GermanyMercedes-Benz has opened orders for steer-by-wire on the facelifted EQS, six months after the sedan went on sale without it. The option is available in every EQS market. In Germany it costs 2,975 euros including VAT, or 2,500 euros before tax. Mercedes says this makes it the first German carmaker to offer the technology on a series-production passenger car. The Lexus RZ already offers it in Europe.
When the facelift was unveiled in April, Mercedes said steer-by-wire would follow a few months after the car reached showrooms. It has not said when the first cars with the system will be delivered, or what the option costs outside Germany.
What the EQS steer-by-wire package includes
Steer-by-wire has no mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels: the wheel’s position travels as an electrical signal. The 2,975-euro package also includes rear-axle steering of up to 10 degrees and a flatter steering wheel with a redesigned airbag, in black or beige depending on the interior.
The angle the driver has to turn the wheel drops sharply. It turns 170 degrees from lock to lock, under a quarter turn each way. That matters most at low speed: parking or a tight hairpin takes a short movement of the hands instead of shuffling the wheel round. Vibrations from uneven road surfaces can also be filtered out before they reach the wheel, according to Mercedes.
If the EQS steer-by-wire system fails
The system has redundant sensors, control units and independent signal paths, and Mercedes says steering remains available at all times. If the steer-by-wire system fails completely, the car can still be steered through the rear-axle steering and by braking individual wheels through the ESP.
