New Mercedes S-Class Fails Crash Test

Posted by www.eMercedesBenz.com on November 16, 2005 at 10:55 AM CST

While browsing Autoblog.it today, I stumbled upon a new S-Class story  
that gave me a good laugh.

As you probably know, the new S-Class features a host of safety  
features not found on any other vehicles, one of which is a new Brake  
Assist Plus feature.  If you're unfamiliar with Brake Assist Plus,  
it's a system that uses radar to detect traffic that may or may not  
be visible to the driver, and in the event that braking force is  
needed to prevent an accident, the Brake Assist system kicks in and  
supplies the necessary stopping power.

Mercedes recently decided to demonstrate this safety feature for  
Germany's Star TV, but unfortunately for the donor S-Class, all  
didn't go as planned.

To showcase the Brake Assist Plus feature, a test track was set up,  
complete with heavy fog and a hidden stationary test vehicle, to  
compare the previous S-Class to the forthcoming 2007 model.  The  
previous S-Class was then sent traveling down the track, which  
collided with the stationary vehicle due to the low visibility.  To  
view the photo, click the link below.

http://emercedesbenz.com/Nov05/16NewSClassFailsCrashTest.html

Next, it was time for the 2007 S-Class to perform the same test, but  
thanks to Brake Assist Plus, the safety system was supposed to kick  
in and stop the vehicle in time.  Guess what?  It didn't work.  The S- 
Class traveled down the track, collided with the previous S-Class,  
which then collided with the stationary test vehicle.

After closer inspection, the Mercedes engineers believe the failed  
test came as a result of the high steel and concrete construction of  
the testing facilities throwing off the Brake Assist Plus' radar, but  
assures drivers in real world conditions, the system will work as  
planned.

The moral of the story is this: if you're driving an S-Class, you're  
an intelligent individual. Regardless of whether or not the safety  
systems work, reading the Wall Street Journal, conducting a  
conference call and drinking a café latte while traveling at 70+mph  
is never a smart idea.  Remember kids, there's no substitute for safe  
driving.


For more Mercedes-Benz news and information, visit eMercedesBenz at  
www.eMercedesBenz.com