Why did BMW make the X1 with no power steering?

[saharty]

I really don't get why BMW made the X1 without power steering. Im close to hitting the 2000KM mark and its getting kind of annoying. I drove a mazda 3 yesterday and i felt more comfortable in the city. so can someone please explain to me why they didn't add the power steering in the X1? just curious

[Xeins]

Originally Posted by saharty

I really don't get why BMW made the X1 without power steering. Im close to hitting the 2000KM mark and its getting kind of annoying. I drove a mazda 3 yesterday and i felt more comfortable in the city. so can someone please explain to me why they didn't add the power steering in the X1? just curious

eheheheeh.... helcome to the bmw world. The steering is not heavy.... it´s precise.....

[loukas135]

Oh come on !!! No power steering ?!?! This is the best steering feeling I have ever feel in a car. This is my first BMW ( a X1 xDrive 28i ) and I hope to drive it for many many years.

This is a precise direction that feels heavy of course. You can't compare this to a mazda 3 ... This is insane. I'm really tired of hearing complaints about the wheel. If you want a honda civic then buy one :- )

[jctg]

You can't really compare a front wheel drive car with a rear wheel drive car. FWD cars have to deal with torque steer and the steering tends to be overassisted.

Having said that BMW steering, at least until they introduced electric steering, tend to be on the heavy side. It takes some getting used to but once you do it is fantastic.

If there is no power steering you wouldn't be able to park the thing. LOL.

[Trumpy]

I love the weight of the steering in the X1; it's let's you know your actually driving the car, not just pointing it...

[BigDave]

Nonsense. As jctg says you wouldn't be able to turn the steering wheel if you had no power steering. It is heavier than other cars I have driven but you get used to it. You really feel connected to the road and know exactly what grip you are getting from your tyres.

[Sebulba]

it would be unnatural to turn the wheel on a 1,6 ton weighting car with just a finger, like in some japanese cars, gives an unsecure feeling

[offthehook]

Originally Posted by loukas135

Oh come on !!! No power steering ?!?! This is the best steering feeling I have ever feel in a car. This is my first BMW ( a X1 xDrive 28i ) and I hope to drive it for many many years.

This is a precise direction that feels heavy of course. You can't compare this to a mazda 3 ... This is insane. I'm really tired of hearing complaints about the wheel. If you want a honda civic then buy one :- )

I agree. My X1 is the best handling car I have owned. Though I am a grown man, I am not the worlds strongest, and I find it easy to park, u-turn, etc. My other car is an Acura MDX which now feels sloppy by comparison.

There is a review of the X1 on youtube in which the reviewer claims his arms get tired steering the X1. Sounds like he need to go to the gym once in awhile.

[loukas135]

Originally Posted by offthehook

I agree. My X1 is the best handling car I have owned. Though I am a grown man, I am not the worlds strongest, and I find it easy to park, u-turn, etc. My other car is an Acura MDX which now feels sloppy by comparison.

There is a review of the X1 on youtube in which the reviewer claims his arms get tired steering the X1. Sounds like he need to go to the gym once in awhile.

Ha ha ha. You bet ;- ) I can't understand why some people are complaining about what manufacturer with sporty ambition try in vain to emulate for years now. I'm surprise there is no thread complaining about the stiffer suspension and the "too short braking distance" which are diminishing the ride comfort and also pushing the cofee out of the mug !!!!!

I like this one :- ))

[snowmanyee]

Bmw is renowned for its handling and a heavier steering is part of the characteristic to allow the driver to have better control and feel of the road. Bmws come with power steering but not as light as those Jap cars and it is deliberately engineered that way. Once you get used to it, its a pleasure to drive. There were once bmws made lighter steering, but received complaints from their owners and trackies that bmw should have retained its characteristic of a heavier steering instead of imitating the Japs whereby you can maneuver the car with a finger. In the end, bmw listened and reverted back to the heavier steering. The X1 steering is considered light. My previous E90 steering is heavier. I am truly enjoying my ride

[Douggie]

I think by default there IS power steering on all BMWs. I think the thread starter is talking about the servotronic option:

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...rvotronic.html

With servotronic, the steering would be more assisted. May or may not be a good thing, depending on your needs.

[rob_378]

I likewise love the heavy feel of the steering. Its one of the most enjoyable aspects for me.

[Dark-Sider]

As previously mentioned, all BMW-cars have power steering.
The X1 has a total of 4 types of steering.

There are:
- Hydraulic powered steering
- Hydraulic powered steering with the servotronic option
- Electric powered steering (EPS)
- Electric powered steering with the servotronic option

All X1s are built at the Leipzig plant. Models for the German market have the Hydraulic steering. I don't exactly know which markets get the newer (and better) EPS but I spoke to a guy from switzerland who has an EPS X1.

The servotronic option is there, to make steering more easy when you stand still or when driving slowly. The whole steering unit of a hydraulic powered steering car is different when you choose the servotronic option. So retrofitting a hydraulic servotronic is expensive (>1000 €).

If you have an EPS car the servotronic is just a small "program" that tells the electric actors how easy the steering should feel. You can go to your dealer, order a 250 € license code and have them enable servotronic on your EPS car.

bye
Darky

[X1driver]

Actually that is not correct. All X1 uses hydraulic steering. Perhaps 2013 version may move to electric but the current models are all hydraulic.

[Dark-Sider]

Hi,

I'm sorry, but I know what I saw and felt. An EPS feels totally different from a hydraulic one. Easiest way to check is, to turn your steering wheel all the way to one side, If you hear the squeaking sound of the hydraulic pump you know what you got.

In Addition: there is a BMW press release (at the bottom of 1st page it says)
http://www.treffseiten.de/bmw/info/d...d_ed_11_09.pdf
"Lenkung
Zahnstangen-Servolenkung mit elektromechanischer Lenkkraftunterstützung (EPS), optional: Servotronic"
What means, that it got EPS and Servotronic is Optional.

In addtion I found this forum thread (also in German - sorry):
http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/servo...17.html?page=5
The thread is initially about retroffitting a servotronic. The BMW ETK lists the license code for the servotronic for a long time now. The thread clearly states, that cars that ar built for at least the UK and Swiss market got the EPS - cars for other markets don't necessarily got EPS. Alse the Efficient Daynamic version of the X1 s20d got EPS world wide.

[saharty]

Im sorry people. I wasn't used to the precise steering at first. Its actually the best car i drove, period. haha!!

[saharty]

I take everything back

[Dark-Sider]

Hi,

Originally Posted by rajeshchand

The sound comes loud when i completely rotate the steering to one side and then move the car at slow speed forward or backward, is that right ?

exactly - totally normal but a little annoying :-) I once drove a Mercedes A-Class (first model) it also had hydraulic powered steering and it did the same sound.

bye
Darky

[Blue Bottle]

Try turning the wheels with the engine off, then turn it back on and turn them. Then tell us if there is power steering..........

[technostar]

they do have powersteering.. its just..... heavy

the one with servotronic will be less heavy

[hookah66]

Whether you got a hydraulic power steering system, a DRAVI by Citroën, an electric hydraulic or Servotronic system the basic concept is the same. You got a pressurized hydraulic fluid actuating the steering mechanism, i.e. rack and pinion or recirculating ball. Then what you do with the excess fluid, such as when it reaches its maximum wheel travel? You got to "waste" the excess fluid by returning it back to the reservoir. This is the swish sound which is absent on EPS system. The loudest are on the American made cars, the quietest are the European ones. On my 2009 e93 you really have to listen to it. As it wears, the "waste gate" valve will be deteriorated and become noisier.

[X1blue]

Originally Posted by Dark-Sider

Hi,

I'm sorry, but I know what I saw and felt. An EPS feels totally different from a hydraulic one. Easiest way to check is, to turn your steering wheel all the way to one side, If you hear the squeaking sound of the hydraulic pump you know what you got.

In Addition: there is a BMW press release (at the bottom of 1st page it says)
http://www.treffseiten.de/bmw/info/d...d_ed_11_09.pdf
"Lenkung
Zahnstangen-Servolenkung mit elektromechanischer Lenkkraftunterstützung (EPS), optional: Servotronic"
What means, that it got EPS and Servotronic is Optional.

Hi, we have an sDrive 18d delivered in Spain and its definitely hydraulic.

For me, this a question of choice: allthough many people here obviously like the hydraulic steering, I dont and my (tiny) wife struggles with the car. It should be an option and promoted at purchase- I only found out about the 'problem' when we took delivery of the car.

EPS is better. The thing is that it can be programmed to behave how people want it to. So for the people used to driving 2-ton trucks, as heavy as you like, but for the rest of us, normal light steering.

Is there anything in this German forum on retrofitting EPS to an X1?