An all-new steer-by-wire system paired with an F1-style steering yoke is the headline act on the revised Mercedes-Benz EQS due to be revealed in full on April 14.

The new electronic steering system replaces the traditional mechanical connection between the front wheels and the steering wheel. In its place, a completely digital setup which utilises actuators and computer processing power to transmit steering inputs to the wheels.

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It’s not new technology. Modern aircraft have been using steer-by-wire for decades while Nissan’s luxury off-shoot, Infiniti, was the first carmaker to incorporate the zeroes-and-ones steering tech in 2014’s Q50 sedan.

It is, however, a first for Mercedes-Benz and to make a statement, it’s being released with the visual spectacle of an F1-style yoke in place of the traditional ‘round’ steering wheel.

Mercedes-Benz says steer-by-wire offers more steering precision for less effort, thanks largely to its 170-degree lock-to-lock turning ratio. A regular steering wheel turns through around 900 degrees, amounting to roughly two-and-a-half turns lock-to-lock.

The German manufacturer also claims that without the need for a physical connection to the road – there’s no steering column and no mechanical links to the front wheels – road vibrations felt through the steering wheel have been all but eliminated.

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The steering yoke has also impacted positively on cabin ergonomics, with its smaller dimensions freeing up knee room for the driver while also affording an unobstructed view onto the instrument panel and through the window to the road ahead.

Mercedes-Benz has baked in redundancies into its system too, with a duplicate back-up of the steer-by-wire setup ready to take over should the first system fail.

So what’s it like to drive with Mercedes-Benz’s yoke and steer-by-wire setup?

WhichCar by Wheels had the opportunity to sample Mercedes-Benz’s latest steering tech in Portugal recently and came away impressed.

The German brand set up a short, but tight, slalom course where I was able to back-to-back the two systems, the first a regular EQS with mechanical steering and a traditional steering wheel before stepping into a heavily stickered EQS fitted with the new technology and that futuristic yoke.

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Driving the regular EQS is as you’d expect around a tight slalom course, with plenty of arm-crossing wheel-work needed to keep the circa 5.1-metre long EQS on the right path. Four-wheel steering helped with manoeuvrability, but there’s no hiding from the fact that you need to work at the wheel to effectively make each turn. My stint provided the perfect baseline for what was to come.

Next up, the teched-up EQS and its trick steering and yoke. And immediately, you can feel the benefits of the yoke as you slide into the driver’s seat. There’s more room underneath the ‘wheel’ and it looks pretty cool, too. With that big three-pointed star adorning the centre, it’s hard not to imagine you’re cos-playing Kimi Antonelli for just a few minutes.

The yoke itself feels comfortable, with hands perfectly placed in the ideal nine-and-three position, the only option thanks to its intriguing design.

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The view to the instrument display is uninterrupted, while looking to the road ahead is similarly unimpeded by what would usually be the top of the steering wheel.

Moving into the slalom course and it’s immediately apparent the new setup will take a few moments to become accustomed to so as to make required the inputs for effective turns. With only 170-degrees of input lock-to-lock, it’s easy – at first – to overcook it while your brain recalibrates to what is needed. I may have hit a cone or two on my first run simply by turning the yoke too much.

But it doesn’t take long to adjust to the steering’s directness and where the regular EQS needed plenty of wheel work through several hundred degrees of turn, Mercedes-Benz’s yoke required only minor inputs through 20-30 degrees of steering angle to complete the same sharp cornering manoeuvres. It’s a rewarding system to use, offering an accuracy and responsiveness that is the antidote to the sometimes ‘vague’ feel that continues to afflict some modern cars.

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Other than confirming steer-by-wire will be available initially only on the updated EQS electric sedan, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t outlined whether it will be optional equipment (most likely) nor how much extra buyers can expect to pay for the privilege of feeling like Mercedes-AMG’s newest F1 star and current world championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.