What’s it like to steer-by-wire?

Something this unique and technically fascinating needed to be road-tested by CM. Although our experience was relatively short, it was time enough to gather some useful impressions. We tested Infiniti’s Q60 coupé, a handsome and comfortable vehicle powered by a 400bhp twin-turbocharged V6.

The system has divided motoring journalists. While some remarked on the unpredictable weighting, others disliked the Active Lane Control that steers the car on the motorway, but we found neither an issue worthy of note. The latter is mildly disconcerting at first, but you quickly acclimatise and the lack of steering correction required at speed is noticeable.

In fact, DAS very much suited the relaxed nature of the Q60, while still providing decent levels of accuracy and directness. Pre-conceived expectations of arcadegame disconnectedness never materialised as the system does allow the feel of the road surface to reach the steering wheel’s rim, while filtering out the worst of the fussiness and fidget that otherwise passes for traditional driver engagement. Thus jolts from pockmarked surfaces are felt through your backside and not the steering, which works just fine for us.

Enthusiasts and scribes can argue the merits of electric power assistance all they like, but the question here is whether a buyer opting for the system would realise that it’s entirely drive-by-wire, and the answer to that is no. We suspect that DAS would suit the vast majority of these buyers very well indeed.