[Mustang.101]

I have only driven cars below 15 lakhs extensively :

Best : Ikon 1.6 & Fusion (both my cars & this was the major factor i chose these 2 cars)

Worst : Tatas & Marutis

But The BEST OF THE BEST : BMW M3 which i drove once when i was in UK for an assignment! <-------- Mean Machine!

[XH_Vee]

My vote among Indian cars goes for Opel Corsa. It gave an excellent steering feedback and that to without any compromise on ride quality.

Worst: All Tata vehicles... I am not putting Maruti because I felt both Swift & Ritz above average for Indian cars.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by pnredkar

No, the steering does not lose control. Infact, it gets heavier as the speed increases. Now, visualize this: The road turns sharply to the right. You try to keep to your lane at that speed. But you realize that for the expected steering turn, your car starts moving to the left lane. You have to overcorrect to stay in your lane.

You know what? You don't have a problem at all. Your car is perfect - that's how I'd like my steering to be.

You are going to the left lane because, I'm guessing here, you are not able to gauge the "angle" of curve at such high speeds. You expect that "this much" turn is enough to take the curve, but then when the car moves to the left lane, you are forced to take corrective action midway and turn the steering wheel a bit more.

From what you have explained, it is very clear that your car is NOT understeering - the front wheels seem to be gripping the road quite well. If it was understeer, you cannnot correct it by turning the steering wheel. Understeer can only be corrected by taking the foot of the accelerator, slowing down till the wheels start gripping again, and then turning the steering wheel.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by smartcat

You know what? You don't have a problem at all. Your car is perfect - that's how I'd like my steering to be.

You are going to the left lane because, I'm guessing here, you are not able to gauge the "angle" of curve at such high speeds. You expect that "this much" turn is enough to take the curve, but then when the car moves to the left lane, you are forced to take corrective action midway and turn the steering wheel a bit more.

From what you have explained, it is very clear that your car is NOT understeering - the front wheels seem to be gripping the road quite well. If it was understeer, you cannnot correct it by turning the steering wheel. Understeer can only be corrected by taking the foot of the accelerator, slowing down till the wheels start gripping again, and then turning the steering wheel.

Although, I understand the point you are trying to make. That being, in the case of his car going through the turn, he has not lost grip, only he has, maybe, turned less than what the curve demands, so its rather an under-turning by the driver rather than under-steering by the car. The corrective action being turn more into the curve and the car goes through.

But in the event that a car actually understeers, the wheels are turned more than what the grip afforded by the tyres against the surface can withstand against the centrifugal force. The corrective action for this is to reduce the centrifugal force, regain the grip again and then turn again.

To reduce the centrifugal force you, reduce the throttle input as well as reduce the steering angle. So its either or a combination of the two inputs.

On a sweeping curve you would see race drivers (especially those driving FWD cars) fighting understeer with the steering and the throttle. You reduce the turn angle regain some grip turn in again, this process goes on till one finds the optimum angle. Thats why you see them vary the steering a little back and forth about over a certain turn angle. (Note this back and forth turning should not be confused with the initial wild back and forth unsettling turn (pendulum swing) these drivers use to get the car into a drift)

[fatboyslim]

In smaller hatchbacks: best Alto, worst Indica V2
In premium hatchbacks: best Palio 1.6, figo, worst i20 (do not know about the polo)
In mid size sedans: best Fiesta 1.6, Ford Ikon, worst GM aveo

Cheers!
fatboyslim

[cijo]

ford ikon's steering is amazing . The old lancer (not cedia) 1.5 petrol also have a great steering response
my vote to ford ikon and mitsubishi lancer

[drdeepudev]

Might be this thread is a too broad one. Many catagories, multi brands, I feel it should have a poll. Among the cars I have driven, Linea (which I own) is pretty smooth and is responsive. I too have a M800 non ps, which is highly responsive. Like wise, the difference in class makes lots of difference in response. The worst I have felt was from M omni.

[desi_wananchi]

Best: Skoda Octavia and Mahindra Scorpio

Worst: i20, City zx feel uncomfortable to go high speeds with this cars on highway while overtaking.

[fatboyslim]

Originally Posted by drdeepudev

Might be this thread is a too broad one. Many catagories, multi brands, I feel it should have a poll. Among the cars I have driven, Linea (which I own) is pretty smooth and is responsive. I too have a M800 non ps, which is highly responsive. Like wise, the difference in class makes lots of difference in response. The worst I have felt was from M omni.

I agree with Drdeep. I feel I either we should segment the market our and then look at steering feel Or have a thread which talk about "fun to drive" element because at the end, fun to drive includes other elements as well.

I am be wrong, but I can compare let's say fun to drive element of Alto with Polo better than steering feel of Alto and Polo. May be just a mental bolock on my part

My two cents

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Best steering feedback: Ford Fiesta, Ford Ikon, Maruti 800, non-PS old Zen, Fiat Linea, Fiat Palio
Worst steering feedback: i10, i20, Wagon R, Indica, Verna.
I have not included cars I have driven abroad.

What I find the best are: M800, Non PS Zen, Non PS Indica and the new EECO

Originally Posted by smartcat

Maruti 800? I have driven it a lot long time back, but don't exactly recall how the steering feedback was.

It is wonderful and confidence inspiring, all that's missing is a 4pot litre plus engine

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

Tata cars have very light steering & also unresponsive to small feedbacks (having driven a Safari & Indica).
Maruti EPS are better over the Santro I own in speeds over 120 kmph, otherwise more or less the same.
Maruti's non-PS cars are good for 2 years only. After which their steering vagueness increases like anything. Fiat ones are better than both.
Ford cars have steering like what a enthusiast will like to have tight & crisp response to drivers inputs.
Ford takes the award for best steering from my side & Tata the worst.

Yes I agree, though TATA has tried to make amends with Manza, whose steering isn't as light and vague as as Indigo's. But IMHO Non PS Indica has a wonderfully direct steering, albeit a little hard

Originally Posted by arun1100

Can somebody tell me what EXACTLY is steering feedback?

In short, the driver should be able to know and feel through the steering wheel what exactly is going on between the tyre and the road.

Originally Posted by Amartya

Having driven both, I cannot agree more.

Having driven neither I know now what to steer away from!

[msaudf]

steering feedback basically depends on the steering box setup and the ratio in the gearing of the box. there are the rack and pinion setups the recirculating ball setup and finally the worm and sector setup. the best steering response is obtained from the first the rack and pinion. well thats best suited for tarmac paved roads and for vehicles that can take quick flicks. the worm and sector setup is mainly used in SUVs and lack response this to avoid breaking the drivers thumbs while driving over uneven and rough tracks.
so now you chaps can easily identify which cars are better for steering response and which ones are not. and please remember if they are bad its not entirely a design flaw it could be there for a reason.
cheers mates.

[SmartCat]

I have driven the Tata Ace (without wearing that compulsory brown uniform) and it had an excellent steering feel

Anyway, in all these replies, its a bit odd to see some vehicles being in both the "best" and the "worst" list (Eg: Scorpio, Alto etc).

We all knew about Fords and Fiats being among the best. But Opel Corsa seems to be a surprise find in this "survey" for a car with good steering feel/feedback. For those who love driving and are on a tight budget, some fine examples of Corsa are available in the used car market for around Rs. 1 Lac (plus or minus 30k).

Originally Posted by windiesel

Having driven neither I know now what to steer away from!

hehe that's funny!

[pramod]

Fiesta 1.6 , Ford Ikon, is up there at the top among the cars i have driven.
I found Santro, Corolla to be Pathetic!

[karmania]

Amongst the Jap/Korean cars I have driven in the US, the Subaru and Honda have the "Men's Power Steering" whereas Toyota, Lexus and Hyundai have the "Women's Power Steering".
All American and German cars also have a good steering feedback.
But overall the German's have got it just right in their cars.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Among the two cars i had-

800- Perfect. Its direct without assist afterall!

WagonR- EPS plays spoilsport. Its too light, and not confidence inspiring compared to new Maruti cars like swift. However, its a boon inside the city, specially for parents!