Electric assisted Powersteering?

Do any of you Drivers have any experience with the new "Electric Assisted" Powersteering? Last year I rented a Tiguan TDI in the Old country with that type of steering and I hated it a lot.

I think it's been standard over here since the 2005.5 Jetta TDI. Works fine, not too numb, not to stiff..... it's just right.

Bill

If nobody told me that I have electric steering I would have never known. The system on my Jetta works flawlessly.

I've been utterly thrilled with mine. Good feel, good feedback.

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly were your issues with the power steering?

I love mine it provides the perfect amount of feedback when im carving corners

I've had it since my 2007 (since traded on the 2011 Golf) Passat. Took a bit of getting used to at first as I tended to over-control with it, but I love it now. Especially the automatic trim (if you are bucking a crosswind, the steering force eases up in the direction you're constantly steering into). Comparing the hydraulic steering on our B5.5 Passat to the electric steering on the B6 Passat and Golf hatch and wagon we have, the electric is WAY less fatiguing to drive.

pros and cons to this in my opinion..

mine grumbles a bit on slow right turns.. dont know why.

No problems with ours. It seems a bit more sensitive than on POS ('08 RAV4), but it does exactly what you tell it to as far as I can see.

Thanks for the replies.
On the Drive to Saskatchewan I did not need much steering. 1,800 km pretty well STRAIGHT

Electric steering sucks. Totally devoid of feel. I am constantly reminded of how nice hydraulic steering is every time I get in my '02 or the Miata. Even the Mercedes steering with an old fashioned steering box feels better than electric. Read any reviews of the current Porsche Cayman or BMW 3 series: reviewers rail against the electric steering in both cars. It's another compromise we make to meet FE standards as it uses less power than hydraulic. My daughter's Jetta S (hydraulic) steers much better than my '12 Golf (electric).

I think it's great for normal driving. Perhaps not so much if you're into sport driving and/or racing.

^^^Another reason to keep my 2002 GOLF IV. Smooth steering.... just love that.

TDI smile said:

On the Drive to Saskatchewan I did not need much steering. 1,800 km pretty well STRAIGHT

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Going straight is when I appreciate the electric power steering the most because there is virtually no slop in the steering mechanism. You do not have to constantly correct by slightly rocking the steering wheel from side to side to keep going straight. This makes driving long distances very relaxing and less tiring compared to other vehicles I have driven.

roostre said:

Going straight is when I appreciate the electric power steering the most because there is virtually no slop in the steering mechanism. You do not have to constantly correct by slightly rocking the steering wheel from side to side to keep going straight. This makes driving long distances very relaxing and less tiring compared to other vehicles I have driven.

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Nice to know, Thanks. Edmonton - Vancouver no sweet... Was not tired after those 1,100 km. Only had to swing around 1 bear. What a wild traffic in Edmonton. They need Helis to get anywhere.

roostre said:

Going straight is when I appreciate the electric power steering the most because there is virtually no slop in the steering mechanism. You do not have to constantly correct by slightly rocking the steering wheel from side to side to keep going straight. This makes driving long distances very relaxing and less tiring compared to other vehicles I have driven.

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I have to agree. I noticed this and my son, who test drove the Passat, commented that he really liked that feature over his Jeep's power steering. I think there were two things he really liked, one was the steering.

One of my friends commented how "amazingly solid and motionless" my 2012 Golf TDI's steering wheel appeared to be while at speed on highway straightaways. Now when I'm a passenger I tend to notice the movement on other people's steering wheels while on the freeway. There is a difference, even compared to new vehicles which do not have any wear or tear.

I have no complaints with the overall feel of the electric steering but I can understand why some drivers may not like it.

Certainly, electric assist does feel different, but once you get use to the feel of it, it does everything steering should do. Pretty brain dead really, it just works flawlessly and is just a way better way of doing things then hydraulic steering ever was.

The best feature is that if you somehow kill the engine, the electric steering will still provide steering assist until the car slows to about 3 MPH when the controller shuts off.

It just kills that folks complain that modern electric assist steering does not feel like 1950's dinosaur hydraulic steering.

Serra said:

I have to agree. I noticed this and my son, who test drove the Passat, commented that he really liked that feature over his Jeep's power steering. I think there were two things he really liked, one was the steering.

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I would hope a Passat has better steering than a Jeep.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I would hope a Passat has better steering than a Jeep.

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Sorry, Jeep Grand Cherokee, not just a Jeep. Nothing wrong with the Jeep's steering, the Passat is just better. I drove the Jeep for 10 years and never had a problem with it.

My Toyota's have stupidly overassisted steering. I have high hopes that eventually electric steering can get "hacked" or that the OEM's will allow some user customability in the settings. Lots of assist at slow speeds, dropping to nil on the highway. And perhaps a bit of "on center valley" or something similar to help it not wander.

supton said:

My Toyota's have stupidly overassisted steering. I have high hopes that eventually electric steering can get "hacked" or that the OEM's will allow some user customability in the settings. Lots of assist at slow speeds, dropping to nil on the highway. And perhaps a bit of "on center valley" or something similar to help it not wander.

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That is how the new cars are. Lots of assist at low speeds then tightens up when up to speed

Too bad Toyota hasn't figured that out. Sneeze and I'm apt to be two lanes over.

My wife's Hyundai Elantra Touring has an early version of EPS... and it's not bad for grocery-getting and relaxed driving, if anything a bit heavy-weighted for parallel parking (the car plows like a Case-IH, so "feel" when hustling around curves is moot... You just don't hustle it around corners, period.) The place it acts up is on on-ramps, as there is a step up in the assist that happens at about 1/5 of a turn of wheel, which is exactly the radius of several on-ramps. At constant pressure at that 1/5 turn, the wheel keeps bouncing between assist steps, repeatedly stiffening up then instantly going fully numb again, then repeating (it will do it like 5-7 times on a 270* ramp). In fairness, the Touring was a carryover model which had been sold as the i30 estate in the Euro market since like the early 2000's. EPS surely has to have come a long way since, even in the Korean offerings. And really, besides the cloverleaf funnies, it does what 95% of drivers need it to do, which is to let them get to work without breaking a sweat...