Active Front Steering - Useful ??

[branko]

Ordered a X6, but am still wondering whether to take the Active Front Steering option or not...
(ask this question in the X5 forum, since there are no X6 delivered yet...)

What is your take or your experience with it ?

From the documentation it seems that there are two settings below 120 kmh (75mph) and above, so unless I am driving on the Autobahn in Germany, it won't be very useful...

Is this correct ??

Thanks

 

[Cashmere]

I drove the E60 5 Series with Active steering & Servotronic. It was a bit of a different driving experience as the steering was approx 720 degrees from lock to lock. It definitely took a bit of getting used to. It was a tool that was indeed helpful when it came to parallel parking and moving the car out of tight parking spots but that was about it. I actually prefer the conventional steering wheel and would not recommend you to go for it but hey thats just my opinion. I would highly recommend you request your dealer to allow you to test drive a 5 Series fitted with Active steering to get the feel of it. It will definitely solve the answer to your query.

 

[coolraoul]

You really should testdrive it.
I mainly saw negative comments about that, giving unnatural feeling, and sometimes surprising reactions of the car to a steering order...because you never really know how much it will turn the wheels...

All reviewers said it is better without. However that mainly applied for the 5er, don't really know for the X6, it shouldn't be different I think.

 

[PanterroR]

Yeah, test drive it first. It took me some time to get used to it on my car. The feeling is very different at first, it's much, much lighter. It's serving me well now and i'm satisfied.

Since he's taking much bigger and more massive car, it could be helpful.

 

[Sayyaaf]

Sorry but I disagree with all the above. I say take it blindly, it took me 5 seconds to adapt to the AS and I was driving the new X5. The car filt nimpler and ligher to manuvour. I wouldn't skip such an experience.

 

[PanterroR]

That's exactly why i've said he's getting much bigger and more massive car than mine and it should work fine for him.

 

[warot]

I'm actually a fan. When I worked at BMW, we had to move a whole bunch of cars from one side of the factory to the other. After parking 10 cars, it got tiring. But then I drove one with AS and it was an absolute breeze. In a bigger car like the X6, it would definitely come in handy. Many reviews of the X5 with AS have been positive, in contrast with the 5er

 

[branko]

Many reviews of the X5 with AS have been positive, in contrast with the 5er

I basically got scared based on the comments of a 535d owner, he tested it and decided not to take the option...

So far all X5 drivers out here seem to like the feature, so I'll leave it, in the case after a couple of months I absolutely can not get used to it, I'll post an update...

Thanks a lot for the input, highly appreciated !

 

[chonkoa]

I love the active steering on my 3 series, but left it from the X5 because the wife doesn't like it.
I say it is great, but I will suggest that you test drive one with AS, and one without AS before deciding on it.

 

[siko]

Drove it (3er, 5er)... didn't like it.

It takes away from feedback feeling... so it kinda kills BMW's signature.

 

[PanterroR]

Martin, your dad doesn't have it on his X5...?

 

[siko]

Martin, your dad doesn't have it on his X5...?

Nope... at least i'm 95% sure that no.

 

[Germaniac]

What is your take or your experience with it ?

I learnt to drive on dad's E60 with active steering, and mum's Golf has a similar variable ratio system which I drive now and then.

I wholeheartedly agree that on a smaller car it is unnecessary and kills steering feel; it's unnaturally light and in my mind takes away from the driving experience. Dad enjoys it on the E60 because of the ease of parking and low-speed manoeuvrability but I never enjoyed it for the reasons outlined above.

But for the bigger X6 I'd defintely say go for it as lugging a two-tonne X6 around without it in inner city driving wouldn't be too fun.