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A mishap during a Mercedes demonstration to the press left many onlookers wondering if the German automakers had hired the same team behind some of Bill Gates’ botched Windows presentations of the 1990s. The new Mercedes S-Class has a sophisticated radar-based braking system that can automatically prevent accidents. But with cameras rolling and photographers standing by, something went wrong with the car’s radar system, resulting in a 3-car fender-bender involving over $200,000 worth of cars. In the demo, Mercedes drives 3 cars behind each other. The first car hits the brakes, and the two following S-Class sedans are supposed to brake down automatically, to avoid a crash. What actually happened was slightly different: the first car braked, and the two others continued right into the back of each other. Mercedes blames the steel hall in which the test was conducted for interfering with the radar system. The system “works perfectly in all other circumstances”, according to Mercedes. (Mercedes was recently honored by Popular Science for the braking technology.)
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Safety: Brake Assist with radar and latest-generation PRE-SAFE®
In the field of vehicle safety, Mercedes-Benz is redoubling its commitment to accident prevention with the preventive system Brake Assist PLUS. This system 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 threatens, Brake Assist PLUS calculates the ideal braking assistance in fractions of a second and 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. The adaptive brake light, which warns following traffic by flashing during emergency braking, also makes a major contribution.
Mercedes-Benz combines Brake Assist PLUS with the equally unique occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®, which offers even more safety functions on board the new S-Class. PRE-SAFE® recognises potential accident situations as they arise: if braking deceleration exceeds a certain level or a skid is imminent, the system tensions the front seat belts as a precaution and inflates air cushions in the multicontour seats to envelop and support the driver, front passenger and rear seat occupants. For the first time Mercedes-Benz has also integrated the side windows into this preventive protection system; they are automatically closed when an accident threatens.
This combination of the new Brake Assist PLUS system and PRE-SAFE® is a further enhancement to occupant protection. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first and only vehicle brand with a comprehensive safety system of this kind, which already goes into action before an impending accident.
Support systems: DISTRONIC PLUS and the new night view assist
Brake Assist PLUS is available in combination with the likewise improved proximity control system DISTRONIC PLUS. This radar-supported system now operates at all speeds between zero and 200 km/h, and ensures even greater driver comfort. In stop-and-go traffic DISTRONIC PLUS 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. In this way the support system reduces the driver’s workload and provides considerable benefits in driver-fitness safety.
The equipment package with Brake Assist PLUS and DISTRONIC PLUS also includes a new Parking Assist system which likewise uses radar sensors. These have a longer range than ultrasonic signals, therefore the driver receives earlier warning of an impending collision when reversing into a parking space.
With the innovative night view assist system which is premiered in the new
S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has made a further, major contribution to reducing the risk of accidents during the hours of darkness. This system is based on infra-red light, which is invisible to the human eye and will therefore not dazzle oncoming traffic. Two infra-red headlamps illuminate the road, extending the driver’s range of vision to more than 150 metres when on low beam. Night view assist therefore makes pedestrians, cyclists, parked cars and other obstacles visible very much sooner. An infra-red camera mounted on the inside of the windscreen records the reflected image of the road ahead and displays this in the instrument cluster.
In the field of vehicle safety, Mercedes-Benz is redoubling its commitment to accident prevention with the preventive system Brake Assist PLUS. This system 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 threatens, Brake Assist PLUS calculates the ideal braking assistance in fractions of a second and 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. The adaptive brake light, which warns following traffic by flashing during emergency braking, also makes a major contribution.
Mercedes-Benz combines Brake Assist PLUS with the equally unique occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®, which offers even more safety functions on board the new S-Class. PRE-SAFE® recognises potential accident situations as they arise: if braking deceleration exceeds a certain level or a skid is imminent, the system tensions the front seat belts as a precaution and inflates air cushions in the multicontour seats to envelop and support the driver, front passenger and rear seat occupants. For the first time Mercedes-Benz has also integrated the side windows into this preventive protection system; they are automatically closed when an accident threatens.
This combination of the new Brake Assist PLUS system and PRE-SAFE® is a further enhancement to occupant protection. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first and only vehicle brand with a comprehensive safety system of this kind, which already goes into action before an impending accident.
Support systems: DISTRONIC PLUS and the new night view assist
Brake Assist PLUS is available in combination with the likewise improved proximity control system DISTRONIC PLUS. This radar-supported system now operates at all speeds between zero and 200 km/h, and ensures even greater driver comfort. In stop-and-go traffic DISTRONIC PLUS 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. In this way the support system reduces the driver’s workload and provides considerable benefits in driver-fitness safety.
The equipment package with Brake Assist PLUS and DISTRONIC PLUS also includes a new Parking Assist system which likewise uses radar sensors. These have a longer range than ultrasonic signals, therefore the driver receives earlier warning of an impending collision when reversing into a parking space.
With the innovative night view assist system which is premiered in the new
S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has made a further, major contribution to reducing the risk of accidents during the hours of darkness. This system is based on infra-red light, which is invisible to the human eye and will therefore not dazzle oncoming traffic. Two infra-red headlamps illuminate the road, extending the driver’s range of vision to more than 150 metres when on low beam. Night view assist therefore makes pedestrians, cyclists, parked cars and other obstacles visible very much sooner. An infra-red camera mounted on the inside of the windscreen records the reflected image of the road ahead and displays this in the instrument cluster.
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