Why do cars use wheels when something like levers would likely be more appropriate?

Question

Why do cars use wheels when something like levers would likely be more appropriate?

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Answer 1

I don’t see how a lever in and of itself is more appropriate than a wheel. Unless you mean joystick?

A wheel offers mechanical advantage. You can really crank that steering wheel in order to forcibly get the vehicle to turn. This was important back in the days without power steering, and is still important in modern cars in case your power steering dies.

The steering wheel is also relatively insensitive to input. A small twitch in the wheel isn’t going to send you careening off in a random direction. Joysticks, simply due to their limited axis of movement, mean that you need a very fine degree of control in comparison.