[Joke]

Hi,

have to order my car now - but: still not sure about active-steering. I had not driven it yet, so i´m wondering if AS also gives you the superb feeling for the car as the normal steering does. Is there much steering support? I like the "steering haviness" of the standard one??

some opinions are appreciated

thx

[FlyingFinn]

I test drove the 325i with active steering and didn't like it. I also like better the feeling of the standard one but the difference is not very big anyway. When driving on slippery surfaces the active steering "helps" the driver by doing small counter steering in case of drifting. I just don't like this feature. I want to drive my car by myself. On my opinion it is not worth the money (2 080 € in Finland) but hey, it is just me.

[axie]

I have AS on my 325, and while I quite like it (makes light work of town traffic, parking, etc) I wouldn't specify or pay for it - it just happened to be fitted to the dealer demo I bought. I'm not really sure why BMW developed it - it doesn't seem to add much to the car.

a.

[jimf15e]

I agree with the above posts. I had no choice but to get AS since my timeline wouldn't allow us to special order a car. The ONLY car my dealer could find with our desired color/option combinations also had AS. Having driven both, I would say you can tell it is there but offers very little, either postively or negatively. I'd rather have saved the money then worry about possible future headaches but at least I got everything else I wanted. Some notes:

-It's nice to have the extra boost/tighter ratio when moving at parking type speeds
-You can notice a little of the tendency to keep a more "straight" line at interstate speeds
-I've read and heard about "wind corrections," but can't speak honestly about that
-It actually seems to follow your turn inputs at interstate speeds
-Around town, maybe a little less sensitive and less road feel than the non-AS I test drove for a while, but my wife likes it and she is the current primary driver during the week

Overall, if you have a choice I'd recommend saving the $.

[RGB]

Joke: I hope this thread will help you,

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9911

It seems that Active Steering owners realize how much it is helping them in their day to day driving when they have to drive a non-AS car.

[paullo]

I have to agree with nearly everything written so far - it's nice to have, but is it worth the extra cost...!?! Our car was outfitted with Active Steering; and if we hadn't taken it, we'd still be waiting for an e90. I did notice a sizeable difference in driving characteristics between our e90 and the loaner e46 (without AS) we had while our car was in for software updates recently. Especially around town at lower speeds. It makes quick work of parallel parking for one.

I'm happy with it, and that's about all that matters to me

[34Three]

I have 330i with normal steering and I think its AWESOME!!

This seems like a bizarre option that adds very little to sport sedan driving and would be another complicated set of components to malfunction down the road in 6 yrs.

I think you'll be hard pressed to recoup much of that $2k option at resale.

[bimmer4me]

Active Steering
* Cost = $1200
* Benefit = you turn the steering wheel a little less in certain situations

Doesn't meet the cost/benefit threshold for me.

[Joke]

Many thanks my friends,

after driving a 330d with AS yeterday and your helpful comments i decided to go with standard steering for my 330d. Gives me a better feeling for the car and has got the strengt i love at BMW´s.

[Audica4]

I also like better the feeling of the standard one. AS costs a lot and is not as good as you may expect! For me the choice was easy.

[england1987]

Its a case of personal preference. you should test drive both around town, and see which feels best. AS is supposed to be better for quicker responces. However, people are complaining that it does give the best feed back.

[ed328ci]

Originally Posted by bimmer4me

Active Steering
* Cost = $1200
* Benefit = you turn the steering wheel a little less in certain situations

Doesn't meet the cost/benefit threshold for me.

Or keep the $1,200 and buy a new LCD TV (or toy of your choice).
Active Steering doesn't pass value test.

Ed

[Black325i]

Value is an individual thing.

Example for some Sports package passes the value test, for some it does not. The above Cost Benefit is a bit naive...its like saying for the 330

Cost = $8000
Benefit = 0-60 in about a second faster. You can count a lot of money in that second

[Laplacian]

I have test driven active steering on the 330 and 5 series, and also the standard steering. I absolutely loved driving the cars with the active steering. They added that much more responsiveness to the handling and made the car more fun to drive. This is my opinion, of course. But I loved it so much I ordered it on mine. You have to try this yourself and try not to be influenced by what other people say. I have a feeling that some people are just bad-mouthing the AS because they heard some professional driver or seasoned M5 veteran do the same. I think that this is a feature that will be incorporated into most cars in the future. A variable steering ratio just makes sense.

By the way, you don't have to get used to driving it at all--I didn't even think about turning the wheel more/less. You just notice how responsive the freakin' thing is! But this is a "must try yourself" option. It ended up costing me only a little more than $1k--worth it to me. But to each his own--I cannot justify speding anywhere near $500 for the comfort access that everyone here is raving about. Just personal taste.

[thunderbirdsarego]

I also test drove a 330i with AS. To be honest, I would routinely forget it had AS! I experienced no significant learning curve either before or after using the AS, I adpated in minutes.

I ended my test drive thinking that the steering was very very good. But I had heard a number of reviews advise not to get it so I did not order it. In fact, had it been offered for free at that point I might have declined it.

Oddly enough, it was after I placed my order that I learned that the AS actually works together with the DSTC in ways that make the car even safer. I also started to be convinced that the car might even be faster with AS (by allowing the DSTC to intervene with braking forces later). I saw some slalom tests that corroborated this. Last but not least I heard a few people say the normal steering was "heavy".

By the time I had read all of this I was now thinking that if it was a free option I might request it but was unsure as to whether I would pay for it. I was a little anxious about how I might find the steering when I picked up my car. Well, my concerns quickly disappeared. I immediately took to the feel of the non-AS steering. The word "divine" comes to mind! The non-AS steering makes the car feel very solid, smooth and connected whereas I found the AS made the car feel a little more nimble. However, the difference isn't as big as some would have you believe (you will adapt to either). It may well be that AS will get you around the cones faster and may even help you avoid a pothole or two. If I had to take a 330 with AS I would do so and enjoy it!

Incidentally, I skied Volant skis for quite some time which are also known as a more stable and damped ski versus something really snappy. There is a strong element of personal preference in here. I'd encourage you to try both if possible. If not then you might want to consider what else you could do with the money you could save from the AS!

[Discodancingrover]

I took my 325xi in for service yesterday and I got a 330i with the active steering. It really just feels very odd, it feels like something is broken in the steering. I don't like it at all. I'll say that the steering on the bmw is heavier than my discovery that I owned, but I like the heavier feel more. Around town I don't like it, I just don't feel very connected with the road at all. I guess if you plan to be driving very fast then sure, but I really am not impressed with it.