failed demonstration of Mercedes anti crash...

[VJ]

The Mercedes S-class should automatically brake in order to avoid a crash. So, it was put to the test: 3 S-class Mercedes', driving one after the other. Then the first car braked hard. The result?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/?p=611

A 3 car pile-up. According to Mercedes, the steel construction of hall in which the demo took place, screwed up the radar system...


I love the Microsoft comment in the article linked above though...



Jörg

[Brian Ellis]

Worthy of a Jeremy Clarkson demo on Top Gear

[GuchiGuh]

The system “works perfectly in all other circumstances”, according to Mercedes

what kinda shitty excuse is that? The system MUST work under ALL and ANY Circumstances!
Pathetic!

[Kooldino]

Haha, a bimmer lover harsh on Mercedes's shortcomings? You don't say.

[Dilitante1]

nah they just forgot to reboot b4 the demo

[GuchiGuh]

Haha, a bimmer lover harsh on Mercedes's shortcomings? You don't say.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Mercedes, but when it comes to safety systems, its not funny anymore.

[Gurm]

Oh, c'mon. You actually expected an "automatic crash prevention" system to WORK? That's the stuff of sci-fi, has been for years and likely will be for years to come.

How about just training drivers better?

[LvR]

So help me out here...........

MB is obviously living on another planet where all cars on the road are MBs with this anti-crash system fitted as standard - here on Earth where we live we have real cars with real F-up drivers and even more F-up driver skills ......................... so how is a MB that has just decided it time to avoid a crash and slams on brakes gonna prevent a Fiat with no such system parking in its boot?

Oh and I guess they also don't have tunnels through mountains on their planet where steel re-enforcing is effectively exactly duplicating the steel constructions in the hall of the test .............. erm and bridges with steel girders and and and.................

and radar is on their planet only affected by steel and not concrete/earth/rocks/speed etc etc

[Nolicorice]

Howdy y'all!

I have actually driven the new S-class a couple of weeks ago and it's an awsome car.

I sincerely hope the system failure that happened is and will be a rare exception, becuase when the system (BAS Plus) does work it's a very good safety feature.
I'd like to add that the system doesn't automatically break, that's a misunderstanding. It's designed to prevent high way pile-ups. You need to have your foot on the break, but if you do the car will apply as much stopping power as needed - all the way up to max capacity. The fully automated system might be released on the market in a couple of years.
So yes, the system (when it works) will help the Mercedes' driver to avoid parking in someone else's trunk, but it won't stop the Fiat behind from slamming into the Mercedes. However, the new S does have a system to try and prevent that too. When the driver applies the breaks hard enough the new LED break lights start flashing. It's supposed to make driver behind react faster och break harder.

[KvHagedorn]

BRAKE!

B-R-A-K-E.


I thought it was just an auto feature in the active cruise control that beeped if you were getting too close to a car ahead..

[Nowhere]

bleh, Fiat smashing in the back isn't a problem - the one behind you is always guilty, here at least

[GuchiGuh]

Nolicorice, describe to me the ambient lightening inside the S-Klasse!

and how much does it differ from the previous S-Class? in terms of comfort, driveability, agility, response, etc etc.

[mmp121]

I wonder if a metal bridge or a tunnel would create the same "conditions" that the hall did. Talk about not testing in all conditions!

[VJ]

I thought it was just an auto feature in the active cruise control that beeped if you were getting too close to a car ahead..

Actually, the rader controlled cruise control in most cars slow you down to the speed of the car in front of you (Audio A8 does this). This way, you would not drive into the back of a slower driving car in front of you.
My guess is that Mercedes tried to improve on this by detecting if the car in front of you decreases speed rapidely, and then automatically hits the brakes.



Jörg