Brake Assist PLUS registers vehicles ahead by radar and gives a warning if the gap is too small or the closing speed is too high. If a collision's imminent, Brake Assist PLUS calculates the ideal braking assistance makes this available immediately -- even if the driver applies too little pressure to the brake pedal.
"This significantly reduces the incidence of rear-end collisions," says Mercedes, and "the adaptive brake light, which warns following traffic by flashing during emergency braking, also makes a major contribution."
Brake Assist PLUS is hooked up to the Pre-Safe system, so if the braking deceleration exceeds a certain level or a skid is close, the system tensions the front seatbelts as a precaution and inflates air cushions in the seats to envelop and support the driver, front passenger and rear seat occupants.
New to Pre-Safe this year is a signal to the windows so that they close if an accident is imminent.
Brake Assist PLUS is available in combination with the likewise improved proximity control system called Distronic Plus, a radar-supported system that now operates at all speeds between 0 and 200 kmh. In stop-and-go traffic the system keeps the new S-Class at the right distance from the vehicle ahead, automatically brakes the saloon to a standstill if necessary, and accelerates it back to the required speed when the traffic starts moving again.
Parking Assist also uses those radar sensors, which have longer range than the ultrasonic signals normally used in such parking systems. As a result, the driver gets earlier warning of an impending collision when reversing into a parking space.
Night view assist also debuts on the new S-Class, using an infra-red camera mounted to the windshield to look into the infra-red beams that the human eye can't see and project the results onto a screen in the dash. Apparently, an extra 150 metres of road ahead beyond what the low beams will show are revealed.
Rather than spending a lot of time explaining how the new operating concept of displays, switches and COMAND controller work, let's just say it's simpler and easier to use than the controls work on the existing model, which is what almost everyone really wanted.
With all of this technology to help them, S-Class buyers will have lots of time to get comfortable. As a result, the newly developed seats are meant to suit the occupants' "personal comfort requirements." So 16-way front seats with lumbar supports are standard equipment.
For more money, the S-Class buyer can choose optional seats with heating and ventilation, multi-contour seats from front and back, and dynamic multi-contour seats in the front whose "squab and backrest contours adapt to the relevant driving situation to provide the best possible lateral support at all times."
The dynamic multi-contour seat is also equipped with separate air chambers in the backrest which are successively inflated and deflated at the touch of a button, "massaging the back muscles for the wellbeing of its occupant," using four stages operated by a control system in the COMAND centre.
The suspension with its standard, improved Airmatic air suspension system also makes a major contribution to the excellent ride comfort in the new S-Class, Mercedes says. "At the touch of a button the driver is able to choose between a comfort-oriented or more sporty configuration. Beyond 120 kmh and in Sport mode, the suspension is automatically lowered by up to 20 mm to improve the handling dynamics, aerodynamics and fuel consumption even more."
"This significantly reduces the incidence of rear-end collisions," says Mercedes, and "the adaptive brake light, which warns following traffic by flashing during emergency braking, also makes a major contribution."
Brake Assist PLUS is hooked up to the Pre-Safe system, so if the braking deceleration exceeds a certain level or a skid is close, the system tensions the front seatbelts as a precaution and inflates air cushions in the seats to envelop and support the driver, front passenger and rear seat occupants.
New to Pre-Safe this year is a signal to the windows so that they close if an accident is imminent.
Brake Assist PLUS is available in combination with the likewise improved proximity control system called Distronic Plus, a radar-supported system that now operates at all speeds between 0 and 200 kmh. In stop-and-go traffic the system keeps the new S-Class at the right distance from the vehicle ahead, automatically brakes the saloon to a standstill if necessary, and accelerates it back to the required speed when the traffic starts moving again.
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| Mercedes-Benz S-Class (photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
Night view assist also debuts on the new S-Class, using an infra-red camera mounted to the windshield to look into the infra-red beams that the human eye can't see and project the results onto a screen in the dash. Apparently, an extra 150 metres of road ahead beyond what the low beams will show are revealed.
Rather than spending a lot of time explaining how the new operating concept of displays, switches and COMAND controller work, let's just say it's simpler and easier to use than the controls work on the existing model, which is what almost everyone really wanted.
With all of this technology to help them, S-Class buyers will have lots of time to get comfortable. As a result, the newly developed seats are meant to suit the occupants' "personal comfort requirements." So 16-way front seats with lumbar supports are standard equipment.
For more money, the S-Class buyer can choose optional seats with heating and ventilation, multi-contour seats from front and back, and dynamic multi-contour seats in the front whose "squab and backrest contours adapt to the relevant driving situation to provide the best possible lateral support at all times."
The dynamic multi-contour seat is also equipped with separate air chambers in the backrest which are successively inflated and deflated at the touch of a button, "massaging the back muscles for the wellbeing of its occupant," using four stages operated by a control system in the COMAND centre.
The suspension with its standard, improved Airmatic air suspension system also makes a major contribution to the excellent ride comfort in the new S-Class, Mercedes says. "At the touch of a button the driver is able to choose between a comfort-oriented or more sporty configuration. Beyond 120 kmh and in Sport mode, the suspension is automatically lowered by up to 20 mm to improve the handling dynamics, aerodynamics and fuel consumption even more."