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I was planning to drive a 535i with the sport package this week to see if it "fixed" the poor feel of the steering on the base model, but now I wonder if I should even bother. What I find funny is that one of the dealers I've worked with seems to think that the new steering is better, but he also likes the active steering on the '11 X5, which I found to be awful.
One thing that would be interesting is for the owners of these cars to try to differentiate the feel from the weight of the steering. Like many others, I don't care for the lightness of the steering as it reminds me too much of the various Lexus'/Lexi/whatever that my wife has owned. However, I haven't driven the new 5 long enough to say whether or not it effectively communicates the "feel" of the road, which may well be distinct from the weight.
It would be interesting to have some sort of "dynamic steering" option where the driver could adjust certain parameters. When I test drove a new 5 and then a new X5 (without active steering), I immediately grinned and thought "now that's the way that the steering wheel is supposed to feel!" The steering wasn't overly heavy, but it had a weighted and more "purposeful" feel to it. I actually think the '11 X5 has a better steering feel than my '07 e92 335i, a car that I enjoy driving.
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