Quote Originally Posted by niky View Post
The steering issue is just for those of us who are used to the good stuff.

The beauty of Mazda steering isn't in the weight, although it is ungodly heavy sometimes, it's in the way it transmits road conditions and tire activity to the fingertips. When I'm driving a new Honda Jazz or Civic, the only clue to the lack of front end grip when I've got the wheel turned over is the fact that the car is headed straight into the weeds instead of turning like I want it to. That's why a lot of newbie drivers (from what I've seen) put new Honda Cities into the weeds... lack of feedback and overconfidence... as the car seems to be very sharp and doing what you want it to do, when in fact, it can bite you without warning.

In a Mazda, the steering will feed those subtle cue that'll tell you when you're okay, when you're pushing it, and when you're close to going over the line. It's confidence building, and it does have some real benefits on the road. Just two blocks in a Mazda3 or a Mazda6 (sublime, that one) will show you the benefits... or even in an Accord, which has better steering than the current Jazz and Civic. In a Focus, for example, which suffers from tire-induced understeer (heavy car, bad tires), it's easy to correct mistakes because you can feel the front end giving way right away, instead of waiting for your butt and eyes to tell you you're not going in the direction you want to go.

True, once you get used to the light steering, the Jazz can be lots of fun, but that lack of communication is what makes the Jazz to me a very good car and not a great one. A very good car will make a drive exciting, a great one will make it sensual...
Come to think of it, I don't recall feeling the road that much with the steering wheel as I'm used to with our cars here (both MB). Maybe when I fly back I'll give it a try again, but that's still in June

Then again, maybe I did feel it, maybe because of the 17's my dad put on the Jazz...?