I did go into the first level again after beating my first run to see how flying around felt after the change. It's better than before. But also yes, just the turning speed itself helps so much in the feel of the game.
It seems to me the best strategy I can find for this game is to never move. I spawn in, shoot all the asteroids I see to break them apart, then shoot all the green zurg asteroids that are floating around everywhere and pass the level. The laser goes quite far and I can hit most asteroids I can see without moving. Moving is just a waste of fuel and inefficient.