Breakdown of Der Wagen ist handlich und lenkt sich sehr leicht.
sein
to be
und
and
sehr
very
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
Questions & Answers about Der Wagen ist handlich und lenkt sich sehr leicht.
Why does the sentence use the reflexive lenkt sich instead of the regular passive voice?
This is the reflexive middle voice, acting as an alternative to the passive. While you could technically say wird sehr leicht gelenkt (is steered very easily), using lenkt sich sounds much more natural when describing a built-in quality of an object. It translates perfectly to the English phrase "steers easily".
Could I use the sich lassen construction here instead?
Yes! Another very common passive alternative is sich lassen plus an infinitive verb at the end. You could absolutely say und lässt sich sehr leicht lenken (and can be steered very easily). Both are great, natural ways to avoid a standard passive when describing how a vehicle handles.
Does handlich mean exactly the same thing as the English word "handy"?
They are partial false friends. While "handy" often means useful or convenient in general, handlich specifically means easy to physically handle, maneuverable, or conveniently sized. For a car, it means it is compact and easy to maneuver. If you want to say a tool or a tip is "handy" in the sense of generally useful, you would normally use praktisch or nützlich.
Can the verb lenken be used without the reflexive pronoun sich?