Hi all! :-D
Maybe someone can help me with this. I drive quite a lot of new cars jobwise coz I photograph them. And recently I received an S-Class which i had the chance to drive back to back with a W12-Phaeton (hope its ok to mention that here.)
The S-Class´s (short version with the 320 Diesel) autobahn comfort was unbelievable. That alone is a reason to consider this as my next long distance machine.
But there is one thing with the steering that might spoil the deal, and no one was able to provide some answer:
1. The steering wheel comes out of the dashboard slightly to the right of the driver. And to compensate this, the column is basically tilted towards the driver which makes for a very awkward driving position as the wheel is neither in front of the driver nor straight. To compensate this, the drivers seat is slightly turned towards the wheel, which in turn causes the driver to basically sit at an angle towards the road in ahead.
Maybe something was wrong with my car. I ll have to look at some other S-Classes to see if this phenomenon occurs in all of them.
I just noticed it so strongly coz I drove the S-Mercedes at the same time as my old Phaeoton, which was straight throughout. It cant be a security issue, coz then all big audis would have that too i think.
I really like the big Benz, so maybe someone can solve the mystery.
2. I never noticed in on any other car, but driving on long countryroads at maybe 100km/h, the steering is very comfortable, but as soon as I turn into a corner, it starts to basically pull on the steering wheel as if the wheels want to go straight again. So You really have to hang on to the wheel in the curves and the car feels like its 5 tons. I never noticed that on ANY other car I drove. Maybe wrong tires or the small standard wheels? One guy told me its typical and engineered that way to give the car a heavy feeling. Cant be true, is it?
In any case, thanks for reading and solving some mysteries in my black Benz.
Thanks and Greetings to all! pictureman

 

1. I never really noticed that on those S-Classes up to the w220. Might be a feature in the new w221, which i have yet an opportunity to drive yet.

2. The steering in the S-class is made and calibrated for long haul autobahn cruising. And with that, they made the steering feel a bit heavy so the car wont be all over the place. Ever driven a large modern Cadillac at top speed? It's nice but the steering is very light and one wrong move of a finger can send you in circles. The steering is a bit weird in the newer S-Class ones if you arent used to it as it can feel more like a cpu is driving than you. The S-Class is quite capable in corners for it's size but unless you're going AMG it's no sports car and will remind you of that if you push it too far. To me, in corners, as much as I love Mercedes, new one to new one, seems the BMW and Audi out manuver it but overall crusing not many cars can beat the Benz. At least none that I know about, heard about, or can think of.