48 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 8 APRIL 2 020

his might seem a bold

thing to say, but here

goes: there’s not a

single attribute more

important to the

enjoyment of a car than the feel for

the road derived through its steering.

I ’ l l go f u r t he r: t he r e ’s no si n g le

reason for the erosion of driving

pleasure in recent years greater

than the continued and continual

loss of that feel. But what exactly is

this feel whose passing I so lament?

When I teach younger writers

about the business of road testing, it’s

the subject most likely to be raised,

perhaps alongside determining

the difference between primary

and secondary ride. And for them

it’s a real problem, because it’s

T

FEELING IT

With the rise of electric steering, a lack of steering feel has become a common gripe.

But what is actually meant by this, and why does it matter? Andrew Frankel explains

hard to explain and harder still to

understand. But for you who aren’t

charged with reaching opinions and

justifying conclusions about your

cars, you shouldn’t be troubled at all.

Indeed, the reason I’m writing this

is because a reader took the time to

w r it e i n (t h a n k y ou , Da n ie l Ve r non),

complaining that the Vauxhall Astra

he d r i v e s h a s s t e e r i n g t h at ’s t o o l i g ht

a nd l a c k s fe e l r e l at i v e t o t h at of t he

Ford Focuses he owned in the past.

What’s interesting here is that

Daniel hasn’t merely spotted a

problem – his new car isn’t as good

to drive – but has also identified its

cause. I’ve heard countless people

make this complaint over the years,

but few know what lies at its heart.

“I just really liked the way my old

car drove” is the most familiar

refrain. And I would bet plenty

that, nine times out of 10, what

h a s gone m i s si n g i s s t e e r i n g fe e l.

It’s true that I’m somewhat old-

school about this, which is partly a

f a c t or of my a ge a nd pa r t l y b e c au s e

I spend my spare time driving old

cars, which, rubbish as they may

be in very many ways, have steering

feel that almost any modern car

simply wouldn’t recognise.

There’s a younger cohort of

writers and drivers who attach less

i mp or t a nc e t o s t e e r i n g ’s fe e l a nd

more to its accuracy, linearity and

weight, and I’m not saying they’re

wrong just because I take another

view. Traditional steering feel has

played a far smaller role in their

automotive education and, as a result,

it quite understandably matters less.

But what exactly is steering feel,

and why is it in such short supply

these days? On one level, it’s precisely

a s it ’s de s c r i b e d: how do e s t he

steering actually feel. On a less literal

but more important level, steering

feel is a car’s ability to communicate

both accurately and clearly through

the steering apparatus information

about how the road and its conditions

are being managed as the car f lows

over its surface.

To complicate matters a little,

a distinction needs to be drawn

between desirable feel or feedback

and unwanted kickback. You

absolutely want the steering to

create a very real sense of connection