• Mercedes will begin equipping its cars with drive-by-wire tech as early as next year.
• It will show off the tech by also making a yoke steering wheel available to owners.
• The automaker says that the new tech plays hand-in-hand with its automated driving systems; meaning Mercedes could have big plans in how to revamp the steering wheel in years to come.

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After a few years of letting Tesla take the tech risks (and the associated punches that go along with it), automakers have been going all-in on cabin tech. Many modern car companies are transforming the driver’s seat into some sort of spaceship-looking cockpit. Touch screens, Head-Up Displays and voice controls abound.

Now, Mercedes-Benz is hopping on the train for the latest fad in automotive tech: the steering yoke. It seems that car companies will soon be scoffing at the idea of putting a round disc in front of drivers. I mean, what are they, some sort of peasant from the stone age? Please.

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

Well, technically Mercedes’ foray into the tech doesn’t begin with the wheel in front of the driver. It actually begins with steer-by-wire technology, which is what Mercedes wants to showcase with the debut of its yoke steering wheel.

For those not familiar with steer-by-wire, let me explain.

When you grab your steering wheel today in most modern cars, you’re manipulating a system that is mechanically-linked to your car’s front wheels. Think about how when your car’s power steering went out back in the day. Remember how the wheel became hard to turn? That’s because your steering wheel rotated a shaft which went through your car’s firewall and into the steering rack in order to turn the wheels in the appropriate direction so your car’s nose goes where you want it to go.

Steer-by-wire is a bit different—think of it more like software. Your car senses when you turn the wheel and translates that rotational value into a message to send back to your car’s central command. The car then sends a message electronically to the electric motor attached to the steering rack which turns the wheels in the corresponding direction. Sounds a lot like regular ol’ steering, except there’s no mechanical linkage. That steering shaft? Gone. In its place is just a handful of wires and a computer.

Now, the best part here is that the steering ratio of a steer-by-wire system (that is, the angle that you need to rotate the steering wheel to turn the wheels a given amount) can be made pretty much infinitely variable. In traditional steering, the ratio is generally limited and variably ratios can require complex mechanical setups to achieve. Software-based steer-by-wire systems completely eliminate that need.

Here’s a look at at how the Tesla Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system compares to a mechanical steering rack in a Toyota Tacoma:

So Mercedes’ idea here is that steer-by-wire is the big innovation that’s going in its cars. The yoke is just an extra to showcase the launch of its tech. That’s kind of the opposite of how Tesla went about it, which was to put a yoke in the mechanical-steering Model S and Model X, then catch gruff about form over function. Obviously, that issue is fixed in the Cybertruck which has steer-by-wire out of the box, but notably no yoke.

The luxury component is the ability to effortlessly steer a car without needing to make several revolutions of the steering wheel, or having a smoother driving experience when a road surface is uneven. In fact, Mercedes says that steering wheel vibrations that were transferred to the driver can be almost completely eliminated. (If you’re a driving enthusiast, this means you get zero steering feel, which stinks.)

But that’s only part of the package. Mercedes also touts that the decoupling of the steering mechanics will allow for more dynamic responsiveness in different driving modes, so while a luxurious S-Class might feel like it’s driving on a cloud in comfort mode, a more rowdy AMG mode could have a tighter, more responsive steering.

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes says that there are tech benefits here, too. Its conditionally-automated Level 3 driver assist system will also benefit from being decoupled from any mechanical baggage. The brand envisions that if the future allows for Level 4 and beyond automated driving, steer-by-wire means that the driver “could have a new, even more relaxed position.”

We’re not sure exactly what Mercedes means by that, but we’re picturing the potential to move the wheel up and out of the way with ease to increase usable cabin space. Doing so is impossible if you have a true steering column. That also opens up the possibility for more interesting interior layouts—the removal of a hardpoint ingrained into a car for so long means that engineers can get creative in ways to use the space once occupied by a steering column. Maybe that means stashing away computers or stowing away the wheel with Level 4 autonomy and above.

This isn’t just a pipe dream for Mercedes, either. The automaker says that it plans to have the system in production in 2026. That would make it the first German automaker with steer-by-wire in its cars, assuming it holds that timeline. There’s no word on what model(s) Mercedes plans on using as a test bed, but if we had our guess, it will probably be the EQS or S-Class.

So, yes, Mercedes is putting a yoke in its cars—bit it’s not just doing so for yoke’s sake. The brand is working hard to put new tech in its vehicles that mirrors its luxury image; it just so happens that a yoke embodies such a radical change.