Although earlier history from 1886 offers hints of what was to come, the Mercedes Benz brand as we know it today was established in 1926 and has since built a reputation as one of the most prestigious car manufacturers in the world.
About The New S-Class
The Mercedes Benz S-Class is the world's best-selling luxury saloon and the latest version for 2021 takes this superlative to new heights. This new model offers numerous innovations in the areas of driver assistance, protection and interaction. Mercedes-Benz, the company insists, is shaping the next generation of individual mobility with innovations that place the focus firmly on people.
Important New Features
The German company have coined the expression MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) and this vehicle introduces the second generation of this people-focused technology including the interface between the driver, passengers and vehicle. There are up to five screens on board*, some with OLED technology. At the touch of a button we are told, the new 3D driver display for the first time allows spatial perception of the scene with a real 3D effect thanks to eye-tracking. A similarly impressive feature is the very large head-up display with augmented reality content. When navigating, for example, animated turn-off arrows are virtually and precisely projected onto the road lane.
Driving Assistance
The latest generation of the Driving Assistance Package has new and numerous improved functions. One example is the intelligent compliance with speed limits. This pre-empts the EU regulation that all cars will be speed restricted from 2022. The new assistance display in the driver display clearly shows the operating principle of the driving assistance systems as a full-screen view.
Thanks to rear-axle steering (again regionally dependent), the S-Class is as manoeuvrable as a compact car in the city. The steering angle at the rear axle is up to ten degrees. The turning circle is reduced by up to two metres.
Technology
More than 50 electronic components in the new S-Class can be updated with new software over-the-air. These include the entire MBUX infotainment system, the driver display, the driving assistance systems and the multi-beam LED and digital light lighting systems. This technology saves, we learn, the customer time, as there is no need to visit a workshop for this purpose. Furthermore, the vehicle remains up to date throughout its life-cycle. Cautiously, the explicit consent of the user is always a precondition for over-the-air updates.
It is expected that from the second half of 2021 the S-Class will be able to drive in conditionally automated mode with the new Drive Pilot, an optional extra, in situations where traffic density is high or in tailbacks. By taking pressure off the driver, this allows them to undertake secondary activities such as browsing on the internet or dealing with emails in the In-Car Office, and so win extra time. That’s the theory anyway.
Hey Mercedes
The voice assistant "Hey Mercedes" is even more learn-and- dialogue-capable by activation of online services in the Mercedes-me App. Moreover, certain actions can be performed even without the activation keywords "Hey Mercedes". These include accepting a telephone call. "Hey Mercedes" now also explains vehicle functions and answers general knowledge questions. In the S-Class the voice assistant can also be controlled from the rear seats too. It’s quite something.
There is so much that is new with this car that it can be best described as making a quantum leap forward in vehicle technology. There’s a lot more information to come in the coming weeks and as soon as the opportunity to road test this car becomes available we will be sure to pass it on. Prices yet to be revealed.
