[Pottsy]

Pete,

I'd agree with all of that! The XF steering is a bit light, but you tend to calibrate your motor programs with time - and then you just don't notice. The 5 steering is heavier, but it doesn't worry me because within a couple of weeks I won't notice.

It's interesting how wrong car stereotypes are. Anyone who hasn't driven one, thinks the XF is soft and floaty. And the 5 is rock hard with precise steering. And the Merc C is soft and quiet. And a Disco 4 is unreliable.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

Pete,

I'd agree with all of that! The XF steering is a bit light, but you tend to calibrate your motor programs with time - and then you just don't notice. The 5 steering is heavier, but it doesn't worry me because within a couple of weeks I won't notice.

It's interesting how wrong car stereotypes are. Anyone who hasn't driven one, thinks the XF is soft and floaty. And the 5 is rock hard with precise steering. And the Merc C is soft and quiet. And a Disco 4 is unreliable.

Personally I do prefer the steering in the 5-series when in the non sport modes. There is more sensitivity and a degree of feel, whereas the stiffer sport settings, although making the steering 'meatier', tends to dampen the whole steering.

Agree that these days suspensions from different manufacturers have become more blurred than ever before, for who does what best. BMW have always had decent primary control on their sport models, but secondary ride tended to be busy, even before we were running on RFTs.

This has never translated well to UK roads. Often cars developed and engineered with UK engineers involved, have a much better balance of primary and secondary ride qualities for our roads. Ford have proven that, over the years. Rover engineers were pretty good at it as well. VW needed to head hunt Ford suspension engineers to get something like the Golf sorted, for the Mk5 to truly compete with the Focus.

I sense BMW have had to compromise the basic fundamentals of suspension design to accommodate the RFT, so we haven't got the same purity for either primary of secondary function. Tyres and bushings are not enough to get decent secondary ride quality, so the engineers have had to eat more into and tweak the primary ride tools, springs and damping rates, to claw back a bit more compliance.

It appears to me that Jaguar have kept to more traditional designs and honed their suspensions to a higher level. Even Mercedes have got a reasonable balance, applying their agility system and using selective damping in their passive systems, to gain better primary control and keep the secondary ride pretty plush.

BMW are clearly fettling their suspensions to reduce the 'impact' of RFTs, but is taking a good few years to get there.

HighlandPete