I drove a very nice '96 E300D today. Noticed that the steering is very different from other modern rack and pinion setups I've driven in that it doesn't try to yank the wheel back straight so much. For example, at parking lot speeds, our Toyota Highlander (and my old '01 GTI) would sort of yank the wheel straight if you gave it a little gas. Not so with this E300. At highway speeds, it tracked straight and steady but if I turned the wheel a little to change lanes, it didn't really try to get back "on center" like I'm used to. A buddy with a '99 E320 wagon says his is the same way. In the E300, I did not hear any groans or weird noises when turning the wheel with the car standing still.

Are all W210s like this? Is it normal? It seems weird, although I'm very used to my W123 steering. They are very different setups to be sure, the W210 certainly lost that heavy slow feel we know and love, but it is certainly more direct feeling and quicker.

Also - it didn't feel appreciably quicker than my '85. Smoother to be sure. Is this consistent with other's experience? Even at highway speeds it is not as fast as I thought it would be. Having said that, I looked up horsepower ratings and it is not a lot more powerful than my engine so I guess that's to be expected. The W210 brakes were fantastic though.

thanks,

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Charlie

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'66 VW 1300 96K miles
'97 E300D 239K miles
'85 300D 203K miles (sold Sep 2012)