I have 545i with sports package. But i was just wondering how people thought of the steering feel (stiffness) on their cars. For me, it seems sort of soft. Perhaps this is due to active steering. I remember driving 2003 3 series, but it had much stiffer steering than my 545i. Although I like the fact that active steering allows me to turn the wheel less on corners and parking, I am not too sure I like this soft feel on the steering wheel. What did u guys think?

 

I have testdriven multiple E60's with and without Active Steering before I ordered mine. I decided not to go for AS since I did not like the "artificial" feel of it. The standard steering is in my opinion wounderful with great feel, feedback and involvement. AS might be great for comfortable cruising and city traffic, where one would like to turn the wheel as little as possible, but in standard active driving I feel that it is a bit "dead". I also thought that the AS was a bit imprecise around the straight ahead. I guess this is all about taste and it feels like it is very important to testdrive E60's with various specs before one actually orders as the specs will cause the cars to feel very different to drive. It's not "one car fits all" anymore!

 

I like the soft active steering in city traffic.
I only have some problems in outside cities traffic.
You all know that active steering changes the steer ratio at 120km/h mark.
So, for example, in close overtakings that requieres braking and steering at the same time and passing the 120km/h mark (from 130km/h to 110km/h) the car steers more than you wuold expect. It happend to me a cuple of times. I guess i should drive less sportier...

 

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>I don't have active steering and the steering feels softer than my E39 530 felt. I for one like that.</span>

 

Active steering takes some getting used to! but i personally feel it takes the feel out of driving

 

don't like the sound of that i am getting the active steering. bummer

 

You got to try it yourself. Some people love it, whereas others don't. Don't let our opinions put you off before you have tried it yourself!

 

i think the active steering is fantastic.

yes there is a bit less road feel, and it feels awfully weird at first at slow speeds

and i didnt like the idea at all, as bmw's already handled great. why mess with a good thing?

boy was wrong. i quickly got used to it, and its invisible to me now. the handling is so much improved, so precise yet easy to drive. i feel so much more in control than my previous bmw. i absolutely love it. its like going from non-powered steering to power steering. i couldn't imagine driving a car with out it now

try it and you'll see

 

I couldn't agree more.... At first I was not going to order it because I really was thinking something like why the hell should I need it/and it will probably mess up the steering wheel, because you no longer know what to expect, but boy was I wrong too!!! A five minute testdrive convinced me of how good it really is, just try it and you will see what I mean!

 

At first the steering felt akward. It tokk soetime to get used to it. Now I don't even pay attention to it. The car feels perfect and handles like its on tracks. The car gors exactly where you point it ot go. I formerly owned an M3 and a 330Ci and this is do far the best BMW has invented. Now the problem is whne I have to drive another car, for instance my wifes 2003 Acura MDX, the trucknow feels it does not have power steering and feels old. The same thing happened twice when I got 2 loaners. I almost crasjed twice thinking the car will react in the way I was used to it. After a while the loaners feel heavy, it needed a lot more effort and leaned a lot on every corner. Both of the loaners had sport packages !! (330I and 325 I). Just test drive it for a couple days (a week if you can ) and you will get SPOILED. No other car will drive the same after this one.