hockey player) and we can talk about toughness! lol

BetterMakeWay

All i can say is that if you want to race a car you really can. Almost any car...of course racing an s2000 would not compare with racing a sl 65 amg or smth or a volvo s60r! It just depends what u drive. And almost all of us on this forum are normal people not race drivers. Of course when we or some of us drive quite hard we feel like racing...because we are normal, the normal behavior of our nature behind the wheel isn't racing in the full term. And what you said about AS underlines the fac that's just a confort option. Not a sportiness (FOR NORMAL DRIVERS) option. Where u see a BMW without AS feels like a pig when u try to park it, i see in it a more direct feel steering, where u can sense the front tires, the bumps and every tendancy that the tires have. Mybe for a rece driver it would seem ordinary but for me it seems more sporty.
Don't forget that the question of this topic is: "Does active steering make your driving experience better or does it worsen the ridw and feel of the car?????????????"
Of course it makes it better at confort chapter (way better). But the ride becomes a bit artificial and u can't feel the car as u felt without as because of the mini delay of the electronic features. Anyway that's what i've read in all test drives regarding AS in E60. Don't worry about the macho muscle part: when u'll loose time at the gym, i'd be "racing" my e60 without AS (the same thing). kiddin...

pharding

Active steering is awesome. I highly recommend it. the current iterations of the software have it dialed into oerfection.

colejl

That would be true if it was 'hydraulics controlled by software' - but it isn't! You still have mechanical connection from the steering wheel to the tyres. The gearing is varied using planetary gears. Of course you should try both and buy what works for you. It takes a bit of getting used too but once you have then you won't want to go back! 'Normal' steering just isn't the same!

That's because BMW are not currently letting anyone else use the technology. There was talk of them allowing other companies to license it in the future...

You asked for it...

Bimmer06530i

I am especially touched by your comments.

I didn't know till today that my 530i was cheap, stripped down version because I did not have Active Steering. I also didn't know that I didn't buy AS because I needed to reassure myself of my macho-ness by muscling around the wheel!

Please don't hold back. Why don't you let know what a bunch of a**holes everyone who doesn?t own a 545 or a 530 or a 525 with the sport package with AS on this board is driving an inferior vehicle.

I also don't have nav. Got a problem with that?