By the end of 2020, the redesigned E-Class will feature a new high-tech generation of steering wheel. The wheel rim contains a two-zone capacitive sensor mat that detects whether the driver's hands are touching the steering wheel. The touch control buttons placed in the spokes also work with digital signals. The result is a more accurate and capable wheel than ever before. 

 

That got us thinking about the history of the steering wheel. Of all parts of the car, the wheel is among the most intimate experiences for the driver. 

 

"Besides the seat, the steering wheel is the only component in the vehicle with which we have intensive physical contact,” says Hans-Peter Wunderlich, Creative Director Interior Design at Mercedes-Benz. “The fingertips feel little things that we normally don't notice. If an unevenness is disturbing or the steering wheel does not fit snugly in our hands, we don't like it.”

 

That’s why Mercedes-Benz has always taken care to deliver a satisfying steering wheel, and both design and tech have come a long way. The first automobile in the world, the patent motor car by Carl Benz of 1886, was equipped with a simple steering crank because at the time, carriage drivers were used to pulling on the right or left rein to direct the horses in the desired direction.

 

The first step in the evolutionary path towards the modern Mercedes-Benz steering wheel was taken by then Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft 120 years ago: switching from a simple steering crank or steering rod to the significantly more functional steering wheel. This led to the development of today's high-tech command center, which enables the driver to steer precisely and, at the same time, comfortably and safely operate numerous comfort and assistance systems.

 

 

The French engineer Alfred Vacheron is considered the inventor of the steering wheel. For the world's first automobile race – run on public roads from Paris to Rouen in July 1894 (see “Glory Days”, The Star, May June 2019, pages 44-55) – he had installed a steering wheel instead of the usual steering lever in his Panhard & Levassor, which was powered by a Daimler engine. He achieved his goal – better control – because the steering movement of the front wheels could be distributed over several turns of the steering column from a neutral central position. This enabled more precise steering and thus higher driving speeds. Although the Frenchman placed only 11th, the steering wheel prevailed.

 

 

In 1900, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft equipped its Phoenix racing car with a steering wheel. The steering column was tilted, which made it much easier to operate. Nevertheless, every steering movement required a great deal of effort. In the Mercedes Simplex models introduced in 1902, there were additional levers on the steering wheel allowing the driver to regulate essential engine functions of ignition timing and air/fuel mixture.

 

 

While the levers for the adjustment of the fuel mixture and ignition gradually became superfluous thanks to further development of the engines, an additional function from the early days of the car has remained until today: the horn. The simplest form of emergency communication began with a bulb horn mounted on the steering wheel rim, followed by the klaxon horn button on the steering wheel hub. The horn ring on the steering wheel spokes made its debut in the 1920s. It was standard until the 1970s and became increasingly more delicate.

 

 

In the 1950s, the steering wheel became a control center for new comfort and safety features. In 1951, Mercedes-Benz introduced a gearshift on the steering column in the 300 "Adenauer-Mercedes" (W186) and the 220 (W187). This increased driver and front passenger comfort; at the time, front seating was often a continuous bench, with room for up to two co-drivers. A steering column gearshift lever remained in use until the 1970s.

 

 

In 1959, Mercedes-Benz revolutionized automotive engineering with the "Fintail" (W111), the world's first vehicle with a stable passenger cell, crumple zones, a new safety steering wheel with a large, deformable baffle plate to reduce the risk of injury in a collision, and a split steering column offset to the rear. This made it possible to avoid the so-called lance effect. 

 

In earlier vehicles with a rigid steering column, serious injuries occurred because the steering column pushed towards the driver in a frontal impact. To further increase safety, Mercedes-Benz introduced a patented safety steering system with a telescopic steering column and impact absorber, which became standard on the entire passenger car range in 1967.

 

 

The four-spoke safety steering wheel introduced with the 350SL Roadster in 1971 provided even better protection thanks to a wide padded plate with impact absorber. The spokes served as supports for the rim. In a collision, they absorbed the forces and transmitted them in such a way that the steering wheel rim could not break. The horn ring had already had its day, and the buttons for the horn were moved back to the center of the steering wheel.

 

 

In December 1975, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was one of the first vehicles to be equipped with cruise control as standard. The world's first radar-supported Distronic proximity control system, which maintains a constant distance to the vehicle in front, had its world premiere in 1998, also in the W220 S-Class.

 

 

Continuing the pursuit for the best possible safety led to another decisive change in the steering wheel design from 1981 onwards. The introduction of the first driver airbag in the S-Class (126 series) required a new approach to wheel design. Hidden behind the protruding baffle plate was a new restraint system, which offered a safety standard never before achieved. The developers cheered, but the designers pulled their hair out. After all, early airbags were voluminous, so the baffle plate had to be much larger. In the course of further development, however, it was possible to fold the vacuum-packed airbag smaller and smaller, and the designers' scope (for actual design) became greater again. In 1992, the driver airbag became standard equipment on all Mercedes-Benz passenger car models.

 

 

The multifunction steering wheel was introduced in 1998, together with the COMAND (Cockpit Management and Data) system. It was not only the multitude of vehicle functions, but also the advance of new devices for information, navigation and entertainment that required a rethink of vehicle operation and its display. An important goal in the design of the S-Class W220 was to relieve the driver of enough work so that he or she could concentrate on the essentials: the traffic situation and the driving experience. For the first time, the steering wheel was coupled with a car radio, car phone and a display in the middle of the instrument cluster on which up to eight main menus appeared.

 

 

2005 saw the debut of the new models of the M-Class and S-Class with redesigned cockpits: the automatic selector lever moved from the center console to the steering column. The new Direct Select gearshift created space between the driver and front passenger and made operation easier. Additional steering wheel gearshift buttons enabled manual preselection of gears.

 

 

The 2016 E-Class was the first car in the world with touch control buttons on the steering wheel. They allow the entire infotainment system to be controlled by finger swiping – without having to take your hands off the steering wheel. Like the surface of a smartphone, the buttons are touch-sensitive and react to horizontal and vertical swiping movements of a finger. This allows the driver to control all the infotainment system's functions simply, logically and intuitively.

 

 

The new generation of steering wheels with capacitive hands-off detection is being launched in the new E-Class. The Touch Control buttons integrated into the steering wheel spokes now also function capacitively. The seamless control panels, which are divided into several functional areas, are precisely integrated flush with the spokes. As with a smartphone, touches are recorded and evaluated via capacitive sensor technology, which enables intuitive operation via swiping gestures and pressing of familiar symbols. The high-quality materials have been selected in such a way that operation is possible even in an interior heated up by sunlight. "The system automatically recognizes where the finger is at any given moment. And the buttons are designed for temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius," says Marcus Fiege, Head of Steering Wheel Development at Mercedes-Benz.

 

 

"It is the most beautiful steering wheel we have ever built," says Hans-Peter Wunderlich. "The proportions of the airbag, spokes and rim are absolutely harmonious. The airbag is not concealed, but staged as a flattering sphere." The steering wheel thus remains high-tech and, at the same time, evokes emotion – in keeping with the design philosophy of Sensual Purity, which expresses the contrast of intelligence and emotion.

 

The size of the steering wheel has remained the same compared to the previous generation. Mercedes-Benz has developed fixed sizes for steering wheels. Wunderlich describes the value, saying, "The steering wheel rim is the secret kingmaker of a steering wheel. Its geometric design is a science in itself that cannot be found in any textbook. The wreath must fit snugly in the hand. If it is a millimeter too much, it feels unpleasantly bulging. If it's a millimeter too little, it feels like it's starved. And that impression then clouds the overall feel of the car."

 

So the next time you get in your Mercedes-Benz, take a moment to appreciate the design and engineering of the steering wheel. It’s an everyday part that makes all the difference.