Last May 15, Mercedes Benz offered the world what was known until now, the best 4 door saloon, or best sedan in the world. The car came with amazing features, way on advance on it direct concurrents : the Audi S8, the BMW 760, any Rolls Royce, the Porsche Panamera… It came already in various variants (S350, S500, S550, S600, S63 AMG, S65 AMG and the S600 guard), and two body styles : the 4 doors sedan or a 2 doors coupe, and there is a 2 doors convertible yet to come.
What makes the S class so special, is its intelligence, it is really the car of the future, in 2014. Mercedes filled it with safety programs, that is it quite impossible to have a car crash it in, it is also fitted with the latest driving features, all made by Mercedes Benz. The programs include but are not limited to : Air balance Package, Magic Body control, a 1st class rear suite (business telephony, relaxing seats, energizing massage functions), Distronic Plus, Pre-safe brakes, Pre-safe plus, active blind spot assist, active lane assist, Stop&go pilot, Active lane keeping assist (if I missed some, they are in the video)… All these features were made to give the most amazing driving experience ever, in the safest way possible.
Mercedes Benz engineers had 3 major priorities: Intelligent drive, Efficient technology and Essence of Driving, and the company’s motto “Best or nothing”. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars says: “Rather than being about safety or aesthetics, power or efficiency, comfort or dynamism, our aspirations were ‘the best or nothing’ in every respect. No other car stands for the Mercedes-Benz brand promise more than the S-Class.” Intelligent drive is achieved by all the assist programs, like active blind spot assist, active lane assist or the Stop&Go pilot. Efficient driving in the other hand is achieved by reducing both weight and the drag coefficient (0.24), also by working on the engine efficiency.
The company motto says, “the best or nothing”. For many Mercedes Benz S class variants, the German giant has presented the world with the best models when it comes to road performance and luxury. In the inside, the most luxurious features were fitted to the S class: natural wood, and aluminium, heated seats, massage, an ambient light and full LED light at night. The car also has the ionizer and Air Balance system to get rid of nasty smell or to regulate pressure at elevations. A royal rear suite makes the client enjoy the ride while he is connected to internet, sending e-mails, the car has an internet WiFi hotspot, and its own business phone, all that can be done, while relaxing in the spacious rear seats, having a drink maybe from the mini bar.
When it comes to driving, and security, Mercedes Benz struck very hard. With all the features it added to the car, it made a new step ahead to the future and to a better road security. All is made by smart sensors and radars installed all over the car, electronically adjustable suspension and brakes, and the following systems :
– Magic Body Control :
It was used on previous Mercedes models such as the S Class and the CLS class, but this time, it is modified, better, smarter. Being already the first car able to detect road modifications, the S Class is fitted with newer more sensitive sensors that scan the road, and transmit any undulation to the suspension, getting it ready to a bump or a hole. This system adjusts the suspension in 2 settings Comfort or Sport. It is based on the Active Body Control (ABC) that works on improving both comfort and driving dynamics of the car. The Active suspension is made of 4 springs that are fitted with hydraulic cylinders in order to adjust each spring strut individually. The impressive result is that the suspension absorbs the shock and the car’s body is stable. More on it, in the following video
– PRE Safe ® :
Mercedes’s Pre-Safe ® is a system destined to avoid accidents and enhance security of the pilot and passengers inside. It controls the dynamic of the car, and the drivers handling of the steering wheel at speeds over 30 km/h. It can sense that a collision may be imminent and gets the car ready for it. Through a web of smart sensors, the system can detect whether a crash could have place or not, either by detecting an object in front of the car, or extreme skidding… How it acts? Tightens seat belts, closes windows (side and sunroof) adjusts passenger seat. All that to make a better readiness for the car’s system and a safer place to the passengers.
Pre-Safe Brakes are the response tool to Pre-safe plus, all that effort to protect the passengers was done, now the car must react to the imminent collision. After detecting it, the car incites the driver to react via audio visual signals, if the system doesn’t receive a signal that that driver is reacting, it initiates emergency brakes. In some cases, Pre- Pre-Safe Brake avoid the collision, in others it reduces its severity. For rear end collisions, this is how the system works :
Before 2.6 seconds : the system warns the driver visually and acoustically and adds more pressure to the brakes when the driver presses on them.
Before 1.6 seconds : already three signals were made, automatic partial braking goes on, and attains 0.4 g (4 m/s²). In the inside the mentioned above functions of Pre-Safe all initiate
Before 0.6 seconds : automatic breaking are initiated reducing the impact of collision.
More on that in the following video
– Distronic Plus :
It is one of the smartest features made by Mercedes and fitted to the S Class, it works with other systems, especially the Pre-Safe, some of its roles is avoiding collisions. It also works on keeping a distance from the car driving in front of you (thus reducing the risk of rear end collision), or keeping an active line. The job is made by two types of radars, short-range radars and one behind the radiator grille a long-range radar. The short-range radar covers a distance of 20 cm to 30m while the long-range covers up to 60m of scanned distance. It is useful too in stop&go traffic it is even required for heavy breaking situations.
So, that was the S class from Mercedes, the number one luxury class in the US, Top gear’s best luxury class, Sold for 135000$
(article yet to be edited, so wait for more)
Source : MBUSA ; Daimler.com ; Mercedes-benz.com
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