Pure or Passion owners, EPS - yes or no?

[aclinml]

Before purchase, I'm Trying to decide if power steering is a necessity in this little car. My wife has had power steering on every car she has had, but of course nothing near this small. Can a woman easily steer this car without power steering?

[tvengineer]

Originally Posted by aclinml

Before purchase, I'm Trying to decide if power steering is a necessity in this little car. My wife has had power steering on every car she has had, but of course nothing near this small. Can a woman easily steer this car without power steering?

Have her test drive without to be sure, but I don't have it and my wife drives the car... I did have a loaner car for a while with EPS and could hardly tell the difference .

[TMACK]

I have a non-powered steering Passion and find it just fine to turn/steer, as does the wife.
Part of my rationale was to try to keep initial purchase price down and fuel economy up. This was reinforced after I slapped down $800 to replace the electro-hydraulic P/S pump on my wife's Mini, as system, I believe, the smart uses, (perhaps, though, in not so unfortunate a site as in the Mini).

[Suze]

I have EPS, but I used a loaner smart without it for a week. I didn't like it at all - I'm just used to power steering. I found it difficult to make tight turns while driving really slow - like parking lots.

I think if she's used to PS, she should have it.

[TMACK]

I have to admit: the wife drives the Mini, and she did make me fix the power steering.

[Old smart]

In our experience, not needed; it only works at 0-to-low speed anyway. These days I have 1-1/2 fully functional arms, and my wife has two OK, small-frame, 60+ y/o arms. Neither of us wants for EPS. Another complexity to spend money on, and that may go wrong beyond warranty.

[forestacademy]

We here have no idea how strong your wife is, so we really cant tell you.
She will need to drive one without and see if she can handle it. But don't tell her it doesn't have it. If she has a problem, then have her try one with power steering.
It will only be in issue in a parking lot. so you don't have to drive far.

[mvaldes]

FWIW, my wife likes the EPS but has driven a smart without it and didn't find it a hardship. Given the option though, she would choose the power steering.

[rfernatt]

I don't have it on my car, but I have driven a smart with EPS. I'm a big guy, so it's not a problem and not even missed above 10 mph, but if I had to do over again, I'd probably get EPS, especially with my wider 195s on the front. I'll also get the alarm system the second time around...

[karen103a]

The car is small and light enough that it's not an issue in terms of turning the wheels when stationary.

Where it might be an issue is at highway speeds, especially in the wind. Some have said PS makes it easier to keep the car in line; others have said that, while that's true, if you DO touch the wheel the car wants to veer.

Our advice would be to test drive both a PS and non-PS, at a good fast speed, and see if you feel a difference. Whichever way you prefer, buy that one, because feeling comfortably in control of your car at high speeds in the wind is more important than anything else.