csquared

My 2011 E550 has almost 50K kms on it and the steering feel has drastically improved from the day I bought it new. It uses the older hydraulic setup, which becomes heavier at high speed and lighter at low speeds. Before, I felt it was way too light with a vague on-center feel. Now it feels much beefier and connected to the road, especially when the suspension is lowered in sport mode. Road imperfections can now be felt directly through the steering wheel. I feel more confident plowing the vehicle through a tight corner. I test drove a 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S before and the steering felt quite similar to the E550's. This is my first Mercedes, so I'm not sure if all Mercedes take a much longer time to break in compared with other brands.

CEB

Methinks you just got used to it.

K-A

You definitely must have gotten used to it. If you acclimated to a car with heavier steering you'd probably think the steering felt "very" heavy initially then when you went back to the E you'd think it felt too loose again (like the slightest force can throw it). In that case it'd be purely psychological.

ttoE550

Or your tire pressure has changed. Or your tires are older and have more grip. Or the weather is different. Etc.

I know what you mean. I traded a WRX for my E550. On the test drive, I couldn't floor the 550 because of the instant torque. I was used to the turbo spool up. Luckily I can now floor the 550, but I don't think it has lost much torque since I bought it.

csquared

My X5 has heavier steering as well, but it is ALWAYS heavy even when I am trying to get in a parking space. I actually prefer the E550's steering to my X5, since it is much easier to handle the car at both high and low speeds. At high speed the steering is almost as heavy as my BMW, but has better precision due to the lighter chasis. I really like the E550's dual personality nature. You can it drive like a sports sedan in sport mode or a luxury sedan in comfort mode without sacrificing ride quality.

Personally I hate turbos. No matter how much HP, turbo engines seem to lack torque at low speeds and the response is not instantaneous. I drove a V8 BMW Gran Coupe with XDrive and felt it has less power than my E550 with the turbos not spooling up at low speeds. God it felt boring to drive at low speeds, whereas the E550 always felt alive in power. I hate this growing trend of using turbos and electric steering...

K-A

the new MB 550 TT's are torqueless at low rpm's as well, you have to move it a bit before they kick in like missiles. This is probably how they have to design such high powered engines to feel normal day to day.

My turbo spools instantaneously, giving peak torque at 1200 rpm's which is something an NA engine of anywhere near the size of this motor couldn't do. Some engines are tuned for turbos to be boosting right off the line.