I forgot to mention one other anoying aspect of EPS systems:

There is a slight “sticky” feeling about some EPS systems when steering “on-center” on the highway. It is difficult to describe this subtle, yet disturbing, sensation. The steering feels like it sticks slightly when on-centre, and then moves freely once the driver applies sufficient force to overcome this slightly “stuck” feeling. It is not a smooth transition from on-centre to lane change/correction steer. The worst vehicle for this effect that I drove was the Ford Escape (2010).

It is a subtle feeling (except in the Escape it is quite obvious), but I find it disturbing for long highway trips. This effect is totally absent in hydraulic power steering vehicles. Hydraulic provides a smooth, consistent, predictable steering feedback under all normal steering conditions.

Exiting corners is far better with hydraulic steering and steering while changing speeds is far more predictable and secure with hydraulic.

My conclusion is that EPS is a cost saving measure resulting in a poor quality driving experience. The technology is not ready for prime time and I will not consider a car with EPS for several more years.