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      06-19-2012, 11:17 AM   #33
ZMM_OMG
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Drives: '15 M3
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

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So last week I was in So. Cal chillin' with the 'rents after finishing a week-long charity bicycle ride from SF to LA. As such, I had no car and wound up borrowing my sister's 2011 Hyundai Elantra. Why mention this? Because it provided me with a ton of perspective on BMW's implementation of EPS in the F30.

The EPS rack in the F30 does lose some of the "road grit" and micro communication found in my beloved e46, but IMO it's well-weighted (in Sport setting), accurate, and linear. The EPS in the Elantra is a mess; it's numb on center, too heavy immediately off-center, and finally too light once rolling. All the while, the Elantra's steering ratio is WAY too quick for a car this size and it always feels artificial.

Now comparing a $50k BMW to a $20k Hyundai may not be an apples-to-apples comparison, but it did illustrate to me how much thought has gone into the F30's setup. Time and technology change and even BMW is bound to make some flubs along the way. After all, look at the HPFP failures of the N54 and even the "new vs. new-new" steering rack issues from the e46. However, I'm sure that given some time and experience BMW wil find a way to make EPS feel every bit as good as their hydraulic systems have come to be.
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