Quote:
Originally Posted by aosman
I came from a E60 545i where the AS was standard (on the 2004 model) and I really got used to the effortless steering especially in garages and parking...
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I had AS in both my 04 545 and my 08 550. It was and is an optional item (never standard).
AS is often misunderstood. It does not in any way change the "effort" as it relates to the steering's relative heaviness or lightness. Instead, AS changes the steering ratio at different speeds. At slower speeds it takes fewer rotations to go "lock-to-lock" than it does at higher speeds.
For those of us who live in cities with tight corners or a lot of parallel parking, AS is absolutely fantastic. OTOH, some enthusiasts dislike the fact that the steering ratio can change pretty dramatically on hard acceleration through a sharp curve, like a freeway onramp.
But like most technologies, it's pretty easy to get acclaimated to AS. Back in 04, I almost hit a curb by turning the wheel too far on my first day out. After that, I've never had a problem.
To me, it's one of those things that you'll never miss if you've never had it. But once you get it, you'll be hooked (you'll noticed that the only people that dislike AS are ones that don't have it).