Merc’s new-tech S-Class

Intelligent Drive takes Merc’s flagship saloon another step towards autonomous driving.

MERCEDES-Benz has revealed some of the new technologies incorporated into its luxury S-Class at the updated model’s debut at this week’s Shanghai motor show.

Most of the new gizmotronics are worked into existing autonomous driving features, and now the car can automatically slow down ahead of corners or potentially dangerous intersections by using data from the navigation system. The new S also gets better camera and radar systems to better monitor surrounding traffic, and automatic lane changes have been simplified with single taps of the indicator stalk.

A new Emergency Stop Assist will safely halt the car if it senses prolonged periods of no driver input in autonomous modes. Lastly, the S can now be driven in and out of parking bays with remote control from a smartphone.

To make all the complex autonomy features easier for drivers to understand, a new Assistance Menu with simple graphic icons will now feature in the widened instrument cluster and on the head-up display.

Also included are new Multi- beam LED and Ultra Range headlights which Merc says can “turn night into day” and new crystal-look tail lamps.

Big news on the engine front is a return to a straight-six in the S350d and S400d models, which use a 3-litre unit in two power outputs: 210kW/600Nm and 250kW/700Nm - the latter being the most powerful Mercedes diesel car yet.

A new 4-litre V8 turbo petrol makes 345kW/700Nm in the S560 model and 450kW/900NM in the AMG S63.

The updated S-Class will be available in South Africa from the first quarter of next year.