[sanchari]

I feel Tiago’s steering is light compared to Jazz. When I switch from Tiago to Jazz, it feels like something is blocking the wheels from turning. On the reverse switch, I tend to turn steering more as I expect Jazz”s hard wheel. But both cars feel good in their own way, though I prefer Jazz steering feel on the highways

[padmrajravi]

I like the Hyundai lifeless steering wheels. They are very light at parking speeds and weighs up progressively with speed. They centres automatically as well. I don't care about what is underneath the wheels or the mechanical feel. All I want is a steering where the car goes in the direction that I point to. All Hyundai cars that I have driven - Xcent, Venue, Creta, and Verna behaves this way. My Fortuner's steering is a bit too heavy at slow speeds.

[YD14]

Originally Posted by vattyboy

Creta's steering has all these things matched perfectly. It has the perfect steering.

I too love my Creta's steering and my long enough driving experiences have been in a 2013 Dzire, 2015 Polo TDI and 2021 Creta. The car does exactly what it has been told to do and inspires so much confidence.

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

I like the Hyundai lifeless steering wheels. They are very light at parking speeds and weighs up progressively with speed. They centres automatically as well. I don't care about what is underneath the wheels or the mechanical feel. All I want is a steering where the car goes in the direction that I point to. speeds.

Exactly this. I love the lifelessness of Hyundai's steering. The 2013 Dzire's steering was lively, connected and painful. Whenever camber of the road changed mid turn, I was subconsciously tightening or softening my grip on steering. Rough roads were a nightmare as every small bump was communicated to the driver and he had to correct for it. It was so tiring to drive on long drives especially on the hilly roads. But now with the Creta, I simply tell the car what I want and it does it for me. Everything meeting the tires is the car's problem and I love it.

[Redex]

Nothing beats the feel or feedback provided by driving a direct steer car. No power assistance !!!!
All my early vehicles including 3.5 tonne Ford Transit Vans did not have any power steering.
That feel/feedback just does not happen with any type of power assistance.
I have driven just about every type of vehicle available. Still love it when an old classic comes into the workshop. Then I can experience that "old fashioned proper drivers car" feeling again.
I understand the need for it, my 5feet 4inch wife drives her 1.7 tonne 4.0 V6 Ford Explorer (with the driver's seat all the way forward !!! Bless her)
At 6 feet and 100kgs with high upper body strength I just don't need it and would prefer "power steering" to be an option, (even switchable !!!)
No fuel wasted running the power steering !!!
No power loss 4 or 5 bhp for hydraulic steering.
Granted electric steering could reduce CO2 by 6gms/km. But are we just chasing the Holy Grail of lower emissions by taking the "driver" out of the equation.

[amitnair]

From the cars that I have owned/driven:
Kia Seltos: light steering which is easy in traffic for easy manoeuvres. At highway with higher speeds, it does weigh up. But I would like it to weigh up bit more. Need to provide better road feedback. Easily re-centers which is superb.
Less tiring for looong drives.

Maruti Breeza : Steering weighs much more than Seltos. Good on twisties. Road feedback better. Re-centering is not constant and has a mind of its own, and needs some manual help

Hyundais: Very very smooth steering. Good for city. Not confident inspiring for highway speeds.

[Gedaliah]

I would prefer "Light at low speeds, heavier as speeds pick up". However, my priority with respect to steering wheel is "return to center" function. I have experienced the best steering in Ford cars. Home grown cars were the worst at least till around 5 years ago.

[Mitadru]

Originally Posted by RD410

Alto 800 bs6 EPS - light enough, not feather light. Zero feel, zero feedback, no return to center action either. Steering action feels weird, feels like they've cheapened out on the parts. Easily the worst EPS I've used.

[

Though unrelated to the thread, I have one question. Can this steering make a newbie driver nervous while driving ? My elder cousin sister drives an Alto 800. She complains of not being able to judge the turns accurately. Or is it just due to the fact that she didn't get the training properly ( She trained from one of those neighbourhood driving schools)
Thank you in advance
Mitadru

[Amrit@wheels]

I know SUVs aren't the first thing that comes to mind when talking about steering feel but I personally find the EPS of the last-gen Ford Endeavor to be the best. It is light at low speeds, perfectly weighs up at high speeds and is quite precise as well. Fiesta classic and the updated Fiesta were other great cars in terms of steering feel. I personally find the superlight steering wheels to be lifeless and very irritating. I'd rather have a heavy hydraulic over a lifeless EPS.

[subie_socal]

I'm gonna put across the experiences I had driving certain cars for >50kms

Maruti Ritz (everyday ride): Of all the cars I drove till date, Ritz takes the cake for me. Yes, it does feel heavy on tighter turns, but the confidence it inspires is exemplary. It so easy to drive around the curvy roads in Kerala with almost precise output from the steering. Definitely a 9.5 on 10

Mahindra Thar gen 1: This was the car I learnt driving on😅. It's absolutely heavy, angled awkwardly compared to other cars and gives an impression you are driving a truck (which I believe it can be termed, what say?). Since it's a niche car, I'm not gonna pick very minute details, but this is definitely not suitable for everyday drive. I wonder how people manage with the even bigger gen 2.

Tata Nexon 2021 FL: My uncle's ride. Have driven it extensively on excellent roads in Tamil Nadu, to narrow roads in my ancestral hometown of Mannar, Chengannur. The positive is that its light, so newbies won't be feeling intimidated, but not confidence inspiring on high speeds as it doesn't weigh up consistently. Again like the Ritz, it's sharp in taking the inputs but the lightness in the operation may result in one puttting in a tad more input than what is desired.


Ford Ecosport : Recently been on a drive to Cochin and back. Light in crawling speeds, weighs up adequately at high speeds. Has much better feedback than the Nexon, but could've been better in my honest opinion. It never let me feel anything that was happening beneath me, despite driving the version which sported the 17 inch rim, unlike the Nexon. Also, I felt the turn-to-turn lock was more compared to Nexon (maybe it's just me).


Maruti Swift AMT 2019: This was an IndusGo rental car I had for a day. Steering was tuned for city driving, not so for high speed or spirited driving. I also want to meet the genius who thought that removing the self centring mechanism was a good cost cutting measure. It was the polar opposite of my daily, the Ritz.

Hyundai i10 2008: Same as the Swift, with surprisingly even lighter operation. Hyundai is also notorious for power steering motor going kaput, but thankfully this car is still spared (touchwood!), eventhough it is battered around like a rougue RTC bus.

[ryzen7@5800u]

Interesting thread! I feel quite the inexpert in this matter, as the two cars I have driven are not known for their steering. Still, I'll add my two pence:

The Nexon has an EPS unit which (to me at least) is inconsistently heavy at city speeds, and very confident and weighty out on the highway.
In the city, the chunky wheel makes it difficult to use the signals and horn comfortably. It also feels very sharp and the weight feels very inconsistent, with it too light at 30 and very heavy at 40.
On the highway, whatever niggles I had in the city become strengths. The wheel's chunkiness makes it feel good to hold for longer durations. The weight is enough to tackle highway bends at speed, and you don't feel nervous changing lanes or overtaking. However, there is no feedback at all. I do wish the return to centre was stronger!

The Indica has an HPS unit which has not aged well. It is vague, and tends to lighten with speed. But, at city speeds, it feels much more predictable than the Nexon's system in terms of weight. Feedback? You do feel the bumps and rough patches, but nothing to aid you in cornering - it is numb in that aspect. Return to centre is quite strong too - something which I like a lot.

What would be my ideal setup? Something that heavier than the Nexon at low speeds, and same as the Nexon at high speeds, with the return to centre like the Indica and the wheel itself slightly less chunky than the Nexon. In terms of feedback, I don't know what level I'd like as I have not driven any enthusiast cars yet.

[hrman]

I prefer light settings at low speed and at high speed. My experience of cars i owned.
1. Tata Indica DLS 2006: Had a hydraulic power steering which was akin to driving a truck. Note the S in the variant stood for power steering since they had a DLE variant without PS. Poor guys who drove that.
2. Honda City ZX: EPS which was a pleasure to drive being light in the city and highways. I enjoyed that one.
3. Skoda Rapid: EPS but started getting progressively harder to drive during the 8+year mark. I sold it off at 11 years when i drove a Nissan magnite and realised Steerings can be light.
4. Kia Sonet: Light at parking and City speeds. At higher speeds, tends to artificially weigh up. But i prefer light in all conditions. Steering feedback to me should not be heavy. Light as pinkie finger operation is what I prefer.

Except Magnite, all the other cars had the return to center after the turn.

[anandhsub]

Apart from the ridiculously sticky steerings of the new Marutis I don't mind any type. Can't really differentiate much between the cars that offer a lot of feedback and those that don't.

[km283]

Great thread and a topic that has been very close to my heart and one of the major things that makes a vehicle ‘desirable’ to me. What I look for is a very solid heavy on-center feel with non of the wandering behavior at high speeds. I would say both current cars in my garage - 2021 Jeep Compass and 2022 Skoda Superb have pretty good steering feel. The Jeep I would say has the superior feel and return to center character.

Prior to moving back to India, drove many different cars in the US and typically found BMW, Acura, Honda, MB, Mazda and Ford to have the best steering feel. In the flip side Hyundai, Toyota, Lexus, Audi always had the poorest loosey goosey feel. Some of the good ones I experienced were:

2011 BMW E90 - Excellent on center feel although did not really like the ride quality or inherent chasis vibrations

2019 MB E Class - Very goos steering feel infact superior to the two other competitors I test drove - BMW 5 series and Tesla Model S. Good center heaviness and crisp turn in.

2015 Acura MDX - For a large 3 row SUV, that one was not bad at all

Conversely one example of a purchase gone bad due to poor steering was a 2012 Acura TSX. That one never gave me a solid on center feel and was border line dangerous at high speeds. I traded the car in within 12 months.

[RD410]

Originally Posted by Mitadru

Though unrelated to the thread, I have one question. Can this steering make a newbie driver nervous while driving ? My elder cousin sister drives an Alto 800. She complains of not being able to judge the turns accurately. Or is it just due to the fact that she didn't get the training properly ( She trained from one of those neighbourhood driving schools)
Thank you in advance
Mitadru

Yes absolutely. Any car whose steering doesn't feel 'connected' to the wheels will give some nervousness to drive initially. The Alto 800 mentioned here belongs to my uncle. Sometimes even I am not able to judge turns properly while driving it. It gets worse while taking tight U-turns as the steering doesn't re-center itself. A major contributing factor to this impreciseness are the puny 145/80 R12 tyres which cause understeer. But I won't recommend to upsize them as the ride comfort, pickup and fuel efficiency will be lost.

Your cousin needs to get used to her Alto's steering behaviour. She'll get used to it as she drives it more and more.

[Bhodrolok]

I seem to hate most of the "modern steering wheels". With ADAS on the horizon everything has to go EPS but it need not feel lifeless, unconnected and limp which is the case in a lot of the cars I have driven these days.

Heck in my experience even with so called "driver's machines" from VW, the steering in the Virtus feels way too light compared to my Vento. I really wish they would give options to adjust the steering feel which should be pretty straight forward.