Any enthusiast who has climbed into a sports car from the end of the last century and then moved behind the wheel of a brand new model experiences the same peculiar feeling. The car is faster, safer, the drive is precise, but something vital is missing behind the wheel - that subtle, almost surgical feedback from the front tires that engineers call "road feel".
The reason for this quiet revolution in the interior lies in the complete replacement of hydraulic power steering with electric (EPS - Electric Power Steering). While the old hydraulic system used a pump driven by the engine and transferred every vibration of the asphalt directly through the steering rod to the driver's hands, modern electric racks rely on sensors, electronic units and electric motors.
The main driver for this global change was not the desire for better handling, but strict fuel economy. The hydraulic pump works constantly and takes away from the engine's power, while the electric power steering consumes energy only when the driver turns the steering wheel. This small engineering improvement cuts fuel consumption by several percent and reduces harmful emissions, which turned out to be crucial for meeting environmental standards.
However, along with the economy came complete isolation. The electronic controller of the electric rack practically filters out microvibrations from the road. Any bumps, changes in grip on wet pavement or the moment when the front tires begin to lose contact with the asphalt are no longer physically felt. Instead, the computer generates artificial resistance that only simulates weight in the steering wheel, but does not transmit real information about the limits of physics.
Of course, electric steering also brought huge advantages. Without it, modern safety systems such as automatic lane keeping, self-parking and semi-autonomous driving functions would be impossible. In addition, it allows the driver to change the characteristics of the steering wheel with the push of a button – from light and comfortable city driving to a firmer sporty feel for country corners.
Despite technological advances, leading sports brands continue to invest millions in writing complex software algorithms that artificially restore “the feeling of the road“. Although new sports cars are driven with surgical precision, the old mechanics remain a thing of the past – turning analog contact with the asphalt into one of the most sought-after and expensive luxuries in the modern automotive world.