I had to laugh at the first letter in your column: “Let's have an intelligent conversation about electric power steering.” Amazingly the writer then proceeded not to have an intelligent conversation by slating it across the board. To have an intelligent conversation, surely as your reply indicated, you need to have driven a large number of cars with it and be able to compare that to a large number without it and weigh up the pros and cons against no power steering, rear or front drive and finally, of course, electric.

In my limited experience I'd say it's set up rather than what type, although it does appear from reading and driving that manufacturers seem to be finding it harder to get proper ‘feel’ with electric power steering. Rear-wheel drive with no power steering would be purest. I assume you are never going to get perfect feel and handling in a front wheel drive car, but for most of us the benefits (safety etc.) far outweigh the cons.

For the record I have a 2010 MINI, which I assume has electric power steering, and it is nothing short of fantastic: stable, nippy and lots of feel for electric, especially compared to the dreadful Honda Jazz Mk1 and Hyundai i20 which had no centre feel at all and did as your writer says, ie wander all over. Porsche has adopted electrics now for its 911 991 and there is some resistance in the press. I’ll bet the ordinary punter would be happy, though. And of course the benefits of weight, no maintenance (fluid top up), cost and economy must be important or they wouldn’t have bothered developing it.