DRIVING is my thing, and when you’re as into racing games as I am, you end up spending a lot on the latest tech.
I’ve drifted round corners in Gran Turismo 7 with my T300 RS. I’ve claimed first place in F1 24 with my 488 GT3.
These wheels are all backed up with my T818 Direct Drive for the real feel. Needless to say, I care about my driving experience.
I spent a few weeks with the Evo Racing 32T Leather, a new Thrustmaster steering wheel designed for rally games.
With this wheel, Thrustmaster is catering to gamers who want to customise their sim driving experience to the limits.
Given my expert impressions, let’s start with the crown.
It’s excellently crafted, with a very smooth leather that is pleasant to the touch.
I wore gloves when using it, which aside from being recommended to keep the wheel safe, also kept the leather pleasing to the touch.
Prominent are the two pentagon textured stitchings, top and bottom, which not only look good but help your grip.
Coming from a GT-designed wheel, the Evo Racing 32R Leather’s steering can feel a bit large and cause oversteering.
It’s not ideal for the likes of Assetto Corsa Competizione: its element is rally games like EA Sports WRC.
The shape does make it easier to control your car in corners and on curbs, even on these circuits.
Alongside this, the buttons on the front are excellent. Solid, not jiggly, but not too hard either.
The diamond textured left stick is pleasant to the touch and is very precise and multi-directional. However, the right stick is missing.
It has various knobs that are functional, and programmable. On Assetto Corsa Competizione, I used them to adjust the braking distribution and the engine map.
The paddle shifters on the Evo Racing 32R Leather are particularly prominent, which is convenient for a wheel designed primarily for rallying, especially as you need instant speed and button availability.
They can feel a tad too tight in the basic setup, but there’s room for customisation.
The right snap and the curved shape of the wheel, which accommodates your fingers nicely, makes this among the best I’ve tested recently.
The LEDs also switch to blue when you need to shift gears, giving you a clear visual indicator.
It’s a clever solution, possibly leading even those who’ve never played on manual to make the leap with greater safety.
Mounting it is immediate thanks to the quick release system recently adopted by Thrustmaster starting with the T818. It’s just four screws and a plug, so it’s very easy to put it all together.
The option for you to use the classic adapter is still there and it’s included in the package.
The Evo Racing 32R Leather’s special feature lies in the switchable central hub, which can be connected to other steering wheels for different configurations.
I like the idea of such a multifaceted device, especially since the central hub has many programmable buttons and LEDs.
This makes it a particularly suitable solution if you want a long-term wheel, and it’s good for a lot of different racing games.
Pricing is pretty high £270/$300, so it’s up to you whether it’s worth the cost.
But Thrustmaster’s track record speaks for itself, you will have the excellent manufacturing quality behind the Evo Racing 32R Leather and some interesting functions too.
That’s enough to place it among my favourite recent steering wheels.
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