Five hundred big ones is lot of hard-earned dosh to spend on a steering wheel. How on earth could Logitech ever justify asking us to splash out that much?
Design
The G25 gets off to a good start when you open up its not inconsiderably-sized box because your olfactory senses are hit with the distinctive odour of leather. Sure, similar levels of delight can be derived from unpacking Logitech's cheaper Momo-branded steering wheel, but that wheel doesn't come with the G25's exquisite brushed metal paddle shifters and pedals. Close your eyes and you could almost imagine that you're behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin. And then there's also the solid, weighty feel to three separate components of the G25: steering wheel, pedals and gearshift-cum-joypad controller.
All the G25's odds and sods are connected to the steering wheel's base, including the power pack and USB cable. The connectors for all these wires reside in a cavity on the steering wheel's base. This design allows the G25's wheel unit to keep a nice and clean profile -- one impromptu reviewer even went so far as to call it "car-like" and "aerodynamic". However, we imagine that most G25 set-ups will require owners to constantly pack and unpack the steering wheel between uses, and it's here that tucking the wires into their runners is quite a pain, especially on the first few occasions.
On paper the two metre USB cable seems sufficiently long, but when we were using the G25 away from a PC it usually came up just a little bit short; we either had to move things around to accommodate the wheel or use a USB cable extender.
Features
Both the steering wheel and gearshift boxes have adjustable clamps so that they can be securely attached to a table. If you're using the G25 with a PS2 or PS3 in the living room, be prepared to do a little bit of room re-arrangement because, unlike the Logitech Driving Force Pro steering wheel, which was bundled with the PS2 and Gran Turismo 4, there's no attachment allowing you to use the G25 between your legs. Although if you have that older wheel's attachment, it works surprisingly well with the G25.
Joining the already mentioned brushed metal bits and liberal use of dead cow, the G25's other headline features are its clutch and six-speed gearbox. Like the steering wheel, the gear knob is swathed in leather and, as such, feels great in the hand. The gearbox operates in one of two modes, either as a sequential tap-up, tap-down shifter or a gated six-speed box. In six-speed mode, the gate is so poorly defined -- think of stirring a ladle through a vat of cold, day old porridge -- that selecting the wrong gear is an all too frequent occurrence.
Slip the box into sequential mode and the shifter becomes redundant; changing gears with the wheel mounted paddle shifts is not only quicker but far more pleasing too, with the paddles cool to the touch and emitting a particularly satisfying snick on engagement. Mid-corner shifts require the utmost attention, though, because with the paddles mounted to the wheel rather than the base, it's all too easy to shift down when you mean to shift up. Although none of the games that we had on hand supported the clutch, we suspect that it too, like the six-speed gate, falls into the realm of gimmickry. After all who wants to finish second because vital tenths-of-a-second were wasted clutching in and out.
Performance
Boasting 900-degrees of motion, or 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, the G25 makes a good start on its path to realism. Stepping up from other wheels, though, it takes a few races to get used to the extra steering effort required, especially in low-speed corners. Once acclimatised, the G25 rewards you with feedback that gets pretty close to the real thing -- ripple strips feel remarkably like, well, ripple strips not like an electro-mechanical gubbin that's trying to yank your arms free of their sockets.
When we mated the G25 with Gran Turismo HD Concept and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the PS3, we nearly fell off our seats, so giddy were we with delirium. Pick an Integra Type-R and you can feel the steering tighten up under acceleration, growing to a wink-wink-nudge-nudge hint of torque steer. Yet with a Lotus Elise, the wheel is lighter and talkative enough that you can feel when the car's rear is about to step out.
The pedals' heft allied with the carpet grabber (a studded flick-down tab) ensures that the pedals don't budge even under the hardest braking. However, a demerit point or two is earned by the whining noise made by the G25's motor. It's a trifle annoying but it's only apparent when the wheel is winding its way from lock to lock during calibration or self-centring.
So is it worth AU$500? Well, if you're a dedicated race fan and your backyard isn't conveniently situated over a large deposit of liquefied dead dinosaur then yes and no. Yes, because for many of us it will be the closest we'll get to fanging a Ferrari or GT-R around. And no, because a quick Internet search will yield a clutch of retailers selling the G25 for around AU$300. Keep in mind too that the G25 only works with PC and PlayStation (both 2 and 3) games -- a slightly out-of-date list of compatible games can be found here -- so Xbox racing fans will have to look elsewhere.
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Seren1ty
27/05/2008, 05:31 PM
rating
10/10
I purchased this masterpiece of engineering roughly 2 weeks ago now for $300 at dick smith, and all I really need to say is Ive used the previous Driving Force Pro wheel on GT 3 and 4 and after trialling this thing at dick smith with GT 5 Prologue it blew me away.
The sensation given by the duel feedback motors under that immaculately leather stitched wheel is in a totally different league to every other wheel Ive tried. Ive driven proper 110km racing go-karts on a professional closed circuit 1000m track and this thing brings back memories as you no longer have to think about the steering in the game, you just get to enjoy the experience to the full.
Pros: High quality fit and finish. Sturdy and weighty in all the right places. Excellent feedback and involvement from the wheel. I love the ability to use the 6 speed stick shift. The pedals practically glue themselves to the floor (in a good way).
Cons: The price seems to have gone back up at most retailers after it had dropped to low 300's.
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scrimitar
21/03/2008, 10:44 PM
rating
9/10
well this i have to say is THE BEST wheel you can buy and i got mine for $AU298 at dick smith
well basically everything about it is great and feels good
the leather and the metal go well together and the 900 degrees of rotation is great for drifting, just let go of the wheel and it turns (450 degrees each way, 450+450=900)
TDU is REALLY good with this, only if the sound would get fixed in lower revs, and when GT5Prologue comes out that will be great to
GT5 for the racing and TDU for the cruising along the beutiful beach roads
any one can use it, if you like using the paddle shift use that, if you like the sequential shifting use that or like me use the 6 speed, but in TDU you HAVE to use the paddles in some cars
Pros: leather feels good and metal is sturdy, the pressure for each pedal is just right,
900 degrees lock to lock, has paddle shifting or sequential or 6 speed manual with clutch
Cons: the shifting is a little close, sometimes i went from 2nd to 5th instead of 3rd, but you can get used to it in a hour or so
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Vat
19/03/2008, 07:32 AM
rating
9/10
I find the comments from the writer about the clutch and shifter bizarre - the ability to heel and toe down from 6th to 2nd in games like Live for Speed and Test Drive: Unlimited add another dimension to them. The wheel is a vast improvement over the Driving Force Pro, and adds numerous advantages over the previous Logitech flagship, the Momo, including the clutch/shifter and much improved compatibility, including full PS2/PS3 support.
Pros: Leather feel of wheel. Placement of pedals allows heel and toe, and shifter adds another dimension to decent PC games (Live for Speed anyone?) Good materials used through. PS2 and PS3 compatibility. Excellent feedback through two motors, and quiet (particularly compared to the Driving Force Pro). Cables tidy under wheel.
Cons: Feel on the brake and clutch could be better. Pedal pase does wander around a bit under heavy provocation. Leather stitching not fantastic. Price.
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jamesnorman93
31/01/2008, 01:15 PM
rating
9/10
This wheel is amazing!!!!!!
If you have another wheel... what are u sitting there for? Go and sell your old wheel on ebay/get rid of it, do something... just get this wheel!!!!
It is worth every mili cent!!!!
But... it would be a perfect score if it had forse feedback in the shifter and was harder to change gear
But this thing is still awesome :D
Pros: amazing forse feedback it has 2 really powerful motors, the leather it feels like a real wheel, the metal also makes it feel like a real wheel and it definatly won't brake.
Everything about this wheel is great!!!
Cons: The shifter is a little to easy to change gear :P - but that is nothing
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mddoogie
26/01/2008, 12:23 AM
rating
10/10
I love this wheel from logitech, for years i've been wanting a steering wheel system for my computer that had a clutch and gearbox, but no-one had one until, i was scanning logitech's website and saw this new release wheel system that had a 6 speed gear box and clutch, my jaw dropped, and it was logitech so wasn't going to be dodgy, i straight rang up my local electronics store and asked for a price, they said $500, i was bit thrown off as was alot of money but had to get it, when i did get it i was over the moon, and and amazed by the design of it, well worth the $500, The steering wheel steel gear has authentic leather around it with steel gear change levers on it like on a Formula 1 race car and two red buttons to use for nos, Full 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, with built in shock absorbers, when u run over a bump or grass, you feel like you are running over grass, really realistic, as well two clamps that bolt onto your computer desk, the 6 speed gear box also with authentic leather and steel covering, has 6 other red buttons which you can use for views or nos or special buttons, also has clamps that bolt onto the desk, the foot pedals very well designed, they got actual studs in bottom that grip onto your carpet or if you have tiles, they have rubber soles as well, the pedals are also made of steel, with this being said, they steering,gearbox bolt onto the desk very tightly no problems with them falling off as well as foot pedals sliding around no problem there, the game i played was need for speed carbon and felt like this wheel was designed for this game, the handling was amazing, the feel of reving the cars out and changing gears made feel like i was really in a souped up rx 7 or lamborghini, even travelling at high speeds of 250 kmh to 300 kmh felt like i was going that fast, this wheel i say is the closest thing you'll get to racing your dream car up to 300 km/h without the risk of cops or getting killed, Logitech have done extremely well in thinking this wheel, does everything i dreamed a steering wheel system would do and more.
Pros: The authentic leather gives a really classy italian look, and the steel makes it really durable, no matter how much you push it, it will take it and ask for more. the steel pedals even are pressurized, so the throttle real loose when u wanna boot it and go full throttle and brake gets harder the harder u press it.
Cons: Umm let me think NONE
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