Quote:
Originally Posted by Germanauto
Agreed on all counts!
My E90 is an auto so I personally don't mind the lack of a stick too much. It's definitely a bit disappointing the G20 won't have it because I feel that's one of the things I wish I had on my car. But still I could make the transition.
The G20 looks good and is light but it's just become too big a car. Throw in the fact that electric steering will never mimic the feedback of a hydraulic rack and I'm not sure how much I'll like this new car. Even if EPS could provide more feedback BMW would not tune it to. The world has changed since the days of the E90, all the sheep want tech and comfort instead of driving bliss.
With all that being said BMW remains the de facto choice in this segment, especially if you want a coupe. I still think the Giulia will be more engaging to drive but otherwise it's a very mediocre car and only comes in 4 doors.
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So I've have/had 4 BMWs: 1989 E30 325i, 1997 Z3, 2006 E90 325i, and my 2008 Z4 3.0si Coupe. 3 of those cars have hydraulic steering and the Z4 has electric. Except for the Z4, all were bought new. The E30 is the only one still not in the fleet (yes, I've repeatedly kicked myself in the ass for selling it). I've driven both EPS-equipped F30 and Caddy ATS for over 800 miles each in separate weeks, only one week apart from each other on my normal daily commute (I had both as loaner cars). The F30 and the ATS use the same ZF steering rack. My commute goes from the mountains west of Washington DC to Northern Virginia so I get a mix of really great back country roads, rural highway, and suburban streets with heavy traffic (read that as my aggressive cut and thrust driving).
Between the E30 and E90, I'd call the steering feel a toss up; the E30 was lighter yet as precise as the E90, with the E30 maybe having slightly better feedback. Between the E90 and the Z4, I find the Z4 electric steering to best mimic hydraulic. It think it is because of the design of the system where the steering column is assisted by an electric motor instead of the steering rack. I don't think the Z4 has any better or worse feedback and feel than the E30 or E90. The Z4 is a dynamic chassis with a wide and short wheelbase so it tramlines like all get out at street speeds; get it moving though, and it's very agile. Between the F30 and the ATS, the ATS steering was far ahead of the F30 in precision, feel, and feedback. The ATS despite every BMW fanboy shitting on it, has great steering and is a great sports sedan drive.
While in search of a two-seat coupe I test drove the 1st-gen Cayman. Nice steering, not memorable nor orgasmic as I thought a Porsche would be, but the Cayman overall drove better than the Z4, but not by much.
All that said, the best steering and driving BMW I've had the pleasure of being at the helm was the E21. Drive an E21 on a gravel road slowly and you'll think your palms are tracing the stones.
I'll not judge the G20 until I drive it of course. The rags seem to like it. I was going to get an ATS with the great deals on them these past few months (only in automatic form though), but the E90 doesn't want to retire just yet, so I decided to hold off for the Caddy CT5. Based on GM's recent announcements, I doubt Caddy will build it, which is disappointing...