Review: Logitech G27 Racing Wheel

Nothing matches the raw badassery of drifting a sports car with a six-digit sticker price through a white-knuckled hairpin turn. But, here's the reality: Unless you have an enormous bankroll and a good lawyer, that's probably not a great idea.

This is why the FSM invented videogames and steering-wheel controllers. Playing Need for Speed: Shift with Logitech's deluxe G27 steering wheel is about as close to mashing a Bugatti Veyron you can get without leaving your couch — and with the Logitech, there's much less risk of property damage or a wrongful-death lawsuit.

Like the G25 before it, Logitech designed the G27 with precision in mind. The 11-inch wheel sports 900 degrees of rotation, simulates tire grip through force feedback, and comes wrapped in buttery smooth leather. When cornering through high-speed, g-heavy turns it felt like we were actually at wheel of a sports car.

Logitech made some sensible upgrades from the G25, too. There are now six programmable buttons (three left, three right) located on the wheel itself, sturdier shifting paddles, and a nifty rpm indicator.

But unfortunately, not all additions are solid. The included pedals and gear shifter are less "home run," more "hit and run." To be fair, these components have fantastic build quality. The gas, brake and clutch pedals not only look great, but have a satisfyingly weighty feel when pressed.

But even though they're adjustable, the pedals are far too close together. More than a few times we lost time on a lap because we'd been pressing both the gas and the brake. Logitech tried to combat this by giving each of the pedals a slightly different shape, but this distinction only became apparent when driving barefoot.

And though everything on the gear shifter is functional — including an integrated D-pad and eight additional buttons — it feels like more of an afterthought compared to the slick paddle system. The shifter definitely has its advantages (six speeds, helical gears, and push-down reverse), but more often than not, we'd opt for using the paddles — or a car with an automatic slushbox.

Still, given the host of features, solid construction and (mostly effective) attention to detail, the G27 is a reasonable choice for the armchair Andretti.