Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam@Bimmerpost
I'm loving the discussion above.
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I'm loving this discussion too. You brought up so many good points, and I think we somehow need to get this across to them. I get that customers always request light steering, they made this type of change once before near year 2000 on the E46, but then they had a customer backlash so they changed it back and even went so far as to offer a TSB retrofit. The difference is this time they haven't yet received enough feedback to offer people who want something like the old steering back to do something about it. We have to tell them.
As you mentioned, EPS technology actually makes it possible to have multiple solutions in one car, and to an extent they do (sport mode). It's just the implementation of it that is RIDICULOUS. We have a '13 F30 328i 8sp auto. We test drove the car and the steering in comfort mode was way too light. But in sport mode, it was still too light, and you had to take sport transmission mode along with it, compromising smoothness and fuel economy. So we ordered the DHP with VSS, which allows you to customize Sport Mode to chassis only, sight unseen. Turns out, the VSS, though quicker than standard steering, is *even lighter* than the standard steering, and there is barely any difference at all between comfort and sport.
With two modes, there's just no reason or excuse for them being so similar to each other. I'll reluctantly accept that I have to push a button each time I start the car to get what I want, but then GIVE ME WHAT I WANT, which is for my car to feel like a BMW again. And do it fast, before we all forget what that even is.
So here is my suggestion:
-All cars have a way to call a second steering mode, like sport mode, but independent of transmission mode change
-Make the sport mode effort the same level as a plain old E90 with no servotronic. Or even better, give us a couple mode choices like E90/E46/E36/E30/E21
-I'd rather have it be a persistent config option rather than pushing a button each time, but I get why they do that to prevent people from taking it to the dealer complaining that the steering is broken after their 16yr old messed with the config.
-Offer software updates to existing owners from this dark period in BMW history
What we need to do is get this message across. I can't imagine they read these boards because who are we- just their old enthusiasts, not people who actually buy their cars
Journalists need to stop apologizing for it and using terms like "precise" (car steers where you point it, with no feel) or "direct" (car steers quickly where you point it, with no feel), and actually say something like "This car's steering has no feel".
And the last resort is to simply vote with your checkbook. The F30, a great car in all other respects, fell so far short of our expectations in this one and most important reason we bought a BMW in the first place, that it will be the last new BMW we buy until they fix it. I recently picked up a 2011 E90 335i 6MT with 19k miles and am happy driving a BMW again. Unfortunately it takes me out of the market for the M235i.