[barcelona]

Source: BMW Germany
Active steering. ( AS)


The new dimension of steering comfort − active steering offers precision, agility and comfort in every situation on the road.

At slow speeds, such as when driving in town, when parking and on winding roads, active steering enlarges the steering angle. You can handle tight manoeuvres with a smaller movement of the steering wheel and without having to shuffle-steer − this much improves the agility of your BMW and parking becomes much easier.

In order to enhance supremacy in the upper speed range, active steering provides a more indirect steering ratio at speeds from approximately 120 to 140 km/h (depending on the model and set-up). In so doing, it reduces steering movement. The benefit to you: you can steer the wheels more precisely with larger turns − giving you greater stability and comfort. In critical situations, such as when the car oversteers or when braking on an inconsistent surface, active steering intervenes to assist, for example by damping yaw movements − faster than even a skilful driver would be capable of.

Since active system is a supplementary system and does not interrupt the direct connection between driver and wheels, the BMW can still be fully steered even if the system fails. If a fault is detected, the active steering adjustment mechanism is immediately blocked by means of a pin via the safety circuit. This means you always stay in full control of the situation.


Another thought is the safety and reliability of AS.
If you are interested and Google "BMW Active Steering malfunction" there are many forums on this. It appears from the above that BMW has fault detected and blocked the mechanism to ensure that you maintain control.