Steering Feel & Feedback - Your Nominees for the Best & the Worst!

[smartcat]

normally_crazy, how would you rate Tata Nano's steering feel & feedback? Does the car understeer or oversteer on the twisties?

[ganesh_evo75]

Best :- Skoda Octavia RS & Ford Ikon 1.6.
Worst :- Daewoo Cielo, Hyundai Sonata.

[inreverse]

I think of a lot of cuisines while talking about steering feedback These are the cars that really gave me some ballet lessons in traffic ....

1. Honda City Zx : Rolling her steering is just like smearing chocolate and honey on the go!!! It is so easy to get enticed behind her wheel...! Sensational feeling...!

2. Fiat Linea : Her wheel is a like loaded pizza; extra toppings per turn. Eats up those extra 'gees' with her solid grip and handling and there is hardly a drop of that extra 'cheese' that spills out...! So neat, so delicious!

[clevermax]

The two cars I have offer supreme steering feel and feedback, out of which I like the Palio better than Punto because it has an edge over Punto's steering in terms of being slightly lighter.

Others which I liked:

Linea
Ford Ikon
Lancer
Corsa

The worst steering feel & feedback which I've experienced are

1) Old Indica - the steering is very heavy when you turn it in +/- 30degrees from straight and beyond which, it becomes very light! Horrible. I remember someone reporting the same issue with NHC's steering but I don't know.

2) Alto/Maruti800

3) All those new EPS steering equipped cars from Maruti - they are too light and thus lacks a good feel and feedback.

4) Happened to test drive a Sumo Grande - very unpredictable steering

[1100D]

Originally Posted by aniketi

My take :

Using Maruti Swift Dzire for last 8 months now. Its the best steering wheel i will say. Very light to drive in City. Good on highways as well.

Originally Posted by inreverse

1. Honda City Zx : Rolling her steering is just like smearing chocolate and honey on the go!!! It is so easy to get enticed behind her wheel...! Sensational feeling...!

Steering on both of these cars are light, easy to manouvre in tight parking spaces, or through stop and go traffic. But that should not be confused with "Feedback". Both of these cars are known for their inert steering.

[raaga]

I regularly drives Corsa and Optra Magnum.My vote goes for Corsa. It is having a great steering at any speed on the other hand Optra Magnum steering seems light after 120KMPH but below that it is perfect and direct.The other car which i liked is Cedia, Palio. The worst for me is Santro, Alto and Assent.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by 1100D

But that should not be confused with "Feedback". Both of these cars are known for their inert steering.

Yes, many folks have the impression that being as light as possible is the no.1 criteria for the best steering.
As one guy in a Auto review program in NDTV (IIRC) put it when he was driving the Ritz - "The steering feels like a dead fish" He didn't quite like the extremely light but dead steering feel.

[kicha]

Among the cars I have driven, with reference to the steering response,

I like: Fiat Palio 1.2/1.6/MJD/Linea
Didn't like: Indica/Zen/Alto/M800/Santro/Estilo/Wagon R

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Steering on both of these cars are light, easy to manouvre in tight parking spaces, or through stop and go traffic. But that should not be confused with "Feedback". Both of these cars are known for their inert steering.

Most of the people are driving there cars in bumper to bumper traffic in city daily. So i guess having light steering is a good option always. In traffic do we really need any feedback from steering? What exactly you are expecting from that? Also on highways these are not bad either.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Most of the people are driving there cars in bumper to bumper traffic in city daily. So i guess having light steering is a good option always. In traffic do we really need any feedback from steering? What exactly you are expecting from that? Also on highways these are not bad either.

Whether or not you need the feedback on bumper to bumper traffic is a different debate. We are not discussing the usefulness of feedback here.

However, at highway speeds feedback becomes very important, since speeds are high, especially during making emergency manouvres. Otherwise, you can sit pretty indulging in the insulated environment of your car without needing to bother on what your tyres are treading on.

Moreover, having written about feedback here, it is also to be noted is feedback is one thing, being able to decipher it, is completely different, comes with experience.

[prmd_cochin]

Ford Ikon, what else !!!

[wartikars]

Best: Mercedes Benz, Optra, Cruz, City, Accord, Civic, Spark, SX4. Linea.
Worst: Santro, i10, WagonR, Ikon, Accent, Verna, Palio.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Whether or not you need the feedback on bumper to bumper traffic is a different debate. We are not discussing the usefulness of feedback here.

However, at highway speeds feedback becomes very important, since speeds are high, especially during making emergency manouvres. Otherwise, you can sit pretty indulging in the insulated environment of your car without needing to bother on what your tyres are treading on.

Moreover, having written about feedback here, it is also to be noted is feedback is one thing, being able to decipher it, is completely different, comes with experience.

But being very smooth & easy to use is not a kind of feedback only? Just yesterday only i come back from a highway, at 130 KMPH also i didnt feel bad with my steering in my Swift Dzire. I drove other cars mentioned in the thread with feedback also, but sometimes i felt those are annoying in city. May be its my personal opinion

[sidd25]

My Vote for Best : Hyundai i10

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by wartikars

Best: Mercedes Benz, Optra, Cruz, City, Accord, Civic, Spark, SX4. Linea.
Worst: Santro, i10, WagonR, Ikon, Accent, Verna, Palio.

Yours is the first post that lists Ikon & Palio as worst steering waali car.