[Nordkeyz73]

http://blog.caranddriver.com/steer-m...steering-feel/

Interesting article probing Johann Kistler about the future of the classic BMW steering feel and its improvements moving forward into the G30 years.

[solstice]

That's some scary read. Brrrr....yikes.

[Nordkeyz73]

Not the most confidence-inspiring.

[chrisny]

So exactly who are these masses of people that said they wanted even LESS effort? It's already too light even with steering upgrades (ex VSS on the F30). Give us back some of that "effort" (stiffness), don't take away more!

[Nordkeyz73]

Originally Posted by chrisny

So exactly who are these masses of people that said they wanted even LESS effort? It's already too light even with steering upgrades (ex VSS on the F30). Give us back some of that "effort" (stiffness), don't take away more!

I know, I read that and cringed.

[Needsdecaf]

The E90's steering was too heavy. Yes, I said it. It was too heavy with too little feel.

The F30 is worse. It is lighter with less feel.

Feel does not equal weight. Ferrari's steering is reportedly very light, but full of feel. My he older BMW's, like the E30, E39, etc, did not have heavy steering. Yet they burst with feel.

The biggest problem is the first part of the conversation, with the active movement of the rack in compensation for road imperfections. No one wants that! It's unnatural feeling. I HATED it in my F10. I recently drove an E300 and thought that the active crosswind assist basically ruined the drive. Not good.

[DLerner]

BMW is no longer a niche manufacturer making three products for enthusiasts (small/3, medium/5 & large/7). They are a mainstream automaker with an expansive line of models. The objective now is to appeal to a broader audience and sell more cars. They are also bound by government regulations to reduce weight and improve efficiency while adding more tech and luxury for customers.

I miss my E46 with manual transmission, it was the most engaging and fun to drive vehicle I've ever owned. Unfortunately, those days appear to be over for now.

[AP]

I have a F10 530d now and as I have said in several threads previously, its steering lacks the feel my previous E39 had. I thought its steering was the best I have had in any car I've owned by a long shot. It was heavier but more importantly, you could really feel what the front wheel were doing.
I've got used to the F10 in that respect, but I do miss the E39 steering feel and in terms of replacing the F10, am probably looking for a G30, (probably LCI time wise) and my hope was that they would improve on that used in the F10.
Like a lot of things in life, products seemed to be being "dumbed down" and cater for the masses. I can't blame BMW as they have sold many cars (I think this is the best selling 5 series to date?) so they are doing something right. But ultimate driving machine, I think that phrase is perhaps not appropriate these days I hate to say.