[minaxe]

How many of you who have taken delivery of your F25´s have neither servotronic (216) or variable sportssteering (2VL)? In that case, what´s your impression so far?

I have a 3.0d on order, but I can´t decide if I should go with servotronic or not.

I have test-driven a 2.0d with and without servotronic and my spontaneous impression is that servotronic makes the steering feel really artificial in lower speeds, I think that special bmw feeling gets lost. But a short test-drive is not the same thing as driving every day, and most people I have talked to recommend it. In other words I´m wondering if I´m missing something...

So for those of you who have put a few miles on your new X3´s and don´t have any extra steering assistance, do you regret not getting it? Does the steering feel too heavy after driving a while?

[colton_matthias]

Servotronic comes standard in Canada.... so i don't have a choice...

[dnw]

Thought I'd bump this one as a few months have gone by and hopefully more can add their experience of Servotronic on the X3 - I have ordered it but wonder whether I should keep it or not.

[sfax]

Must have option for me. It's a big, heavy car so you need something to make the steering easier to manoeuvre at low speeds IMO. Works well at higher speeds to maintain proper feel. I have servo + sports suspension + 19s + perf control, very happy with the setup and wouldn't change it

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by sfax

Must have option for me. It's a big, heavy car so you need something to make the steering easier to manoeuvre at low speeds IMO. Works well at higher speeds to maintain proper feel. I have servo + sports suspension + 19s + perf control, very happy with the setup and wouldn't change it

+1

[tank531]

I don't have any suspension or steering options and I still make it round corners and park OK.

That said at parking speed the steering could be lighter. But whether that's because I don't have servo steering or because the steering is 'electric' not hydraulic, I don't know?

[sfax]

Originally Posted by tank531

I don't have any suspension or steering options and I still make it round corners and park OK.

That said at parking speed the steering could be lighter. But whether that's because I don't have servo steering or because the steering is 'electric' not hydraulic, I don't know?

I was told servo makes steering lighter at low speeds for parking / manoeuvering but I don't think I've driven an X3 without it (too much time elapsed between test drive and delivery!)

BMW's description of servo is as follows:

Effortless agility when parking, light-footed responsiveness and stability at higher speeds: Servotronic adjusts the amount of steering assistance to suit the current speed, enhancing driver comfort by lowering the effort needed to turn the steering wheel.

The Servotronic control unit adjusts the amount of steering assistance to suit the speed of the vehicle. An electromagnetic valve accurately controls the amount of force applied by the steering hydraulics, enabling outstandingly precise steering that suits your current driving situation. Conventional power steering systems, by contrast, regulate the power steering in relation to the engine's RPM. The electromechanical steering system EPS uses an electric motor to achieve the same effect.

Thanks to Servotronic, driving along narrow streets or parking becomes easier as it requires minimum effort to turn the steering wheel. The power assist progressively decreases when the vehicle speeds up, ensuring greater stability, improved precision and smoother vehicle behaviour.

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

[DJ Daddy-O]

I had speed dependent steering on my previous car and do not have servotronic on my x3. I missed it at first but now prefer the fact it is consistent at every speed.

The weighting of the standard steering I find is excellent.

[Bustofa]

The demonstrators I drove didn't have Servotronic I was told and, although I had it on my option list to begin with, I didn't order.
To be honest I don't find the steering a chore at all and find the car quite easy to manoeuvre at low speeds. It did feel a little heavier than my last car at first but no big deal and I don't notice now.