active steering worth it?
 

my current 08 X5 doesn't have active steering... it doesn't adjust automatically and provides the same feel regardless if i am in a parking lot or on the highway... I have no problems with it at all...

i am, on the other hand, considering this option in my next purchase...

is this worth it? does it really make a difference on slow and higher speeds?

has anyone experienced technical problems with this option?

my concerns are in reliablity especially at highway speeds..

comments???:dunno:

Active steering is a must have, especially here in Europe where we have small streets in town and high speed freeway (in Germany and Italy).

I have it on my '08, and even it tooks me some days to be confortable with it (strange feeling during the first days), now I can't considering not having it.

At low speed in town, it's really easier for parking, and for sharp turns because of the low effort you have to apply to the steering weel and the high demultiplication coefficient.

At hight speed (140 to 200 km/h), the feeling is excellent with a good direction consistence and it's even safer with a strong lateral wind because of the direction wich make automatically some minor corrections to keep the ride straight !

In the U.S., it's not available on the diesel. At least it wasn't for 2009...

Craig

I sure love it on all the cars I work on with it. Yesterday I worked on an 08 550i sport with active steering, ARS suspension etc.... amazing machine to drive.

Test drive one with and one without and do both local streets and highway driving. I personally did not like the feel of it.

Some say that it makes the steering feel numb. I'm personally not a fan because I don't like the idea of having another link that will break... Its a personal choice. try it out!

Yeah, the only way to know is to try it out yourself. I've tried both and definitely do not like it. It does make steering lighter and faster when parking, but frankly I've never noticed the steering effort to be particularly high while parking, and neither does my 105 lb 5' 1" girlfriend.

I have it and like it. It helps in parking and slow speed manuevering. However, I do think there is a slight trade-off in steering feel at road speeds. Just depends on your preference. As others have said, try it out (although, in my experience, it's not a real popular option and often hard to find one with it on the lot).

Also, as Craig said, it's not available on the diesel model for some reason.

Not available on the '10 3.5d either.

I think this is a very subjective option. Most either love it or hate it. I had it on my '05 545i and hated it (part of the reason I sold it after only 9 months and took a royal depreciation beating). Makes the steering wheel feel like a buick (no road feel and I found it more difficult to control steering accuracy because the ratio was too fast). I fell for it again after reading a X5 review that said it was a "must have" option and being assured by the dealer that it is MUCH improved. BS. My '08 4.8i steering effort is too light (less so at higher speed because the variable ratio decreases at higher speeds), but below 40mph I can tell a difference and feel as though I have lost a bit of control. My wife's '10 3.5d doesnt have it and I like the wheel feedback much better than my '08 4.8i with 214's.