Autocar: CLS Has Faster Steering Rack!
09-14-2004, 11:39 PM
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BMW M5, Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz E55
Autocar: CLS Has Faster Steering Rack!
Autocar reports in their 7-13 September issue that the CLS 350 has a faster steering rack (14.7) vs. the E-Class (16.2). Does anyone know whether ALL W211 cars (i.e. including the E55) are fitted with the 16.2 steering rack?
Maybe this can be the answer to our collective woes! Maybe it would be possible to retrofit the quicker CLS steering rack on our cars (i.e. the CLS is built using the W211 platform). However, maybe things aren't so simple -- maybe the ESP mapping takes the steering rack ratio into account, rendering a retrofit impossible/incompatible?
Other observations in the Autocar article:
-But how does it drive? Well, more like a true coupe than a regular Mercedes saloon, distilling the best of Benz in a package designed to be driven. Predictably, the steel multi-link and coils suspension of our 350 test car gets firmer springs and dampers than in the E-Class. But there's also a faster steering rack: 17.7 versus the saloon's 16.2, and bigger brakes than the equivalent E320. Airmatic suspension, standard on the CLS 500, will also be an (expensive) option on the 350.
-And it corners. Like all of the best Benzes, the CLS feels impregnable and solid, with suspension capable of ignoring the worst road-surface irregularities. Yet the low-speed ride seems superior: more supple and better able to flout speed bumps and manhole covers. Yes, there is some body roll, but the CLS never heaves or loses its natural poise. On the test car's Pirelli P-Zero tyres, the suspension is also noticeably quiter than an E-class's too.
Yet the real suprise is its steering. On paper, at 2.7 turns it is just 0.1 turns quicker than the saloon's. But it feels more precise and accurate, with sharper turn in and none of the sponginess around the straight-ahead. So you're encouraged to push this big coupe in a manner that is alien to the saloon, without it ever feeling like a hard core sports car. Faster steering also helps disguise its natural tendency to understeer. It just needs less lock in any given corner - fast sweeper or tight radii - than the saloon. You can't accuse the steering of being nervous or darty either, for high-speed stability it is excellent, while the kick-back that plagues some recent Mercedes racks has virtually disappeared. But you can hear the engine revs increase slightly it the steering's turned quickly through a wide arc at parking speeds - the computer having decided that the power steering pumps needs extra help.
-HANDLING/RIDE (Four stars out of five): Treats most roads with contempt. Nicely positioned between saloon and sports car in driving character.
-And the strong electro-hydraulic brakes seem less sensitive and more progressive that the same system in the E-Class.
-BRAKES (Four stars out of five): Slightly mushy pedal feel, but excellent resistant (sp?) to fade and always stable under braking.
Maybe this can be the answer to our collective woes! Maybe it would be possible to retrofit the quicker CLS steering rack on our cars (i.e. the CLS is built using the W211 platform). However, maybe things aren't so simple -- maybe the ESP mapping takes the steering rack ratio into account, rendering a retrofit impossible/incompatible?
Other observations in the Autocar article:
-But how does it drive? Well, more like a true coupe than a regular Mercedes saloon, distilling the best of Benz in a package designed to be driven. Predictably, the steel multi-link and coils suspension of our 350 test car gets firmer springs and dampers than in the E-Class. But there's also a faster steering rack: 17.7 versus the saloon's 16.2, and bigger brakes than the equivalent E320. Airmatic suspension, standard on the CLS 500, will also be an (expensive) option on the 350.
-And it corners. Like all of the best Benzes, the CLS feels impregnable and solid, with suspension capable of ignoring the worst road-surface irregularities. Yet the low-speed ride seems superior: more supple and better able to flout speed bumps and manhole covers. Yes, there is some body roll, but the CLS never heaves or loses its natural poise. On the test car's Pirelli P-Zero tyres, the suspension is also noticeably quiter than an E-class's too.
Yet the real suprise is its steering. On paper, at 2.7 turns it is just 0.1 turns quicker than the saloon's. But it feels more precise and accurate, with sharper turn in and none of the sponginess around the straight-ahead. So you're encouraged to push this big coupe in a manner that is alien to the saloon, without it ever feeling like a hard core sports car. Faster steering also helps disguise its natural tendency to understeer. It just needs less lock in any given corner - fast sweeper or tight radii - than the saloon. You can't accuse the steering of being nervous or darty either, for high-speed stability it is excellent, while the kick-back that plagues some recent Mercedes racks has virtually disappeared. But you can hear the engine revs increase slightly it the steering's turned quickly through a wide arc at parking speeds - the computer having decided that the power steering pumps needs extra help.
-HANDLING/RIDE (Four stars out of five): Treats most roads with contempt. Nicely positioned between saloon and sports car in driving character.
-And the strong electro-hydraulic brakes seem less sensitive and more progressive that the same system in the E-Class.
-BRAKES (Four stars out of five): Slightly mushy pedal feel, but excellent resistant (sp?) to fade and always stable under braking.
09-15-2004, 11:58 AM
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Same brakes as E?
Does this mean the CLS has the same electronic brakes as the E-Class? I cannot wait until Mercedes ditches this system.
09-15-2004, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by shoes
Does this mean the CLS has the same electronic brakes as the E-Class? I cannot wait until Mercedes ditches this system.
Maybe the Sensotronic map for the CLS has been improved/refined?
09-16-2004, 07:31 AM
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2000 W210 E55->2003 R230 SL500->2004 W211 E55->2007 997TT+2007 E63->2010 GLK350->2012 E550 4matic
Originally Posted by Symbolic
-BRAKES (Four stars out of five): Slightly mushy pedal feel, but excellent resistant (sp?) to fade and always stable under braking.
Brake fade with SBC = red alert on dash.
09-19-2004, 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted by tendons
what does 14.7 vs. 16.2 mean? is that the total travel distance so response is quicker?
P.S. I think that you meant to quote 17.7 for the CLS and 16.2 for the W211 E-Class.
Last edited by Symbolic; 09-19-2004 at 07:29 PM.
