I'm interested in the forthcoming turbocharged Buick Regal and Hyundai Sonata, but I've heard that turbos have to be corrected for lateral pull. Is this true?
It’s not a rule, but the tendency for this to happen is greater with turbocharged front-wheel-drive cars. This characteristic is called torque steer, and it’s a result of the two front wheels trying to do too many things at once: put power to the ground and also steer.
Torque steer is more common on high-horsepower front-wheel-drive cars. One glaring example is the Mazdaspeed3, which will tug the steering wheel left or right if you don’t have a firm grip. Torque steer can also pop up on all-wheel-drive cars that bias power to the front wheels, though some automakers quell torque steer with all-wheel drive.
As for the turbocharged Regal, Cars.com senior editor David Thomas recently drove a preproduction model and says this version (220 hp and 258 pounds-feet of torque) had plenty of power for most people but wasn’t powerful enough to overtake the front wheels with torque steer.
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I've driven an all wheel drive turbo charged Subaru Impreza WRX for 5 years. Only when I'm at the absolute handling limits of the car does it get tricky. If torque steer can be SAFELY controlled (ie, don't go too fast that you try and break the laws of physics and put someone's life in danger), the car is almost like a fun, wild stallion that you're trying to control.
Again, I say, please drive safely and don't go unreasonably fast. Consider the safety of yourself, the family members in the car, and the people in other cars around you.