There are still a few months left Mercedes-Benz will present the new S-Class at the IAA 2017 in September. Already, however, the manufacturer gives an insight into the numerous driving assistants of the luxury sedan. In addition to revised assistance, some new systems are also on board. These should be the next big step towards autonomous driving and be usable on almost all roads. In addition to improved camera and radar systems, map and navigation data are also included.
One of the major innovations is the Active Distance Assistant "Distronic". This reduces the speed of the S-class ahead of curves, intersections or motorway exits. If a route is programmed into the sat nav, the system also takes into account when a lower speed is needed to turn off at a junction instead of driving straight ahead. In the Eco mode, "Distronic" is also linked to the steering assistant, enabling an almost autonomous driving experience even on longer country laps.
Also new is the active lane change assistant. Here, a tap on the turn signal lever is enough to change the lane on multi-lane roads between 80 and 180 km / h. However, before the S-Class switches to another lane, it can take up to ten seconds for the car to check the situation.
With the Active Speed Limit Wizard, camera-based traffic sign recognition now also brings signs to gantries and highway signs to the S-Class dashboard. In addition, the set cruise control speed will automatically resume when the camera registers a speed limit cancellation sign.
Particularly spectacular is the active emergency stop assistant. If the driver has activated the steering assistant and after several requests - for example, during a swoon - hands do not take the steering wheel, brakes the S-class autonomously to a standstill and activated under 60 km / h also the hazard warning lights. Then the parking brake is activated and the emergency call is notified. In addition, to ensure a quick first aid, all doors are unlocked.
Not only the individual S-Class driver benefits from the new Car-to-X communication, others are also warned of dangers early on. If an S-Class is in a dangerous situation, a traffic jam or another traffic obstruction, it will be passed on to all other vehicles via Car-to-X communication.
Last but not least, the Active Parking Assistant and the Remote Parking Assistant should be mentioned. The former parked the S-Class independently in a parking space and again off. With the remote assistant, the vehicle can be maneuvered with the smartphone into particularly tight park situations or controlled in "Explore" mode up to 15 meters. (Max Friedhoff / SP-X)