Servotronic on sDrive

Hello,

We just placed an order for an sDrive. In our order we elected to get servotronic steering. I have read on this forum that it might not be needed. Any suggestions on this? This is our first BMW so I do not know what the regular feel is. We currently have a Sentra.

Thanks for your help.

We have it on our X3 and think it is great. I don't see any downside to having it if you don't mind the extra expense, and it does make parking and other low-speed turning activities a little easier. The X1 is a relatively lighter vehicle, so I suppose some might think steering enhancements aren't really noticeable, but I heard the same thing when I was moving from an X5 to an X3. Bottom line: I say you should keep it.

I initally stated that Servo may be a waste of $ since Servo is Standard on all BMW's w/ EPS except the X1 so I assumed that all EPS has Servo software since it virtually cost them nothing. Now that I've drive sDrive w and w/o Servo, I'm pretty sure the software, at the very least, is different w EPS steering. The steering feels pleasantly heavier at all speeds, thanks to the Servo. The steering in the non-Servo sDrive was way too light.

Can anyone share similar observations?

My suggestion is to try the non-Servo sDrive to see whether you prefer heavier steering before electing Servo. Servo EPS steering is not too light, though I'd prefer even heavier, and pretty close in effort to an HPS system w/ Servo.

Originally Posted by bimmerized

I initally stated that Servo may be a waste of $ since Servo is Standard on all BMW's w/ EPS except the X1 so I assumed that all EPS has Servo software since it virtually cost them nothing. Now that I've drive sDrive w and w/o Servo, I'm pretty sure the software, at the very least, is different w EPS steering. The steering feels pleasantly heavier at all speeds, thanks to the Servo. The steering in the non-Servo sDrive was way too light.

Can anyone share similar observations?

My suggestion is to try the non-Servo sDrive to see whether you prefer heavier steering before electing Servo. Servo EPS steering is not too light, though I'd prefer even heavier, and pretty close in effort to an HPS system w/ Servo.

The new X1 sDrive 16d ships with EPS but this is not an option for the sDrive 18d and 20d which ship with mechanical hydraulic steering that vibrates, especially when you are parking.

The basic mechanical hydraulic steering on our 18d w/o servo is very heavy but its response varies with speed. So just what the servo adds is a bit of a mystery..

I have yet to see a new X1 with EPS but have driven a Series 1 116d with EPS and it was a lot lighter and easier to handle, and for me the larger and heavier X1 would benefit from EPS.

You can tell which system you have by turning the steering wheel to the limit. The older mechanical hydraulic steering vibrates horribly and there is a strange noise present when parking..