X2.
E46 is good, E90 is pretty numb in my opinion. Never driven a 1M so I can't comment.
One of my dream cars has always been an E90 LCI with a V8, although my pockets aren't ready for that one
The E90 3 series I find good, but the M3 is a bit different, in a way more like how bmw does steering now but still better. Lighter feel, builds up with speed, still hydraulic though. I actually prefer the regular 3 series when it comes to the e90.
It’s for pure driver involvement. That’s what purists want and need. Rowing your own gears is something that feels very rewarding if you know how to do it properly. It’s fun!
And it's fun at all speeds, whether you are driving hard or not. With the ZF8, it's only cool (to me) when you really get on it. I think it's the best automatic I have experienced on any car, but still an automatic.
Daily driving it, for sure the ZF8HP is the more practical choice. You can totally rest your left foot. The transmission has been used by a lot of premium automakers including Lamborghini, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce, to name a few. This transmission is the best in its class; and Toyota would’t have chosen it if it’s not reliable enough to their standards. But at the end of the day, if you want to truly enjoy your rear wheel drive sports car, there’s no better way than to work your way out, have full control of the car by driving one with a manual transmission gearbox.
But that's the primary way one goes about getting better steering feel, run the least amount of assistance possible. A manual rack is King in steering feel, everything else is a step back to some degree. A page back people were lamenting that no Supra or BMW they could think of had steering feel on par with a 911 or Cayman, but that's one of the advantages of a rear or mid engine layout, minimal mass on the front axels requires minimal (or no, assistance) and less so Porsche's wizardry. My race mk2 Supra with a built NA 6m and a fully depowered rack has amazing steering feel, a world of difference from stock and stock was really good to start with. But its definitely too much for parking and slow speed stuff with that iron i6 there.
I honestly can’t remember if my 335i or M3 felt any different lol.
The self steering is done using the assist motor on the rack. The wheel and rack are still connected and will turn together.
Electric steering in general is just kind of a bummer, but Porsche seems to get it a tad better if you've driven a Cayman than what the Supra currently has and I know they benchmarked against the Cayman. I think the M2C improved a bit more on steering than the regular M2 for BMW and it is definitely better than the M-lights. I hope my review echoed yours in that I do really like the Supra and I know it is catching a ton of flack, but I think it's largely unwarranted however there is some truth behind the criticisms.
There are great electric steering racks on a lot of cars, there’s no excuse for bmw. The Mazda Miata, 6, and CX5 all have great steering and feel. Don’t get why bmw can’t do it or refuse to do it.
Because non car enthusiasts like their cars to be as numb and smooth as possible, including steering. That’s likely why BMW’s still weight up nicely and have pretty direct steering.
