The 2027 Mercedes-Benz EQS' Steer-by-Wire System Is Better Than the Cybertruck's but Still Weird

• What's new: The updated Mercedes-Benz EQS electric sedan will have an optional steer-by-wire system.
• Why it matters: This tech is meant to make driving a car less strenuous, especially at slower speeds.
• Edmunds says: Mercedes' steer-by-wire tech shows promise, but I'm not convinced it'll catch on.

What is steer-by-wire?

Steer-by-wire removes the physical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. Instead of a metal shaft, there's a bunch of sensors and electric motors that translate your inputs into wheel movements. But, like in the Cybertruck, it's not linear — at higher speeds, more effort is required to turn, and at slower speeds, you only need to physically move the steering wheel a little bit to complete what would usually be a hand-over-hand maneuver. You don't need to take your hands off the wheel to perform a U-turn, for example.

Mercedes-Benz will offer steer-by-wire as an option on the updated EQS EV. So equipped, the EQS' round steering wheel will be swapped out for a yoke. It looks somewhat futuristic and frankly a bit odd at first. But for those who like cool new tech in their cars, this will definitely be a conversation starter. And again, it's optional — you don't have to spec your EQS this way.

Trying it out myself

I sampled Mercedes' steer-by-wire tech in a closed parking lot in Portugal. I've used this tech in both the Cybertruck and Lexus RZ, so I'm familiar with the positives and negatives of such a system.

I'll start with what's good. If you've ever been in an EQS, you'll know that the driver's display is at a weird angle, partially blocked by the rim of the steering wheel. The yoke fixes that visibility issue, providing a clear, uncompromised view of what's ahead. The yoke also makes getting in and out of the EQS a little easier. These are two real wins for the EQS' livability.

In my first couple hundred feet of driving, I quickly moved the EQS left and right, navigating a slalom cone course. The slightest movement of my hands translated to an almost telepathic response from the front wheels. I wouldn't call it unnatural, but it was certainly different than the typical steering latency we're used to when driving a car with standard steering. There's responsive, and then there's this.

That said, there wasn't much feedback coming through the yoke. Without any physical connection to the wheels or road, it was up to the electric motors to simulate what you feel in your hands when a car hits a bump. This is where steer-by-wire needs work — the sense of connection a driver feels to the car is hard to replicate electronically.

By far the strangest feeling came when I pulled a U-turn. I had to fight the instinct to remove my hands from the steering yoke. Instead, I kept them at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions and rotated about 120 degrees to the left. Sure enough, the car came right around, aided by the EQS' rear-axle steering system. The course Mercedes set up was tight, but I never misjudged a turn or hit a cone. After only a few minutes of diving, the EQS felt natural.

It's tough to compare apples to apples, but the Mercedes system feels more user-friendly than Tesla's. Although the EQS was a bit overreactive, it still provides an overall experience that is more natural to use. I'll look forward to trying out the Mercedes setup at higher speeds sometime to see how that compares to the Cybertruck.

Good first impression aside, I'm still not sold on this technology. Yes, it makes it easier to maneuver a car at slow speeds, but steer-by-wire can feel a bit strange at higher speeds. And I'm just not sure if people want to pay for something like this — is it really worth the price for a little added maneuvering convenience? I suppose we'll see how customers react when the updated EQS arrives later this year.