Quote:
Originally Posted by Surly73
I never said it was good compared to years gone by 
It irks me, and leads to great misunderstanding and misinformation, when generalizations come out and posters don't acknowledge that there's a lot of differences even within a single model.
"F10s are nose heavy" - were you driving a 550xi or a 520i RWD?
"BMW NAV sucks" - CCC? CIC? NBT? NBT Evo?
"F10s corner flat" - DDC? ARS? 704? passive base suspension?
It's a shame that BMW isn't doing all that they could with EPS. A nice EPS rack with good software (and user customization) could really win in this area. Like the Infiniti commercial showed - how firm and fast would you like your steering? Just dial it in.
I do long for more steering feedback. I remember when I had PS2s on my E39 (with the inline-6 front end - much better than the V8's) I could feel reflective paint on the road ("SCHOOL ZONE AHEAD") through the wheel.
From what I've read the F10s suspension geometry tunes a bunch of it out regardless of whether you have EPS or HPS. This could be because they want a luxury cruiser. Or because X-Drive is so prevalent and you'd get lots of torque steer if you had a geometry optimized for feedback. Or maybe it's the harsh run flats - I *do* get feedback in the steering of my HPS X-Drive, but it's rarely "good" or "sporty" feedback. It's usually the run flats crashing and bouncing over small road imperfections. FWIW, I'm ditching the runflats on my next set of summer tires, but may still go runflat for my winter tires. |
Excellent appraisal of the subject, I have similar thinking.
So easy to be comparing 'apples and pears'. Test drives opinions are often skewed, simply because the driver doesn't know the specification, or is comparing to something completely different.
We often get comparisons to the E39, even there, what model and specification are we comparing to? I had the 540i touring with the 'compromised' steering system, so a different comparison to the F10/F11, than someone who owned say an E39 530i with the superb rack and pinion steering and a lighter front end.
F10/F11 models are very different to drive according to specification, same as all generations of BMW ranges have been in my experience. Also, as the market evolves, so do the priorities.
I know a few of us would love a bit more steering feedback, but do wonder how many users buying into the 5-series market, really want the raw steering feel of years ago. I'd wager more 5-series users, over the years, have asked BMW for lighter steering, than commented on the loss of feedback.
Here in the Europe, EPS was introduced into some models in the E9x range, several years ahead of the F3x models. Hardly a peep about the steering, just that it was lighter. We never got all the EPS talk and debates until the F3x models were launched, and everyone was aware they had EPS. Even the motor magazines seemed to miss the fact EPS was there in some E9x models. Interpret that how you like, but I believe it does say something about users.