to have found a W211 forum.. I have just bought a 2009 E320 and whilst I do like it I have already found a few niggling problems including rather stiff steering which is the most annoying.. and may be recourse to take it back where it came from but I don't know if it is supposed to be like this? Imagine travelling and having to concentrate on keeping the steering central rather than it tending to go there on it's own. I am not advocating that one should drive with one finger! But you could definitely do it with my old Volvo and you definitely couldn't do it with this unless you wanted to end up in a tree!! So.. first post is about this steering, it isn't relaxing! This does not (I don't think) have the steering assist option..

Any advice would be truly appreciated

Tony

 

Welcome.
Mercedes is making option of variable resistance steering and that might be what you experience.
Hard to tell without putting hand on it, so try to find other MB to compare.

 

maybe you need an alignment. ive had older and newer MBs and all of them drives as straight as an arrow with lil assistance.

 

The steering on the w211 is definitely more stiff than many cars out there. Its normal and you get used to it rather quickly. The car I drove previously was a Honda Accord (2013), and the steering was ridiculously loose on that car, so when I got this car it was kind of a shocking change. I had the same issue as you, but a week or two in I got used to it and now I could never to back to that loose steering.